Brookfield Infrastructure Announces Reorganization of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation
10 October 2024 - 8:41AM
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN)
(the “Partnership”) and Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation
(“BIPC”) (TSX, NYSE: BIPC) today announced their intention to
complete a reorganization (the “Arrangement”) that maintains the
benefits of Brookfield Infrastructure’s business structure, while
addressing proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act (Canada) that
are expected to result in additional costs to BIPC if no action is
taken.
BIPC was created by the Partnership in 2020 to
provide investors with an opportunity to gain access to the
Partnership’s globally diversified portfolio of high-quality
infrastructure assets through a corporate structure. BIPC provides
shareholders with the benefits of broader index inclusion, a
differentiated investor base, improved trading liquidity, a
simplified tax reporting framework and higher after-tax yield for
certain shareholders.
Since the initial listing of BIPC, the market
capitalization of Brookfield Infrastructure has grown from $17
billion to $29 billion and the average daily trading volume has
doubled. Our investor base has tripled in size and is more diverse,
with U.S. and non-Canadian investors now representing over 55% of
our investor base.
Following the Arrangement, BIPC shareholders
will own an economically equivalent security that provides the same
economic benefits and governance of investing in our company today.
The Arrangement is also expected to be tax-deferred for the vast
majority of investors, including Canadian and U.S.
shareholders.
The Arrangement will be implemented pursuant to
a court-approved plan of arrangement and will require shareholder
approval. A management information circular outlining the
transaction in detail is expected to be mailed to BIPC shareholders
at the end of October, in advance of a special meeting of
shareholders (the “Meeting”) to be held virtually on December 3,
2024 at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern time). Shareholders of record as of the
close of business on October 21, 2024 will be entitled to vote at
the Meeting. Subject to the receipt of court and shareholder
approval, and the satisfaction of certain other customary
conditions, it is anticipated that the Arrangement will be
completed in the fourth quarter of 2024. The newly issued class A
exchangeable subordinate voting shares are expected to be listed on
the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange and will
trade under the same “BIPC” symbol.
The BIPC Nominating and Governance Committee
unanimously determined that the Arrangement is in the best
interests of the corporation and recommended that the BIPC board of
directors (the “Board”) approve the Arrangement and recommend that
holders of exchangeable shares vote in favour of the
Arrangement.
The Board1, on the recommendation of the
Nominating and Governance Committee, determined that the
Arrangement is in the best interest of BIPC and unanimously
resolved to approve the Arrangement and recommend that holders of
exchangeable shares vote in favour of the Arrangement. In making
its determination, the Board considered, among other factors, the
fairness opinion of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (“RBC”) to the
effect that, as of October 9, 2024 and subject to the assumptions,
limitations and qualifications described therein, the consideration
to be received by Public Holders (as defined in RBC’s fairness
opinion) of exchangeable shares pursuant to the Arrangement is
fair, from a financial point of view to such shareholders. A copy
of the fairness opinion will be included in the management
information circular.
Investors in the Partnership will not be
impacted by the Arrangement and are not required to approve the
Arrangement or take any other action.
Copies of the management information circular,
the arrangement agreement, the plan of arrangement and certain
related documents will be filed with the applicable Canadian
securities regulators and with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and will be available on SEDAR+ at
https://sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at https://sec.gov.
– ends –
About Brookfield Infrastructure
Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global
infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality,
long-life assets in the utilities, transport, midstream and data
sectors across the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are
focused on assets that have contracted and regulated revenues that
generate predictable and stable cash flows. Investors can access
its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners
L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership,
or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BIPC), a
Canadian corporation. Further information is available at
https://bip.brookfield.com.
Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed
infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global
alternative asset manager with approximately $1 trillion of assets
under management. For more information, go to
https://brookfield.com.
Contact Information
Media: |
Investors: |
Simon Maine |
Stephen Fukuda |
Managing Director |
Senior Vice President |
Corporate Communications |
Corporate Development &
Investor Relations |
Tel: +44 739 890 9278 |
Tel: +1 416 956 5129 |
Email:
simon.maine@brookfield.com |
Email:
stephen.fukuda@brookfield.com |
|
|
Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking
statements and information within the meaning of applicable
securities laws. The words, “will”, “intend” and “expect” or
derivations thereof and other expressions which are predictions of
or indicate future events, trends or prospects, and which do not
relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements
regarding the Partnership and BIPC’s beliefs on certain benefits of
the Arrangement and the anticipated tax treatment of the proposed
transaction for BIPC and its shareholders resident in Canada and
the U.S. Factors that could cause actual results, performance,
achievements or events to differ from current expectations include,
among others, risks and uncertainties related to: obtaining
approvals, rulings, court orders, or satisfying other requirements,
necessary or desirable to permit or facilitate completion of the
Arrangement (including regulatory and shareholder approvals);
future factors that may arise making it inadvisable to proceed
with, or advisable to delay, all or part of the Arrangement; the
potential benefits of the Arrangement; and business cycles,
including general economic conditions. Although Brookfield
Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and
information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations,
the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other
forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The
future performance and prospects of Brookfield Infrastructure are
subject to a number of known and unknown risks and
uncertainties.
Factors that could cause actual results of
Brookfield Infrastructure to differ materially from those
contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release are
described in the documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with
the securities regulators in Canada and the United States including
under “Risk Factors” in each of the Partnership’s and BIPC’s most
recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that
are described therein. Certain risks and uncertainties specific to
the proposed Arrangement will be further described in the
management information circular to be mailed to shareholders in
advance of the Meeting. Except as required by law, Brookfield
Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. All
references to “$” or “dollars” are to U.S. dollars.
________________________________
1 Excluding Jeffrey Blidner who, as Vice Chair of Brookfield
Corporation, recused himself from voting.
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