Enbridge Reports 2015 Results
(firmenpresse) - CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/19/16 -- HIGHLIGHTS
(all financial figures are unaudited and in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted)
Enbridge Inc. (Enbridge or the Company) (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) today reported fourth quarter adjusted earnings of $494 million, or $0.58 per common share, and annual adjusted earnings for 2015 of $1,866 million, or $2.20 per common share. ACFFO was $876 million, or $1.03 per common share, in the fourth quarter of 2015 while full year 2015 ACFFO was $3,154 million, or $3.72 per common share. Full year adjusted earnings per share and ACFFO per share increased by 15.8% and 23.2%, respectively, over the comparative full year period.
"Despite one of the most dramatic downturns in the energy sector in decades, we delivered very strong adjusted earnings and cash flow growth for our shareholders that were in line with our expectations," said Al Monaco, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our fourth quarter actually came in a bit stronger than we anticipated late last year due to stronger performance from the Canadian liquids business in December and lower overall operating and administrative costs. Our ability to deliver strong and predictable earnings and cash flow growth in the current environment is a reflection of the resilience of our low risk business model, which is built to withstand this type of downturn. The fundamentals for our business remain strong; we have minimal direct commodity price and volume exposure across our asset base, our financial position is strong and we maintain good access to capital."
Mr. Monaco continued, "In the current low commodity price environment, we remain keenly focused on providing our customers with safe, low-cost and reliable transportation to key markets to ensure they receive the best netbacks. In 2015 we were able to leverage the scale and reach of our systems to increase capacity on our mainline by 230,000 barrels per day during the year and achieved new record deliveries ex-Gretna and on the Lakehead System of nearly 2.5 million and 2.6 million barrels per day, respectively, in the month of December."
During the course of the year Enbridge completed and brought into service 14 development projects worth $8 billion, the majority of which were placed into service on time and on budget. "Executing projects well in today''s environment is no small feat so we are very pleased with this result," said Mr. Monaco.
Completed liquids pipelines projects included the reversal and expansion of Line 9B, the Southern Access Extension Project and the expansion of Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P.''s (EEP) Lakehead System between Flanagan, Illinois and Griffith, Indiana, all of which came into service during the fourth quarter. Enbridge also completed and placed into service its Heidelberg Oil Pipeline in January 2016, ahead of schedule. This offshore pipeline project has a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day and connects the Heidelberg development, operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, to an existing third party system.
The Company also made significant inroads on its key strategic priority to extend and diversify growth beyond 2019 through continued development of its renewable power and natural gas pipelines and processing businesses. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company acquired the 103-megawatt (MW) New Creek Wind Project (New Creek) in West Virginia and a 24.9% interest in the 400-MW Rampion Offshore Wind Project (Rampion Project) in the United Kingdom (UK). In January 2016, Enbridge announced the $0.5 billion acquisition of two operating natural gas plants (Tupper Main and Tupper West gas plants) and associated pipelines in the Montney region of northeastern British Columbia from a Canadian subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation. These renewable energy and natural gas midstream assets are all underpinned by long-term contracts and align well with the Company''s low risk business model.
In early 2016 Enbridge received written orders (the Orders) from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MNPUC) for the Minnesota portions of the proposed Sandpiper Pipeline (Sandpiper) project and the Line 3 Pipeline Replacement (L3R) project. The Company believes that the directions from the MNPUC in most of the decisions set out in the Orders were consistent with expectations and provide clarity on process matters; however, the Orders require that a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for these pipeline projects be completed prior to the commencement of the Certificate of Need and Route Permit processes. Management continues to review the impact of the Orders on the project schedule and cost estimates. Based on the Orders and Management''s preliminary assessment, if upheld, the process set out in the Orders is likely to delay the planned start of construction, which would cause a shift in the in-service dates to early 2019 and increase costs for the L3R and Sandpiper projects. The delay in construction would have the effect of deferring approximately $5 billion of planned capital expenditures in 2016 and 2017 to primarily 2018.
The secured component of the Company''s 2015-2019 growth capital program is currently approximately $26 billion, of which approximately $8 billion has already been funded and brought into service through the end of 2015. The Sandpiper and L3R projects are components of this secured capital program. The Company''s updated projections, which take into account the expected delay in the execution of the L3R and Sandpiper projects, indicate that the commercially secured project portfolio alone will, in combination with existing operations, generate ACCFO per share growth of approximately 12% to 14%, supporting dividend growth in the range of 10% to 12%.
"Looking beyond our commercially secured program, in the current environment we see plenty of opportunity to further grow and diversify our asset base," noted Mr. Monaco. "We will continue to pursue new investment in assets that fit our business model and align with our longer-term strategies and we are developing access to cost effective funding to capitalize on those opportunities. Successful execution of these investment opportunities would be expected to further enhance ACFFO and dividend growth beyond that associated with the secured only program over the current planning horizon."
In December, Enbridge announced an increase in its quarterly common share dividend to $0.53 per share (or $2.12 per share on an annualized basis) marking the twenty-first consecutive year in which the Company has raised its dividend.
Mr. Monaco added, "The dividend increase reflects the very strong growth in earnings and ACFFO we have delivered from our core businesses and some $18 billion in capital projects that we have placed into service in the last two years along with the confidence we continue to have in our outlook. Equally important, our dividend growth has not come at the expense of our dividend coverage, which still remains very robust at approximately two times."
In 2015, the Company directly and through its affiliates collectively raised over $1.7 billion of equity capital and $3.7 billion of term debt capital.
"We believe the amount of capital required to support our commercially secured growth program is very manageable given the strong cash generating capability of our assets, our diversified sources of capital, solid investment-grade credit ratings and available liquidity of over $10 billion as of the end of 2015," noted Mr. Monaco. "We will be focused on the execution and funding of our very attractive secured growth program, while maintaining the balance sheet strength needed to support our longer term business plans."
FOURTH QUARTER 2015 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 .
Loss attributable to common shareholders was $37 million ($0.04 loss per common share) for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with earnings of $1,154 million ($1.39 earnings per common share) for the year ended December 31, 2014. The Company has continued to deliver strong earnings growth from operations over the past two years as discussed in Adjusted Earnings. However, the positive impact of this growth and the comparability of the Company''s earnings are impacted by a number of unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors that are listed in Non-GAAP Reconciliations and discussed in the results for each reporting segment, the most significant of which are changes in unrealized derivative fair value gains and losses. The Company has a comprehensive long-term economic hedging program to mitigate interest rate, foreign exchange and commodity price risks which create volatility in short-term earnings. Over the long term, Enbridge believes its hedging program supports the reliable cash flows and dividend growth upon which the Company''s investor value proposition is based.
The comparability of the Company''s year-over-year operating results was also impacted by the transfer of assets between entities under common control of Enbridge. On September 1, 2015, Enbridge completed the transfer of its Canadian Liquids Pipelines assets and certain renewable power generation assets to the Fund Group within the Sponsored Investments segment (the Canadian Restructuring Plan or the Transaction). In connection with this transfer, the Company recorded $351 million of one-time charges, mainly related to the de-designation of interest rate hedges and a write-off of a regulatory asset in respect of taxes.
In addition, the 2015 loss attributable to common shareholders reflects a goodwill impairment charge of $440 million ($167 million after-tax attributable to Enbridge) recognized in the second quarter of 2015 related to EEP''s natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) businesses. The prolonged decline in commodity prices has reduced producers'' expected drilling programs and negatively impacted volumes on EEP''s natural gas and NGL pipelines and processing systems, which EEP holds directly and indirectly through its partially-owned subsidiary, Midcoast Energy Partners, L.P. (MEP).
Loss for 2015 and earnings for 2014 were also negatively impacted by taxes recognized on the transfer of assets between entities under common control of Enbridge. Intercompany gains realized as a result of these transfers for both years have been eliminated for accounting purposes. However, as these transactions involved the sale of partnership units, all tax consequences have remained in consolidated earnings and resulted in charges of $39 million and $157 million in 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Earnings attributable to common shareholders for the three months ended December 31, 2015 were $378 million, or $0.44 per common share, compared with earnings of $88 million, or $0.11 per common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2014. Fourth quarter performance drivers were largely consistent with year-to-date trends and earnings continued to be impacted by changes in unrealized fair value derivative and foreign exchange gains and losses. Aside from the operating factors discussed in Adjusted Earnings on page 7, factors unique to the fourth quarter of 2015 included the impact of employee severance costs in relation to the Company''s enterprise-wide reduction of workforce, which resulted in a net charge of $25 million to earnings across business segments.
NON-GAAP MEASURES
This news release contains references to adjusted earnings/(loss) and ACFFO. Adjusted earnings/(loss) represents earnings or loss attributable to common shareholders adjusted for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors on both a consolidated and segmented basis. These factors, referred to as adjusting items, are reconciled and discussed in the financial results sections for the affected business segments in the Company''s MD&A. Adjusting items referred to as changes in unrealized derivative fair value gains and losses are presented net of amounts realized on the settlement of derivative contracts during the applicable period.
ACFFO is defined as cash flow provided by operating activities before changes in operating assets and liabilities (including changes in regulatory assets and liabilities and environmental liabilities) less distributions to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests, preference share dividends and maintenance capital expenditures, and further adjusted for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors.
Management believes the presentation of adjusted earnings/(loss) and ACFFO provide useful information to investors and shareholders as they provide increased transparency and insight into the performance of the Company. Management uses adjusted earnings/(loss) to set targets, and to assess the performance of the Company. Management also uses ACFFO to assess the performance of the Company and to set its dividend payout target. Adjusted earnings/(loss), adjusted earnings/(loss) for each segment and ACFFO are not measures that have standardized meaning prescribed by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and are not U.S. GAAP measures. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers. The tables below summarize the reconciliation of the GAAP and non-GAAP measures.
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION - EARNINGS/(LOSS) TO ADJUSTED EARNINGS
Adjusted earnings for the year ended December 31, 2015 were $1,866 million, or $2.20 per common share, compared with $1,574 million, or $1.90 per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2014. The adjusted earnings growth was a reflection of the strength of Enbridge''s existing asset portfolio combined with the continuing execution of its large growth capital program, which resulted in a number of new assets placed into service.
As a result of the Canadian Restructuring Plan, after August 31, 2015, the adjusted earnings of the assets transferred were reported in the Sponsored Investments segment; prior to this date they were reported in the Liquids Pipelines and Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services segments. The table below is provided to help facilitate a review of the full year performance of the significant transferred assets and an understanding of the performance of the segments as reported.
As noted in the table above, growth in consolidated adjusted earnings was largely driven by stronger contributions from the Canadian Mainline. Stronger contributions were primarily attributable to higher throughput that resulted from strong oil sands production in western Canada combined with strong downstream refinery demand, as well as ongoing efforts by the Company to optimize capacity utilization and to enhance scheduling efficiency with shippers. These positive factors were partially offset by a lower year-over-year average Canadian Mainline International Joint Tariff (IJT) Residual Benchmark Toll. In 2015, the Company also benefitted from the full-year of earnings from the Flanagan South and Seaway Twin pipelines, both of which commenced in late 2014. Adjusted earnings from Regional Oil Sands System, however, decreased in 2015 due to a reduction in contracted volumes on the Athabasca Mainline.
The past two years also reflected positive contributions from EEP mainly due to higher throughput and tolls in EEP''s liquids businesses, as well as contributions from new assets placed into service in 2014 and 2015, the most prominent being the expansion of the Company''s mainline system completed in July 2015 and the replacement and expansion of Line 6B completed in 2014.
Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. (EGD), which operates under a five-year customized Incentive Rate Plan (IR Plan) approved in 2014, generated higher adjusted earnings in 2015 primarily attributable to an increase in distribution charges that resulted from an increased asset base, as well as customer growth during the year in excess of expectations embedded in rates.
Within Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services, lower fractionation margins and the loss of a producer processing contract at the Palermo Conditioning Plant have contributed to lower Aux Sable earnings over the past two years. Partially offsetting the decrease in 2015 were higher take-or-pay fees on Canadian Midstream assets and higher contributions from Energy Services. Energy Services benefitted from more favourable tank management opportunities in the first half of 2015 resulting from strong refinery demand for blended crude oil feedstock, partially offset by the effects of less favourable conditions which persisted over the past two years in certain markets accessed by committed transportation capacity involving unrecovered demand charges.
Within the Corporate segment, Other Corporate adjusted loss for the year ended December 31, 2015 decreased compared with 2014, reflecting lower net Corporate segment finance costs in the first half of 2015 and lower income taxes, partially offset by higher preference share dividends reflecting additional preference shares issued in 2014 to fund the Company''s growth capital program.
With respect to the fourth quarter of 2015, many of the annual trends discussed above were also the factors in driving adjusted earnings growth over the fourth quarter of 2014. Within Gas Distribution, although EGD adjusted earnings increased on a year-over-year basis, the timing of higher income taxes and operating and administrative expenses recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015 drove a decrease in quarter-over-quarter adjusted earnings. In Energy Services, the absence of tank management opportunities in the fourth quarter combined with conditions in certain markets as noted above resulted in an adjusted loss in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with adjusted earnings in the comparable 2014 period.
The adjusted earnings discussed above exclude the impact of unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors, as listed in Non-GAAP Measures.
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION - AVAILABLE CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS
ACFFO was $876 million, or $1.03 per common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared with $610 million, or $0.73 per common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2014. ACFFO was $3,154 million, or $3.72 per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared with $2,506 million, or $3.02 per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2014. The Company experienced strong quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth in ACFFO which was driven by the same factors as those impacting adjusted earnings across the Company''s various businesses, as discussed in Adjusted Earnings above.
Also contributing to the period-over-period increase in ACFFO were lower maintenance capital expenditures in 2015 compared with the corresponding 2014 periods. Over the last few years, the Company has made a significant investment in the ongoing support, maintenance and integrity management of its pipelines and other infrastructure and in the preservation of the service capability of its existing assets. The period-over-period decrease in maintenance capital expenditures is due to the completion of specific maintenance programs in 2014. The Company plans to continue to invest in its maintenance capital program to support the safety and reliability of its operations.
The period-over-period increase in ACFFO was partially offset by distributions to noncontrolling interests in EEP and Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. and to redeemable noncontrolling interests in the Fund. Distributions were higher in 2015 compared with the distributions in 2014 mainly as a result of higher noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests. Also, the Company''s payment of preference share dividends increased period-over-period due to preference shares issued in 2014 to fund the Company''s growth capital program. Finally, the ACFFO for each period was also adjusted for the cash effect of certain unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors as discussed in Non-GAAP Reconciliations.
Additional details on items impacting Liquids Pipelines earnings include:
Additional details on items impacting Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services earnings/(loss) include:
Additional details on items impacting Sponsored Investments include:
Additional details on items impacting Corporate loss include:
CONFERENCE CALL
Enbridge and ENF will hold a joint conference call on Friday, February 19, 2016 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. Mountain Time) to discuss the 2015 annual results. Analysts, members of the media and other interested parties can access the call toll-free at 1-800-708-4540 from within North America and outside North America at 1-847-619-6397 using the access code 41445190#. The call will be audio webcast live at . 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 will be available at toll-free 1-888-843-7419 within North America and outside North America at 1-630-652-3042 (access code 41445190#) for seven days after the call.
The conference call will begin with a presentation by the Company''s President and 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.
Enbridge, a Canadian Company, exists to fuel people''s quality of life, and has done so for more than 65 years. A North American leader in delivering energy, Enbridge has been ranked on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations index for the past seven years. Enbridge operates the world''s longest crude oil and liquids transportation system across Canada and the United States and has a significant and growing involvement in natural gas gathering, transmission and midstream business, as well as an increasing involvement in power transmission. Enbridge owns and operates Canada''s largest natural gas distribution company, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. Enbridge has interests in nearly 2,000 MW of net renewable and alternative generating capacity, and continues to expand into wind, solar and geothermal power. Enbridge employs nearly 11,000 people, primarily in Canada and the United States, and is ranked as one of Canada''s Top 100 Employers for 2016. Enbridge''s common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit . None of the information contained in, or connected to, Enbridge''s website is incorporated in or otherwise part of this news release.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, have been included in this news release to provide information about the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including management''s assessment of Enbridge 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", "likely" 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 the following: expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss) per share; expected ACFFO or ACFFO per share; expected future cash flows; expected costs related to projects under construction; expected in-service dates for projects under construction; expected capital expenditures; estimated future dividends; adjusted earnings per share guidance; ACFFO per share guidance; expected future actions of regulators; expected costs related to leak remediation and potential insurance recoveries; expectations regarding commodity prices; supply forecasts; expectations regarding the impact of the Canadian Restructuring Plan (or the Transaction); dividend payout policy and dividend payout expectation.
Although Enbridge believes 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 following: the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy; prices of crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy; expected exchange rates; inflation; interest rates; availability and price of labour and pipeline construction materials; operational reliability; customer and regulatory approvals; maintenance of support and regulatory approvals for the Company''s projects; anticipated in-service dates; weather; the impact of the Canadian Restructuring Plan and dividend policy on the Company''s future cash flows; credit ratings; capital project funding; expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss)per share; expected future cash flows and expected future ACFFO; and estimated future dividends. Assumptions regarding the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy, 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 and 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/(loss), adjusted earnings/(loss), ACFFO and associated per share amounts, the impact of the Canadian Restructuring Plan on Enbridge or estimated future dividends. The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements on projects under construction, including estimated completion dates and expected capital expenditures, include the following: 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; the impact of weather; and customer and regulatory approvals on construction and in-service schedules.
Enbridge''s forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to adjusted earnings guidance, ACFFO guidance, operating performance, impact of the Canadian Restructuring Plan, dividend policy, regulatory parameters, project approval and support, weather, economic and competitive conditions, public opinion, changes in tax law and tax rate increases, exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices and supply of 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 applicable 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.
Contacts:
Enbridge Inc. - Médias
Graham White
(403) 508-6563 ou sans frais : (888) 992-0997
Courriel :
Enbridge Inc. - Relations avec les investisseurs
Adam McKnight
(403) 266-7922 ou sans frais : (800) 481-2804
Courriel :
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Datum: 19.02.2016 - 06:01 Uhr
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