TransCanada to Sell North Baja Pipeline to TC PipeLines, LP
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - May 20, 2009) - TransCanada Corporation (TSX:TRP)(NYSE:TRP) (TransCanada) today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell North Baja Pipeline, LLC (North Baja) to TC PipeLines, LP (NASDAQ:TCLP) (the Partnership). As part of the transaction an affiliate of TransCanada, TC PipeLines GP, Inc. (the General Partner), agreed to amend its Incentive Distribution Rights (IDR) with the Partnership.
The aggregate consideration received from the Partnership will include a combination of cash and common units totalling approximately US$395 million. TransCanada will receive approximately US$200 million in cash and 6,371,680 common units of the Partnership. With the close of this transaction, expected by the end of second quarter 2009, TransCanada's ownership of the Partnership will increase to 42.6 per cent.
"We are in the midst of a large capital program that will create significant long-term value for our shareholders and the proceeds from the sale of North Baja will be redeployed to help fund our growth initiatives," said Hal Kvisle, president and chief executive officer of TransCanada. "The sale of North Baja, the restructuring of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the increased ownership of TransCanada all position the Partnership to potentially play a greater role in the financing of TransCanada's $19 billion capital program."
TransCanada acquired the North Baja Pipeline System in 2004 and will continue to operate the pipeline following the transfer of ownership. The system is an 80-mile natural gas pipeline that extends from Southwestern Arizona to a point on the California/Mexico border and connects with a natural gas pipeline system in Mexico. North Baja consists of 30 and 36-inch diameter pipeline with a capacity of 600 million cubic feet per day.
With more than 50 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas pipelines, power generation, gas storage facilities, and projects related to oil pipelines and LNG facilities. TransCanada's network of wholly owned pipelines extends more than 59,000 kilometres (36,500 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is one of the continent's largest providers of gas storage and related services with approximately 370 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A growing independent power producer, TransCanada owns, or has interests in, over 10,900 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP.
Note: All financial figures are in Canadian dollars unless noted otherwise.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release may contain certain information that is forward looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "may", "should", "estimate", "project", "outlook", "forecast" or other similar words are used to identify such forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this document are intended to provide TransCanada securityholders and potential investors with information regarding TransCanada and its subsidiaries, including management's assessment of TransCanada's and its subsidiaries' future financial and operations plans and outlook. Forward-looking statements in this document may include, among others, statements regarding the anticipated business prospects and financial performance of TransCanada and its subsidiaries, expectations or projections about the future, and strategies and goals for growth and expansion. All forward-looking statements reflect TransCanada's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Actual results or events may differ from those predicted in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the ability of TransCanada to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and whether such strategic initiatives will yield the expected benefits, the operating performance of TransCanada's pipeline and energy assets, the availability and price of energy commodities, regulatory processes and decisions, changes in environmental and other laws and regulations, competitive factors in the pipeline and energy sectors, construction and completion of capital projects, labour, equipment and material costs, access to capital markets, interest and currency exchange rates, technological developments and the current economic conditions in North America. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause TransCanada's actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. Additional information on these and other factors is available in the reports filed by TransCanada with Canadian securities regulators and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this news release or otherwise, and to not use future-oriented information or financial outlooks for anything other than their intended purpose. TransCanada undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
CONTACT INFORMATION
TransCanada
Media Inquiries
Cecily Dobson
(403) 920-7859 or (800) 608-7859
or
Investor & Analyst Inquiries
David Moneta/Myles Dougan/Terry Hook
(403) 920-7911 or (800) 361-6522
Website: www.transcanada.com