Capital spending in recent years has included an expansion of the Company's new ethylene production facility in Freeport, Texas, which commenced operations in 2020, bringing the facility's total ethylene capacity to 2,000 kilotonnes per annum and making it the largest ethylene cracker in the world; the addition of a furnace to the Company's ethylene production facility in Alberta, Canada, which commenced operations in 2021; the retrofit of one of the Company's Louisiana steam crackers with Dow's proprietary fluidized catalytic dehydrogenation ("FCDh") technology to produce on-purpose propylene and the addition of a new specialty alkoxylation reactor in Plaquemine, Louisiana, which are both expected to be completed in the second half of 2022; and the addition of an integrated MDI distillation and prepolymers facility at its site in Freeport, Texas, which is expected to be completed in 2023. Cash used for investing activities from discontinued operations in 2019 was primarily for capital expenditures, partially offset by proceeds from the sales of property, businesses and ownership interests in nonconsolidated affiliates. Cash Flows from Financing Activities Cash used for financing activities from continuing operations in 2021 included payments on long-term debt and transaction financing, debt issuance and other costs, which were partially offset by proceeds from issuance of common stock. In addition, Dow Inc. included cash outflows for dividends paid to stockholders and purchases of treasury stock and TDCC included cash outflows for dividends paid to Dow Inc. Cash used for financing activities from continuing operations in 2020 included payments on long-term debt, changes in short-term notes payable and transaction financing, debt issuance and other costs, which were partially offset by proceeds from issuance of long- term debt. In addition, Dow Inc. included cash outflows for dividends paid to stockholders and purchases of treasury stock and TDCC included cash outflows for dividends paid to Dow Inc. Cash used for financing activities from continuing operations in 2019 included payments on long-term debt and dividends paid to DowDuPont, which were partially offset by proceeds from issuance of long-term debt. In addition, Dow Inc. received cash as part of the separation from DowDuPont, which was more than offset by dividends paid to stockholders and purchases of treasury stock. See Notes 15 and 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the issuance and retirement of debt and the Company's share repurchases and dividends. Cash used for financing activities from discontinued operations in 2019 primarily related to distributions to noncontrolling interests and employee taxes paid for share-based payment arrangements. Non-GAAP Cash Flow Measures Free Cash Flow Dow defines free cash flow as "Cash provided by operating activities - continuing operations," less capital expenditures. Under this definition, free cash flow represents the cash generated by Dow from operations after investing in its asset base. Free cash flow, combined with cash balances and other sources of liquidity, represents the cash available to fund obligations and provide returns to shareholders. Free cash flow is an integral financial measure used in the Company's financial planning process. Operating EBITDA and Pro Forma Operating EBITDA Dow defines Operating EBITDA (for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020) as earnings (i.e., "Income from continuing operations before income taxes") before interest, depreciation and amortization, excluding the impact of significant items. Pro forma Operating EBITDA (for the year ended December 31, 2019) is defined as earnings (i.e. "Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes") before interest, depreciation and amortization, plus pro forma adjustments, excluding the impact of significant items. Cash Flow Conversion (Operating EBITDA or Pro Forma Operating EBITDA to Cash Flow From Operations) Dow defines cash flow conversion (Operating EBITDA or pro forma Operating EBITDA to cash flow from operations) as "Cash provided by operating activities - continuing operations," divided by Operating EBITDA or pro forma Operating EBITDA. Management believes cash flow conversion is an important financial metric as it helps the Company determine how efficiently it is converting its earnings into cash flow. These financial measures are not recognized in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") and should not be viewed as alternatives to U.S. GAAP financial measures of performance. All companies do not calculate non-GAAP financial measures in the same manner and, accordingly, Dow's definitions may not be consistent with the methodologies used by other companies. 50