Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. have entered into a merger agreement providing for the acquisition of ETP by SXL in a unit-for-unit transaction. The transaction was approved by the boards of directors and conflicts committees of both partnerships and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to receipt of ETP unitholder approval and other customary closing conditions.
Under the terms of the transaction, ETP unitholders will receive 1.5 common units of SXL for each common unit of ETP they own. This equates to a 10% premium to the volume weighted average pricing of ETP’s common units for the last 30 trading days immediately prior to the announcement of the transaction.
As SXL will be the acquiring entity, the existing incentive distribution rights provisions in the SXL partnership agreement will continue to be in effect, and Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. will own the incentive distribution rights of SXL following the closing of the transaction. As part of this transaction, ETE has agreed to continue to provide all the incentive distribution right subsidies that are currently in effect with respect to both partnerships.
The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to SXL’s distributable cash flow per common unit and is also expected to allow the combined partnership to be in position to achieve near-term distribution increases in the low double digits and a more than 1.0x distribution coverage ratio.
At the closing of the transaction, the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Commercial Officer, President and Chief Financial Officer of the combined partnership will be Kelcy Warren, Mackie McCrea, Matt Ramsey and Tom Long, respectively, and it is expected that Mike Hennigan and other members of the SXL management team will continue in leading management roles of the combined company with the SXL business headquartered in Philadelphia.
