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EX-4.1 - EX-4.1 - Tallgrass Energy, LPd628210dex41.htm
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): September 24, 2018

 

 

Tallgrass Energy, LP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-37365   47-3159268

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

4200 W. 115th Street, Suite 350

Leawood, Kansas

  66211
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (913) 928-6060

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).

Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

 

 


Item 1.01

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Purchase Agreement

On September 24, 2018, Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP (“TEP”), Tallgrass Energy Finance Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of TEP (the “Co-Issuer” and together with TEP, the “Issuers”), and TEP’s existing direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries (other than the Co-Issuer, the “Guarantors”), entered into a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representative of the several initial purchasers named therein (the “Initial Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Issuers agreed to sell $500,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Issuers’ 4.75% Senior Notes due 2023 (the “Notes”), and the Guarantors agreed to provide the guarantees of the Notes. The Notes were offered and sold in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Notes were sold to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to persons outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act.

Tallgrass Energy, LP is the managing member of and owns approximately 55.46% of the outstanding membership interests of Tallgrass Equity, LLC (“Tallgrass Equity”). TEP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tallgrass Equity and its subsidiaries.

The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of the parties and indemnification and contribution provisions under which the Issuers and the Guarantors, on one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and customary conditions to closing, obligations of the parties and termination provisions.

The Initial Purchasers and certain of their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The Initial Purchasers and certain of their affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for TEP and its affiliates, for which they received or may in the future receive customary fees and expenses. In particular, affiliates of the Initial Purchasers are lenders under TEP’s revolving credit facility.

The foregoing description of the Purchase Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Purchase Agreement, which is filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 1.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Indenture and Notes

On September 26, 2018, the Issuers, the Guarantors named therein and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, entered into an Indenture dated as of September 26, 2018 (the “Indenture”), governing the terms of the Notes. The Notes are general unsecured senior obligations of the Issuers. The Notes are unconditionally guaranteed jointly and severally on a senior unsecured basis by the Guarantors and will be guaranteed by certain of TEP’s future


subsidiaries. The Notes rank equal in right of payment with all existing and future senior indebtedness of the Issuers, and senior in right of payment to any future subordinated indebtedness of the Issuers. The Notes are effectively junior to any of TEP’s secured indebtedness, including indebtedness under TEP’s revolving credit facility, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness, and are structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of TEP’s subsidiaries and other entities in which TEP owns an equity interest that do not guarantee the Notes.

Interest and Maturity

The Notes will mature on October 1, 2023 and interest on the Notes is payable in cash semi-annually in arrears on each April 1 and October 1, commencing April 1, 2019. Interest will be payable to holders of record on the March 15 and September 15 immediately preceding the related interest payment date, and will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

Optional Redemption

At any time prior to October 1, 2020, the Issuers may on one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under the Indenture, upon not less than 30 or more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price of 104.750% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date), in an amount not greater than the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by TEP, provided that:

 

   

at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under the Indenture (excluding Notes held by TEP and its subsidiaries) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

 

   

the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of each such equity offering.

Prior to October 1, 2020, the Issuers may redeem all or part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 or more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price equal to the sum of:

 

   

the principal amount thereof, plus

 

   

the Make Whole Premium (as defined in the Indenture) at the redemption date, plus

 

   

accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date).

On and after October 1, 2020, the Issuers may redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 or more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes redeemed to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date (subject to the right of holders of


record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date), if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on October 1 of the years indicated below:

 

YEAR    PERCENTAGE  

2020

     102.375

2021

     101.188

2022

     100.000

Change of Control

If a Change of Control Triggering Event (as defined in the Indenture) occurs, each holder of Notes may require TEP to repurchase all or a portion of that holder’s Notes for cash at a price equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes repurchased, plus any accrued but unpaid interest on the notes repurchased, to, but excluding, the date of settlement (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the settlement date).

Certain Covenants

The Indenture contains covenants that, among other things, limit TEP’s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to: (i) create liens to secure indebtedness; (ii) enter into sale-leaseback transactions; and (iii) consolidate with or merge with or into, or sell substantially all of TEP’s properties to, another person.

Events of Default

Upon a continuing event of default, the trustee or the holders of 25% of the principal amount of the Notes may declare the Notes immediately due and payable, except that a default resulting from a bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to TEP or any subsidiary of TEP that is a Significant Subsidiary (as defined in the Indenture) or any group of its subsidiaries that, taken as a whole, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary of TEP, will automatically cause all Notes to become due and payable. Each of the following constitutes an event of default under the Indenture:

 

   

default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the Notes;

 

   

default in payment when due of the principal of, or premium, if any, on the Notes;

 

   

failure by TEP to comply with the covenant relating to consolidations, mergers or transfers of all or substantially all of TEP’s assets or failure by TEP to purchase notes when required pursuant to the change of control provision of the Indenture;


   

failure by TEP for 180 days after notice to comply with its reporting obligations under the Indenture;

 

   

failure by TEP for 60 days after notice to comply with any of the other agreements in the Indenture;

 

   

default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument governing any indebtedness for money borrowed or guaranteed by TEP or any of its subsidiaries, if such default: (i) is caused by a failure to pay principal, interest or premium, if any, on said indebtedness within any applicable grace period; or (ii) results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior to its stated maturity, and, in each case, the principal amount of the indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such indebtedness under which there has been a payment default or acceleration of maturity, aggregates $100.0 million or more, subject to a cure provision;

 

   

failure by TEP or any of its subsidiaries to pay final non-appealeable judgments aggregating in excess of $100.0 million (to the extent not covered by insurance by certain insurers as to which the insurer has not disclaimed coverage), which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60 days;

 

   

except as permitted by the Indenture, any guarantee is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid, or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect, or any Guarantor, or any person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, denies or disaffirms its obligations under its guarantee; and

 

   

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization described in the Indenture with respect to TEP, or any of TEP’s subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (as defined in the Indenture) or any group of its subsidiaries that, taken as a whole, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary of TEP.

The foregoing descriptions of the Indenture does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Indenture and the form of 4.75% Senior Note, which are filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information required by Item 2.03 relating to the Notes, the Indenture and the Purchase Agreement is contained in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K above and is incorporated herein by reference.



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  TALLGRASS ENERGY, LP
  By:   Tallgrass Energy GP, LLC,
    its general partner
Date: September 26, 2018     By:  

/s/ Gary J. Brauchle

      Gary J. Brauchle
      Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer