Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM

v3.24.0.1
INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Compensation Related Costs [Abstract]  
INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM
NOTE 14 — INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM
On November 18, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the adoption of the Tellurian Incentive Compensation Program (the “Incentive Compensation Program” or “ICP”). The ICP allows the Company to award short-term and long-term performance and service-based incentive compensation to full-time employees of the Company. ICP awards may be earned with respect to each calendar year and are determined based on guidelines established by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, as administrator of the ICP.
Short-term incentive awards
Short-term incentive (“STI”) awards are payable annually in cash at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. Compensation expense for STI awards is recognized over the performance period when it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. For the year ended December 31, 2023 we recognized no compensation expense related to STI awards, as compared to approximately $15.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Long-term incentive awards
Long-term incentive (“LTI”) awards under the ICP were granted in January 2022 in the form of “tracking units,” at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “2021 LTI Award”). Each such tracking unit has a value equal to one share of Tellurian common stock and entitles the grantee to receive, upon vesting, a cash payment equal to the closing price of our common stock on the trading day prior to the vesting date. These tracking units will vest in three equal tranches at grant date, and the first and second anniversaries of the grant date. Non-vested 2021 LTI Awards as of December 31, 2023 during the period were as follows:
Number of Tracking Units (in thousands) Price per Tracking Unit
Balance at January 1, 2023 12,719  $ 1.68 
Granted —  $ — 
Vested (6,359) 2.13 
Forfeited (368) 1.50 
Unvested balance at December 31, 2023
5,992  $ 0.76 
LTI awards under the ICP were granted in February 2023 in the form of “tracking units,” at the discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “2022 LTI Awards”). Each such tracking unit has a value equal to one share of Tellurian common stock and entitles the grantee to receive, upon vesting, a cash payment equal to the closing price of our common stock on the trading day prior to the vesting date. These tracking units will vest in three equal tranches at the grant date and the first and second anniversaries of the grant date. Non-vested 2022 LTI Awards as of December 31, 2023 and awards granted during the period were as follows:
Number of Tracking Units (in thousands) Price per Tracking Unit
Balance at January 1, 2023 —  — 
Granted 14,802  $ 2.10 
Vested (4,934) 1.63 
Forfeited (606) 1.46 
Unvested balance at December 31, 2023 9,262  $ 0.76 
We recognize compensation expense for awards with graded vesting schedules over the requisite service periods for each separately vesting portion of the award as if each award was in substance multiple awards. Compensation expense for the first tranche of the 2021 LTI Awards and the 2022 LTI Awards that vested at the grant date was primarily recognized over the performance period when it was probable that the performance condition was achieved. Compensation expense for the second and third tranches of the 2021 LTI Awards and the 2022 LTI Awards is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service vesting period. Compensation expense for unvested tracking units is subsequently adjusted each reporting period to reflect the estimated payout levels based on changes in the Company’s stock price and actual forfeitures.
Compensation expense (income) related to the second and third tranches of the 2021 LTI Awards and the 2022 LTI Awards are as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2023 2022
2022 LTI Awards $ 5,280  $ — 
2021 LTI Awards (788) 15,681