Item 1A. Risk Factors

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in the 2021 Form 10-K except as updated in the following:

Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support utility scale renewable energy, including, but not limited to, tax laws, policies and incentives, renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and feed-in-tariffs, or the imposition of additional taxes, tariffs, duties or other assessments on renewable energy or the equipment necessary to generate or deliver it, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, NEER abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of NEER's investments in renewable energy projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on NEE's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

NEER depends heavily on government policies that support utility scale renewable energy and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating wind and solar energy projects in regions in which NEER operates or plans to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The federal government, a majority of state governments in the U.S. and portions of Canada provide incentives, such as tax incentives, RPS or feed-in-tariffs, that support or are designed to support the sale of energy from utility scale renewable energy facilities, such as wind and solar energy facilities. At the same time, the U.S. government generally has not taken action to materially burden the international supply chain that has been important to the development of renewable energy facilities at acceptable prices. As a result of budgetary constraints, political factors or otherwise, governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support, or do not overly burden, the development and operation of renewable energy facilities and, instead, consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes, tariffs, duties or other assessments on renewable energy or the equipment necessary to generate or deliver it, such as antidumping and countervailing duty rates that could be put in place as a result of the U.S. Department of Commerce's investigation into an antidumping and countervailing duties circumvention claim on solar cells and panels supplied from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, NEER abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of NEER's investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on NEE's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

NEE and FPL are subject to numerous environmental laws, regulations and other standards that may result in capital expenditures, increased operating costs and various liabilities, and may require NEE and FPL to limit or eliminate certain operations.

NEE and FPL are subject to domestic environmental laws, regulations and other standards, including, but not limited to, extensive federal, state and local environmental statutes, rules and regulations relating to air quality, water quality and usage, soil quality, climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases, waste management, hazardous wastes, marine, avian and other wildlife mortality and habitat protection, historical artifact preservation, natural resources, health (including, but not limited to, electric and magnetic fields from power lines and substations), safety and RPS, that could, among other things, prevent or delay the development of power generation, power or natural gas transmission, or other infrastructure projects, restrict or enjoin the output of some existing facilities, limit the availability and use of some fuels required for the production of electricity, require

additional pollution control equipment, and otherwise increase costs, increase capital expenditures and limit or eliminate certain operations. Certain subsidiaries of NEE are also subject to foreign environmental laws, regulations and other standards and, as such, are subject to similar risks.

There are significant capital, operating and other costs associated with compliance with these environmental statutes, rules and regulations, and those costs could be even more significant in the future as a result of new requirements and stricter or more expansive application of existing environmental laws and regulations.

Violations of current or future laws, rules, regulations or other standards could expose NEE and FPL to regulatory and legal proceedings, disputes with, and legal challenges by, governmental entities and third parties, and potentially significant civil fines, criminal penalties and other sanctions, such as restrictions on how NextEra Energy Resources develops, sites and operates wind facilities. These violations could result in, without limitation, litigation regarding property damage, personal injury, common law nuisance and enforcement by citizens or governmental authorities of environmental requirements. For example, one of NextEra Energy Resources' subsidiaries is currently on probation as a result of accidental collisions of eagles into wind turbines at a number of NextEra Energy Resources' wind facilities. If NextEra Energy Resources' subsidiary violates the terms of the probation, or fails to obtain eagle “take” permits under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for certain of its wind facilities and additional eagles perish in collisions with facility turbines, NextEra Energy Resources or its subsidiaries may face criminal prosecution under these laws.

The factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in the 2021 Form 10-K, as well as other information set forth in this report, which could materially adversely affect NEE's and FPL's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects should be carefully considered. The risks described above and in the 2021 Form 10-K are not the only risks facing NEE and FPL. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to NEE or FPL, or that are currently deemed to be immaterial, also may materially adversely affect NEE's or FPL's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

(a)Information regarding purchases made by NEE of its common stock during the three months ended March 31, 2022 is as follows:

PeriodTotal Number of Shares Purchased(a)Average Price Paid Per ShareTotal Number of Shares Purchased as Part of a Publicly Announced ProgramMaximum Number of Shares that May Yet be Purchased Under the Program(b)
1/1/22 – 1/31/22———180,000,000
2/1/22 – 2/28/22222,996$75.38—180,000,000
3/1/22 – 3/31/221,618$81.22—180,000,000
Total224,614$75.42—

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(a)Includes: (1) in February 2022, shares of common stock withheld from employees to pay certain withholding taxes upon the vesting of stock awards granted to such employees under the NextEra Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan; and (2) in March 2022, shares of common stock purchased as a reinvestment of dividends by the trustee of a grantor trust in connection with NEE's obligation under a February 2006 grant under the NextEra Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated Long-Term Incentive Plan to an executive officer of deferred retirement share awards.

(b)In May 2017, NEE's Board of Directors authorized repurchases of up to 45 million shares of common stock (180 million shares after giving effect to the 2020 stock split) over an unspecified period.

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