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PARTNERS' EQUITY
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
PARTNERS' EQUITY  
PARTNERS' EQUITY

NOTE 10    PARTNERS' EQUITY

At December 31, 2017, the Partnership had 70,573,423 common units outstanding, of which 53,488,592 were held by non-affiliates and 17,084,831 common units were held by subsidiaries of TransCanada, including 5,797,106 common units held by our General Partner. Additionally, TransCanada, through our General Partner, owns 100 percent of our IDRs and an effective two percent general partner interest in the Partnership. TransCanada also holds 100 percent of our 1,900,000 outstanding Class B units.

ATM Equity Issuance Program (ATM Program)

In August 2014, the Partnership launched its $200 million ATM program pursuant to which, the Partnership may from time to time, offer and sell, through sales agents, common units, representing limited partner interests.

On August 5, 2016, the Partnership entered into a new $400 million Equity Distribution Agreement (EDA) with five financial institutions (the Managers). Sales of the common units will be issued pursuant to the Partnership's shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-211907), which was declared effective by the SEC on August 4, 2016.

In 2017, the Partnership issued 3.2 million common units under the ATM Program generating net proceeds of approximately $173 million, plus an additional $3 million from the General Partner to maintain its effective two percent interest. The commissions to our sales agents were approximately $2 million. The net proceeds were used to repay a portion of the borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility and for general partnership purposes.

In 2016, the Partnership issued 3.1 million common units under the ATM Program generating net proceeds of approximately $164 million, plus an additional $3 million from the General Partner to maintain its effective two percent interest. The commissions to our sales agents were approximately $2 million. The net proceeds were used to repay a portion of the borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility for the 2016 PNGTS Acquisition and for general partnership purposes. The 3.1 million common units issued include the 1.6 million common units subject to rescission as discussed below.

In 2015, the Partnership issued 0.7 million common units under the ATM Program generating net proceeds of approximately $43 million, plus an additional $1 million from the General Partner to maintain its effective two percent interest. The commissions to our sales agents were approximately $0.4 million. The net proceeds were used for general partnership purposes.

Common unit issuance subject to rescission

In connection with a late filing of an employee-related Form 8-K with the SEC in March 2016, the Partnership became ineligible to use the then effective shelf registration statement upon filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. As a result, it was determined that the purchasers of the 1.6 million common units that were issued from March 8, 2016 to May 19, 2016 under the Partnership's ATM program may have had a rescission right for an amount equal to the purchase price paid for the units, plus statutory interest and less any distributions paid, upon the return of such units to the Partnership. The Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act) generally requires that any claim brought for a violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act be brought within one year of violation.

At December 31, 2016, $83 million was recorded as common units subject to rescission on the consolidated balance sheet. The Partnership classified the 1.6 million common units that were sold under its ATM program from March 8, 2016 up to and including May 19, 2016, which may have been subject to rescission rights, outside of equity given the potential redemption feature which was not within the control of the Partnership. These units were treated as outstanding for financial reporting purposes.

No unitholder claimed or attempted to exercise any rescission rights prior to their expiry dates and the final rights related to the sales of such units expired on May 19, 2017. As a result of the expiration of these rights, the $83 million was reclassified back to partners' equity. At December 31, 2017, there were no outstanding common units subject to rescission on the Partnership's consolidated balance sheet.

Issuance of Class B units

On April 1, 2015, we issued Class B units to TransCanada to finance a portion of the 2015 GTN Acquisition. The Class B units entitle TransCanada to an annual distribution which is an amount based on 30 percent of cash distributions from GTN exceeding certain annual thresholds (refer to Note 7). The Class B units contain no mandatory or optional redemption features and are also non-convertible, non-exchangeable, non-voting and rank equally with common units upon liquidation.

The Class B units' equity account is increased by the excess of 30 percent of GTN's distributions over the annual threshold until such amount is declared for distribution and paid every first quarter of the subsequent year.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, the Class B units' equity account was increased by $15 million, $22 million and $12 million, respectively. These amounts equal 30 percent of GTN's total distributable cash flow above the $20 million threshold in 2017 and 2016 and the $15 million threshold in 2015 (refer to Notes 13 and 14).