CHICAGO & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) yesterday approved the proposed merger of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) and Pepco Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POM). The companies announced their proposed merger on April 30.
The combination of the companies will bring together Exelon’s three electric and gas utilities – BGE, ComEd and PECO – and Pepco Holdings’ (PHI’s) three electric and gas utilities – Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco – to create the leading mid-Atlantic electric and gas utility.
The transaction required approval by the SCC because PHI’s Pepco and Delmarva Power utilities previously served distribution customers in Virginia and still own a small amount of transmission infrastructure in the state.
“We are pleased that the SCC has approved our merger with PHI,” said Chris Crane, Exelon president and CEO. “This approval brings us another step closer to completing this transaction.”
“This approval will allow us to proceed towards uniting our two companies,” said Joseph M. Rigby, PHI chairman, president and CEO. “We look forward to bringing substantial benefits to our customers and the communities we serve through this merger.”
Transaction-related filings have been made with and are subject to the approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Delaware Public Service Commission, Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and Maryland Public Service Commission. The transaction is also subject to the notification and reporting requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and other customary closing conditions.
The transaction was also approved by PHI stockholders on Sept. 23, 2014. The companies anticipate completing the merger in the second or third quarter of 2015.
PHI customers will benefit from a $100 million customer benefit fund that Exelon is establishing that public service commissions in PHI service territories could use for customer benefits such as rate credits, assistance programs or energy efficiency. Exelon also has committed $50 million over the next 10 years to maintain charitable contributions in the areas served by the PHI utilities.
Exelon also has committed to build on reliability improvements that are already underway at the PHI utilities with new, more stringent targets in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Exelon has agreed to financial penalties if the targets are not met by 2020. Exelon also will honor PHI’s bargaining unit agreements. PHI this summer successfully negotiated contract extensions with all four of the unions representing its utility employees.
These proposed merger commitments are anticipated to result in substantial economic benefits for customers and communities served by the PHI utilities, as detailed in an economic modeling analysis. Combined with reliability improvement projects already announced by PHI and underway, the merger commitments are expected to produce approximately 11,000 to 14,000 new jobs and between $1.0 billion to $1.3 billion in benefits to the economies of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., within six years after the merger closes.
About Exelon Corporation
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2013 revenues of approximately $24.9 billion. Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 35,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 100,000 business and public sector customers and more than 1 million residential customers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO). Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About Pepco Holdings Inc.
Pepco Holdings Inc. is one of the largest energy delivery companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving about 2 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey. PHI subsidiaries Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric provide regulated electricity service; Delmarva Power also provides natural gas service. PHI also provides energy efficiency and renewable energy services through Pepco Energy Services. For more information, visit online: www.pepcoholdings.com.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the matters discussed in this communication constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “predict,” “project,” “future”, “potential,” “intend,” “seek to,” “plan,” “assume,” “believe,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,” “continue” or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger, integration plans and expected synergies, the expected timing of completion of the transaction, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates for growth. These statements are based on the current expectations of management of Exelon Corporation (Exelon) and Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), as applicable. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. For example, (1) PHI may be unable to obtain shareholder approval required for the merger; (2) the companies may be unable to obtain regulatory approvals required for the merger, or required regulatory approvals may delay the merger or cause the companies to abandon the merger; (3) conditions to the closing of the merger may not be satisfied; (4) an unsolicited offer of another company to acquire assets or capital stock of Exelon or PHI could interfere with the merger; (5) problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected; (6) the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies; (7) the merger may involve unexpected costs, unexpected liabilities or unexpected delays, or the effects of purchase accounting may be different from the companies’ expectations; (8) the credit ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different from what the companies expect; (9) the businesses of the companies may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the merger; (10) the companies may not realize the values expected to be obtained for properties expected or required to be sold; (11) the industry may be subject to future regulatory or legislative actions that could adversely affect the companies; and (12) the companies may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Therefore, forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Discussions of some of these other important factors and assumptions are contained in Exelon’s and PHI’s respective filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, including: (1) Exelon’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 22; (2) Exelon’s Second Quarter 2014 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) Part II, Other Information, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors; (b) Part 1, Financial Information, ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) Part I, Financial Information, ITEM 1. Financial Statements: Note 15; (3) the definitive proxy statement that PHI filed with the SEC on August 12, 2014 and mailed to its stockholders in connection with the proposed merger; (4) PHI’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 12, 2014, which provides supplemental disclosures to the definitive proxy statement; (5) PHI’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 15; and (6) PHI’s Second Quarter 2014 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) PART I, ITEM 1. Financial Statements, (b) PART I, ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) PART II, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this communication may not occur. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this communication. Neither Exelon nor PHI undertakes any obligation to publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Exelon or PHI to predict all such factors. Furthermore, it may not be possible to assess the impact of any such factor on Exelon’s or PHI’s respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any specific factors that may be provided should not be construed as exhaustive.
