ITEM 1.01
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Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
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Agreement and Plan of Merger
On August 24,
2018, Spectra Energy Partners, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (SEP), Spectra Energy Partners (DE) GP, LP, a Delaware limited partnership and the general partner of SEP (the General Partner), Enbridge Inc., a Canadian
corporation (Enbridge), Enbridge (U.S.) Inc., a Delaware corporation, Autumn Acquisition Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge (Merger Sub), and, solely for the
purposes of Articles I, II and XI, Enbridge US Holdings Inc., a Canadian corporation, Spectra Energy Corp, a Delaware corporation, Spectra Energy Capital, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Spectra Energy Transmission, LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into SEP (the Merger), with SEP continuing as the sole
surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the effective time
of the Merger, each common unit representing a fractional part of the limited partner interests in SEP (each, an SEP Common Unit) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, other than certain excluded
SEP Common Units owned by Enbridge and its subsidiaries, will be converted into, and become exchangeable for, 1.111 shares of Enbridge common stock (Enbridge Common Stock).
The conflicts committee (the Conflicts Committee) of the board of directors (the Board) of Spectra Energy Partners GP, LLC (GP,
LLC), the general partner of the General Partner, has, acting in good faith and relying on the advice of its legal and financial advisors, unanimously, (i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby are
fair and reasonable to, and in the best interests of, SEP and the holders of the outstanding SEP Common Units (other than Enbridge and its affiliates), (ii) approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, which such approval constituted Special Approval under the limited partnership agreement of SEP, and (iii) recommended that the Board approve the Merger Agreement and the
transactions contemplated thereby. Based upon such recommendation, the Board has, acting in good faith unanimously (i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, are fair and reasonable
to, and in the best interests of SEP and the holders of the outstanding SEP Common Units (other than Enbridge and its affiliates), (ii) approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, and (iii) resolved to recommend that the limited partners of SEP approve the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and directed that the
Merger Agreement be submitted to the limited partners for their approval by written consent.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Enbridge and Enbridge
(U.S.) Inc. have irrevocably and unconditionally agreed to deliver, or cause to be delivered, a written consent (the Written Consent), covering all of the SEP Common Units they beneficially own, approving the Merger, Merger Agreement and
any other actions required in furtherance thereof. The Written Consent will be delivered within two business days after the Registration Statement (as defined below) becomes effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
Securities Act). As of August 22, 2018, Enbridge and Enbridge (U.S.) Inc. beneficially owned 402,989,862 SEP Common Units, representing approximately 83.1% of the total SEP Common Units issued and outstanding. The approval of the
Merger Agreement requires the affirmative consent of holders of a majority of the outstanding SEP Common Units.
The completion of the Merger is subject
to certain customary closing conditions, including (i) receipt of approval of the Merger Agreement by written consent of the limited partners of SEP holding SEP Common Units constituting at least a majority of the outstanding SEP Common Units
entitled to vote, (ii) the Enbridge Common Stock issuable in connection with the Merger having been approved for listing on the NYSE and the TSX, subject to official notice of issuance, (iii) the absence of any governmental order
prohibiting the consummation of the Merger or the other transactions contemplated thereby, and (iv) Enbridges registration statement on Form
S-4
(the Registration Statement) having
become effective under the Securities Act. The obligation of each party to the Merger Agreement to consummate the Merger is also conditioned upon the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other parties as of the date of the Merger
Agreement and as of the closing (subject to customary materiality qualifiers), the performance by the other parties of all obligations under the Merger Agreement at or prior to closing and receipt of an officers certificate evidencing the
satisfaction of the foregoing.
Enbridge, Enbridge (U.S.) Inc., Merger Sub, SEP and the General Partner have made customary representations and
warranties, and agreed to customary covenants, in the Merger Agreement. Subject to certain exceptions, Enbridge and SEP have each agreed, among other things, to covenants relating to the conduct of their respective businesses during the interim
period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Merger.