DALLAS & OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) (“ET” or “Energy Transfer”) and Enable Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: ENBL) (“Enable”) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Energy Transfer will acquire Enable in an all-equity transaction valued at approximately $7.2 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Enable common unitholders will receive 0.8595 ET common units for each Enable common unit, an exchange ratio that represents an at-the-market transaction, based on the 10-day volume-weighted average price of ET and Enable common units on February 12, 2021. In addition, each outstanding Enable Series A preferred unit will be exchanged for 0.0265 Series G preferred units of Energy Transfer. The transaction will include a $10 million cash payment for Enable’s general partner.
Positive Financial Impact
The transaction furthers Energy Transfer’s deleveraging efforts as it is expected to be immediately accretive to free cash flow post-distributions, have a positive impact on credit metrics and add significant fee-based cash flows from fixed-fee contracts.
The all-equity nature of the transaction allows unitholders of both partnerships to participate in the value creation potential of the combined partnership.
Complementary Assets
Energy Transfer’s acquisition of Enable will increase Energy Transfer’s footprint across multiple regions and provide increased connectivity for Energy Transfer’s natural gas and NGL transportation businesses.
Energy Transfer will significantly strengthen its NGL infrastructure by adding natural gas gathering and processing assets in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma and integrate high-quality assets with Energy Transfer’s existing NGL transportation and fractionation assets on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The acquisition will also provide significant gas gathering and processing assets in the Arkoma basin across Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as the Haynesville Shale in East Texas and North Louisiana.
Enable’s transportation and storage assets enhance Energy Transfer’s access to core markets with consistent sources of demand and bolster its portfolio of customers anchored by large, investment-grade customers with firm, long-term contracts. Energy Transfer will further enhance its connectivity to the global LNG market and the growing global demand for natural gas as the world transitions to cleaner power and fuel sources.
Synergies
The combination of Energy Transfer’s significant infrastructure with Enable’s complementary assets will allow the combined company to pursue additional commercial opportunities and achieve cost savings while enhancing Energy Transfer’s ability to serve customers.
Energy Transfer expects the combined company to generate more than $100 million of annual run-rate cost and efficiency synergies, excluding potential financial and commercial synergies. Potential commercial synergies include significant incremental earnings, which may result from integrating Enable’s Anadarko gathering and processing complex with Energy Transfer’s fractionation assets on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Timing and Conference Call Information
The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of ET and the Conflicts Committee and the Board of Directors of Enable. The two largest unitholders of Enable, OGE Energy Corp. (“OG&E”) and CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (“CNP”), which also control the General Partner of Enable, have entered into support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their Enable units in favor of the merger, upon effectiveness of the S-4 Registration Statement with the SEC. These two unitholders own approximately 79.2% of Enable’s outstanding common units. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2021 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including Hart Scott Rodino Act clearance. Upon closing, Enable unitholders are expected to own approximately 12 percent of Energy Transfer’s outstanding common units.
Energy Transfer will host a conference call February 17 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss this transaction along with its fourth quarter and full-year 2020 results. The conference call will be broadcast live via a webcast, which can be accessed through https://www.energytransfer.com/.
Advisors
Citi and RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisors to Energy Transfer and Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal counsel. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor to Enable and Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal counsel. Intrepid Partners, LLC acted as financial advisor and Richards, Layton & Finger, PA acted as legal counsel to Enable’s conflicts committee.
About Energy Transfer
Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States, with a strategic footprint in all of the major domestic production basins. ET is a publicly traded limited partnership with core operations that include complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate and interstate transportation and storage assets; crude oil, NGL and refined product transportation and terminalling assets; NGL fractionation; and various acquisition and marketing assets. ET, through its ownership of Energy Transfer Operating, L.P., also owns Lake Charles LNG Company, as well as the general partner interests, the incentive distribution rights and 28.5 million common units of Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN), and the general partner interests and 46.1 million common units of USA Compression Partners, LP (NYSE: USAC). For more information, visit the Energy Transfer LP website at https://www.energytransfer.com/.
About Enable
Enable (NYSE: ENBL) owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. Enable’s assets include approximately 14,000 miles of natural gas, crude oil, condensate and produced water gathering pipelines, approximately 2.6 Bcf/d of natural gas processing capacity, approximately 7,800 miles of interstate pipelines (including Southeast Supply Header, LLC of which Enable owns 50%), approximately 2,200 miles of intrastate pipelines and seven natural gas storage facilities comprising 84.5 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. For more information, visit https://www.enablemidstream.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes “forward-looking” statements. Forward-looking statements are identified as any statement that does not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Statements using words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “continue,” “estimate,” “goal,” “forecast,” “may” or similar expressions help identify forward-looking statements. Energy Transfer and Enable cannot give any assurance that expectations and projections about future events will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These risks and uncertainties include the risks that the proposed transaction may not be consummated or the benefits contemplated therefrom may not be realized. Additional risks include: the ability to obtain requisite regulatory and stockholder approval and the satisfaction of the other conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction, the ability of Energy Transfer to successfully integrate Enable’s operations and employees and realize anticipated synergies and cost savings, the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the proposed transaction on relationships, including with employees, suppliers, customers, competitors and credit rating agencies, the ability to achieve revenue, DCF and EBITDA growth, and volatility in the price of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in more detail in filings made by Energy Transfer and Enable with the SEC, which are available to the public. Energy Transfer and Enable undertake no obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE TRANSACTION CAREFULLY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. These documents (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Energy Transfer and Enable with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website, at https://www.sec.gov/. In addition, investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and the proxy statement/prospectus by phone, e-mail or written request by contacting the investor relations department of Energy Transfer at the number and address set forth below:
Energy Transfer LP
8111 Westchester Drive, Suite 600
Dallas, Texas 75225
Enable Midstream Partners LP
499 W. Sheridan Ave., Suite 1500
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
No offer or solicitation
This communication relates to a proposed merger (the “Merger”) between Enable and Energy Transfer. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the Merger or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance, exchange or transfer of the securities referred to in this document in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Participants in the Solicitation
Enable, Energy Transfer, and the directors and executive officers of their respective general partners, CNP (and their affiliates), OGE (and their affiliates) may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect to the Merger.
Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Enable’s general partner is contained in Enable’s 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 19, 2020, and certain of its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q Current Reports on Form 8-K. You can obtain a free copy of this document at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or by accessing Enable’s website at http://www.enablemidstream.com. Information regarding the executive officers and directors of Energy Transfer’s general partner is contained in Energy Transfer’s 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 21, 2020 and certain of its Current Reports on Form 8-K. You can obtain a free copy of this document at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by accessing Energy Transfer’s website at http://www.energytransfer.com.
Investors may obtain additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the Merger by reading the consent solicitation statement/prospectus regarding the Merger when it becomes available. You may obtain free copies of this document as described above.
