Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
|
August 1, 2019
|
TC PipeLines, LP
|
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
|
Delaware
|
001-35358
|
52-2135448
|
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) |
(Commission File
Number) |
(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
700 Louisiana Street, Suite 700
Houston, TX
|
77002-2761 |
(Address of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip Code)
|
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
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(877) 290-2772
|
|
(Former name or former address if changed since last report)
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☐
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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☐
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
|
☐
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
|
☐
|
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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Emerging growth company
|
☐
|
|
|
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
|
☐
|
Exhibit No.
|
|
Description
|
|
|
TC PipeLines, LP
by: TC PipeLines GP, Inc.,
its general partner
|
|
By: /s/ Jon Dobson
Jon Dobson
Secretary
|
Exhibit No.
|
|
Description
|
|
NewsRelease
|
·
|
generated net income attributable to controlling interests of $55 million
|
·
|
paid cash distributions of $47 million
|
·
|
declared cash distribution of $0.65 per common unit for the second quarter of 2019
|
·
|
generated EBITDA of $99 million and distributable cash flow of $70 million
|
·
|
reduced overall debt balance by $83 million, including a $50 million payment on our 2013 Term Loan Facility
|
·
|
received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to increase the certificated capacity on Portland Natural
Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) for Phase I of its Westbrook XPress project
|
·
|
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) upgraded credit rating to BBB/Stable from BBB-/Stable
|
Three months ended
|
Six months ended
|
||||||
(unaudited)
|
June 30,
|
June 30,
|
|||||
(millions of dollars, except per common unit amounts)
|
2019
|
2018
|
2019
|
2018
|
|||
Net income
|
57
|
75
|
157
|
177
|
|||
Net income attributable to controlling interests
|
55
|
73
|
148
|
169
|
|||
Net income per common unit – basic and diluted (a)
|
$0.75
|
$1.00
|
$2.03
|
$2.33
|
|||
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) (b)
|
99
|
124
|
241
|
274
|
|||
Cash distributions paid
|
(47)
|
(47)
|
(95)
|
(123)
|
|||
Class B distributions paid
|
-
|
-
|
(13)
|
(15)
|
|||
Distributable cash flow (b)
|
70
|
101
|
186
|
213
|
|||
Cash distribution declared per common unit
|
$0.65
|
$0.65
|
$1.30
|
$1.30
|
|||
Weighted average common units
outstanding – basic and diluted (millions) (c)
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.2
|
|||
Common units outstanding, end of period
(millions) (c)
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
(a)
|
Net income per common unit is computed by dividing net income attributable to controlling interests, after deduction of net income
attributable to the General Partner, by the weighted average number of common units outstanding. Refer to the “Financial Summary-Consolidated Statements of Income” section of this release.
|
(b)
|
Distributable cash flow and EBITDA are non-GAAP financial
measures. Refer to the description of these non-GAAP financial measures in the section of this release entitled “Non-GAAP Measures” and the Supplemental Schedule for further detail.
|
(c)
|
Under the at-the-market (ATM) program, no common units were issued during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 (June 30, 2018
– nil and 732,973 units issued).
|
·
|
lower revenue on GTN due to its scheduled 10 percent rate decrease effective January 1, 2019 as
part of the settlement reached with its customers in 2018; and
|
·
|
lower revenue from PNGTS primarily due to the expiration of its legacy recourse rate contracts,
partially offset by revenues from Phase I of PXP which went into service November 1, 2018.
|
·
|
decrease in Great Lakes’ and Northern Border’s equity earnings as a result of rate reductions in
early 2019 related to the 2018 FERC actions, together with an increase in operating costs related to compliance programs and allocated management and operational expenses from TC Energy; and
|
·
|
decrease in Iroquois’ equity earnings as a result of the scheduled reduction of its existing
rates as part of the 2019 Iroquois Settlement.
|
·
|
lower EBITDA from our consolidated subsidiaries;
|
·
|
higher maintenance capital expenditures related to major compression equipment overhauls on GTN
and pipe integrity costs on Tuscarora, North Baja and GTN, all the result of higher transportation volumes of natural gas;
|
·
|
lower interest expense due to repayment of the $170 million Term Loan during the fourth quarter
of 2018 and the repayment of the Senior Credit Facility in the first quarter of 2019;
|
·
|
higher distributions from our equity investment in Northern Border primarily due to lower capital
spending related to decreased compressor station maintenance costs, partially offset by reduced earnings as discussed above; and
|
·
|
lower distributions from our equity investment in Great Lakes primarily due to an increase in its capital spending on its compliance
and integrity programs and decreased earnings as discussed above.
|
·
|
amount and timing of earnings and cash distributions received from equity investments due to:
|
o
|
lower capital spending related to decreased compressor station maintenance costs on Northern
Border;
|
o
|
net higher earnings generated by Northern Border and Great Lakes from the fourth quarter of 2018
to first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in the prior year;
|
o
|
higher distributions from our equity investments; and
|
·
|
positive impact from amount and timing of operating working capital changes.
|
·
|
$50 million distribution received from Northern Border as a return of investment; partially
offset by
|
·
|
higher capital maintenance expenditures on our consolidated subsidiaries and continued capital
spending on PXP.
|
·
|
$20 million increase in net debt repayments;
|
·
|
$28 million decrease in distributions paid primarily due to the $0.35 per common unit reduction
in distribution payments during the first quarter of 2019 related to performance during the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2018 in response to the 2018 FERC Actions;
|
·
|
$2 million decrease in distributions paid to Class B units in 2019 as compared to 2018;
|
·
|
no ATM equity issuances in 2019 year-to-date; and
|
·
|
$12 million increase in distributions paid to non-controlling interests during the six months
ended June 30, 2019 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2018 resulting from PNGTS’ higher revenue in the first quarter of 2019 compared to its revenue in the first quarter of 2018.
|
·
|
EBITDA
|
·
|
Total distributable cash flow
|
·
|
Distributable cash flow
|
·
|
distributions from our equity investments
|
·
|
earnings from our equity investments,
|
·
|
equity allowance for funds used during construction (if any),
|
·
|
interest expense,
|
·
|
income taxes,
|
·
|
distributions to non-controlling interests, and
|
·
|
maintenance capital expenditures from consolidated subsidiaries.
|
Consolidated Statements of Income
|
Three months ended
|
Six months ended
|
||||||
(unaudited)
|
June 30,
|
June 30,
|
||||||
(millions of dollars, except per common unit amounts)
|
2019
|
2018
|
2019
|
2018
|
||||
Transmission revenues
|
93
|
111
|
206
|
226
|
||||
Equity earnings
|
30
|
36
|
84
|
95
|
||||
Operation and maintenance expenses
|
(17)
|
(17)
|
(33)
|
(33)
|
||||
Property taxes
|
(6)
|
(7)
|
(13)
|
(14)
|
||||
General and administrative
|
(2)
|
(1)
|
(4)
|
(2)
|
||||
Depreciation and amortization
|
(19)
|
(24)
|
(39)
|
(48)
|
||||
Financial charges and other
|
(21)
|
(23)
|
(43)
|
(46)
|
||||
Net income before taxes
|
58
|
75
|
158
|
178
|
||||
Income taxes
|
(1)
|
—
|
(1)
|
(1)
|
||||
Net income
|
57
|
75
|
157
|
177
|
||||
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
8
|
||||
Net income attributable to controlling interests
|
55
|
73
|
148
|
169
|
||||
Net income attributable to controlling interest allocation
|
||||||||
Common units
|
54
|
72
|
145
|
166
|
||||
General Partner
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
||||
55
|
73
|
148
|
169
|
|||||
Net income per common unit – basic and diluted (a)
|
$0.75
|
$1.00
|
$2.03
|
$2.33
|
||||
Weighted average common units
outstanding – basic and diluted (millions)
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.2
|
||||
Common units outstanding, end of period
(millions)
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
71.3
|
(a)
|
Net income per common unit is
computed by dividing net income attributable to controlling interests, after deduction of amounts attributable to the General Partner, by the weighted
average number of common units outstanding. The amount allocable to the General Partner equals an amount based upon the General Partner’s two percent general partner interest. For the year ending December 31, 2019, the amount allocable
to the Class B units is equal to 30 percent of GTN’s annual distributable cash flow, less the threshold amount of $20 million and is further reduced by the Class B Reduction for 2019 (2018 – less the threshold of $20 million and the
Class B Reduction). During the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, no amounts were allocated to the Class B units as the annual threshold of $20 million had not been exceeded.
|
(unaudited)
|
||||
(millions of dollars)
|
June 30, 2019
|
December 31, 2018
|
||
ASSETS
|
||||
Current Assets
|
||||
Cash and cash equivalents
|
45
|
33
|
||
Accounts receivable and other
|
33
|
48
|
||
Inventories
|
9
|
8
|
||
Other
|
3
|
8
|
||
90
|
97
|
|||
Equity investments
|
1,118
|
1,196
|
||
Property, plant and equipment
|
||||
(Net of $1,145 accumulated depreciation; 2018 - $1,110)
|
1,520
|
1,529
|
||
Goodwill
|
71
|
71
|
||
Other assets
|
—
|
6
|
||
TOTAL ASSETS
|
2,799
|
2,899
|
||
LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS’ EQUITY
|
||||
Current Liabilities
|
||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
|
26
|
36
|
||
Accounts payable to affiliates
|
6
|
6
|
||
Accrued interest
|
11
|
12
|
||
Current portion of long-term debt
|
101
|
36
|
||
144
|
90
|
|||
Long-term debt, net
|
1,892
|
2,072
|
||
Deferred state income taxes
|
9
|
9
|
||
Other liabilities
|
34
|
29
|
||
2,079
|
2,200
|
|||
Partners’ Equity
|
||||
Common units
|
514
|
462
|
||
Class B units
|
95
|
108
|
||
General partner
|
14
|
13
|
||
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI)
|
(5)
|
8
|
||
Controlling interests
|
618
|
591
|
||
Non-controlling interest
|
102
|
108
|
||
720
|
699
|
|||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS’ EQUITY
|
2,799
|
2,899
|
Six months ended
|
||||
(unaudited)
|
June 30,
|
|||
(millions of dollars)
|
2019
|
2018
|
||
Cash Generated from Operations
|
||||
Net income
|
157
|
177
|
||
Depreciation and amortization
|
39
|
48
|
||
Amortization of debt issue costs reported as interest expense
|
1
|
1
|
||
Amortization of realized losses
|
—
|
2
|
||
Equity earnings from equity investments
|
(84)
|
(95)
|
||
Distributions received from operating activities of equity investments
|
112
|
96
|
||
Change in other long-term liabilities
|
—
|
(1)
|
||
Equity allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC equity)
|
(1)
|
—
|
||
Change in operating working capital
|
4
|
(5)
|
||
228
|
223
|
|||
Investing Activities
|
||||
Investment in Great Lakes
|
(5)
|
(4)
|
||
Distribution received from Iroquois as return of investment
|
5
|
5
|
||
Distribution received from Northern Border as return of investment
|
50
|
—
|
||
Capital expenditures
|
(29)
|
(9)
|
||
Customer advances for construction
|
1
|
—
|
||
22
|
(8)
|
|||
Financing Activities
|
||||
Distributions paid to common units, including the general partner
|
(95)
|
(123)
|
||
Distributions paid to Class B units
|
(13)
|
(15)
|
||
Distributions paid to non-controlling interests
|
(15)
|
(3)
|
||
Common unit issuance, net
|
—
|
40
|
||
Long-term debt issued, net of discount
|
20
|
130
|
||
Long-term debt repaid
|
(135)
|
(225)
|
||
Debt issuance costs
|
—
|
(1)
|
||
(238)
|
(197)
|
|||
Increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
12
|
18
|
||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
|
33
|
33
|
||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
|
45
|
51
|
Three months ended
|
Six months ended
|
|||||||
(unaudited)
|
June 30,
|
June 30,
|
||||||
(millions of dollars)
|
2019
|
2018
|
2019
|
2018
|
||||
Net income
|
57
|
75
|
157
|
177
|
||||
Add:
|
||||||||
Interest expense (a)
|
22
|
25
|
44
|
48
|
||||
Depreciation and amortization
|
19
|
24
|
39
|
48
|
||||
Income taxes
|
1
|
—
|
1
|
1
|
||||
EBITDA
|
99
|
124
|
241
|
274
|
||||
Add:
|
||||||||
Distributions from equity investments (b) (f)
|
||||||||
Northern Border (c)
|
21
|
18
|
48
|
37
|
||||
Great Lakes
|
9
|
14
|
32
|
39
|
||||
Iroquois (d)
|
14
|
14
|
28
|
28
|
||||
44
|
46
|
108
|
104
|
|||||
Less:
|
||||||||
Equity earnings:
|
||||||||
Northern Border
|
(14)
|
(15)
|
(35)
|
(32)
|
||||
Great Lakes
|
(9)
|
(12)
|
(29)
|
(36)
|
||||
Iroquois
|
(7)
|
(9)
|
(20)
|
(27)
|
||||
(30)
|
(36)
|
(84)
|
(95)
|
|||||
Less:
|
||||||||
AFUDC equity
|
(1)
|
—
|
(1)
|
—
|
||||
Interest expense (a)
|
(22)
|
(25)
|
(44)
|
(48)
|
||||
Income taxes
|
(1)
|
—
|
(1)
|
(1)
|
||||
Distributions to non-controlling interest (e)
|
(3)
|
(2)
|
(10)
|
(9)
|
||||
Maintenance capital expenditures (f)
|
(15)
|
(5)
|
(21)
|
(10)
|
||||
(42)
|
(32)
|
(77)
|
(68)
|
|||||
Total Distributable Cash Flow
|
71
|
102
|
188
|
215
|
||||
General Partner distributions declared (g)
|
(1)
|
(1)
|
(2)
|
(2)
|
||||
Distributions allocable to Class B units (h)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
||||
Distributable Cash Flow
|
70
|
101
|
186
|
213
|
(a)
|
Interest expense as presented includes net realized loss related to the interest rate swaps.
|
(b)
|
Amounts are calculated in accordance with the cash distribution policies of each of our equity investments.
Distributions from our equity investments represent our respective share of these entities’ quarterly distributable cash for the current reporting period.
|
(c)
|
Excludes the $50 million additional distribution received from Northern Border. The entire proceeds were used by the Partnership to
partially repay our 2013 Term Loan Facility.
|
(d)
|
This amount represents our proportional 49.34 percent share of the distribution declared by our equity investee,
Iroquois, for the current reporting period and includes our 49.34 percent share of the Iroquois unrestricted cash distribution amounting to approximately $2 million and $5 million, respectively, for both the three and six months ended
June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2018.
|
(e)
|
Distributions to non-controlling interests represent the respective share of our consolidated entities’
distributable cash from earnings not owned by us for the periods presented.
|
(f)
|
The Partnership’s maintenance capital expenditures include cash expenditures made to maintain, over the long
term, the operating capacity, system integrity and reliability of our pipeline assets. This amount represents the Partnership’s and its consolidated subsidiaries’ maintenance capital expenditures and does not include the Partnership’s
share of maintenance capital expenditures for our equity investments. Such amounts are reflected in “Distributions from equity investments” as those amounts are withheld by those entities from their quarterly distributable cash.
|
(g)
|
No incentive distributions were declared to the General Partner for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018.
|
(h)
|
Distributions allocable to the Class B units are based on 30 percent of GTN’s distributable cash flow during the current reporting
period, but declared and paid in the subsequent reporting period. During the six months ended June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2018, 30 percent of GTN’s total eligible distributions, when combined with the Class B Reduction, did not exceed the
threshold level of $20 million; therefore, no distributions were allocated to the Class B units. Currently, we expect the 2019 threshold will be exceeded in the fourth quarter of 2019.
|