8-K 1 ete8-kclosingnotesoffering.htm 8-K Document


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
 
FORM 8-K
 
CURRENT REPORT
 
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 
October 18, 2017
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
 
ENERGY TRANSFER EQUITY, L.P.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Delaware
 
1-32740
 
30-0108820
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
 
(Commission
File Number)
 
(IRS Employer
Identification Number)
 
8111 Westchester Drive, Suite 600,
Dallas, Texas 75225
(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)
(214) 981-0700
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
¨
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐





Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
4.25% Senior Notes due 2023
On October 18, 2017, Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (the “Partnership”) completed a public offering (the “Offering”) of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of its 4.25% Senior Notes due 2023 (the “Notes”) pursuant to the previously reported Underwriting Agreement, dated as of October 3, 2017 with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Mizuho Securities USA LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein (collectively, the “Underwriters”). The Partnership received net proceeds of approximately $990 million from the Offering, after deducting estimated offering expenses, and intends to use the net proceeds to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under its term loan facility and for general partnership purposes. The terms of the Notes are governed by the Indenture dated September 20, 2010 (the “Base Indenture”), as supplemented by the Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated October 18, 2017 (the “Eight Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), between the Partnership and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee” and, in its capacity as the Notes collateral agent, the “Notes Collateral Agent”).
Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, commencing March 15, 2018, and the Notes will mature on March 15, 2023. The Notes are the Partnership’s senior obligations, ranking equally in right of payment with its other existing and future unsubordinated debt and senior to any of its future subordinated debt. The Partnership’s obligations under the Notes are secured on a first-priority basis with its loans and obligations under the Partnership’s senior secured revolving credit facility, term loan facility and its existing senior notes, by a lien on substantially all of the Partnership’s and certain of its subsidiaries’ tangible and intangible assets that from time to time secure the Partnership’s obligations under such indebtedness, subject to certain exceptions and permitted liens. The Notes initially will not be guaranteed by any of the Partnership’s subsidiaries.
The Partnership may redeem some or all of the Notes at any time prior to December 15, 2022 (which is the date that is three months prior to the maturity date of the notes) at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus a make-whole premium and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. We also have the option at any time on or after December 15, 2022 to redeem the notes, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The covenants in the Indenture include a limitation on liens, a limitation on transactions with affiliates, a restriction on sale-leaseback transactions and limitations on mergers and sales of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets.
The Indenture contains the following customary events of default (each an “Event of Default”):
(1) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the Notes;
(2) default in the payment of principal or premium, if any, on the Notes when due at their stated maturity, upon redemption, upon declaration or otherwise;
(3) failure by the Partnership to comply with any of its agreements or covenants relating to merger, consolidation or sale of assets, or in respect of its obligations to make or consummate a change of control offer;
(4) failure by the Partnership to comply with its other covenants or agreements in the Indenture applicable to the Notes for 60 days after written notice of default given by the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes;
(5) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness for money borrowed by the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries) whether the indebtedness or guarantee now exists, or is created after the issue date of the Notes, if that default both (A) is caused by a failure to pay principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on the indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in the indebtedness on the date of the default (a “Payment Default”) and (B) results in the acceleration of the indebtedness prior to its express maturity, and, in each case, the principal amount of any the indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $100.0 million or more;
(6) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Partnership or any of its significant subsidiaries or any group of the Partnership’s subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a significant subsidiary;
(7) except as permitted by the Indenture, any subsidiary guarantee is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect, or any subsidiary guarantor, or any person acting on behalf of any subsidiary guarantor, denies or disaffirms the obligations of such subsidiary guarantor under its subsidiary guarantee; and




(8) any security interest and lien purported to be created by any Notes collateral document with respect to any collateral, individually or in the aggregate, having a fair market value in excess of $100.0 million ceases to be in full force and effect, or ceases to give the Notes Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the holders of the Notes, the liens, rights, powers and privileges purported to be created and granted thereby (including a perfected first-priority security interest in and lien on, all of the collateral thereunder (except as otherwise expressly provided in the Indenture and the Notes collateral documents)) in favor of the Notes Collateral Agent, for a period of 30 days after notice by the Trustee or by the holders of at least 25% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, or is asserted by the Partnership or any subsidiary guarantor to not be, a valid, perfected, first-priority (except as otherwise expressly provided in the Indenture and the Notes collateral documents) security interest in or lien on the collateral covered thereby.
If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may declare the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Notes to be due and payable. Upon such a declaration, such principal and accrued and unpaid interest on all of the Notes will be due and payable immediately. If an Event of Default relating to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization with respect to the Partnership occurs and is continuing, the principal of, and accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration of acceleration, notice or other act on the part of the Trustee or any holders of the Notes. Under certain circumstances, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may rescind any such acceleration with respect to the Notes and its consequences.
The foregoing description of the Indenture does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Original Indenture and the Supplemental Indenture, copies of which are filed herewith as Exhibit 4.1 and Exhibit 4.2, respectively. Certain legal opinions relating to the Notes are filed herewith as Exhibit 5.1.
Relationships
In the ordinary course of its business, the Underwriters and their affiliates have engaged, and may in the future engage, in commercial banking, investment banking or other commercial transactions with the Partnership and its affiliates for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
Item 9.01    Financial Statements and Exhibits.
See the Exhibit Index set forth below for a list of exhibits included with this Form 8-K.
Exhibit Number
Description
*
Filed herewith.





SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
 
ENERGY TRANSFER EQUITY, L.P.
 
 
By:
LE GP, LLC, its General Partner
 
 
 
 
Date:
October 18, 2017
By:
/s/ Thomas E. Long
 
 
 
Thomas E. Long
 
 
 
Group Chief Financial Officer