BY Richard Summerfield
Sempra Energy is to acquire Oncor Electric Delivery Co for $18.8bn, including existing, outstanding debt of around $9.45bn, the companies have announced in a statement.
Sempra will pay cash for the company and the deal is expected to be financed by a combination of Sempra's own debt and equity, third-party equity and $3bn of expected investment-grade debt.
"Both Sempra Energy and Oncor share more than 100 years of experience operating utilities that deliver safe, reliable energy to millions of customers," said Debra L. Reed, chairman, president and CEO of Sempra Energy. "With its strong management team and long, distinguished history as Texas' leading electric provider, Oncor is an excellent strategic fit for our portfolio of utility and energy infrastructure businesses. We believe our agreement with Energy Future will help ensure that Texas utility customers continue to receive the outstanding electric service they have come to expect from Oncor and provide stability to Oncor's nearly 4000 employees."
Elliott Management is the largest creditor of bankrupt Energy Future Holdings, the majority owner of Oncor, and Elliott have backed Sempra’s bid to take over the company, spurning a rival takeover attempt by Warren Buffett. In July, Mr Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway made a rival $18bn offer for Oncor which was rejected by the company, as well as Elliott, who argued that the offer was too low and not in creditors’ interest.
Under the terms of the deal, Sempra Energy has committed to support Oncor's plan to invest $7.5bn of capital over a five-year period to expand and reinforce its transmission and distribution network.
Once the deal has been completed, Bob Shapard, Oncor's CEO, will become executive chairman of the Oncor board of directors and Allen Nye, currently Oncor's general counsel, will succeed Mr Shapard as Oncor's CEO. Both are set to serve on the Oncor board, which will consist of 13 directors, including seven independent directors from Texas, two from existing equity holders and two from the new Sempra Energy-led holding company.
Elliott had tried to put together its own $9.3bn bid to buy Oncor but ultimately decided to back the Sempra deal, which a spokesman said "provides substantially greater recoveries to all creditors of Energy Future than the proposed Berkshire transaction." Elliott acquired a specific class of debt worth about $60m from Fidelity Investments that gave it the power to block Berkshire’s offer.
News: Sempra Energy to buy Oncor for $9.45 billion in blow to Berkshire
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oncor-m-a-sempraenergy-idUSKCN1B1041