Representations, Warranties and Covenants, Conditions to Closing and Termination Rights
Each Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants related to the conduct of the business and the applicable Transaction. Each party to an applicable Purchase Agreement has agreed to indemnify the other party to such agreement for losses arising from certain breaches of covenants contained in the applicable Purchase Agreement and other liabilities, subject to certain limitations. Pursuant to the applicable Purchase Agreement, employees transferred as part of the related Transaction will have certain employment protections for generally 24 months following the closing date.
The Transactions are subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (“HSR Approval”), clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (“CFIUS Clearance”), approval from the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC Approval”) and approvals by and/or notices to applicable state regulatory agencies.
Each of the Purchase Agreements may be terminated (i) by mutual agreement, (ii) if closing has not occurred by September 5, 2024 (subject to an extension under the applicable Purchase Agreement by either party to December 4, 2024 if the required regulatory approvals have not yet been obtained), (iii) in the event a law or regulation is imposed that prohibits the transaction, (iv) in the event of certain material breaches by the buyer or (v) in the event of certain material breaches by the seller. If a Purchase Agreement is terminated due to (i) a failure to obtain the required regulatory approvals by the applicable termination date or due to the imposition of a “Burdensome Condition” (as defined in the applicable Purchase Agreement), or (ii) a material breach by the buyer which has primarily caused the failure to obtain any required regulatory approval, then the buyer will pay the seller a termination fee of (a) $154.8 million under the East Ohio Gas Purchase Agreement, (b) $78.3 million under the PSNC Purchase Agreement, or (c) $106.9 million under the Questar Gas Purchase Agreement.
Transition Services Agreement
At the closing of each Transaction, Dominion Energy and the buyer under the applicable Purchase Agreement will enter into a transition services agreement pursuant to which Dominion Energy and its affiliates will continue to provide certain services to support the ongoing operations of the businesses for a limited time period following the closing of each Transaction. The buyer in each Transaction has also agreed to provide certain services to Dominion Energy.
Enbridge Guaranties and Debt Commitment Letter
As a condition to Dominion Energy entering into the Purchase Agreements, Enbridge delivered Buyer Parent Guaranties (as defined in the applicable Purchase Agreement) for the benefit of Dominion Energy guaranteeing the obligations of each buyer under the Purchase Agreements.
Also as a condition to Dominion Energy entering into the Purchase Agreements, Enbridge entered into a financing commitment letter (the “Commitment Letter”) with Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and Royal Bank of Canada for a 364-day senior unsecured bridge facility (the “Bridge Facility”) in an aggregate initial principal amount of US$9.4 billion, which may be borrowed as three separate loans on each applicable closing date for the Transactions. The commitments under the Bridge Facility may be reduced by the net proceeds received by Enbridge from other sources prior to the expected closings of the Transactions. The commitments under the Commitment Letter are subject to customary conditions, including the execution and delivery of definitive documentation with respect to the Bridge Facility in accordance with the terms set forth in the Commitment Letter.
General
The foregoing descriptions of the East Ohio Gas Purchase Agreement, the PSNC Purchase Agreement and the Questar Gas Purchase Agreement and the related Transactions contemplated under the applicable Purchase Agreements are subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the East Ohio Gas Purchase Agreement, the PSNC Purchase Agreement and the Questar Gas Purchase Agreement, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, respectively, and each is incorporated herein by reference.