HYDRO ONE LIMITED
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS(continued)
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
be acceptable if resulting in just and reasonable rates, Hydro One believes that the cash basis treatment of pension costs would continue to be supportable.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Strategy
In 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved Hydro One’s strategy which details the Company’s goal to become North America’s leading utility, centered around three key pillars: (i) optimization and innovation, (ii) diversification, and (iii) growth.
Common Shares
On May 17, 2017, Hydro One completed a secondary offering (Offering) by the Province, on a bought deal basis, of 120 million common shares of Hydro One. Following completion of the Offering, the Province directly held approximately 49.9% of Hydro One’s total issued and outstanding common shares. Thisnon-dilutive Offering increased the public ownership of Hydro One to approximately 50.1% or 298.6 million common shares. Hydro One did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the common shares by the Province.
On December 29, 2017, the Province sold 14,391,012 common shares of Hydro One, representing approximately 2.4% of the outstanding common shares, to OFN Power Holdings LP, a limited partnership wholly-owned by Ontario First Nations Sovereign Wealth LP, which is in turn owned by 129 First Nations in Ontario. After completing this transaction, the Province owns approximately 47.4% or 282.4 million common shares of Hydro One. Hydro One did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the common shares by the Province.
Collective Agreements
On April 7, 2017, Hydro One reached an agreement with the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers (CUSW) for a renewal of the collective agreement. The agreement is for a five-year term, covering May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2022. The agreement was ratified by the CUSW and the Hydro One Board of Directors in May 2017.
Hydro One has agreements with Inergi LP (Inergi) for the provision of back office and IT outsourcing services, including settlements, source to pay services, pay operations services, information technology and finance and accounting services, expiring on December 31, 2019, and for the provision of customer service operations outsourcing services expiring on February 28, 2018. Hydro One is currently in the process of insourcing the customer service operations services and will not be renewing the existing agreement for these services with Inergi. Agreements have been reached with The Society of Energy Professionals (the Society) and the Power Workers’ Union (PWU) to facilitate the insourcing of these services effective March 1, 2018.
The current collective agreement with the PWU expires on March 31, 2018. In January 2018, Hydro One and the PWU commenced collective bargaining with the official exchange of bargaining agendas. Both sides acknowledged their commitment to working towards the timely completion of collective bargaining.
Exemptive Relief
On June 6, 2017, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities granted (i) the Minister of Energy, (ii) Ontario Power Generation Inc. (on behalf of itself and the segregated funds established as required by theNuclear Fuel Waste Act (Canada)) and (iii) agencies of the Crown, provincial Crown corporations and other provincial entities (collectively, theNon-Aggregated Holders) exemptive relief, subject to certain conditions, to enable eachNon-Aggregated Holder to treat securities of Hydro One that it owns or controls separately from securities of Hydro One owned or controlled by the otherNon-Aggregated Holders for purposes of certain take-over bid, early warning reporting, insider reporting and control person distribution rules and certain distribution restrictions under Canadian securities laws. Hydro One was also granted relief permitting it to rely solely on insider reports and early warning reports filed byNon-Aggregated Holders when reporting beneficial ownership or control or direction over securities in an information circular or annual information form in respect of securities beneficially owned or controlled by anyNon-Aggregated Holder subject to certain conditions.
Avista Corporation Purchase Agreement
On July 19, 2017, Hydro One reached an agreement to acquire Avista Corporation (Merger) for approximately $6.7 billion in anall-cash transaction. Avista Corporation is an investor-owned utility providing electric generation, transmission, and distribution services. It is headquartered in Spokane, Washington, with service areas in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. The closing of the Merger is expected to occur in the second half of 2018, subject to receipt of certain regulatory and government approvals, and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
On September 14, 2017, Hydro One and Avista Corporation filed applications with state utility commissions in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Alaska, as well as with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, requesting regulatory approval of the Merger on or before August 14, 2018. On November 21, 2017, the Merger was approved by the shareholders of Avista Corporation. On January 16, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Merger application. Required filings with a number of other agencies will be made in the coming months, including with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the
| | | | |
| | 16 | | ![LOGO](https://capedge.com/proxy/F-10/0001193125-18-327601/g624775ex99_41.jpg)
|