EX-99.1 2 a04-8000_3ex99d1.htm EX-99.1

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

04-11

For further information:

John F. Walsh

Director of Investor Relations

Southern Union Company

570/829-8662

 

SOUTHERN UNION PROVIDES FISCAL 05 EARNINGS GUIDANCE

 

                WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 21, 2004 — Southern Union Company (“Southern Union” or the “Company”) (NYSE:SUG) announced today Fiscal Year 2005 earnings guidance of $1.30 to $1.40 per common share diluted for outstanding options and inclusive of the planned 4.8 million share issuance announced Tuesday, July 20, 2004.

 

About Southern Union Company

Southern Union Company, headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is engaged primarily in the transportation and distribution of natural gas. Through its Panhandle Energy subsidiary, the Company owns and operates Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company, Trunkline Gas Company, Sea Robin Pipeline Company, Trunkline LNG Company and Southwest Gas Storage Company. Collectively, the pipeline assets operate more than 10,000 miles of interstate pipelines that transport natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico, South Texas and the Panhandle regions of Texas and Oklahoma to major U.S. markets in the Midwest and Great Lakes region. Trunkline LNG, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is the nation’s largest liquefied natural gas import terminal. Through its local distribution companies, Missouri Gas Energy, PG Energy and New England Gas Company, Southern Union also serves nearly one million natural gas end-user customers in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For further information, visit www.southernunionco.com.

 

Forward-Looking Information

This release and other Company reports and statements issued or made from time to time contain certain “forward-looking statements” concerning projected future financial performance, expected plans or future operations. Southern Union cautions that actual results and developments may differ materially from such projections or expectations.

Investors should be aware of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking projections or expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: cost of gas; gas sales volumes; gas throughput volumes and available sources of natural gas; discounting of transportation rates due to competition; customer growth; abnormal weather conditions in the Company’s service territories; impact of relations with labor unions of bargaining-unit employees; the receipt of timely and adequate rate relief and the impact of future rate cases or regulatory rulings; the outcome of pending and future litigation; the speed and degree to which competition is introduced to the Company’s gas distribution business; new legislation and government regulations and proceedings affecting or involving the Company; unanticipated environmental liabilities; the Company’s ability to comply with

 

 



 

- MORE -

or to challenge successfully existing or new environmental regulations; changes in business strategy and the success of new business ventures; exposure to customer concentration with a significant portion of revenues realized from a relatively small number of customers and any credit risks associated with the financial position of those customers; factors affecting operations such as maintenance or repairs, environmental incidents or gas pipeline system constraints; the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries debt securities ratings; the economic climate and growth in the Company’s industry and service territories and competitive conditions of energy markets in general; inflationary trends; changes in gas or other energy market commodity prices and interest rates; the current market conditions causing more customer contracts to be of shorter duration, which may increase revenue volatility; the possibility of war or terrorist attacks; the nature and impact of any extraordinary transactions such as any acquisition or divestiture of a business unit or any assets.

 

#####