Document
VRB ENERGY USA INC.
2025 STOCK OPTION PLAN
Section 1. Purpose
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by aiding the Company in attracting and retaining employees, officers, consultants, advisors and non-employee Directors capable of assuring the future success of the Company, to offer such persons incentives to put forth maximum efforts for the success of the Company’s business and to compensate such persons through stock-based arrangements and provide them with opportunities for stock ownership in the Company, thereby aligning the interests of such persons with the Company’s stockholders.
Section 2. Definitions
As used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
(a)“Administrator” shall mean means the Board or any of its Committees as will be administering the Plan, in accordance with Section 3 of the Plan.
(b)“Award” shall mean any Option granted under the Plan.
(c)“Award Agreement” shall mean any written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award granted under the Plan. An Award Agreement may be in an electronic medium and need not be signed by a representative of the Company or the Participant. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the applicable terms and conditions of the Plan and any other terms and conditions (not inconsistent with the Plan) determined by the Committee.
(d)“Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
(e)“Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
(f)“Committee” shall mean any committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan. If no such Committee is appointed, all references in the Plan to “Committee” shall refer to the Board.
(g)“Company” shall mean VRB Energy USA Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor corporation.
(h)“Director” shall mean a member of the Board.
(i)“Eligible Person” shall mean any employee, officer, non-employee Director, consultant, independent contractor or advisor providing services to the Company or any Subsidiary; provided, however, that a consultant, independent contractor or advisor shall not be an Eligible Person unless such Person is an individual, provides bona fide services to the Company
or a Subsidiary, and such services are not in connection with a capital raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly support or maintain the market for the Company’s securities.
(j)“Fair Market Value” shall mean, with respect to any property (including, without limitation, any Shares or other securities), the fair market value of such property determined by such methods or procedures as shall be established from time to time by the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, if the Shares are traded on a securities exchange, the Fair Market Value of a Share as of a given date shall be the closing price of one Share as reported on the securities exchange where the Shares are then listed on such date or, if the applicable securities exchange is not open for trading on such date, on the most recent preceding date when such exchange is open for trading.
(k)“Incentive Stock Option” shall mean an option granted under Section 6(a) of the Plan that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision.
(l)“Non-Qualified Stock Option” shall mean an option granted under Section 6(a) of the Plan that is not intended to be an Incentive Stock Option.
(m)“Option” shall mean an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option to purchase shares of the Company.
(n)“Participant” shall mean an Eligible Person designated to be granted an Award under the Plan.
(o)“Person” shall mean any individual or entity, including a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or trust.
(p)“Plan” shall mean this VRB Energy USA Inc. 2025 Stock Option Plan, as amended from time to time.
(q)“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(r)“Share” or “Shares” shall mean shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, in the capital of the Company (or such other securities or property as may become subject to Awards pursuant to an adjustment made under Section 7(b) of the Plan), provided that such class is listed on a securities exchange.
(s)“Subsidiary” shall mean a majority-owned subsidiary, within the meaning of Rule 701 under the Securities Act.
Section 3. Administration
(a)Power and Authority of the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. Subject to the express provisions of the Plan and to applicable law, the Committee shall have full power and authority to: (i) designate Participants; (ii) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant under the Plan; (iii) determine the number of Shares to be covered by (or the method by which payments or other rights are to be calculated in
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connection with) each Award; (iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Award or Award Agreement, including any terms relating to the forfeiture of any Award and the forfeiture, recapture or disgorgement of any cash, Shares or other amounts payable with respect to any Award; (v) amend the terms and conditions of any Award or Award Agreement; (vi) accelerate the exercisability of any Award or the lapse of any restrictions relating to any Award, (vii) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Awards may be exercised in cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property, or canceled, forfeited or suspended; (viii) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards, other property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award under the Plan shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the holder thereof or the Committee; (ix) interpret and administer the Plan and any instrument or agreement, including an Award Agreement, relating to the Plan; (x) establish, amend, suspend or waive such rules and regulations and appoint such agents as it shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan; (xi) make any other determination and take any other action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan; and (xii) adopt such modifications, rules, procedures and subplans as may be necessary or desirable to comply with provisions of the laws of non-U.S. jurisdictions in which the Company or a Subsidiary may operate, including, without limitation, establishing any special rules for Subsidiaries, Eligible Persons or Participants located in any particular country, in order to meet the objectives of the Plan and to ensure the viability of the intended benefits of Awards granted to Participants located in such non-United States jurisdictions. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations and other decisions under or with respect to the Plan or any Award or Award Agreement shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, may be made at any time and shall be final, conclusive and binding upon any Participant, any holder or beneficiary of any Award or Award Agreement, and any employee of the Company or a Subsidiary.
(b)Delegation. The Committee may delegate to one or more officers or Directors of the Company, subject to such terms, conditions and limitations as the Committee may establish in its sole discretion, the authority to grant Awards; provided, however, that the Committee shall not delegate such authority in such a manner as would contravene applicable corporate or other applicable law.
(c)Power and Authority of the Board. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) the Board may, at any time and from time to time, without any further action of the Committee, exercise the powers and duties of the Committee under the Plan, unless the exercise of such powers and duties by the Board would cause the Plan not to comply with any applicable law or securities exchange rules; and (ii) to the extent required by applicable law or securities exchange rules, only the Committee (or another committee of the Board comprised of directors who qualify as independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or independence rules of any applicable securities exchange where the Shares are then listed) may grant Awards to Directors who are not also employees of the Company or a Subsidiary.
Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, (i) no member of the Board, the Committee or any person to whom the Committee delegates authority under the Plan shall be liable for any action or determination taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any
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Award made under the Plan, and (ii) the members of the Board, the Committee and each person to whom the Committee delegates authority under the Plan shall be entitled to indemnification by the Company with regard to such actions and determinations. The provisions of this Section shall be in addition to such other rights of indemnification as a member of the Board, the Committee or any other person may have by virtue of such person’s position with the Company.
Section 4. Shares Available for Awards
(a)Shares Available. Subject to adjustment under Section 7(b), the aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under all Awards under the Plan (including under Incentive Stock Options) shall be equal to 1,000,000 (one million) Shares.
(b)Counting Shares. For purposes of this Section 4, if an Award entitles the holder thereof to receive or purchase Shares, the number of Shares covered by such Award or to which such Award relates shall be counted on the date of grant of such Award against the aggregate number of Shares available for granting Awards under the Plan.
(i)Shares Added Back to Reserve. If any Shares covered by an Award or to which an Award relates are not purchased or are forfeited or are reacquired by the Company (including any Shares withheld by the Company or Shares tendered to satisfy any tax withholding obligation on Awards or Shares covered by an Award that are settled in cash), or if an Award otherwise terminates or is cancelled without delivery of any Shares, then the number of Shares counted against the aggregate number of Shares available under the Plan with respect to such Award, to the extent of any such forfeiture, reacquisition by the Company, termination or cancellation, shall again be available for granting Awards under the Plan.
(ii)Cash-Only Awards. Awards that do not entitle the holder thereof to receive or purchase Shares shall not be counted against the aggregate number of Shares available for Awards under the Plan.
(iii)Substitute Awards Relating to Acquired Entities. Shares issued under Awards granted in substitution for awards previously granted by an entity that is acquired by or merged with the Company or a Subsidiary shall not be counted against the aggregate number of Shares available for Awards under the Plan.
Section 5. Eligibility
Any Eligible Person shall be eligible to be designated as a Participant. In determining which Eligible Persons shall receive an Award and the terms of any Award, the Committee may take into account the nature of the services rendered by the respective Eligible Persons, their present and potential contributions to the success of the Company or such other factors as the
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Committee, in its discretion, shall deem relevant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Incentive Stock Option may only be granted to full-time or part-time employees (which term as used herein includes, without limitation, officers and Directors who are also employees), and an Incentive Stock Option shall not be granted to an employee of a Subsidiary unless such Subsidiary is also a “subsidiary corporation” of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code or any successor provision.
Section 6. Awards
(a)Options. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Options to Eligible Persons with the following terms and conditions and with such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as the Committee shall determine:
(i)Exercise Price. The purchase price per Share purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Committee and shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such Option; provided, however, that the Committee may designate a purchase price below Fair Market Value on the date of grant if the Option is granted in substitution for a stock option previously granted by an entity that is acquired by or merged with the Company or a Subsidiary.
(ii)Option Term. The term of each Option shall be fixed by the Committee at the date of grant, but shall not be longer than ten (10) years from the date of grant.
(iii)Time and Method of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part and the method or methods by which, and the form or forms, including, but not limited to, cash, Shares (actually or by attestation), other securities, other Awards or other property, or any combination thereof, having a Fair Market Value on the exercise date equal to the applicable exercise price, in which, payment of the exercise price with respect thereto may be made or deemed to have been made.
(A)Promissory Notes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may not accept a promissory note as consideration.
(B)Net Exercises. The Committee may, in its discretion, permit an Option to be exercised by delivering to the Participant a number of Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date of exercise) equal to the excess, if positive, of the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying the Option being exercised on the date of exercise, over the exercise price of the Option for such Shares.
(iv)Stockholders’ Agreement. It may be a precondition to the exercise of any Options granted to a Participant that such Participant, as required by the Board in its sole discretion, become a signatory to such stockholders’
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agreement, share ownership agreement, voting trust agreement or other agreements as may be in force and effect at the time of issuance of the Shares, or that the Board otherwise requires the Participant to enter into.
(v)Incentive Stock Options. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the following additional provisions shall apply to the grant of stock options which are intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options:
(A)Each Option will be designated in the Award Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. Notwithstanding such designation, however, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Subsidiary) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), such Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(a)(v)(A), Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, the Fair Market Value of the Shares will be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted, and calculation will be performed in accordance with Code Section 422 and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
(B)All Incentive Stock Options must be granted within ten (10) years from the earlier of the date on which this Plan was adopted by the Board or the date this Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company.
(C)Unless sooner exercised, all Incentive Stock Options shall expire and no longer be exercisable no later than ten (10) years after the date of grant; provided, however, that in the case of a grant of an Incentive Stock Option to a Participant who, at the time such Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of its Subsidiaries, such Incentive Stock Option shall expire and no longer be exercisable no later than five (5) years from the date of grant.
(D)The purchase price per Share for an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Incentive Stock Option; provided, however, that, in the case of the grant of an Incentive Stock Option to a Participant who, at the time such Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock
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of the Company or of its Subsidiaries, the purchase price per Share purchasable under an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Incentive Stock Option.
(E)Any Incentive Stock Option authorized under the Plan shall contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable, but shall in all events be consistent with and contain all provisions required in order to qualify the Option as an Incentive Stock Option.
(F)In order for any Options to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, the Plan must be approved by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months of adoption by the Board, as provided in Section 11.
(b)General.
(i)Limits on Transfer of Awards. No Award shall be assignable or transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution following the Eligible Person’s death; provided, however, that subject to the Committee’s consent in its sole discretion, a Non-Qualified Stock Option may be assigned in whole or in part during the Eligible Person’s lifetime to one or more of the Eligible Person’s family members (as defined in Rule 701 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act) through a gift or as otherwise permitted by Rule 701 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may also permit assignments of Awards to comply with domestic relations or other court orders. The terms applicable to the assigned portion shall be the same as those in effect for the Award Agreement immediately prior to such assignment and shall be set forth in such documents issued to the assignee as the Committee may deem appropriate (including, without limitation, the requirement that the transferee execute such Agreements as the Committee may deem appropriate).
(ii)Restrictions; Securities Exchange Listing. All Shares or other securities delivered under the Plan pursuant to any Award or the exercise thereof shall be subject to such restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan, applicable federal or state securities laws and regulatory requirements, and the Committee may cause appropriate entries to be made with respect to, or legends to be placed on the certificates for, such Shares or other securities to reflect such restrictions. The Company shall not be required to deliver any Shares or other securities covered by an Award unless and until the requirements of any federal or state securities or other laws, rules or regulations (including the rules of any securities
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exchange) as may be determined by the Company to be applicable are satisfied.
(iii)Public Offering. In the event that the Company files a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to an underwritten public offering of any Stock (a “Public Offering”), each Eligible Person or holder or beneficiary thereof shall be prohibited from effecting any public sale or distribution of any Shares (other than as part of such underwritten public offering), including, but not limited to, pursuant to Rule 144 or Rule 144A under the Securities Act, during the “lock-up” period established by the Committee, which lock-up period shall be no shorter than that required by the underwriters of such public offering. If requested by the underwriters managing any Public Offering, each Eligible Person shall execute a separate agreement to the foregoing effect.
Section 7. Amendment and Termination; Adjustments; Corrections
(a)Amendments to the Plan and Awards. The Board may from time to time amend, suspend or terminate this Plan, and the Committee may amend the terms of any previously granted Award, provided that no amendment to the terms of any previously granted Award may, except as expressly provided in the Plan, or with the written consent of the Participant or holder thereof, adversely alter or impair the terms or conditions of the Award previously granted to a Participant under this Plan. Any amendment to this Plan, or to the terms of any Award previously granted, is subject to compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and policies of any applicable governmental entity or securities exchange, including receipt of any required approval from the governmental entity or stock exchange. For greater certainty and without limiting the foregoing, prior approval of the stockholders of the Company shall only be required for any amendment to the Plan or an Award that would require stockholder approval under applicable law or the rules or regulations of any securities exchange that is applicable to the Company.
(b)Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that an adjustment is necessary in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and type of Shares (or other securities or other property) that thereafter may be made the subject of Awards, (ii) the number and type of Shares (or other securities or other property) subject to outstanding Awards, (iii) the purchase price or exercise price with respect to any Award and (iv) the limitations contained in Section 4(c); provided, however, that the number of Shares covered by any Award or to which such Award relates shall always be a whole number. Such adjustment shall be made by the Committee or the Board, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive.
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(c)Corporate Transactions. In the event of any reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, plan of arrangement, take-over bid or tender offer, repurchase or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company or any other similar corporate transaction or event involving the Company (or the Company shall enter into a written agreement to undergo such a transaction or event), the Committee or the Board may, in its sole discretion, provide for any of the following to be effective upon the consummation of the event (or effective immediately prior to the consummation of the event, provided that the consummation of the event subsequently occurs), and no action taken under this Section 7(c) shall be deemed to impair or otherwise adversely alter or impair the rights of any holder of an Award or beneficiary thereof:
(i)either (A) termination of any such Award, whether or not vested, in exchange for an amount of cash and/or other property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s vested rights (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if, as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction or event described in this Section 7(c)(i)(A), the Committee or the Board determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s vested rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without any payment) or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee or the Board, in its sole discretion;
(ii)that such Award be assumed by the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, or shall be substituted for by similar options, rights or awards covering the stock of the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices; or
(iii)that such Award shall be exercisable or payable or fully vested with respect to all Shares covered thereby, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the applicable Award Agreement.
(d)Correction of Defects, Omissions and Inconsistencies. The Committee may, without prior approval of the stockholders of the Company, correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award or Award Agreement in the manner and to the extent it shall deem desirable to implement or maintain the effectiveness of the Plan.
Section 8. Income Tax Withholding
In order to comply with all applicable federal, state, local or foreign income tax laws or regulations, the Company may take such action as it deems appropriate to ensure that all applicable federal, state, local or foreign payroll, withholding, income or other taxes, which are
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the sole and absolute responsibility of a Participant, are withheld or collected from such Participant. In order to assist a Participant in paying all or a portion of the applicable taxes to be withheld or collected upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) an Award, the Committee, in its discretion and subject to such additional terms and conditions as it may adopt, may permit the Participant to satisfy such tax obligation by (a) electing to have the Company withhold a portion of the Shares otherwise to be delivered upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) such Award with a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such taxes (subject to the requirements of ASC Topic 718 to avoid adverse accounting treatment) or (b) delivering to the Company Shares other than Shares issuable upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) such Award with a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such taxes. The election, if any, must be made on or before the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is determined.
Section 9. General Provisions
(a)No Rights to Awards. No Eligible Person, Participant or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Eligible Persons, Participants or holders or beneficiaries of Awards under the Plan. The terms and conditions of Awards need not be the same with respect to any Participant or with respect to different Participants.
(b)Award Agreements. No Participant shall have rights under an Award granted to such Participant unless and until an Award Agreement shall have been signed by the Participant (if requested by the Company), or until such Award Agreement is delivered and accepted through an electronic medium in accordance with procedures established by the Company. An Award Agreement need not be signed by a representative of the Company unless required by the Committee. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the applicable terms and conditions of the Plan and any other terms and conditions (not inconsistent with the Plan) determined by the Committee.
(c)Plan Provisions Control. In the event that any provision of an Award Agreement conflicts with or is inconsistent in any respect with the terms of the Plan as set forth herein or subsequently amended, the terms of the Plan shall control.
(d)No Rights of Stockholders. Neither a Participant nor the Participant’s legal representative shall be, or have any of the rights and privileges of, a stockholder of the Company with respect to any Shares issuable upon the exercise of any Award, in whole or in part, unless and until such Shares have been issued.
(e)No Limit on Other Compensation Arrangements. Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Company or any Subsidiary from adopting or continuing in effect other or additional compensation plans or arrangements, and such plans or arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.
(f)No Right to Employment. The grant of an Award shall not be construed as giving a Participant the right to be retained as an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, nor will
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it affect in any way the right of the Company or a Subsidiary to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time, with or without cause, in accordance with applicable law. In addition, the Company or a Subsidiary may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment free from any liability or any claim under the Plan or any Award, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or in any Award Agreement. Nothing in this Plan shall confer on any person any legal or equitable right against the Company or any Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, or give rise to any cause of action at law or in equity against the Company or a Subsidiary. Under no circumstances shall any person ceasing to be an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary be entitled to any compensation for any loss of any right or benefit under the Plan which such employee might otherwise have enjoyed but for termination of employment, whether such compensation is claimed by way of damages for wrongful or unfair dismissal, breach of contract or otherwise. By participating in the Plan, each Participant shall be deemed to have accepted all the conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of any rules and regulations adopted by the Committee and shall be fully bound thereby.
(g)Governing Law. The internal law, and not the law of conflicts, of the State of Delaware shall govern all questions concerning the validity, construction and effect of the Plan or any Award, and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan or any Award.
(h)Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the purpose or intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction or Award, and the remainder of the Plan or any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.
(i)No Trust or Fund Created. Neither the Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company or any Subsidiary and a Participant or any other Person. To the extent that any Person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to an Award, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(j)Other Benefits. No compensation or benefit awarded to or realized by any Participant under the Plan shall be included for the purpose of computing such Participant’s compensation or benefits under any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, disability, severance, termination pay, welfare or other benefit plan of the Company, unless required by law or otherwise provided by such other plan.
(k)No Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award, and the Committee shall determine whether cash shall be paid in lieu of any fractional Share or whether such fractional Share or any rights thereto shall be canceled, terminated or otherwise eliminated.
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(l)Headings. Headings are given to the sections and subsections of the Plan solely as a convenience to facilitate reference. Such headings shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction or interpretation of the Plan or any provision thereof.
Section 10. Clawback or Recoupment
All Awards under this Plan shall be subject to forfeiture or other penalties pursuant to any clawback policy of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, as amended from time to time, and such forfeiture and/or penalty conditions or provisions as determined by the Committee and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
Section 11. Effective Date of the Plan
The Plan was adopted by the Board on and effective July [ ], 2025.
Section 12. Term of the Plan
No Award shall be granted under the Plan, and the Plan shall terminate, one day prior to the 10th anniversary of the Effective Date in Section 11 or any earlier date of discontinuation or termination established pursuant to Section 7(a) of the Plan. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or in an applicable Award Agreement, any Award theretofore granted may extend beyond such dates, and the authority of the Committee provided for hereunder with respect to the Plan and any Awards, and the authority of the Board to amend the Plan, shall extend beyond the termination of the Plan.
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APPENDIX A
TO
VRB ENERGY USA INC. 2025 STOCK OPTION PLAN
(for California residents only, to the extent required by Section 25102(o) of the California Corporations Code)
This Appendix A to the VRB Energy USA Inc. 2025 Stock Option Plan shall apply only to the Participants who are residents of the State of California and who are receiving an Award under the Plan. Capitalized terms contained herein shall have the same meanings given to them in the Plan, unless otherwise provided by this Appendix A. Notwithstanding any provisions contained in the Plan to the contrary and to the extent required by applicable laws, the following terms shall apply to all Awards granted to residents of the State of California, until such time as the Administrator amends this Appendix A or the Administrator otherwise provides.
(a)No Award may be granted to a resident of the State of California unless and until the Plan has been approved by a majority of the Company’s outstanding securities entitled to vote.
(b)The term of each Option shall be stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof.
(c)Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, or otherwise transferred in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award may only be transferred (i) by will, (ii) by the laws of descent and distribution, or (iii) as permitted by Rule 701 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(d)Unless employment is terminated for cause as defined by applicable law, the terms of the Plan or Award or a contract of employment, if a Participant ceases to be an Eligible Person, such Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall not be less than thirty (30) days following the date of the Participant’s termination, to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement).
(e)If a Participant ceases to be an Eligible Person as a result of the Participant’s disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall not be less than six (6) months following the date of the Participant’s termination, to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement).
(f)If a Participant dies while an Eligible Person, the Option may be exercised within such period of time as specified in the Award Agreement, which shall not be less than six (6) months following the date of the Participant’s death, to the extent the Option is vested on the date
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of death (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, personal representative, or by the
person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution.
(g)No Award shall be granted to a resident of California more than ten (10) years after the earlier of the date of adoption of the Plan or the date the Plan is approved by the stockholders.
(h)In the event of any stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination, reclassification or other distribution of the Company’s equity securities without the receipt of consideration by the Company, of or on the Company’s class or series of securities underlying the Award, the Administrator shall make appropriate adjustment to the number of securities purchasable under the Award and, if the Award is an Option, the exercise price thereof.
(i)This Appendix A shall be deemed to be part of the Plan and the Administrator shall have the authority to amend this Appendix A in accordance with Section 7 of the Plan.
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