NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Duke Energy Corporation and investment funds managed by Alinda Capital Partners to buy DukeNet Communications, LLC for $600 million in cash, including the repayment of debt.
DukeNet, based in Charlotte, N.C., is a regional fiber optic network company serving customers in North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as five other states in the Southeast. With a fiber optic network of over 8,700 miles, DukeNet provides data and high-capacity bandwidth services to wireless carrier, data center, government, and enterprise customers. Duke Energy owns 50 percent of DukeNet. The Alinda investment funds own the remaining 50 percent.
“Business Services is a key growth area for Time Warner Cable and this acquisition will greatly enhance our already growing fiber network to better serve customers, particularly those in key markets in the Carolinas,” said Phil Meeks, Executive Vice President and COO of Business Services for Time Warner Cable. “This acquisition will help us expand our fiber footprint at a price that is consistent with our disciplined approach to M&A, accounting for expected synergies and tax benefits.”
"This is a positive transaction for Duke Energy,” said Marc Manly, president of Duke Energy’s Commercial Business group. “The sale completes Duke Energy’s transition out of DukeNet, which although a growing operation, is a non-core business to our company.”
“We are pleased to have been co-owner of DukeNet and partner with Duke Energy through a very exciting time in the development of telecommunications infrastructure generally, and DukeNet’s business specifically,” said Alinda’s managing partner, Chris Beale. “We believe DukeNet is well-positioned to continue its record of strong growth.”
The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, is subject to various customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. RBC Capital Markets, LLC advised Duke Energy and Alinda on the sale of DukeNet, and Moore & Van Allen PLLC provided legal counsel. Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP provided legal counsel to Time Warner Cable.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States, connecting more than 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers and enterprise-class, cloud-enabled hosting, managed applications and services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.twc.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmedia.com.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with more than $110 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.2 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.
About Alinda Capital Partners
Alinda Capital Partners is one of the world’s largest infrastructure investment firms with approximately $7.8 billion in equity commitments to infrastructure investments. Alinda has invested in infrastructure businesses that operate in 31 states in the United States as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. These businesses serve 100 million customers annually in more than 400 cities globally and employ more than 15,000 people. Alinda’s investors are predominantly pension funds for public sector and private sector workers and include some of the largest institutional investors in the world. Alinda and its subsidiaries have two offices in the United States -- in Greenwich, Conn., and Houston -- and two offices in Europe -- London and Düsseldorf, Germany. More information about Alinda is available at: www.alinda.com.
Time Warner Cable Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This document includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs, and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive, technological, strategic and/or regulatory factors, and other factors affecting the operations of Time Warner Cable Inc. More detailed information about these factors may be found in filings by Time Warner Cable Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Time Warner Cable is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Duke Energy Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions.
These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “continue,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “will,” “potential,” “forecast,” “target,” “guidance,” “outlook” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from the results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in any forward-looking statement include but are not limited to: state, federal and foreign legislative and regulatory initiatives, the possibility that the impact of compliance with material conditions imposed by regulators related to the Progress Energy merger could exceed our expectations, continued industry consolidation, the timing and extent of changes in commodity price, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates and the ability to recover such costs through the regulatory process, where appropriate, the results of financing efforts and the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms which can be affected by various factors, including credit ratings and general economic conditions, and the ability to successfully complete future merger, acquisition or divestiture plans.
Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Duke Energy’s and its subsidiaries’ reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements might not occur or might occur to a different extent or at a different time than Duke Energy has described. Duke Energy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
