Payment of Performance Awards. Performance Awards may be paid in a lump sum or in installments following the close of the performance period or, in accordance with the procedures established by the Committee, on a deferred basis. If a Participant ceases to be employed by any Employer during a performance period because of death, Disability, Retirement or other circumstance in which the Committee in its discretion finds that a waiver would be appropriate, that Participant, as determined by the Committee, may be entitled to a payment of a Performance Award, or a portion thereof, at the end of the performance period; provided, however, that the Committee may provide for an earlier payment in settlement of such Performance Award in such amount and under such terms and conditions as the Committee deems appropriate or desirable. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, Termination of Employment prior to the end of any performance period will result in the forfeiture of the Performance Award, and no payments will be made.

Payment of Performance Awards. Each Participant granted a Performance Share Award shall be entitled to payment on account thereof as of the close of the applicable Award Period, but only if the Committee has determined that the conditions for payment of the Award set by the Committee have been satisfied. Payment of Awards shall be made by Energen promptly following the determination by the Committee that payment has been earned and by March 15 of the year following the year in which the Award is earned. Payment of Performance Shares shall be made in the form of shares of Stock.

The Administrator is authorized to grant Performance Awards to any Eligible Individual. The value of Performance Awards may be linked to any one or more of the Performance Criteria or other specific criteria determined by the Administrator, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Administrator.

The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Performance Awards to Participants.

Performance Awards. In the case of a Performance Award, the deferral election must be received by the Company no later than six (6) months before the end of the applicable Performance Period, provided that # the Participant was employed continuously from the later of the first day of the Performance Period or the date on which the Performance Measure was established through the date of election, # the election to defer is made before such compensation has become readily ascertainable (i.e., substantially certain to be paid), and # the Performance Period is at least twelve (12) months in length and the Performance Measure was established within ninety (90) days after commencement of the Performance Period.

Performance Awards. Each Performance Award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Agreement that # provides for the payment of cash and/or issuance of Shares to a Participant contingent upon the attainment of one or more specified Performance Goals, and # contains such other terms and conditions as may be determined by the Committee. For purposes of [Section 5.1(b)] hereof, a Performance Award shall be deemed to cover a number of Shares equal to the maximum number of Shares that may be issued upon payment of the Award. The maximum cash amount payable to any Employee pursuant to all Performance Awards granted to an Employee during a fiscal year shall not exceed ​.

Performance Awards. The Committee is authorized to grant Performance Awards to any Eligible Person payable in cash, Shares, or other Awards, on terms and conditions established by the Committee, subject to the provisions of [Section 8] if and to the extent that the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine that an Award shall be subject to those provisions. The performance criteria to be achieved during any Performance Period and the length of the Performance Period shall be determined by the Committee upon the grant of each Performance Award. Except as provided in [Section 9] or as may be provided in an Award Agreement, Performance Awards shall be distributed only after the end of the relevant Performance Period. The performance goals to be achieved for each Performance Period shall be conclusively determined by the Committee and may be based upon the criteria set forth in [Section 8(b)], or any other criteria that the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine should be used for that purpose. The amount of the Award to be distributed shall be conclusively determined by the Committee. Performance Awards may be paid in a lump sum or in installments following the close of the Performance Period or, in accordance with procedures established by the Committee, on a deferred basis, in each case in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Dividend Equivalents credited in connection with a Performance Award shall be subject to restrictions and risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Performance Award with respect to which such Dividend Equivalents have been credited.

Performance-Based Awards. The number of shares subject to a Participant’s Performance-Based Award shall be determined by multiplying the number of shares subject to that Award by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of full calendar months of employment or service that the Participant was employed by the Company or a Subsidiary, beginning on the Award Date and ending on the date of the Participant’s Termination of Service, and the denominator of which is twelve (12). Any Performance-Based Awards held by the Participant for a period of twelve (12) consecutive months or greater after the Award Date shall be deemed vested in full. If the Award is conditioned upon Participant’s compliance with a noncompete covenant set forth in the Award Agreement, the Participant’s actual number of shares subject to the Award shall vest, in full, at the end of the later of the Performance Period or the expiration of the noncompete covenant.

Earning Performance Awards. After an applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of a Performance Award will be entitled to receive a payout for the Performance Award earned by the Participant over the Performance Period. The Administrator, in its discretion, may reduce or waive any performance objectives or other vesting provisions for such Performance Award.

Performance Unit Awards. A Participant shall be eligible to receive a pro-rated share of any outstanding award of Performance Units granted to a Participant in accordance with the terms of the LTIP (a “Performance Unit Award”), provided that the Participant’s Termination is not due to Termination of Employment Due to the Participant’s Retirement or Triggering Event (as defined in such Performance Unit Award). This pro-rated share of any Performance Unit Award shall be calculated by multiplying: # the Performance Unit Award the Participant would have earned for the full performance period based on the performance of the AEP System Companies as determined at the end of the applicable performance period by # a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full months of the Participant’s participation from the Grant Date specified in the Performance Unit Award until the Termination Date and the denominator of which is the total number of months in the applicable performance period for the Performance Unit Award.