Add AltaGas to the list of Canadian companies that can’t seem to get enough of America’s energy assets.
The Calgary power and gas supplier agreed yesterday to buy WGL Holdings — owner of the Washington utility that supplies natural gas to the White House — for $4.6bn. The takeover will expand its reach in the US, where it already owns power plants and two natural gas distributors. The company also plans to invest $1.8bn in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations of the eastern US.
The takeover is yet another testament to the growing interest in natural gas distributors as demand for the heating fuel rises and Canada’s hunger for US energy assets. Enbridge and TransCanada Corp struck multibillion-dollar deals for pipeline owners south of the border, and Fortis bought American power-line operator ITC Holdings Corp for almost $7bn last year. Duke Energy Corp and Southern Co are among those that have also bought gas utilities in recent years.
“For Canadian utilities looking for growth, there aren’t that many utilities in Canada to buy,” said Kit Konolige, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. “They’ve been active in acquiring and looking at US gas and electric companies.”
Last year, Canada-based Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp struck a deal to buy Empire District Electric Co, based in Joplin, Missouri, for $1.49bn. Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Emera agreed to buy Florida’s Teco Energy Inc for about $6.5bn a year earlier.
AltaGas’s $88.25-a-share, all-cash deal represents a 12% premium over WGL’s closing price on Tuesday, according to the company’s statement on Wednesday. WGL was said to be in merger talks with AltaGas earlier this month and had been weighing a sale since last year after attracting takeover interest from Spain’s Iberdrola.
WGL rose 3.4% to $81.49 in after-markets trading on Wednesday. AltaGas was up 0.6% before its trading was halted and the deal was announced.
AltaGas chief executive officer David Harris described the company’s compatibility with WGL as “exceptional.” AltaGas said it will assume about $1.84bn in debt as part of the transaction.
With WGL, AltaGas will have three US gas utilities: It already owns Semco Energy Gas Co in Michigan and Enstar Natural Gas Co in Alaska. WGL’s Washington Gas supplies the fuel to more than one million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, the company’s website shows. WGL plans to maintain its headquarters in the District.
The takeover comes as President Donald Trump is looking to renegotiate trade agreements with Canada. The transaction, which needs federal and state regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018, the companies said in a call with reporters.
When asked whether Trump could block the deal, AltaGas Services President John O’Brien said during the call, “We are already here as a company. We are here, and we have a large presence in the country. The reason we are excited about this is the growth opportunities that we have in the US.”
AltaGas runs power plants across North America, including in California and Colorado, that are together capable of generating more than 1,600 megawatts, according to the company’s website.
JPMorgan Chase & Co and TD Securities acted as financial advisers for AltaGas, while Vinson & Elkins and Stikeman Elliott acted as legal advisers.
Goldman Sachs Group and Lazard were financial advisers to WGL. Kirkland & Ellis and Covington & Burling provided legal advice.