8. COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND GUARANTEES
Commitments
The Company has long-term crude oil transportation agreements as well as other purchase obligations, all of which are transacted at market prices and in the normal course of business. Purchases under these contracts for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $18 million and $32 million, respectively (2023 – $16 million and $29 million, respectively).
Capital expenditure commitments at June 30, 2024 increased by $47 million from those reported at December 31, 2023 reflecting development of the Blackrod Connection project and new contractual commitments.
Contingencies
In 2021, TC Energy filed a Request for Arbitration to formally initiate a legacy North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) claim to recover economic damages resulting from the revocation of the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project. The United States objected on the basis that the transition provisions under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that protect investments made while NAFTA was in force apply only in connection with actions taken before July 1, 2020, when USMCA replaced NAFTA. The arbitral Tribunal adjudicating the claim issued a split decision on July 12, 2024 in which the majority of the panel agreed with the United States position and concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to hear TC Energy’s claim. TC Energy is currently assessing the decision to determine whether there are grounds to change it.
At closing of the spinoff Transaction, TC Energy and South Bow will enter into a Separation Agreement providing that TC Energy expects to indemnify South Bow for 86% of total net liabilities and costs associated with the Milepost 14 incident and the existing variable toll disputes on the Keystone Pipeline System (excluding any future impacts to the variable toll) subject to a maximum liability to South Bow of $30 million for those two matters. Any amounts that may ultimately be payable in respect of these liabilities and costs above the current accrued amount are indeterminable at this time.
The Company is aware of a potential dispute with customers regarding the Company’s entitlement to contractual recoveries in an amount that may be material. At this time, formal legal proceedings have not commenced and the final outcome of this matter cannot be reasonably estimated.
In addition to the above potential dispute and the proceedings disclosed in the Variable Toll Disputes section in the audited Combined carve-out financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company is subject to various other legal proceedings, arbitrations and actions arising in the normal course of business. The amounts involved in such other proceedings are not reasonably estimable as the final outcome of such legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. It is the opinion of management that the ultimate resolution of such proceedings and actions will not have a material impact on the Company’s combined financial position or results of operations.
Equity Investments Option Rights
The spinoff Transaction will trigger certain option rights to purchase the Company’s ownership interest in the equity investments, which may or may not be exercised by the Company’s respective partners or shareholders, as applicable. The option rights are triggered once TC Energy enters into certain spinoff agreements or upon closing of the spinoff Transaction.
On April 10, 2024, the option rights for Port Neches Link LLC and HoustonLink Pipeline were triggered. The respective partners of Port Neches Link LLC and HoustonLink Pipeline Company, LLC either notified the Company that they did not elect to exercise the option right to acquire the offered ownership interest or, alternatively, did not exercise the option right to acquire the offered ownership interest within the time period provided in the applicable limited liability agreement. As at June 30, 2024, no other triggering events had occurred.
Guarantees
The Company and its partners in certain jointly-owned entities have either: i) jointly and severally; ii) jointly or iii) severally guaranteed the financial performance of these entities. Such agreements include guarantees which are primarily related to construction services and the payment of liabilities. For certain of these entities, any payments made by the Company under these guarantees in excess of its ownership interest are to be reimbursed by its partners.
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