Short-term borrowings

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021


Note 5 · Short-term borrowings

Commercial paper and bank term loan. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, HEI had $54 million and $65 million of commercial paper outstanding, respectively. The weighted-average interest rate of HEI’s outstanding commercial paper, as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 was 0.55% and 0.75%, respectively. On April 20, 2020, HEI closed on a $65 million 364-day term loan (HEI term loan). The HEI term loan provisions allowed prepayments without penalty. On December 30, 2020, HEI paid down $50 million of the term loan using $50 million of proceeds from a private placement drawn on December 29, 2020, and on January 29, 2021, HEI paid off the remaining HEI term loan balance of $15 million.

At both December 31, 2021 and 2020, Hawaiian Electric had no commercial paper outstanding. Hawaiian Electric entered into a 364-day, $50 million term loan credit agreement, drawing the full $50 million on May 19, 2020. On January 15, 2021, Hawaiian Electric paid off the $50 million term loan in conjunction with the terms of the loan credit agreement. The weighted-average interest rate of Hawaiian Electric’s outstanding commercial paper and bank term loan as of December 31, 2020 was 1.9%.

As of December 31, 2020, HEI had three letters of credit outstanding in the aggregate amount of $6 million, on behalf of Hamakua Energy. As of December 31, 2021, HEI had five letters of credit outstanding in the aggregate amount of $10 million on behalf of Mauo and Hamakua Energy.

Credit agreements. On May 14, 2021, HEI and Hawaiian Electric each entered into a separate agreement with a syndicate of nine financial institutions (the HEI Facility and Hawaiian Electric Facility, respectively, and together, the Credit Facilities) to amend and restate their respective previously existing revolving unsecured credit agreements. The HEI Facility was increased to $175 million from $150 million and its term was extended to May 14, 2026. On February 18, 2022, the PUC approved Hawaiian Electric’s request to extend the term of the $200 million Hawaiian Electric Facility to May 14, 2026. In addition to extending the term, Hawaiian Electric also received PUC approval to exercise its options of two one-year extensions of the commitment termination date and to increase its aggregate revolving commitment amount from $200 million to $275 million, should there be a need.

None of the facilities are collateralized. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, no amounts were outstanding under the Credit Facilities.

The Credit Facilities will be maintained to support each company’s respective short-term commercial paper program, but may be drawn on to meet each company’s respective working capital needs and general corporate purposes.

Under the Credit Facilities, draws generally bear interest, based on each company’s respective current long-term credit ratings, at the “Adjusted LIBO Rate,” as defined in the Credit Facilities, plus 137.5 and 125.0 basis points for HEI and Hawaiian Electric, respectively, and incur annual fees on undrawn commitments, excluding swingline borrowings, at the rate of 20.0 and 17.5 basis points for HEI and Hawaiian Electric, respectively. The Credit Facilities also include provisions to accommodate a transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) to an alternative reference rate, based on the secured overnight financing rate administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, upon the phase out of LIBOR as a reference rate.

Additionally, the Credit Facilities contain provisions for pricing adjustments in the event of a long-term ratings change based on the respective Facility’s ratings-based pricing grid, which includes the ratings by Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch), Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) and S&P Global Ratings (S&P). The Credit Facilities do not contain clauses that would affect access to the Credit Facilities by reason of a ratings downgrade, nor do they have broad “material adverse change” clauses. In addition, the Credit Facilities contain provisions for potential annual pricing adjustments to the Eurodollar or Alternate Base Rate margin on draws and fees on undrawn commitments of up to +/-5 basis points and +/-1 basis point, respectively, based on performance against certain sustainability-linked metrics. The sustainability-linked metrics include achievement of renewable portfolio standards in excess of statutory requirements and increasing cumulative penetration of installed MWs of photovoltaic systems on residential rooftops.

The Credit Facilities also include updated terms and conditions customary for facilities of this type and contain customary conditions that must be met in order to draw on them, including compliance with covenants (such as covenants preventing HEI’s and Hawaiian Electric’s respective subsidiaries from entering into agreements that restrict the ability of such subsidiaries to pay dividends to, or to repay borrowings from, HEI or Hawaiian Electric, as applicable; and a covenant in Hawaiian Electric’s facility restricting Hawaiian Electric’s ability, as well as the ability of any of its subsidiaries, to guarantee additional indebtedness of the subsidiaries if such additional debt would cause the subsidiary’s “Consolidated Subsidiary Funded Debt to Capitalization Ratio” (as defined in the Hawaiian Electric Facility) to exceed 65%).

Under the HEI Facility, it is an event of default if HEI fails to maintain an unconsolidated “Capitalization Ratio” (funded debt) (as defined in the HEI Facility) of 50% or less or if HEI no longer owns Hawaiian Electric or ASB. Under the Hawaiian Electric Facility, it is an event of default if Hawaiian Electric fails to maintain a “Consolidated Capitalization Ratio” (equity) (as defined in the Hawaiian Electric Facility) of at least 35%, or if Hawaiian Electric is no longer owned by HEI.

Hawaiian Electric had a $75 million 364-day revolving credit agreement, under which no amounts had been drawn. On April 19, 2021, the revolving credit agreement expired and was not renewed.