Finance & Investing | General News | Capital Markets

Enbridge Energy Partners to Restructure Equity

Share Print Bookmark    |    Friday,June 20,2014

Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. and Enbridge Inc. have reported an agreement to undertake a restructuring of the Partnership's equity under which its general partner will permanently waive its existing incentive distribution rights in exchange for Class D units and new incentive distribution units.

This restructuring will decrease the general partner's share of incremental cash distributions from 48 percent of all distributions in excess of $0.495 per unit per quarter down to 23 percent of all distributions in excess of the Partnership's current quarterly distribution of $0.5435 per unit per quarter. As a result, the share of incremental cash available for distribution to holders of Class A common units will increase correspondingly. The restructuring will be effective July 1, 2014 and will apply to all distributions declared subsequent to that date. 

Mark Maki, president for the Partnership, commented: "The Partnership's Liquids Pipelines capital expansion program currently underway is expected to generate significant low risk cash flow growth over the coming years. This Equity Restructuring will enhance the economics of the Partnership's investment projects and increase cash flow available for distribution to holders of Class A common units from the existing capital projects as well as from future growth projects."

Commenting on the restructuring transaction, Al Monaco, Enbridge's president and chief executive officer, noted: "Enbridge and the Partnership are in the midst of executing the most significant organic capital growth program in our history. At the same time, one of Enbridge's strategic priorities is to re-establish the Partnership as a strong sponsored vehicle and an effective source of funding for its own growth and for future drop downs; much the same as the role Enbridge Income Fund plays with the Enbridge group today. This restructuring of the incentive distribution rights builds upon other initiatives undertaken including our preferred unit investment in EEP and the formation of Midcoast Energy Partners, L.P. in 2013. The Equity Restructuring is expected to benefit Enbridge shareholders by improving the Partnership's cost of capital and growth outlook, thus increasing the incentive distributions to the general partner of the Partnership over time."

To implement the Equity Restructuring, EEP's general partner, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge, will irrevocably waive its current incentive distributions rights in excess of its 2 percent general partner interest in exchange for 66.1 million Class D units and 1,000 Incentive Distribution Units. The Class D units will carry a distribution equal to the quarterly distribution on the Class A common units. The third quarter 2014 distribution on the Class D units will be adjusted to provide Enbridge with an aggregate distribution in 2014 equal to the current distribution on its IDRs as if the Equity Restructuring had not occurred. The IDUs will be entitled to no distribution initially, but will be entitled in the future to 23 percent of any amount in excess of EEP's current quarterly Class A common unit distribution of $0.5435 per unit. In the event of any decrease in the Class A common unit distribution below $0.5435 per unit in any quarter during the next five years, the distribution on the Class D units will be reduced to the amount which would have been received by Enbridge under the existing IDRs as if the Equity Restructuring had not occurred.

The Class D Units will have a notional value per unit equivalent to the closing market price of the Class A Common units on June 17, 2014 and have the same voting rights as the Class A units. The Class D units are convertible on a one-for-one basis into Class A common units at any time on or after the fifth anniversary of the closing date, at the holder's option. In the event of a liquidation event (or any merger or other extraordinary transaction), the Class D Unit holders will have a preference in liquidation equal to 20 percent of the Notional Value, with such preference being increased by an additional 20 percent on each anniversary of the closing date, resulting in a liquidation preference equal to 100 percent of the Notional Value on the fourth anniversary of the closing date. The Class D units will be redeemable in 30 years in whole or in part at EEP's option for either a cash amount equal to the Notional Value per unit or newly issued Class A common units with an aggregate market value at redemption equal to 105 percent of the aggregate Notional Value of the Class D units being redeemed.

Also, as part of the Equity Restructuring, certain related amendments were made to the partnership agreement to increase the Partnership's flexibility to maintain and increase interim distributions to unitholders until current and future growth investments by the Partnership begin to generate cash, and to enhance the Partnership's ability to execute its long-term growth plans in a capital efficient and accretive manner.

The Equity Restructuring and all related amendments to the partnership agreement were reviewed and recommended to the board of directors of the General Partner by a special committee of independent directors. The special committee was assisted by its own independent legal counsel and financial advisor.