CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Aug. 5, 2011) -
HIGHLIGHTS
(all financial figures are unaudited and in Canadian dollars)
-- Second quarter earnings were $259 million; six month earnings were $652 million, or $0.87 per common share -- Second quarter and six month adjusted earnings increased to $260 million, or $0.35 per common share, and $594 million, or $0.79 per common share, respectively -- 10-year Competitive Toll Settlement (CTS) on crude oil mainline system approved in June 2011 -- Two-for-one stock split approved by shareholders became effective May 25, 2011
Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) (NYSE:ENB) - "During the second quarter we continued to run slightly ahead of our original expectations and the outlook for the full year is now trending toward the upper half of our adjusted earnings per share guidance range of $1.38 to $1.48," said Patrick D. Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer.
In June, the National Energy Board (NEB) approved the 10-year CTS agreement, which took effect on July 1, 2011. The CTS covers the local tolls to be charged for service on the Canadian portion of the mainline system as well as provides for an International Joint Tariff (IJT) for United States deliveries originating in Canada.
"We are pleased with the decision of the NEB and look forward to implementing this long-term agreement to the mutual benefit of Enbridge and our shippers," said Mr. Daniel. "The CTS will provide a stable and competitive long-term toll for crude volumes received into the Canadian Mainline System and delivered to points both within Canada and the U.S. This agreement will enable us to continue to deliver reliable earnings and dividends with attractive returns under conservative throughput assumptions, further reinforcing our confidence in our ability to deliver a 10% average annual growth rate in earnings per share through the middle of this decade.
"The CTS will also facilitate market extensions that can be accessed from our mainline system through new or existing downstream pipelines," said Mr. Daniel. "In fact, we have already found it to be a catalyst in advancing business development opportunities to extend our traditional market reach."
Over the second quarter, Enbridge continued to advance a number of growth projects including existing Liquids Pipelines projects in the Oil Sands region. Construction is continuing on projects including the Christina Lake Lateral, Woodland Pipeline, Wood Buffalo Pipeline, and the Waupisoo Pipeline and Athabasca Pipeline expansion.
The regulatory review of the Northern Gateway Project also took a step forward in the second quarter with the release by the Joint Review Panel (JRP) of the Hearing Order setting out the schedule for the hearing process. "Northern Gateway will bring Canada's energy resources to the growing economies of the Pacific basin, while delivering sustainable local and regional prosperity to northern BC and Alberta and national economic benefits for all Canadians," said Mr. Daniel. "We're pleased with the scope of the public hearings, which clearly meets the widely expressed desire for a full and open review of the Project.
The JRP will test the merits of our proposal and hold Enbridge to the highest standards. We have confidence that it will render a decision that is, and will be seen to be, in the best interests of Canada."
In Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services, Enbridge announced the acquisition by an affiliate of Aux Sable of the Stanley Condensate Recovery Plant and the Prairie Rose Pipeline, key assets located in the Bakken area. The Prairie Rose Pipeline connects the Stanley Gas Plant to the Alliance Pipeline, which delivers high energy content gas to Aux Sable's Channahon, Illinois Plant for processing. Enbridge's proportionate share of the $185 million acquisition reflected its 42.7% interest in Aux Sable.
"As we enter the latter half of 2011, Enbridge remains confident of sustained strong performance and steady growth across all of our business segments, enabling us to continue to deliver superior results to our shareholders," concluded Mr. Daniel.
SECOND QUARTER 2011 OVERVIEW
For more information on Enbridge's growth projects and operating results, please see the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) which is filed on SEDAR and EDGAR and also available on the Company's website at www.enbridge.com/investor.
-- On July 1, 2011, Sable NGL LLC, an affiliate of Aux Sable, acquired the Stanley Condensate Recovery Plant and the Prairie Rose Pipeline for US$0.2 billion. The Stanley Plant removes condensate and will have a capacity of 80 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). The 12-inch diameter, 134-kilometre (83-mile) Prairie Rose Pipeline, with an estimated capacity of 110 MMcf/d connects the Stanley Plant to the Alliance Pipeline, which then delivers high energy content gas to Aux Sable's Channahan, Illinois plant for processing. Enbridge has a 42.7% equity interest in both Aux Sable and Sable NGL LLC and a 50% interest in Alliance Pipeline. -- Enbridge's investment of $144 million to acquire an additional interest in Noverco Inc. (Noverco) from Laurentides Investissements (SAS), a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ, announced on February 3, 2011, was completed on June 30, 2011. Trencap, a partnership controlled and managed by the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, acquired Laurentides Investissements' remaining 10.8% interest in Noverco; Enbridge and Trencap are now the sole shareholders of Noverco. Noverco is a holding company that owns 71% of the Gaz Metro Limited Partnership which owns gas distribution and gas pipeline assets in the province of Quebec and gas and electric power distribution and transmission assets in the State of Vermont. -- On June 24, 2011, the NEB approved the 10-year CTS agreement reached between Enbridge and shippers on its crude oil mainline system. The CTS took effect on July 1, 2011. The CTS covers local tolls to be charged for service on the Canadian Mainline and supersedes all existing toll agreements on the Canadian Mainline during the term of the CTS. Under the terms of the CTS, the initial Canadian local toll will be based on the 2011 Incentive Tolling Settlement (ITS) recently approved by the NEB. The Canadian local toll will then be adjusted by 75% of the Canada Gross Domestic Product at Market Price Index for each of the remaining nine years of the settlement. Local tolls for service on the Lakehead System (the portion of the mainline in the United States that is owned by the Company's affiliate Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (EEP)) will not be affected by the CTS and will continue to be established by EEP's existing toll agreements. The CTS also provides for an IJT for crude oil shipments originating in Canada on the Canadian Mainline and delivered in the United States off the Lakehead System and into Eastern Canada. The IJT is designed to provide mainline shippers with a stable and competitive long-term toll, preserving and enhancing throughput on both the Canadian Mainline and Lakehead System. With NEB approval of the CTS, shippers who initiated the Alberta Clipper hearing request with the NEB have formally withdrawn their complaints and the hearing proceedings were terminated on July 7, 2011. -- On May 11, 2011, shareholders approved a two-for-one stock split at the Company's Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders. Effective May 25, 2011, the number of outstanding shares doubled from approximately 387 million to approximately 774 million. -- On May 9, 2011, Enbridge reported a crude oil release from a pipeline on its Norman Wells System approximately 50 kilometres south of the community of Wrigley, NWT. On May 20, 2011, Enbridge returned the Norman Wells line to service after completing the necessary repairs. Based on current estimates provided by the third party experts on site, Enbridge anticipates the release volume to be approximately 1,500 barrels. The Norman Wells pipeline is a 12-inch, 39,400 bpd line transporting sweet crude oil and stretches 869 kilometres (540 miles) from Norman Wells, NWT to Zama, AB. -- On May 4, 2011, Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. (ENF) and Enbridge Income Fund (the Fund) announced receipt of a proposal from Enbridge pursuant to which Enbridge would transfer three renewable energy assets to the Fund. The proposal contemplates that the Ontario Wind, Sarnia Solar and Talbot Wind energy projects would be transferred for an aggregate price of $1.3 billion, to be paid in part by the issuance of additional ordinary trust units of the Fund (Units) to both ENF and Enbridge on a pro rata basis in accordance with their present holdings in the Fund. Under the proposal, Enbridge has agreed to provide bridge debt financing to the Fund for the balance of the price. Enbridge would also grant an option to ENF to acquire some or all of the Units for which Enbridge would be entitled to subscribe. The proposed transfer is subject to all necessary approvals, including approval by the Boards of ENF and the Fund and the minority shareholders of ENF, as well as regulatory approval. ENF and the Fund have formed a joint special committee comprised of independent trustees and directors to review the proposal and make recommendations to the respective boards of the Fund and ENF. If approved and completed, the transfer would further reinforce Enbridge's financial capacity to undertake attractive investment opportunities under development.
DIVIDEND DECLARATION
On August 4, 2011, the Enbridge Board of Directors declared quarterly dividends of $0.245 per common share on a post-split basis and $0.34375 per Series A Preferred Share. Both dividends are payable on September 1, 2011 to shareholders of record on August 15, 2011. On May 11, 2011, the Company's shareholders approved a stock split with a record date of May 25, 2011.
CONFERENCE CALL
Enbridge will hold a conference call on Friday, August 5, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Mountain time) to discuss the second quarter 2011 results. Analysts, members of the media and other interested parties can access the call at +617-597-5344 or toll-free at 1-866-383-8119 using the access code of 64733884. The call will be audio webcast live at www.enbridge.com/InvestorRelations.aspx. A webcast replay and podcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the event and a transcript will be posted to the website within 24 hours. The replay at toll-free 1-888-286-8010 or +617-801-6888 (access code 85834972) will be available until August 12, 2011.
The conference call will begin with a presentation by the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer followed by a question and answer period for investment analysts. A question and answer period for members of the media will immediately follow.
The unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements and MD&A, which contain additional notes and disclosures, are available on the Enbridge website at www.enbridge.com/InvestorRelations.aspx.
Enbridge Inc., a Canadian company, is a North American leader in delivering energy and one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the U.S., the world's longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. The Company also has a growing involvement in the natural gas transmission and midstream businesses, and is expanding its interests in renewable and green energy technologies including wind and solar energy, hybrid fuel cells and carbon dioxide sequestration. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas distribution company, and provides distribution services in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. Enbridge employs approximately 6,400 people, primarily in Canada and the U.S., and is ranked as one of Canada's Greenest Employers and one of the Top 100 Companies to Work for in Canada. Enbridge's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com
Forward-Looking Information
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, have been included in this news release to provide the Company's shareholders and potential investors with information about the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including management's assessment of Enbridge's and its subsidiaries' future plans and operations. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "intend", "target", "believe" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or statements included or incorporated by reference in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: expected earnings or adjusted earnings; expected earnings or adjusted earnings per share; expected costs related to projects under construction; expected in-service dates for projects under construction; expected capital expenditures; estimated future dividends; and expected costs related to leak remediation and potential insurance recoveries.
Although Enbridge believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made and processes used to prepare the information, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Material assumptions include assumptions about: the expected supply and demand for crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; prices of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; expected exchange rates; inflation; interest rates; the availability and price of labour and pipeline construction materials; operational reliability; customer project approvals; maintenance of support and regulatory approvals for the Company's projects; anticipated in-service dates; and weather. Assumptions regarding the expected supply and demand of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, and the prices of these commodities, are material to and underlie all forward-looking statements. These factors are relevant to all forward-looking statements as they may impact current and future levels of demand for the Company's services. Similarly, exchange rates, inflation and interest rates impact the economies and business environments in which the Company operates, may impact levels of demand for the Company's services and cost of inputs, and are therefore inherent in all forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and correlation of these macroeconomic factors, the impact of any one assumption on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with certainty, particularly with respect to expected earnings or adjusted earnings and associated per share amounts, or estimated future dividends. The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements on projects under construction, including estimated in-service dates, and expected capital expenditures include: the availability and price of labour and pipeline construction materials; the effects of inflation and foreign exchange rates on labour and material costs; the effects of interest rates on borrowing costs; and the impact of weather and customer and regulatory approvals on construction schedules.
Enbridge's forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to operating performance, regulatory parameters, project approval and support, weather, economic and competitive conditions, exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices and supply and demand for commodities, including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed in this news release and in the Company's other filings with Canadian and United States securities regulators. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as these are interdependent and Enbridge's future course of action depends on management's assessment of all information available at the relevant time. Except to the extent required by law, Enbridge assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made in this news release or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Enbridge or persons acting on the Company's behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.
Non-GAAP Measures
This news release contains references to adjusted earnings/(loss), which represent earnings or loss attributable to common shareholders adjusted for non-recurring or non-operating factors on both a consolidated and segmented basis. These factors are reconciled and discussed in the financial results sections for the affected business segments. Management believes that the presentation of adjusted earnings/(loss) provides useful information to investors and shareholders as it provides increased transparency and predictive value. Management uses adjusted earnings/(loss) to set targets, assess performance of the Company and set the Company's dividend payout target. Adjusted earnings/(loss) and adjusted earnings/(loss) for each of the segments are not measures that have a standardized meaning prescribed by Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (Canadian GAAP) and are not considered GAAP measures; therefore, these measures may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers.
HIGHLIGHTS Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, ---------------------------------------------- 2011 2010 2011 2010 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------(unaudited; millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) Earnings Attributable to Common Shareholders Liquids Pipelines 197 133 333 267 Gas Distribution 41 20 144 100 Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services 34 46 85 70 Sponsored Investments 63 57 122 109 Corporate (76) (118) (32) (66)---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 259 138 652 480 Earnings per Common Share 0.35 0.19 0.87 0.65 Diluted Earnings per Common Share 0.34 0.18 0.86 0.64 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Adjusted Earnings(1) Liquids Pipelines 124 133 260 267 Gas Distribution 39 30 131 118 Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services 44 22 83 61 Sponsored Investments 55 51 112 102 Corporate (2) (4) 8 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 260 232 594 550 Adjusted Earnings per Common Share 0.35 0.31 0.79 0.75 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cash Flow Data Cash provided by operating activities 575 511 1,532 1,157 Cash used in investing activities (622) (558) (1,087) (1,187) Cash provided by/(used in) financing activities - 23 (378) 107 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dividends Common share dividends declared 190 161 378 322 Dividends paid per common share 0.2450 0.2125 0.4900 0.4250 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shares Outstanding (millions) Weighted average common shares outstanding 750 739 748 737 Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding 760 747 758 745 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Operating Data Liquids Pipelines - Average Deliveries (thousands of barrels per day) Canadian Mainline(2) 2,070 2,210 2,193 2,132 Regional Oil Sands System(3) 285 293 307 265 Spearhead Pipeline 57 161 108 137 Olympic Pipeline 265 285 263 272 Gas Distribution - Enbridge Gas Distribution Volumes (billions of cubic feet) 75 63 268 232 Number of active customers (thousands)(4) 1,971 1,936 1,971 1,936 Heating degree days(5) Actual 485 346 2,451 2,072 Forecast based on normal weather 495 490 2,297 2,253 Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services - Average Throughput Volume (millions of cubic feet per day) Alliance Pipeline US 1,519 1,582 1,601 1,631 Vector Pipeline 1,395 1,353 1,572 1,435 Enbridge Offshore Pipelines 1,732 1,949 1,741 1,976 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(1) Adjusted earnings represent earnings attributable to common shareholders adjusted for non-recurring or non-operating factors. Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per common share are non-GAAP measures that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP. (2) Canadian Mainline includes deliveries in Western Canada and to the Lakehead System at the United States border as well as Line 8 and Line 9 in Eastern Canada. (3) Volumes are for the Athabasca mainline and Waupisoo Pipeline and exclude laterals on the Regional Oil Sands System. (4) Number of active customers is the number of natural gas consuming Enbridge Gas Distribution customers at the end of the period. (5) Heating degree days is a measure of coldness that is indicative of volumetric requirements for natural gas utilized for heating purposes in Enbridge Gas Distribution's franchise area. It is calculated by accumulating, for the fiscal period, the total number of degrees each day by which the daily mean temperature falls below 18 degrees Celsius. The figures given are those accumulated in the Greater Toronto Area.
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