EXHIBIT 99.1

 

CERTIFICATION

 

 

	I, Al Monaco, certify that:
1.	I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of Enbridge Inc.;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The issuer’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the issuer and have:
	a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
	d)	Disclosed in this report any change in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.	The issuer’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the issuer’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
	b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date:	February 17, 2017

 

 

/s/ Al Monaco
Al Monaco
President & Chief Executive Officer

 

 

EXHIBIT 99.2

 

CERTIFICATION

 

 

	I, John K. Whelen, certify that:
1.	I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of Enbridge Inc.;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The issuer’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the issuer and have:
	a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
	d)	Disclosed in this report any change in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.	The issuer’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the issuer’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
	b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date:	February 17 , 2017

 

 

/s/ John K. Whelen
John K. Whelen
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

 

EXHIBIT 99.3

 

CERTIFICATION

 

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as Enacted Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

In connection with the annual report of Enbridge Inc. (the “Corporation”) on Form 40-F for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Al Monaco, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

1.	The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2.	The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Corporation.

 

Dated at Calgary, Alberta, this 17 th  day of February, 2017.

 

 

/s/ Al Monaco
Al Monaco
President & Chief Executive Officer

 

EXHIBIT 99.4

 

CERTIFICATION

 

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as Enacted Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

In connection with the annual report of Enbridge Inc. (the “Corporation”) on Form 40-F for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, John K. Whelen, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

1.	The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2.	The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Corporation.

 

Dated at Calgary, Alberta, this 17 th  day of February, 2017.

 

 

/s/ John K. Whelen
John K. Whelen
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

 

Exhibit 99.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENBRIDGE INC.

 

ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

February 17, 2017

 

 

 

 

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

As of the date hereof, portions of the MD&A and the Financial Statements, as filed with the securities commissions or similar authorities in each of the provinces of Canada, as detailed below, are specifically incorporated by reference into and form an integral part of this AIF.  These documents are available on SEDAR which can be accessed at www.sedar.com .

 

	Page Reference From
		AIF			Annual Financial Statements		MD&A
Glossary		1
Presentation of Information		4					17
Forward-Looking Information		5
Corporate Structure		6					3-4, 21-26
General Description of the Business		7
General Development of the Business		11					4-8, 14-15,  30-44
Liquids Pipelines		21					45-64
Gas Distribution		22					64-68
Gas Pipelines and Processing		25					69-79
Green Power and Transmission		26					80-81
Energy Services		26					81-82
Safety, Environment and industry		27					22, 26-30, 107
Employees		28					25
Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability		28
Risk Factors		28					62-64, 67-68, 71-72, 73, 74-75, 76, 77, 78-79, 80-81, 82, 97-105
Description of Capital Structure		28
Dividends		31
Other Securities		33
Credit Facilities		33
Directors and Officers		33
Audit, Finance & Risk Committee		36
External Auditor Services - Fees		38
Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Actions		39			71
Interest of Management and Others in Material Transactions		39
Registrar and Transfer Agent		39
Material Contracts		39
Interests of experts		39
Additional Information		39
APPENDIX A		A-1
APPENDIX B		B-1
APPENDIX C		C-1

 

 

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

In this AIF, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the indicated meanings.

 

“ ACCFO ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ Non-GAAP Measures ” of this AIF;

 

“ AFR Committee ” means the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee of the Board;

 

“ AIF ” means this annual information form of the Company dated February 17, 2017 for the year ended December 31, 2016;

 

“ Alliance Pipeline Canada ” means the Canadian portion of Alliance Pipeline;

 

“ Aux Sable ” means Aux Sable Liquid Pipelines LP, Aux Sable Midstream LLC and Aux Sable Canada LP;

 

“ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company;

 

“ Canadian Mainline ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ Liquids Pipelines” of this AIF;

 

“ Canadian Restructuring Plan ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ General Development of the Business” of this AIF;

 

“ CBCA ” means the Canada Business Corporations Act;

 

“ Common Shares ” means the common shares in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Company ” or “ Enbridge ” means Enbridge Inc., and as the context requires, includes its subsidiaries;

 

“ CSR ” means Corporate Social Responsibility;

 

“ CSR Committee ” means the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the Board;

 

“ DBRS ” means DBRS Limited;

 

“ EBIT ” means earnings before interest and taxes;

 

“ ECT ” means Enbridge Commercial Trust, an unincorporated trust established under the laws of Alberta;

 

“ EDGAR ” means the SEC’s website;

 

“ EELP ” means Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership that is a subsidiary of and indirectly controlled by the Company;

 

“ EEP ” means Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P., a NYSE listed Delaware limited partnership in which Enbridge owns, directly and indirectly, approximately 35.3% (excluding US$1.2 billion of EEP preferred shares held indirectly by Enbridge);

 

“ EEM ” means Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. , a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect subsidiary of the Company;

 

“ EGD ” means Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc., a corporation continued under the laws of Ontario and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company;

 

“ EGNB ” means Enbridge Gas New Brunswick, a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company ;

 

“ EIFH ” means Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Alberta in which the Company owns a 19.9% ownership interest;

 

“ EIP GP ” means Enbridge Income Partners GP Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada, which is the current general partner of EIPLP, and of which Enbridge owns 51% and ECT owns 49%;

 

“ EIP LP ” means Enbridge Income Partners LP, a limited partnership established under the laws of Alberta;

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

“ EPI ” means Enbridge Pipelines Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of EIPLP;

 

“ EPAI ” means Enbridge Pipelines (Athabasca) Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Alberta and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of EIPLP;

 

“ Financial Statements ” means the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended December 31, 2016;

 

“ Fund ” means Enbridge Income Fund, an unincorporated open-ended trust established under the laws of Alberta and, as the context requires, includes the Fund Group;

 

“ Fund Group ” means the Fund, ECT, EIPLP and subsidiaries and investees of EIPLP;

 

“ Governance Committee ” means the Governance Committee of the Board;

 

“ HRC Committee ” means the Human Resources & Compensation Committee of the Board;

 

“ IDR ” means Incentive Distribution Right;

 

“ IPL System ” means IPL System Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Alberta and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enbridge;

 

“ Lakehead System ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ Liquids Pipelines” of this AIF;

 

“ MD&A ” means the management’s discussion and analysis for the Company dated February 17, 2017 for the year ended December 31, 2016;

 

“ MEP ” means Midcoast Energy Partners L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and a subsidiary of EEP and an indirect subsidiary of the Company;

 

“ Merger Agreement ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ General Development of the Business” of this AIF;

 

“ Merger Transaction ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ General Development of the Business” of this AIF;

 

“ Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investor Services Inc.;

 

“ MTNs ” means medium term notes;

 

“ NEB ” means the National Energy Board (Canada);

 

“ NGL ” means natural gas liquids which are comprised of ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane and pentanes plus, or any of them, or any mixture of any of them, and includes any substances that may be incidentally recovered therewith on extraction from natural gas;

 

“ NYSE ” means the New York Stock Exchange;

 

“ OSC ” means the Ontario Securities Commission;

 

“ Preference Shares ” means preference shares in the capital of the Company which are issuable in series;

 

“ Regional Oil Sands System ” has the meaning ascribed under the heading “ Liquids Pipelines” of this AIF;

 

“ S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s Rating Services;

 

“ SEC ” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

“ SEDAR ” means the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval;

 

“ Series 1 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 1 in the capital of the Company;

 

2

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

“ Series 3 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 3 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 5 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 5 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 7 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 7 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 9 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 9 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 11 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 11 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 13 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 13 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 15 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 15 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series 17 Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Minimum Rate Reset Preference Shares, Series 17 in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series A Preference Shares ” means the 5.50% Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series A in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series B Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series B in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series D Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series D in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series F Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series F in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series H Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series H in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series J Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series J in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series L Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series L in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series N Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series N in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series P Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series P in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Series R Preference Shares ” means the Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series R in the capital of the Company;

 

“ Spectra Energy ” means Spectra Energy Corp, a Delaware corporation;

 

“ SR Committee ” means the Safety & Reliability Committee of the Board;

 

“ TPDR ” means Temporary Performance Distribution Right;

 

“ TSX ” means the Toronto Stock Exchange;

 

“ United States ”, “ U.S. ” or “ U.S.A. ” means the United States of America;

 

“ U.S. GAAP ” means accounting principles generally accepted in the United States;

 

“ WTI ” means West Texas Intermediate; and

 

3

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

“ Year End ” means December 31, 2016.

 

UNITS OF MEASURE

 

bcf	Billion cubic feet
bpd	Barrels per day
mmcf	Million cubic feet
mmcf/d	Million cubic feet per day
MW	Megawatt

 

METRIC CONVERSIONS

 

Metric	Imperial	Factor
Cubic metre kilometre	Barrel mile	3.910
Cubic metre of liquid hydrocarbons	Barrel of liquid hydrocarbons	6.290
Cubic metre of natural gas	Cubic feet of natural gas	35.494
Kilometre	Mile	0.621

 

PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION

 

Unless otherwise noted, the information contained in this AIF is given at or for the year ended December 31, 2016.  Amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.  Financial information for the Company is presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

The annual capacities noted throughout this AIF take into account estimated crude receipt and delivery patterns and ongoing pipeline maintenance and reflect achievable pipeline capacity over long periods of time.

 

NON-GAAP MEASURES

 

This AIF contains references to adjusted EBIT, adjusted earnings/(loss) and ACFFO. Adjusted EBIT represents EBIT adjusted for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors on both a consolidated and segmented basis. Adjusted earnings/(loss) represent earnings or loss attributable to common shareholders adjusted for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors included in adjusted EBIT, as well as adjustments for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors in respect of interest expense, income taxes, noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests on a consolidated basis. ACFFO is defined as cash flow provided by operating activities before changes in operating assets and liabilities (including changes in environmental liabilities) less distributions to non-controlling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests, preference share dividends and maintenance capital expenditures, and further adjusted for unusual, non-recurring or non-operating factors.

 

Management believes the presentation of adjusted EBIT, adjusted earnings/(loss) and ACFFO gives useful information to investors and shareholders as they provide increased transparency and insight into the performance of the Company. Management uses adjusted EBIT and adjusted earnings/(loss) to set targets and to assess the performance of the Company. Management also uses ACFFO to assess the performance of the Company and to set its dividend payout target. Adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBIT for each segment, adjusted earnings/(loss), adjusted earnings/(loss) per common share and ACFFO are not measures that have standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and are not U.S. GAAP measures. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers.

 

For additional information, please refer to the MD&A.

 

4

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

---

 

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

 

Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, have been included in this AIF to provide information about the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including management’s assessment of Enbridge and its subsidiaries’ future plans and operations. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘forecast’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘believe’’, “likely” and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or statements included or incorporated by reference in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the following: expected EBIT or expected adjusted EBIT; expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss) per share; expected ACFFO; expected future cash flows; financial strength and flexibility; expected costs related to announced projects and projects under construction; expected in-service dates for announced projects and projects under construction; expected capital expenditures; expected equity funding requirements for the Company’s commercially secured growth program; expected future growth and expansion opportunities; expectations about the Company’s joint venture partners’ ability to complete and finance projects under construction; expected closing of acquisitions and dispositions; estimated cost and impact to the Company’s overall financial performance of complying with the settlement consent decree related to Line 6B and Line 6A; estimated future dividends; expected future actions of regulators; expected costs related to leak remediation and potential insurance recoveries; expectations regarding commodity prices; supply forecasts; the Merger Transaction and expectation regarding the timing and closing thereof; expectations regarding the impact of the Merger Transaction, including the combined Company’s scale, financial flexibility, growth program, future business prospects and performance; dividend payout policy; dividend growth and dividend payout expectation; expectations on impact of hedging program; strategic alternatives currently being evaluated in connection with the United States sponsored vehicles strategy; and the regulatory framework and recovery of deferred costs by EGNB.

 

Although Enbridge believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made and processes used to prepare the information, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Material assumptions include assumptions about the following: the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy; prices of crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy; exchange rates; inflation; interest rates; availability and price of labour and construction materials; operational reliability; customer and regulatory approvals; maintenance of support and regulatory approvals for the Company’s projects; anticipated in-service dates; weather; the timing and completion of the Merger Transaction, including receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions precedent; the realization of anticipated benefits and synergies of the Merger Transaction; governmental legislation; acquisitions and the timing thereof; the success of integration plans; cost of complying with the settlement consent decree related to Line 6B and Line 6A; impact of the dividend policy on the Company’s future cash flows; credit ratings; capital project funding; expected EBIT or expected adjusted EBIT; expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) or adjusted earnings/(loss) per share ; expected future cash flows and expected future ACFFO; and estimated future dividends. Assumptions regarding the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy, and the prices of these commodities, are material to and underlie all forward-looking statements. These factors are relevant to all forward-looking statements as they may impact current and future levels of demand for the Company’s services. Similarly, exchange rates, inflation and interest rates impact the economies and business environments in which the Company operates and may impact levels of demand for the Company’s services and cost of inputs, and are therefore inherent in all forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and correlation of these macroeconomic factors, the impact of any one assumption on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with certainty, particularly with respect to the impact of the Merger Transaction on the Company , expected EBIT, adjusted EBIT, earnings/(loss), adjusted earnings/(loss) and associated per share amounts, ACFFO or estimated future dividends . The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements on announced projects and projects under construction, including estimated completion dates and expected capital expenditures, include the following: the availability and price of labour and construction materials; the effects of inflation and foreign exchange rates on labour and material costs; the effects of interest rates on borrowing costs; the impact of weather and customer, government and regulatory approvals on construction and in-service schedules and cost recovery regimes.

 

Enbridge’s forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to the impact of the Merger Transaction, operating performance, regulatory parameters, dividend policy, project approval and support, renewals of rights of way; weather, economic and competitive conditions, public opinion, changes in tax laws and tax rates, exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices, political decisions, supply of and demand for commodities and the settlement consent decree related to Line 6B and Line 6A, including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed in this AIF and in the Company’s other filings with Canadian and United States securities regulators. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as these are interdependent and Enbridge’s future course of action depends on management’s assessment of all information available at the relevant time. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Enbridge assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made in this AIF or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Enbridge or persons acting on the Company’s behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

 

INCORPORATION

 

Enbridge Inc. was incorporated on April 13, 1970 under the Companies Ordinance of the Northwest Territories and was continued under the CBCA on December 15, 1987.  The head and registered offices of Enbridge are located at 200, 425 - 1 st  Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 3L8.  Enbridge is a public company trading on both the TSX and NYSE under the symbol “ENB”.  Significant dates and events are set forth below.

 

Date	Event
April 13, 1970	Incorporated under the Companies Ordinance of the Northwest Territories as “Gallery Holdings Ltd.”.
December 15, 1987	Continued under the CBCA under the name “159569 Canada Ltd.”.
April 30, 1992	Articles amended to (i) change the Company’s name from “159569 Canada Ltd.” to “Interprovincial Pipe Line System Inc.”, and (ii) change the Company’s authorized shares to an unlimited number of Common Shares and an unlimited number of Preference Shares.
December 18, 1992	Articles amended in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement effected on December 18, 1992 between the Company and EPI (formerly Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc.). Pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement, the Company, previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of EPI, became the parent of EPI.
May 5, 1994	Articles amended to (i) change the Company’s name from “Interprovincial Pipe Line System Inc.” to “IPL Energy Inc.”, and (ii) change the place of the registered office of the Company to Calgary, Alberta.
October 7, 1998	Articles amended to change the Company’s name from “IPL Energy Inc.” to “Enbridge Inc.”.
April 29, 1999	Articles amended to (i) divide each then issued and outstanding Common Share on a two for one basis, effective May 10, 1999; and (ii) provide the Board with a process to add directors between meetings of the shareholders.
May 5, 2005	Articles amended to divide each then issued and outstanding Common Share on a two for one basis, effective May 21, 2005.
May 11, 2011	Articles amended to divide each then issued and outstanding Common Share on a two for one basis, effective May 26, 2011.

 

6

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

INTERCORPORATE RELATIONSHIPS

 

The following organization chart presents the name and the jurisdiction of incorporation of Enbridge’s material subsidiaries as at Year End.  The chart does not include all of the subsidiaries of Enbridge.  The assets and revenues of excluded subsidiaries did not, individually exceed 10%, and in the aggregate exceed 20%, of the total consolidated assets or total consolidated revenues of Enbridge as at Year End. Unless otherwise indicated, the Company owns, directly or indirectly, 100% of the voting securities of all the subsidiaries below.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1)	The Company holds all of the Class C units of EIPLP, both directly and indirectly through its ownership interest in IPL System. ECT and EIPGP hold all of the Class A units of EIPLP.
(2)	The Company holds a 86.9% economic interest in the Fund Group.
(3)	The Company holds a 35.3% economic interest in EEP, held indirectly through its ownership interest in Enbridge Energy Company, Inc. Additionally, Enbridge holds a US$1.2 billion investment in EEP preferred units.
(4)	EEP’s interest in MEP is held through ownership of a 2% general partner interest through Midcoast Holdings, L.L.C. as well as a 51.9% limited partner interest. On January 27, 2017, Enbridge announced it would acquire all of the outstanding publicly-held common units of MEP. See “United States Sponsored Vehicle Strategy” of this AIF.
(5)	EEP’s interest in EELP is held through a 0.0005% general partner interest through Enbridge Pipelines (Lakehead) L.LC. as well as a 99.999% limited partnership interest.

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

 

Enbridge, a Canadian company, is a North American leader in delivering energy. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the United States, the world’s longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. The Company also has significant and growing involvement in natural gas gathering, transmission and midstream businesses. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada’s largest natural gas distribution company and provides distribution services in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. As a generator of energy, Enbridge has interests in approximately 3,500 megawatts (MW) (2,500 MW net) of renewable and alternative energy generating capacity which is operating, secured or under construction, and the Company continues to expand its interests in wind, solar and geothermal power. Enbridge employs approximately 9,200 people, primarily in Canada and the United States.

 

7

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Enbridge’s vision is to be the leading energy delivery company in North America. In pursuing this vision, the Company plays a critical role in enabling the economic well-being and quality of life of North Americans, who depend on access to plentiful energy. The Company transports, distributes and generates energy, and its primary purpose is to deliver the energy North Americans need in the safest, most reliable and most efficient way possible.

 

Among its peers, Enbridge strives to be the leader, which means not only leadership in value creation for shareholders but also leadership with respect to worker and public safety and environmental protection associated with its energy delivery infrastructure, as well as in customer service, community investment and employee satisfaction. Driven by this vision, the Company delivers value for shareholders from a proven and unique value proposition, which combines visible growth, a reliable business model and a dependable and growing income stream.

 

The Company’s initiatives centre around eight areas of strategic emphasis in four key focus areas. Strategies are reviewed at least annually with direction from the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL RELIABILITY
EXECUTE		SECURE THE LONGER-TERM FUTURE
Focus on project management		Strengthen core businesses
Preserve financing strength and flexibility		Enhance strategic growth platforms
MAINTAIN THE FOUNDATION
Uphold Enbridge values
Maintain the Company’s social license to operate
Attract, retain and develop highly capable people

 

 

The Company’s activities are carried out through five business segments: Liquids Pipelines; Gas Distribution; Gas Pipelines and Processing; Green Power and Transmission; and Energy Services.

 

In addition to the five business segments, the Company’s MD&A and Financial Statements include a segment entitled Eliminations and Other which includes operating and administrative costs and foreign exchange costs which are not allocated to business segments. Also included in Eliminations and Other are new business development activities, general corporate investments and elimination of transactions between segments required to present financial performance and financial position on a consolidated basis. For additional information, please refer to the Financial Statements and the MD&A.

 

8

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Revenues, EBIT and adjusted EBIT by business segment in the financial years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are summarized in the table below .

 

Operating Segment	2016 (in millions $)			2015 (in millions $)			2014 (in millions $)
	Revenues	EBIT 1	Adjusted EBIT 2	Revenues	EBIT 1	Adjusted EBIT 2	Revenues	EBIT 1	Adjusted EBIT 2
Liquids Pipelines	8,176	3,557	3,958	5,589	1,806	3,384	4,805	1,980	2,592
Gas Distribution	2,976	492	494	3,609	455	446	3,319	432	391
Gas Pipelines and Processing	2,877	171	366	3,803	(229)	336	6,650	467	293
Green Power and Transmission	502	154	165	498	177	175	360	149	151
Energy Services	20,364	(185)	28	20,842	325	61	23,099	730	42
Eliminations and Other	(335)	(148)	(349)	(547)	(899)	(246)	(592)	(456)	(60)

 

Notes:

(1)         Earnings before interest and income taxes.

(2)         Adjusted EBIT is a non-GAAP measure that does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by generally accepted accounting principles. See “Non-GAAP Measures” of this AIF.

 

9

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

The map below shows Enbridge’s assets as at Year End, including the headquarters for Enbridge, EEP and EGD, as well as joint ventures in liquids and natural gas pipelines.

 

 

10

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS

 

Over the course of the last three years, there have been a number of significant developments for the Company.

 

MERGER AGREEMENT WITH SPECTRA

 

On September 6, 2016 Enbridge and Spectra Energy announced that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement (the Merger Agreement ) under which Enbridge and Spectra Energy would combine in a stock-for-stock merger transaction (the Merger Transaction ), which valued Spectra Energy common stock at approximately $37 billion (US$28 billion), based on the closing price of Enbridge’s Common Shares on September 2, 2016. The final purchase price for the Merger Transaction may vary based on the market price of Enbridge’s common shares at the time the Merger Transaction is completed. There is no assurance when or if the Merger Transaction will be completed.

 

The combination will create the largest energy infrastructure company in North America and one of the largest globally based on a pro-forma enterprise value of approximately $165 billion (US$127 billion) as measured at the time of the announcement. The new company would have a substantial capital project portfolio, including $26 billion of commercially secured growth projects through 2019 and a $48 billion probability risk-weighted development project portfolio through 2024. Upon closing of the Merger Transaction, the Company expects to further increase its quarterly common share dividend to approximately 15% above the prevailing quarterly rate of $0.530 per common share in 2016. Also, post-closing of the Merger Transaction, the combined capital growth program is expected to deliver ongoing dividend growth of 10%-12% per annum through 2024, while maintaining a payout of 50% to 60% of available cash flow from operations ( ACFFO ).

 

Under the terms of the Merger Transaction, Spectra Energy shareholders will receive 0.984 shares of the combined company for each share of Spectra Energy common stock they own. Upon completion of the Merger Transaction, Enbridge shareholders are expected to own approximately 57% of the combined company and Spectra Energy shareholders are expected to own approximately 43%. The combined company will be called Enbridge Inc.

 

The Merger Transaction was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. Shareholders’ approval for both companies was received in December 2016 and both companies continue to work to meet closing conditions, and the required regulatory applications are progressing. Clearance has been received from the Canadian Transportation Agency, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and the United States Federal Trade Commission to complete the Merger Transaction. Additionally, the Ontario Energy Board has communicated that it is satisfied the Merger Transaction does not require its approval. As a standard part of the regulatory approval process for transactions of this type, both companies continue to work closely with the Canadian Competition Bureau to expeditiously conclude its review of the Merger Transaction. Subject to this review and other customary conditions, the Merger Transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

 

Assets Monetization Plan

 

Concurrent with the announcement of the Merger Transaction, the Company stated its intention to divest approximately $2 billion of assets over a twelve-month period to provide for additional financial flexibility. On December 1, 2016, Enbridge Income Partners LP ( EIPLP ) completed the sale of the South Prairie Region assets to an unrelated party for cash proceeds of $1.08 billion.  The proceeds from the sale will be reinvested in the secured growth capital programs of Enbridge Pipelines (Athabasca) Inc. ( EPAI ), including the Regional Oil Sands Optimization Project and Norlite Pipeline System project. For further details on the South Prairie Region assets that were sold, refer to Liquids Pipelines in this AIF and to the MD&A.  For further details on the Regional Oil Sands Optimization Project, refer to Growth Projects – Commercially Secured Projects in this AIF and to the MD&A.  Also, during the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company entered into agreements to sell approximately $0.6 billion of additional miscellaneous non-core assets and investments, the full proceeds of which Enbridge expects will be realized before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

 

11

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

UNITED STATES SPONSORED VEHICLE STRATEGY

 

On May 2, 2016, EEP announced that it was evaluating opportunities to strengthen its business in light of the commodity price environment which was particularly impacting the performance of its natural gas gathering and processing assets. As part of this evaluation, EEP was exploring various strategic alternatives for its investments in Midcoast Operating Partners, L.P. and Midcoast Energy Partners, L.P. ( MEP ).

 

On January 27, 2017, Enbridge announced that it had entered into a merger agreement through a wholly-owned subsidiary, whereby it will take private MEP by acquiring all of the outstanding publicly-held common units of MEP. Total consideration to be paid by Enbridge for these units will be approximately US$170 million and the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

 

In addition, as part of the on-going strategic review of EEP, further joint funding actions with EEP were announced. Specifically, Enbridge and EEP entered into an agreement for the joint funding of the United States portion of the Line 3 Replacement Program, whereby Enbridge and EEP will fund 99% and 1%, respectively, of the project development and construction cost. Enbridge has reimbursed EEP approximately US$450 million for capital expenditures incurred to date on the project and will fund 99% of the expenditures through construction. For additional information on the United States Line 3 Replacement Program, please refer to Growth Projects – Commercially Secured Projects of this AIF and to the MD&A.

 

EEP also used a portion of the proceeds reimbursed by Enbridge under the United States Line 3 Replacement Program joint funding agreement to acquire an additional 15% interest in the cash generating Eastern Access Project pursuant to an existing joint funding agreement for approximately US$360 million.

 

CANADIAN RESTRUCTURING PLAN

 

On September 1, 2015, Enbridge completed the transfer of its Canadian Liquids Pipelines business, held through Enbridge Pipelines Inc. ( EPI ) and EPAI, and certain Canadian renewable energy assets to the Fund Group (comprising Enbridge Income Fund (the Fund ), Enbridge Commercial Trust ( ECT ), EIPLP and the subsidiaries and investees of EIPLP) for aggregate consideration of $30.4 billion plus incentive distribution and performance rights (the Canadian Restructuring Plan ).

 

The Canadian Restructuring Plan was a key component of Enbridge’s Financial Optimization Strategy introduced in December 2014, which included an increase in the Company’s targeted dividend payout. It advanced the Company’s sponsored vehicle strategy and supported Enbridge’s 33% dividend increase effective March 1, 2015 and a further 14% dividend increase effective March 1, 2016. The Canadian Restructuring Plan provided Enbridge with an alternate source of funding for its enterprise wide growth initiatives and enhanced its competitiveness for new organic growth opportunities and asset acquisitions.

 

Consideration

 

Upon closing of the Canadian Restructuring Plan, Enbridge received $18.7 billion of units in the Fund Group, comprised of approximately $3 billion of ordinary units of the Fund and $15.7 billion of common equity units of EIPLP, which at the time of the Canadian Restructuring Plan was an indirect subsidiary of the Fund. The Fund Group also assumed debt of EPI and EPAI of approximately $11.7 billion. In addition, a portion of the consideration to be received by Enbridge over time will be in the form of units which carry Temporary Performance Distribution Rights ( TPDR ). The TPDR are designed to allow Enbridge to capture increasing value from the secured growth embedded within the transferred businesses; however, the cash flows derived from this incentive mechanism will be deferred (until such time as the units become convertible to a class of cash paying units in the fourth year after issuance).

 

12

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Enbridge will continue to earn a base incentive fee from the Fund Group through management and incentive fees and Incentive Distribution Rights ( IDR ), which entitle it to receive 25% of the pre-incentive distributable cash flow above a base distribution threshold of $1.295 per unit, adjusted for a tax factor. The base incentive fee is paid out of ECT. Distributions over $1.890 per unit will be paid out of EIPLP. In addition, Enbridge received the TPDR, a distribution equivalent to 33% of pre-incentive distributable cash flow above the base distribution of $1.295 per unit. The TPDR are paid in the form of Class D units of EIPLP and will be issued each month until the later of the end of 2020 or 12 months after the Canadian Line 3 Replacement Program enters service. The Class D unitholders receive a distribution each month equal to the per unit amount paid on Class C units of EIPLP, but to be paid in kind in additional Class D units. Each Class D unit is convertible into a cash paying Class C unit of EIPLP in the fourth year after its issuance.

 

The ordinary trust units of the Fund ( Fund Units ), Class A units of EIPLP and the EIPLP Class C units pay a per unit cash distribution equivalent to the per unit cash distribution that the Fund pays on its units held by Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. ( ENF ). The Fund Units, EIPLP’s Class C units and existing preferred units of ECT also include an exchange right whereby they may be converted into common shares of ENF on a one-for-one basis.

 

Financing Plan

 

To acquire an increasing ownership interest in the Fund Group, ENF’s financing plan contemplates the issuance by ENF of $600 million to $800 million of public equity per year in one or more tranches through 2018 to fund an increasing investment in the Canadian Liquids Pipelines business. Enbridge has agreed to backstop the equity funding required by ENF to undertake the growth program embedded in the assets it acquired in the Transaction. The amount of public equity issued by ENF will be adjusted as necessary to match its capacity to raise equity funding on favourable terms. In November 2015, ENF successfully completed an equity offering of 21.5 million common shares at a price of $32.60 per share for gross proceeds of $700 million. Concurrent with the closing of the equity offering, Enbridge subscribed for 5.3 million common shares at a price of $32.60 per share, for total proceeds of $174 million, on a private placement basis to maintain its 19.9% ownership interest in ENF.

 

On April 20, 2016, ENF completed a public equity offering of 20.4 million common shares at a price of $28.25 per share for gross proceeds of $575 million. Concurrent with the closing of the equity offering, Enbridge subscribed for 5.1 million common shares at a price of $28.25 per share, for total proceeds of $143 million, on a private placement basis to maintain its 19.9% ownership interest in ENF. ENF used the proceeds from the sale of the common shares to subscribe for additional Fund Units at the price of $28.25 per share. The proceeds from the issuance of the Fund Units are being used to fund the secured growth capital programs of EPAI and EPI. On December 1, 2016, EIPLP completed the sale of the Southern Prairie Region assets for total consideration of $1.08 billion. The proceeds will be used to reduce leverage, fund the Fund Group’s secured growth program and displace planned equity issuances in 2017.

 

Development Opportunities

 

The Canadian Liquids Pipelines business is expected to have future organic growth opportunities beyond the current inventory of secured projects. The Fund Group has a first right to execute any such projects that fall within the footprint of the Canadian Liquids Pipelines business. Should the Fund Group choose not to proceed with a specific growth opportunity, Enbridge may pursue such opportunity.

 

Economic Interest

 

Upon closing of the Canadian Restructuring Plan, Enbridge’s overall economic interest in the Fund Group, including all of its direct and indirect interests in the Fund Group, was 91.9%. Upon completion of the $700 million common share issuance in November 2015 and $575 million common share issuance in April 2016 discussed above, Enbridge’s economic interest, through its ownership of ENF, decreased to 89.2% and 86.9%, respectively. As at December 31, 2016, Enbridge’s total economic interest in the Fund Group remained at 86.9%. As ENF executes on its financing plan and increases its ownership in the Fund Group over time, Enbridge’s economic interest is expected to decline over time.

 

13

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Fund Governance

 

Enbridge continues to act as the manager of the Fund Group and operator and commercial developer of the Canadian Liquids Pipelines business. This will ensure continuity of management and operational expertise, with an ongoing commitment to the safe and reliable operation of the system. As a result of its significant ownership interest, Enbridge has the right to appoint a majority of the Trustees of the Board of ECT for as long as the Company holds a majority economic interest in the Fund Group. A standing conflicts committee has been established to review certain material transactions and arrangements where the interests of Enbridge, or its affiliates, and the relevant entity in the Fund Group, or its affiliates, come into conflict.

 

THE FUND GROUP 2014 DROP DOWN TRANSACTION

 

In November 2014, the Fund Group completed the acquisition of Enbridge’s 50% interest in the United States portion of Alliance Pipeline ( Alliance Pipeline US ) and the subscription for and purchase of Class A units of certain Enbridge subsidiaries that indirectly own the Canadian and United States segments of Southern Lights Pipeline ( Southern Lights Class A units ). The Southern Lights Class A units, which are non-voting and do not confer any governance or ownership rights in Southern Lights Pipeline, provide a defined cash flow stream to the Fund Group. Total consideration for the transaction was approximately $1.8 billion. Enbridge received on closing approximately $421 million in cash and $461 million in the form of preferred units of ECT. Under the agreement, Enbridge provided bridge debt financing to the Fund Group in the form of an $878 million long-term note payable by the Fund Group and bearing interest of 5.5% per annum. In November 2014, the Fund Group issued $1,080 million of medium-term notes with a portion of these proceeds used to fully repay the bridge debt financing to Enbridge. The Fund Group also issued $421 million of trust units to ENF to fund the cash component of the consideration. Enbridge applied approximately $84 million of cash to acquire additional common shares of ENF, thereby maintaining its 19.9% interest in ENF. At the time of the transaction, the Fund Group owned a 50% investment in the Canadian portion of Alliance Pipeline ( Alliance Pipeline Canada ).  For additional information, please refer to the MD&A.

 

GROWTH PROJECTS – COMMERCIALLY SECURED PROJECTS

 

A key element of Enbridge’s corporate strategy is the successful execution of its growth capital program.

 

In 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Company successfully placed into service approximately $10 billion, $8 billion and $2 billion, respectively, of growth projects across several business units.   Enbridge portfolio of approximately $27 billion of growth projects includes $17 billion of growth projects expected to be placed into service between 2017 and 2019.

 

In 2016, within the Liquids Pipelines segment, EEP completed and placed into service the expansion of Line 6B on the Lakehead System. This expansion, which is the final component of the Company’s Eastern Access Program, provides increased access to refineries in the upper midwest United States and eastern Canada. EEP also continued to execute on the Lakehead System Mainline Expansion through completion of additional tankage on the Southern Access expansion between Superior, Wisconsin and Flanagan, Illinois.

 

In 2017, the Company expects to place into service approximately $5.6 billion of growth projects, inclusive of Enbridge’s 70% share of the $1.3 billion Norlite Pipeline System project, as well as the Company’s investment in the Bakken Pipeline System. In January 2017, the Company completed the Athabasca Pipeline Twin portion of the Regional Oil Sands Optimization Project, whereas the Wood Buffalo Extension component is now expected to be in service in December 2017.  Beyond 2017, the Company will continue to execute its liquids pipelines market access strategy through the completion of the Line 3 Replacement Program.

 

14

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Within the Gas Distribution segment, the completion of the Greater Toronto Area project in 2016 has enabled EGD to meet the growing demand for natural gas distribution services in the Greater Toronto Area while ensuring the ongoing safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to its current and future customers. The system expansion is the largest ever undertaken by EGD and it significantly bolsters EGD’s rate base and expected earnings going forward.

 

In 2016, Enbridge also expanded its natural gas pipelines and processing businesses with the acquisition of the Tupper Plants and associated pipelines in the Montney region of northeastern British Columbia from a Canadian subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation. Together, the two plants have capacity of 320 million cubic feet per day and will serve to enhance the Company’s natural gas footprint within the Montney region, one of the most attractive natural gas plays in North America. Other projects completed within the Gas Pipelines and Processing segment included the 100,000 bpd Heidelberg Pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico and the expansion of the Aux Sable Extraction Plant in Channahon, Illinois, providing approximately 24,500 bpd of incremental fractionation capacity to this plant.

 

In keeping with the Company’s strategic priority to enhance strategic growth platforms and sustain long-term growth, Enbridge continues to expand its renewable energy generation capacity. Within the Green Power and Transmission segment, the New Creek Wind Project entered service in December 2016, increasing Enbridge’s net operating renewable power generating capacity to approximately 1,900-MW. Also in 2016, Enbridge announced the acquisition of the 249-MW Chapman Ranch Wind Project in Texas. Construction on the Company’s previously announced 24.9% interest in the 400-MW Rampion Offshore Wind Project in the United Kingdom is also continuing, with these two projects expected to be placed into service in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In February 2017, the Company also announced it has acquired an effective 50% interest in the partnership that holds the 497-MW Hohe See Offshore Wind Project in Germany, with a targeted in-service date in 2019, increasing Enbridge’s net operating renewable power generating capacity to approximately 2,500 MW.

 

The table below summarizes acquisitions and commercially secured projects within each of the Company’s business segments, which were either completed in the last three years or are currently under active development or construction.  The MD&A includes further details on certain of the projects set out below.

 

Project	Description	Actual/Estimated Capital Cost 1	Actual/Expected In Service Date
LIQUIDS PIPELINES
Eastern Access (EEP) 2	Multiple projects including the expansion of EEP’s Line 5 light crude oil line between Superior, Wisconsin and the international border at the St. Clair River , expansion of Line 62 between Flanagan, Illinois and Griffith, Indiana and replacement of additional sections of Line 6B to increase capacity.	U.S.$2.7 billion	2013-2016 (in phases)
Norlite Pipeline System (Fund Group) 3	New diluent pipeline connecting the Stonefell Terminal to the Cheecham Terminal with an extension to Suncor Energy Oil Sands Limited Partnership’s East Tank Farm.	$1.3 billion	2017
JACOS Hangingstone Project (Fund Group)	New pipeline from Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited Hangingstone oil sands project to the Cheecham Terminal.	$0.2 billion	2017

 

15

Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Project	Description	Actual/Estimated Capital Cost 1	Actual/Expected In Service Date
Regional Oil Sands Optimization Project (Fund Group)	Optimization of the Wood Buffalo Extension and the Athabasca Pipeline Twin, expansions which are currently in execution.	$2.6 billion	2017
Bakken Pipeline System (EEP)	Pipeline connection from Bakken formation in North Dakota to markets in eastern PADD II and the United States Gulf Coast.	U.S.$1.5 billion	2017
Lakehead System Mainline Expansion (EEP) 3	Several projects including expansion of Alberta Clipper pipeline between the Canada/United States border and Superior, Wisconsin; expansion of Southern Access between Superior, Wisconsin and Flanagan; Illinois and twinning of existing Spearhead North Pipeline.	U.S.$2.4 billion	2014-2019
Canadian Line 3 Replacement Program (Fund Group) 4	Replacement of approximately 1,084 km line segments of the existing Line 3 pipeline between Hardisty, Alberta and Gretna, Manitoba.	$4.9 billion	2019
United States Line 3 Replacement Program (EEP) 4	Replacement of 576 km of the remaining U.S. line segments of the existing Line 3 pipeline between North Dakota and Wisconsin that are not covered by existing integrity programs.	U.S.$2.6 billion	2019
Sandpiper Project (EEP) 5	Several individual projects to expand and extend EEP’s North Dakota feeder system.	U.S.$0.8 billion	(Application withdrawn)
Southern Access Extension	New pipeline between Flanagan, Illinois and Patoka, Illinois, along with two new pump stations.	U.S.$0.6 billion	2015
AOC Hangingstone Lateral (Fund Group)	New pipeline from the proposed Athabasca Oil Corporation Hangingstone oil sands project site to the Cheecham Terminal.	$0.2 billion	2015
Canadian Mainline Expansion (Fund Group)	Project to expand Alberta Clipper pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Canada/United States border involving addition of horsepower.	$0.7 billion	2015
Edmonton to Hardisty Expansion (Fund Group)	New pipeline between Edmonton, Alberta and Hardisty, Alberta to expand capacity of the Canadian Mainline system along with five new 500,000 barrel tanks in Edmonton.	$1.6 billion	2015 (in phases)
Sunday Creek Terminal Expansion (Fund Group)	Expansion of facilities at the Sunday Creek Terminal located in Christina Lake area of northern Alberta.	$0.2 billion	2015
Woodland Pipeline Extension (Fund Group)	New pipeline from Enbridge’s Cheecham Terminal to its Edmonton Terminal.	$0.7 billion	2015
Surmont Phase 2 Expansion (Fund Group)	Project to expand the Cheecham Terminal to accommodate incremental bitumen production from Surmont’s Phase 2 Expansion.	$0.3 billion	2014-2015 (in phases)
Eastern Access Line 9 Reversal and Expansion (Fund Group)	Includes reversal of Line 9A, reversal of Line 9B and expansion of Line 9.	$0.8 billion	2013-2015 (in phases)

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

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Project	Description	Actual/Estimated Capital Cost 1	Actual/Expected In Service Date
Canadian Mainline System Terminal Flexibility and Connectivity (Fund Group)	Expansion program to accommodate additional light oil volumes as well as enhance operational flexibility of the Canadian Mainline terminals.	$0.7 billion	2013-2015 (in phases)
Line 6B 75-Mile Replacement Program (EEP)	Project to replace 120 kilometres (75-miles) of non-contiguous sections of Line 6B of EEP’s Lakehead System.	U.S.$0.4 billion	2013-2014 (in phases)
Fund Group - Norealis Pipeline	Terminal and pipeline for the Sunrise Oil Sands Project and additional tankage at the Cheecham terminal.	$0.5 billion	2014
Eddystone Rail Project	Project to develop a unit-train unloading facility and related local pipeline infrastructure near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.	U.S.$0.1 billion	2014
Flanagan South Pipeline Project	Pipeline from Flanagan, Illinois to Cushing, Oklahoma.	U.S.$2.9 billion	2014
Seaway Crude Pipeline System ·                   Acquisition/Reversal/Expansion ·                   Twinning/Extension	Reversal of pipeline from Freeport, Texas to Cushing, Oklahoma, as well as expansion and extension to the Port Arthur/Beaumont, Texas refining centre.	U.S.$1.3 billion U.S.$1.2 billion	2012-2013 2014
GAS DISTRIBUTION
Greater Toronto Area Project	Expansion of natural gas distribution system in the Greater Toronto Area.	$0.9 billion	2016
GAS PIPELINES AND PROCESSING
Walker Ridge Gas Gathering System	New pipeline to provide natural gas gathering services to the Jack, St. Malo and Big Foot ultra-deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico.	U.S.$0.4 billion	2014-TBD 6 (in phases)
Big Foot Oil Pipeline	New crude oil pipeline from the Big Foot ultra-deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico.	U.S.$0.2 billion	TBD 6
Eaglebine Gathering (EEP)	Project to construct a lateral and associated facilities to create gathering capacity of over 50 mmcf/d for rich natural gas in East Texas.	U.S.$0.2 billion	2015-TBD 7 (in phases)
Heidelberg Oil Pipeline	New pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico to connect the proposed Heidelberg development, operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, to an existing third-party system.	U.S.$0.1 billion	2016
Tupper Main and Tupper West Gas Plant	Acquisition of two operating natural gas plants and associated pipelines in northeastern British Columbia.	$0.5 billion	2016
Aux Sable Extraction Plant Expansion	Expansion of fractionation capacity and related facilities at the Aux Sable extraction and fractionation Plant located in Channahon, Illinois.	U.S.$0.1 billion	2016
Stampede Oil Pipeline	New pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico to connect the planned Stampede development, operated by Hess to an existing third party pipeline system.	U.S.$0.2 billion	2018

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

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Project	Description	Actual/Estimated Capital Cost 1	Actual/Expected In Service Date
Cabin Gas Plant	71% interest in gas processing plant development in Horn River Basin northeast of Fort Nelson, British Columbia.	$0.8 billion	TBD 8
Beckville Cryogenic Processing Facility (EEP)	Project to construct a cryogenic natural gas processing plant near Beckville in Panola County, Texas.	U.S.$0.2 billion	2015
Pipestone and Sexsmith Project	Acquisition of sour gas gathering and compression facilities located in Peace River Arch Region of northwest Alberta.	$0.3 billion	2012-2014
GREEN POWER AND TRANSMISSION
New Creek Wind Project	103 MW wind project located in Grant County, West Virginia.	U.S.$0.2 billion	2016
Chapman Ranch Wind Project	249 MW wind project located in Nueces County, Texas	U.S.$0.4 billion	2017
Rampion Offshore Wind Project	24.9% interest in the 400 MW wind project located off the Sussex coast in the United Kingdom.	$0.8 billion (£0.37 billion)	2018
Hohe See Offshore Wind Project	49.9% interest in 497 MW wind project located off the coast of Germany.	$1.7 billion ( € 1.07 billion)	2019
Keechi Wind Project	110 MW wind project located in Jack County, Texas.	U.S.$0.2 billion	2015
Magic Valley and Wildcat Wind Farms	Acquisition of a 80% interest in two wind farms in Texas and Indiana, respectively.	U.S.$0.3 billion	2014
Blackspring Ridge Wind Project (Fund Group)	50% interest in the 300 MW wind project, located 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Lethbridge, Alberta in Vulcan County.	$0.3 billion	2014

 

Notes:

(1)    With respect to projects still under construction, amounts are estimates and subject to upward or downward adjustment based on various factors. Where appropriate, the amounts reflect Enbridge’s share of joint venture projects.

(2)    The Eastern Access and Lakehead System Mainline Expansion projects are funded 75% by Enbridge and 25% by EEP. Following EEP's January 27, 2017 announcement, EEP increased its joint funding in Eastern Access by 15%.  See General Development of the Business – United States Sponsored Vehicle Strategy of this AIF.

(3)    EPAI will construct and operate the Norlite Pipeline System which will be funded 30% by Keyera Corp.

(4)    The expected cost and in-service date of this project is under review by the Company in light of the schedule for regulatory review and approval communicated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on October 28, 2016. Following EEP's January 27, 2017 announcement, the U.S. Line 3 Replacement Program is being funded 99% by Enbridge and 1% by EEP. See General Development of the Business – United States Sponsored Vehicle Strategy of this AIF.

(5)    The Company planned to construct and operate the Sandpiper Project with Marathon Petroleum Corporation funding 37.5% of the project. However, on October 28, 2016, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved EEP’s application to withdraw the Sandpiper Projects regulatory applications without conditions.

(6)    The Big Foot Gas Pipeline portion of the Walker Ridge Gas Gathering System has been installed on the sea floor and is awaiting Big Foot platform installation, which has been delayed due to installation problems experienced by Chevron USA Inc. Chevron continues to assess the extent of the delay.

(7)    EEP expects to construct the Ghost Chili Extension Lateral to fully utilize the gathering capacity with the rest of EEP’s processing assets when additional development in the basin supports it.

(8)    Phase 1 of Cabin is currently 98% completed. Cabin producers are expected to request the Company to commission and start-up Phase 1 once the natural gas price recovers to a more economic level to support the Horn River Basin’s dry gas production. Phase 2 construction is approximately 40% complete and is in preservation mode awaiting producer’s requests for completion.

(9)   In February 2017, Enbridge acquired an effective 50% interest in the Hohe See Offshore Wind Project.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

OTHER ANNOUNCED PROJECTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

 

The following projects have been announced by the Company, but have not yet met the Company’s criteria to be classified as commercially secured: Northern Gateway Project and Éolien Maritime France SAS.

 

Northern Gateway Project

 

Northern Gateway involved constructing a twin 1,178-kilometre (731-mile) pipeline system from near Edmonton, Alberta to a new marine terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia.  By way of an Order in Council dated November 25, 2016, the Governor in Council directed the NEB to dismiss Northern Gateway’s application for the Certificate(s) of Public Convenience and Necessity. On December 6, 2016, the NEB issued orders rescinding these certificates, thereby effectively cancelling the project. In consultation with the potential shippers and Aboriginal equity partners, the Company has assessed the Federal Government’s decision and concluded that Northern Gateway cannot proceed as envisioned. Project activity is limited to winding down while evaluating potential value preservation options.

 

Éolien Maritime France SAS

 

Effective May 19, 2016, Enbridge acquired a 50% interest in EMF, a French offshore wind development company. EMF is co-owned by Enbridge and EDF Energies Nouvelles, a subsidiary of Électricité de France S.A. EMF holds licenses for three large-scale offshore wind farms off the coast of France that would produce a combined 1,428 MW of power.

 

The MD&A includes further details on both of these projects. The Company also has additional projects under development that have not yet progressed to the point of public announcement.

 

FUNDING STRATEGY

 

The maintenance of financial strength and flexibility is fundamental to Enbridge’s growth strategy, particularly in light of the significant level of capital projects currently secured or under development. Access to timely funding from capital markets could be limited by factors outside Enbridge’s control, including but not limited to financial market volatility resulting from economic and political events both inside and outside North America. To mitigate such risks, the Company actively manages financial plans and strategies to ensure it maintains sufficient liquidity to meet routine operating and future capital requirements. In the near term, the Company generally expects to utilize cash from operations and capital market issuances, commercial paper and/or credit facility draws to fund liabilities as they become due, finance capital expenditures, fund debt retirements and pay common and preference share dividends. The Company targets to maintain sufficient liquidity through securement of committed credit facilities with a diversified group of banks and financial institutions to enable it to fund all anticipated requirements for approximately one year without accessing the capital markets.

 

The Company’s financing plan is regularly updated to reflect evolving capital requirements and financial market conditions and identifies a variety of potential sources of debt and equity funding alternatives, including utilization of its sponsored vehicles. For additional information, please refer to the MD&A.

 

In 2016, the Company completed public offerings of 56,511,000 Common Shares on March 1, 2016 at $40.70 a share for gross proceeds of approximately $2.3 billion and 30 million Series 17 Preference Shares on November 23, 2016 at $25.00 a share for gross proceeds of approximately $750 million. In addition, the Company and its subsidiaries issued unsecured debt securities in 2016. Please refer to Other Securities of this AIF for additional information about the issuances of unsecured debt securities in 2016.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

IMPACT OF LOW COMMODITY PRICES

 

Enbridge’s value proposition is built on the foundation of its reliable business model. The majority of its earnings and cash flow are generated from tolls and fees charged for the energy delivery services that it provides to its customers. Business arrangements are structured to minimize exposure to commodity price movements and any residual exposure is closely monitored and managed through disciplined hedging programs. Commercial structures are typically designed to provide a measure of protection against the risk of a scenario where falling commodity prices indirectly impact the utilization of the Company’s facilities. Protection against volume risk is generally achieved through regulated cost of service tolling arrangements, long-term take-or-pay contract structures and fee for service arrangements with specific features to mitigate exposure to falling throughput.

 

Smaller components of Enbridge’s earnings are more exposed to the impacts of commodity price volatility. This includes Energy Services, where opportunities to benefit from location, time and quality differentials can be affected by commodity market conditions. They also include the Company’s interest in Aux Sable’s natural gas extraction and fractionation facilities and natural gas gathering and processing businesses held through EEP; however, the impact on Enbridge’s overall financial performance is relatively small and any inherent commodity price risk is mitigated by hedging programs, commercial arrangements and Enbridge’s partial ownership interest.

 

Benchmark prices for West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) crude fell below US$30 per barrel at the beginning of 2016 and have remained volatile as the market seeks to re-balance supply and demand. Prices began to recover throughout the year and have climbed above US$50 per barrel periodically. WTI crude prices averaged US$43 per barrel for 2016, but ended the year above US$53 per barrel. WTI crude prices averaged US$52.50 per barrel in January 2017. Although Enbridge is exposed to throughput risk under the Competitive Toll Settlement on the Canadian Mainline and under certain tolling agreements applicable to other liquids pipelines assets, including Lakehead System, the reduction of investment in exploration and development programs by the Company’s shippers is not expected to materially impact the financial performance of the Company. It is expected that existing conventional and oil sands production should be more than sufficient to support continued high utilization of the Company’s mainline system, and in fact, mainline throughput as measured at the Canada/United States border at Gretna, Manitoba saw record throughput of 2.6 million bpd in the month of December 2016. Also in 2016, the mainline system has continued to be subject to apportionment of heavy crudes, as nominated volumes currently exceed capacity on portions of the system. Due to the nature of the commercial structures described above, Enbridge’s earnings and cash flow are not expected to be materially affected by the current low price environment.

 

The lower oil prices are also causing some sponsors of oil sands development programs to reconsider the timing of previously announced upstream development projects. Cancellation or deferral of these projects would affect longer-term supply growth from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin . Enbridge’s existing growth capital program described under Growth Projects – Commercially Secured Projects has been commercially secured and is expected to generate reliable and predictable earnings growth through 2019 and beyond. Importantly, after taking into account the potential for some of these projects to be cancelled or deferred in an environment where low prices persist, including EEP’s Sandpiper Project for which regulatory applications were withdrawn in September 2016, Enbridge’s most recent near-term supply forecast reaffirms that the expansions and extensions of its liquids pipeline system that were completed in 2015, as well as the projects currently in progress, will provide cost-effective transportation services to key markets in North America and will be well utilized.

 

In the current low-price environment, Enbridge is working closely with producers to find ways to optimize capacity and provide enhanced access to markets in order to alleviate locational pricing discounts. Examples include the last phase of the Line 6B capacity expansion on EEP’s Lakehead System which was placed into service in June 2016. This expansion, which is the final component of the Eastern Access Program, provides increased access to refineries in the upper Midwest United States and Eastern Canada. In addition, in February 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of a 27.6% equity interest in the Bakken Pipeline System which, upon completion, will further enhance Enbridge’s strategy of providing efficient market access solutions for Bakken production while providing the opportunity for the implementation of joint tolls with the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline, and will also enhance market access opportunities for Enbridge’s customers and create a new flow path through the Company’s mainline system to the eastern United States Gulf Coast. For recent developments on this matter, refer to the MD&A.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

LIQUIDS PIPELINES

 

Liquids Pipelines consists of common carrier and contract crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL) and refined products pipelines and terminals in Canada and the United States, including Canadian Mainline, Lakehead Pipeline System ( Lakehead System ), Regional Oil Sands System, Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast, Southern Lights Pipeline, Bakken System and other feeder pipelines.

 

The mainline system is comprised of the Canadian Mainline and the Lakehead System. The Canadian Mainline is a common carrier pipeline system which transports various grades of oil and other liquid hydrocarbons within western Canada and from western Canada to the Canada/United States border near Gretna, Manitoba and Neche, North Dakota and from the United States/Canada border near Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.  The Lakehead System consists of the United States portion of the mainline system that is managed by Enbridge through its subsidiaries, EEP and EELP.

 

The Regional Oil Sands System includes three intra-Alberta long haul pipelines, the Athabasca Pipeline, Waupisoo Pipeline and Woodland Pipeline and two large terminals: the Athabasca Terminal located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta and the Cheecham Terminal, located south of Fort McMurray. The Athabasca Pipeline is a 540-kilometre (335-mile) synthetic and heavy oil pipeline. Built in 1999, it links the Athabasca oil sands in the Fort McMurray region to the major Alberta pipeline hub at Hardisty, Alberta.  The Waupisoo Pipeline is a 380-kilometre (236-mile) synthetic and heavy oil pipeline that entered service in 2008 and provides access to the Edmonton market for oil sands producers. The Waupisoo Pipeline originates at the Cheecham Terminal and terminates at the major Alberta pipeline hub at Edmonton.  The Woodland Pipeline consists of Line 49 and Line 70 (Woodland Pipeline Extension) which were constructed in phases.  The Regional Oil Sands System also includes the Wood Buffalo Pipeline and Norealis Pipeline, each of which provides access for oil sands production from north of Fort McMurray to the Cheecham Terminal. There are also other facilities such as the MacKay River, Christina Lake, Surmont, Long Lake and AOC laterals and related facilities. Regional Oil Sands System currently serves nine producing oil sands projects.

 

Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast includes Seaway and Flanagan South Pipelines, Spearhead Pipeline, as well as the Mid-Continent System that is managed by Enbridge through its subsidiary, EEP.  In 2011, Enbridge acquired a 50% interest in the 1,078-kilometre (670-mile) Seaway Crude Pipeline System, including the 805-kilometre (500-mile), 30-inch diameter long-haul system between Cushing, Oklahoma and Freeport, Texas, as well as the Texas City Terminal and Distribution System which serves refineries in the Houston and Texas City areas. Seaway Crude Pipeline System also includes 7.4 million barrels of crude oil tankage on the Texas Gulf Coast.   Flanagan South is a 950-kilometre (590-mile), 36-inch diameter interstate crude oil pipeline that originates at the Company’s terminal at Flanagan, Illinois and terminates in Cushing, Oklahoma. Flanagan South and associated pumping stations were completed in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the majority of the pipeline parallels Spearhead Pipeline’s right-of-way.  Spearhead Pipeline is a long-haul pipeline that delivers crude oil from Flanagan, Illinois, a delivery point on the Lakehead System to Cushing, Oklahoma. The pipeline was originally placed into service in 2006 and an expansion was completed in mid-2009.  The Mid-Continent System is comprised of the Ozark Pipeline and storage terminals at Cushing, Oklahoma and Flanagan, Illinois. In December 2016, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the Ozark Pipeline to a subsidiary of MPLX LP for cash proceeds of approximately $294 million (US$219 million), including $13 million (US$10 million) in reimbursable costs for additional capital spent by the Company up to the closing date of the transaction. Subject to certain pre-closing conditions, the transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2017. The storage terminals consist of 100 individual storage tanks ranging in size from 78,000 to 575,000 barrels.

 

Southern Lights Pipeline is a fully-contracted single stream pipeline that ships diluent from the Manhattan Terminal near Chicago, Illinois to three western Canadian delivery facilities, located at the Edmonton and Hardisty terminals in Alberta and the Kerrobert terminal in Saskatchewan.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

The Bakken System is a joint operation that includes a Canadian entity and a United States entity. The United States portion of the pipeline system extends from Berthold, North Dakota to the International Boundary near North Portal, North Dakota, and connects to the Bakken Canada entity at the border to bring the crude oil into Cromer, Manitoba.

 

Other pipelines primarily includes the Company’s 85% interest in Olympic Pipeline Company, the largest refined products pipeline in the State of Washington, with a capacity to transport approximately 290,000 bpd of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. It also includes the NW System, which transports crude oil from Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories to Zama, Alberta, interests in a number of liquids pipelines in the United States, including the recently completed Southern Access Extension, the Toledo Pipeline, which connects with the EEP mainline at Stockbridge, Michigan, and the Company’s 75% joint venture interest in Eddystone Rail, a unit-train unloading facility and related local pipeline infrastructure near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that delivered Bakken and other light sweet crude oil to Philadelphia area refineries.  The Company also owns the Hardisty Contract Terminal and Hardisty Storage Caverns located near Hardisty, Alberta, a key crude pipeline hub in western Canada.

 

The Company held certain South Prairie Region assets which transport crude oil and NGL from producing fields and facilities in southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba to Cromer, Manitoba where products enter the mainline system to be transported to the United States or eastern Canada. On December 1, 2016, the Company completed the sale of the South Prairie Region assets to an unrelated party for cash proceeds of $1.08 billion. The sold assets consisted of certain liquids pipelines and related facilities in southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba, including the Saskatchewan Gathering and Weyburn gathering systems, as well as the Westspur trunk line. The shipper commercial arrangements and contracts associated with the South Prairie Region assets are expected to remain in place and the Company expects that the crude oil and NGL volumes delivered from the South Prairie Region assets will continue to flow onto Enbridge’s Canadian Mainline at Cromer.

 

GAS DISTRIBUTION

 

Gas Distribution consists of the Company’s natural gas utility operations, the core of which is Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. ( EGD ), which serves residential, commercial and industrial customers, primarily in central and eastern Ontario as well as northern New York State. This business segment also includes natural gas distribution activities in Quebec and New Brunswick and the Company’s investment in Noverco Inc.

 

ENBRIDGE GAS DISTRIBUTION

 

Enbridge Gas Distribution is a rate regulated natural gas distribution utility now serving over 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in its franchise areas of central and eastern Ontario, including the City of Toronto and the surrounding areas of Peel, York and Durham regions, as well as the Niagara Peninsula, Ottawa, Brockville, Peterborough, Barrie and many other Ontario communities. In addition, the Company serves Massena, Ogdensburg, Potsdam, Franklin County and surrounding areas in northern New York State through St. Lawrence.

 

EGD also owns and operates regulated and unregulated natural gas storage facilities in Ontario.

 

The utility business is conducted under statutes and municipal by-laws which grant the right to operate in the areas served. The utility operations of EGD and its subsidiary, St. Lawrence Gas Company, Inc., are regulated by the Ontario Energy Board and by the New York State Public Service Commission, respectively.

 

As at December 31, 2016 , EGD owned and operated a network of approximately 38,500 kilometres of mains ( 2015 and 2014 - approximately 38,400 kilometres and 37,600 kilometres, respectively) for the transportation and distribution of natural gas, as well as the service pipes to transfer natural gas from mains to meters on customers’ premises.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

There are four principal interrelated aspects of the natural gas distribution business in which EGD is directly involved: Distribution Service, Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage.

 

Distribution Service

 

EGD’s principal source of revenue arises from distribution of natural gas to customers. The services provided to residential, small commercial and industrial heating customers are primarily on a general service basis (without a specific fixed term or fixed price contract). The services provided to larger commercial and industrial customers are usually on an annual contract basis under firm or interruptible service contracts.

 

Gas Supply

 

To acquire the necessary volume of natural gas to serve its customers, EGD maintains a diversified natural gas supply portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2016 , EGD acquired approximately 7.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas ( 2015 - 7.8 billion cubic metres), of which 53% ( 2015 - 67%) was acquired from western Canadian producers, 16% ( 2015 - 19%) was acquired from suppliers in Chicago, 24% was acquired from suppliers at Niagara ( 2015 - nil) and 7% ( 2015 - 14%) was acquired on a delivered basis in Ontario. EGD also transported 4.3 billion cubic metres ( 2015 - 4.7 billion cubic metres) of natural gas on behalf of direct purchase customers operating under a transportation service arrangement.

 

EGD’s system supply natural gas contracts have pricing structures responsive to supply and demand conditions in the North American natural gas market. The prices in these contracts may be indexed to Alberta, Chicago or New York based prices.

 

Transportation

 

TransCanada Pipelines Limited ( TransCanada ) transports approximately 83% or 9.9 billion cubic metres ( 2015 - 73% or 9.2 billion cubic metres) of the annual natural gas supply requirements of EGD’s customers. EGD has firm transportation service contracts with TransCanada for a portion of this requirement, while direct purchase customers contract directly with TransCanada or with natural gas marketers for the remainder.

 

EGD relies on its long-term contracts with Union Gas Limited for transportation of natural gas from Dawn, located in south-western Ontario, to EGD ’s major market in the Greater Toronto Area. These contracts effectively provide EGD with access to United States sourced natural gas at Dawn. These contracts also provide transportation for natural gas received at Dawn via the Vector Pipeline as well as natural gas stored at the EGD’s and Union’s storage pools in the Sarnia, Ontario area to the market area.

 

Storage

 

EGD ’s business is highly seasonal as daily market demand for natural gas fluctuates with changes in weather, with peak consumption occurring in the winter months. Utilization of storage facilities permits EGD to take delivery of natural gas on favourable terms during off peak summer periods for subsequent use during the winter heating season. This practice permits EGD to minimize the annual cost of transportation of natural gas from its supply basins, assists in reducing its overall cost of natural gas supply and adds a measure of security in the event of any short-term interruption of transportation of natural gas to EGD ‘s franchise area.

 

EGD ’s principal storage facilities are located in south-western Ontario, near Dawn, and have a total working capacity of approximately 3.2 billion cubic metres. Approximately 2.6 billion cubic metres of the total working capacity is available to EGD for utility operations. EGD also has storage contracts with third parties for 0.6 billion cubic metres of storage capacity.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Historical Operating Statistics

 

The following table presents statistics relating to the past three years of EGD’s operations.

 

Year Ended December 31,	2016	2015	2014
Gas Supply and Sendout (10 6 m 3 ) 1
Natural gas purchased	7,476	7,763	9,117
Gas into storage	(1,901)	(1,439)	(1,550)
Gas out of storage	1,844	1,424	783
Total gas sendout	7,419	7,748	8,350
Transportation of gas	4,449	4,697	4,800
	11,868	12,445	13,150
Gas sales to customers	7,245	7,632	8,209
Transportation of gas	4,076	4,327	4,462
Total sales	11,321	11,959	12,671
Used by the Company	6	6	6
Other volumetric variations 2	541	480	473
	11,868	12,445	13,150
Maximum daily sendout	95	98	96
Minimum daily sendout	10	10	10
Average daily sendout	32	34	36
Heating Degree Days 3
Actual	3,412	3,710	4,044
Forecast based on normal weather	3,617	3,536	3,517
Number of Active Customers 4  – end of year
Residential	1,890,470	1,820,705	1,750,886
Commercial	134,150	132,279	131,516
Industrial	4,880	4,880	4,928
Wholesale	1	1	1
Transportation	128,346	170,784	210,815
	2,157,847	2,128,649	2,098,146
Average Revenue (per 10 3 m 3 ) 1
Residential	$353	$370	$344
Commercial	$275	$301	$286
Industrial	$204	$259	$245
Wholesale	$178	$228	$170
Average Use per Residential Customer (m 3 ) 1	2,348	2,550	2,792

 

Notes:

(1)        m 3  = cubic metre; 10 3 m 3  = thousand cubic metres; 10 6 m 3  = million cubic metres; 28.369 10 6 m 3  = 1 billion cubic feet (bcf).

(2)        Includes unaccounted for gas volumes and volumes for unbundled customers who deliver their own natural gas into EGD’s distribution system and manage their load balancing independent of EGD.

(3)        Heating degree days is a measure of coldness that is indicative of volumetric requirements for natural gas utilized for heating purposes in the EGD’s distribution franchise area. It is calculated by accumulating, for the fiscal year, the total number of degrees each day by which the daily mean temperature falls below 18 degrees Celsius. A daily mean temperature of zero degrees Celsius on any day equals 18 heating degree days for that day. The figures given are those accumulated in the Greater Toronto Area.

(4)        Number of active customers is the number of natural gas consuming customers at the end of the year and includes natural gas sales and transportation service customers. As the commodity cost of natural gas is flowed through to natural gas sales customers with no mark up, the composition of customers between natural gas sales and transportation service has no material impact on EGD’s earnings.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

NOVERCO

 

Enbridge owns an equity interest in Noverco Inc. through ownership of 38.9% of its common shares and an investment in preferred shares. Noverco Inc. is a holding company that owns approximately 71% of Gaz Métro Limited Partnership, a natural gas distribution company operating in the province of Quebec with interests in subsidiary companies operating gas transmission, gas distribution and power distribution businesses in the Province of Quebec and the State of Vermont. Noverco Inc. also holds, directly and indirectly, an investment in Enbridge’s Common Shares.

 

OTHER GAS DISTRIBUTION AND STORAGE

 

Other gas distribution operations includes natural gas distribution utility operations in Quebec and New Brunswick, the most significant being EGNB which is wholly-owned and operated by the Company. EGNB operates the natural gas distribution franchise in the province of New Brunswick, has approximately 11,800 customers and is regulated by the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.

 

GAS PIPELINES AND PROCESSING

 

Gas Pipelines and Processing consists of investments in natural gas pipelines and gathering and processing facilities. Investments in natural gas pipelines include the Company’s interests in Alliance Pipeline, Vector Pipeline and transmission and gathering pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico. Investments in natural gas processing include the Company’s interest in Aux Sable, a natural gas extraction and fractionation business located near the terminus of the Alliance Pipeline, Canadian Midstream assets located in northeast British Columbia and northwest Alberta and United States Midstream assets located primarily in Texas and Oklahoma.

 

AUX SABLE

 

Enbridge owns a 42.7% interest in Aux Sable Liquid Products LP and Aux Sable Midstream LLC, and a 50% interest in Aux Sable Canada LP (together, Aux Sable ). Aux Sable Liquid Products LP owns and operates an NGL extraction and fractionation plant at Channahon, Illinois, outside Chicago, near the terminus of Alliance Pipeline.  Aux Sable also owns facilities upstream of Alliance Pipeline that facilitate deliveries of liquids-rich gas volumes into the pipeline for further processing at the Aux Sable plant.  These facilities include the Palermo Conditioning Plant and the Prairie Rose Pipeline in the Bakken area of North Dakota, owned and operated by Aux Sable Midstream US; and Aux Sable Canada’s interests in the Montney area of British Columbia, comprising the Septimus Pipeline and a 22% interest it acquired effective October 1, 2015 in the Septimus and Wilder Gas Plants, in exchange for its previously held 50% ownership interest in the Septimus Plant.

 

ALLIANCE PIPELINE

 

The Alliance Pipeline, which includes both Alliance Pipeline Canada and Alliance Pipeline US, consists of approximately 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) of integrated, high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline and approximately 860 kilometres (534 miles) of lateral pipelines and related infrastructure. Alliance Pipeline transports liquids-rich natural gas from northeast British Columbia, northwest Alberta and the Bakken area in North Dakota to the Alliance Chicago gas exchange hub downstream of the Aux Sable NGL extraction and fractionation plant at Channahon, Illinois.

 

VECTOR PIPELINE

 

Vector Pipeline, which includes both the Canadian and United States portions of the pipeline system, consists of 560 kilometres (348 miles) of mainline natural gas transmission pipeline between the Chicago, Illinois hub and a storage complex at Dawn, Ontario.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

CANADIAN MIDSTREAM

 

At December 31, 2016, Canadian Midstream consisted of the wholly-owned Tupper Plants located within the Montney shale play in northeastern British Columbia, the Company’s 71% interest in the Cabin Gas Plant located 60 kilometres (37 miles) northeast of Fort Nelson, British Columbia in the Horn River Basin, as well as interests in the Pipestone and Sexsmith gathering systems. The Company has almost 100% interest in Pipestone and varying interests (55% to 100%) in Sexsmith and its related sour gas gathering, compression and NGL handling facilities, located in the Peace River Arch region of northwest Alberta. The primary producer and operator of Pipestone holds a nominal 0.01% interest. The Company is the operator of the Tupper Plants and the Cabin Gas Plant.

 

ENBRIDGE OFFSHORE PIPELINES

 

Offshore is comprised of 11 active natural gas gathering and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulated transmission pipelines and two active oil pipelines, including the Heidelberg Pipeline that was placed in service in January 2016. These pipelines are located in four major corridors in the Gulf of Mexico, extending to deepwater developments, and include almost 2,100 kilometres (1,300 miles) of underwater pipe and onshore facilities with total capacity of approximately 6.5 bcf/d.

 

US MIDSTREAM

 

US Midstream consists of the Anadarko, East Texas, North Texas and Texas Express NGL systems, which include natural gas and NGL gathering and transportation pipeline systems, natural gas processing and treating facilities, condensate stabilizers and an NGL fractionation facility. In addition, US Midstream has rail and liquids marketing operations. Enbridge’s ownership interest in US Midstream, held through EEP was 19.0% as at December 31, 2016 (December 31, 2015 – 19.2%).

 

GREEN POWER AND TRANSMISSION

 

Green Power and Transmission consists of the Company’s investments in renewable energy assets and transmission facilities. Renewable energy assets consist of wind, solar, geothermal and waste heat recovery facilities and are located in Canada primarily in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and in the United States primarily in Colorado, Texas, Indiana and West Virginia.  The Company also has assets under development located in Europe.

 

Green Power and Transmission includes approximately 1,900 MW of net operating renewable and alternative energy sources. Of this amount, approximately 930 MW of net power generating capacity comes from wind farms located in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and approximately 780 MW of net power generating capacity comes from wind farms located in the states of Colorado, Texas, Indiana and West Virginia, including the 103 MW New Creek Wind Project which entered service in late December 2016. The vast majority of the power produced from these wind farms is sold under long-term power purchase agreements. The Company also has three solar facilities located in Ontario and a solar facility located in Nevada, with 100 MW and 50 MW, respectively, of net power generating capacity. Also included in Green Power and Transmission is the Montana-Alberta Tie-Line, the Company’s first power transmission asset, a transmission line from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta.

 

ENERGY SERVICES

 

The Energy Services businesses in Canada and the United States undertake physical commodity marketing activity and logistical services, oversee refinery supply services and manage the Company’s volume commitments on various pipeline systems.

 

Energy Services provides energy supply and marketing services to North American refiners, producers and other customers. Crude oil and NGL marketing services are provided by Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. This business transacts at many North American market hubs and provides its customers with various services, including transportation, storage, supply management, hedging programs and product exchanges. Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. is primarily a physical barrel marketing company focused on capturing value from quality, time and location differentials when opportunities arise. To execute these strategies, Energy Services may lease storage or rail cars, as well as hold nomination or contractual rights on both third party and Enbridge-owned pipelines and storage facilities. Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. also provides natural gas marketing services, including marketing natural gas to optimize commitments on certain natural gas pipelines. Additionally, Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. provides natural gas supply, transportation, balancing and storage for third parties, leveraging its natural gas marketing expertise and access to transportation capacity.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT AND INDUSTRY

 

SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

 

Enbridge proactively addresses safety and environmental issues by ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place to monitor the safety and environmental aspects of its operations.  Enbridge utilizes established safety and environmental management systems and has established policies, programs and practices for conducting safe and environmentally sound operations.  Enbridge seeks to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and permit requirements and to proactively identify, evaluate and mitigate any potential impacts and issues associated with its operations.  Crude oil and petroleum product spills are an inherent operational risk within the petroleum pipeline industry and the liquids pipelines assets have in the past experienced such spills.  A comprehensive methodology for managing environmental aspects of spills is in place.  Enbridge has in place an integrity management program to continuously monitor the condition of the liquids pipelines and apply preventative maintenance programs.

 

IMPACT OF WILDFIRES IN NORTHEASTERN ALBERTA

 

During the first week of May 2016, extreme wildfires in northeastern Alberta resulted in the shutdown of a number of oil sands production facilities and the evacuation of more than 80,000 people from the city of Fort McMurray, which serves as a commercial and regional logistics centre for the oil sands region and a home to a significant portion of the oil sands workforce.

 

Enbridge’s facilities in the region were largely unaffected; however, as a precautionary measure on May 4, 2016, the Company temporarily shut down and evacuated its Cheecham terminal and curtailed operations at its Athabasca terminal. The Company also isolated and shut down pipelines in and out of the Cheecham terminal and shut down or curtailed operations on other pipelines it operates in the region.

 

The Company coordinated with emergency response, public safety and utility officials to restore power and make any necessary repairs to its systems while working closely with producers in the region, and restarted and returned the majority of its regional pipeline systems to normal operation by the end of May 2016.

 

Oil sands production from facilities in the vicinity of Fort McMurray, Alberta was curtailed longer given the severity and longevity of the wildfires, with oil sands production substantially coming back online by the end of June 2016.

 

ABANDONMENT COSTS

 

In 2009, the NEB issued a decision related to the Land Matters Consultation Initiative which required holders of an authorization to operate a pipeline under the NEB Act to file a proposed process and mechanism to set aside funds to pay for future abandonment costs in respect of the sites in Canada used for the operation of a pipeline. The NEB’s decision stated that while pipeline companies are ultimately responsible for the full costs of abandoning pipelines, abandonment costs are a legitimate cost of providing service and are recoverable from the users of the pipeline upon approval by the NEB. For additional information, please refer to the MD&A.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

EMPLOYEES

 

The following table provides a breakdown by business segment of Enbridge employees as at Year End.

 

Business Segment	No. of Employees
Liquids Pipelines	3,677
Gas Distribution	2,259
Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services	1,177
Green Power and Transmission	19
Energy Services	66
Other 1	536
Total employees 2	7,733

 

Notes:

(1)         The Other category is comprised of permanent employees who are not allocated to one of the five business segments.

(2)         Total employees does not include permanent employees who are on long term disability or severance, temporary employees or contractors.

 

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

 

Enbridge is committed to integrating CSR and sustainability into every aspect of its business. The Company defines CSR and sustainability as conducting business in an ethical and responsible manner, protecting the environment and the safety of people, providing economic and other benefits to the communities in which the Company operates, supporting universal human rights and employing a variety of policies, programs and practices to manage corporate governance and ensure fair, full and timely disclosure. The Company provides its stakeholders with open, transparent disclosure of its CSR and sustainability performance.

 

Each year Enbridge prepares a CSR & Sustainability Report based on the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, which serve as a generally accepted framework for reporting on an organization’s economic, environmental and social performance.  A copy of this report is available on the Company’s website at www.enbridge.com .  Unless otherwise specifically stated, none of the information contained on, or connected to, the Company’s website nor any of the contents of the CSR & Sustainability Report are incorporated by reference herein.

 

For additional information, please refer to the MD&A.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

A discussion of the Company’s risk factors can be found in the MD&A.  Such disclosure is incorporated herein by reference and is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE

 

SHARE CAPITAL

 

Enbridge’s authorized share capital consists of an unlimited number of Common Shares and an unlimited number of Preference Shares, issuable in series.  At Year End, the Company had 943,112,225 Common Shares, 5,000,000 Series A Preference Shares, 20,000,000 Series B Preference Shares, 18,000,000 Series D Preference Shares, 20,000,000 Series F Preference Shares, 14,000,000 Series H Preference Shares, 8,000,000 Series J Preference Shares, 16,000,000 Series L Preference Shares, 18,000,000 Series N Preference Shares, 16,000,000 Series P Preference Shares, 16,000,000 Series R Preference Shares, 16,000,000 Series 1 Preference Shares, 24,000,000 Series 3 Preference Shares, 8,000,000 Series 5 Preference Shares, 10,000,000 Series 7 Preference Shares, 11,000,000 Series 9 Preference Shares, 20,000,000 Series 11 Preference Shares, 14,000,000 Series 13 Preference Shares, 11,000,000 Series 15 Preference Shares and 30,000,000 Series 17 Preferred Shares issued and outstanding.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

See Appendices B and C of this AIF for information regarding the trading prices and volumes of the Company’s publically listed securities as well as a summary of the terms of the Company’s authorized securities.

 

RATINGS

 

In order to maintain ready access to low cost capital and optimize return on investment, the Company’s funding, investment and risk polices are designed with the objective of retaining investment grade credit ratings.  A ratings downgrade could potentially increase the Company’s financing costs and reduce its access to capital markets. The following table sets forth the ratings assigned to the Company’s Preference Shares, MTNs and unsecured debt and commercial paper by DBRS, Moody’s and S&P.

 

			DBRS			Moody’s			S&P
Preference Shares 1			Pfd-3 (high)			Ba1 2			P-2 (low)
MTNs and Unsecured Debt			BBB(high)			Baa2			BBB+
Commercial Paper			R-2 (high)			P-2 ³			A-1 (low)
Rating Outlook			Under Review, with Developing Implications			Negative			Stable

 

Notes:

(1)               The Preference Shares have all had the same ratings assigned to them .

(2)               Moody’s rating applies only to Series A, B, D and F Preference Shares.

(3)               Moody’s rating is for Enbridge (US) Inc.’s commercial paper.

 

Credit ratings are intended to provide investors with an independent assessment of the credit quality of an issue or issuer of securities and do not speak to the suitability of particular securities for any particular investor.  The credit ratings assigned by these ratings agencies to the securities may not reflect the potential impact of all risks on the value of the respective securities.  The credit ratings accorded by these rating agencies are not recommendations to purchase, hold or sell the respective securities inasmuch as such ratings do not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.  There is no assurance that any rating will remain in effect for any given period of time or that any rating will not be revised or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency in the future if, in its judgment, circumstances so warrant.  A description from the rating agency for each credit rating listed in the table above is set out below.

 

DBRS

 

DBRS has different rating scales for short and long term debt and preferred shares.  The DBRS long-term rating scale provides an opinion on the risk of default.  That is, the risk that an issuer will fail to satisfy its financial obligations in accordance with the terms under which the obligations have been issued.  Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer, and the relative ranking of claims.  All rating categories other than AAA and D also contain subcategories “(high)” and “(low)”.  The absence of either a “(high)” or “(low)” designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category.  The BBB (high) rating assigned to the Company’s MTNs and unsecured debentures is the fourth highest of ten categories for long-term debt.  According to the DBRS long-term rating scale, long-term obligations rated BBB are of adequate credit quality.  The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable, and may be vulnerable to future events.

 

The DBRS preferred share rating scale is used in the Canadian securities market and is meant to give an indication of the risk that a borrower will not fulfill its full obligations in a timely manner, with respect to both dividend and principal commitments.  Every DBRS rating is based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the borrowing entity. Each rating category is denoted by the subcategories “high” and “low”.  The absence of either a “high” or “low” designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category.  This scale may also apply to certain hybrid securities, in which case references to dividend throughout will reflect interest commitments of the hybrid security.  The Pfd-3 (high) rating assigned to the Preference Shares is the third highest of six rating categories for preferred shares.  According to the DBRS preferred share rating scales, preferred shares rated Pfd-3 are of adequate credit quality.  While protection of dividends and principal is still considered acceptable, the issuing entity is more susceptible to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions, and there may be other adverse conditions present which detract from debt protection. Pfd-3 ratings generally correspond with companies whose senior bonds are rated in the higher end of the BBB category.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

The DBRS short term debt rating scale provides an opinion on the risk that an issuer will not meet its short term financial obligations in a timely manner.  Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer and the relative ranking of claims.  The R-1 and R-2 rating categories are further denoted by the subcategories “(high)”, “(middle)”, and “(low)”.  The R-2 (high) rating assigned to Enbridge’s commercial paper is the fourth highest of ten rating categories and, according to the DBRS short term debt rating scale, indicates the upper end of adequate credit quality.  The capacity for the payment of short term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable, and may be vulnerable to future events.

 

Moody’s

 

Moody’s long term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.  The Baa2 rating assigned to the Company’s MTNs and unsecured debentures, and the Ba1 rating assigned to the Company’s Series A, B, D, and F Preference Shares, are the fourth highest and fifth highest, respectively, of nine categories for long-term obligations.  Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium grade and subject to moderate credit risk and, as such, may possess certain speculative characteristics. According to the Moody long-term rating scale, obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.  Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa.  The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Moody’s assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).  MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated).  To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moody’s assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs.  A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating.

 

Moody’s short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. The P-2 rating assigned to Enbridge is the second highest of four categories and indicates a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

S&P

 

S&P has different rating scales for short and long term obligations. Ratings for long-term obligations may be modified by the addition of a plus (“+”) or a minus (“-”) sign to show the relative standing within a major rating category.  The S&P Canadian preferred share rating scale serves issuers, investors and intermediaries in the Canadian financial markets by expressing preferred share ratings (determined in accordance with global rating criteria) in terms of rating symbols that have been actively used in the Canadian market over a number of years.  A S&P preferred share rating on the Canadian scale is a forward looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific preferred share obligation issued in the Canadian market, relative to preferred shares issued by other issuers in the Canadian market.  There is a direct correspondence between the specific ratings assigned on the Canadian preferred share scale and the various rating levels on the global debt rating scale of S&P.  The P-2 (low) rating assigned to the Company’s Preference Shares is the second highest of eight categories for Canadian preferred shares.  P-2 (low) corresponds to BBB.  According to the S&P preferred share rating scale, an obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

The BBB+ rating assigned to Enbridge’s MTNs and unsecured debentures is the fourth highest of 11 rating categories.  According to the S&P long-term rating scale, an obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters.  However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation .

 

A S&P Canadian commercial paper rating is a forward-looking opinion about the capacity of an obligor to meet the financial commitments associated with a specific commercial paper program or other short-term financial instrument ( obligation ) relative to the debt servicing and repayment capacity of other obligors active in the Canadian domestic financial markets with respect to their own financial obligations.  The A-1(Low) rating assigned to Enbridge’s commercial paper program is the third highest of eight rating categories.  According to the S&P short-term rating scale, a short-term obligation rated A-1 (low) is slightly more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories.  However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. Obligations rated A-1 (low) on the Canadian commercial paper rating scale would qualify for a rating of A-2 on S&P’s global short-term rating scale.

 

The Company made payments to DBRS, Moody’s and S&P in connection with the assignment of ratings on the Preference Shares, MTNs and unsecured debt and commercial paper of the Company and will make payments to these rating agencies in connection with the confirmation of such ratings for purposes of any future offerings of such securities.  Other than those payments made in respect of credit ratings, no additional payments have been made to any of these rating agencies for any other services provided to the Company during the past two years.

 

Rating Outlook

 

Following the Company’s announcement of the Merger Transaction, the rating outlook was updated to Under Review with Developing Implications by DBRS, reaffirmed at Negative by Moody’s and reaffirmed at Stable by S&P.

 

DIVIDENDS

 

COMMON SHARES

 

The declaration and payment of dividends on the Common Shares are at the discretion of the Board.  Dividends on the Common Shares are paid quarterly, on the first day of March, June, September and December of each year. The Board supports a stable and consistent dividend policy for these shares. On January 5, 2017, Enbridge announced a 10% increase to its next quarterly Common Share dividend.  The Company’s quarterly Common Share dividend will increase 10% to $0.583 per share with the dividend payable March 1, 2017 to shareholders of record on February 15, 2017. The planned merger with Spectra Energy is expected to enable an aggregate increase in dividends paid to Enbridge shareholders of approximately 15% in 2017, post-closing of the Merger Transaction.   Special dividends may also be declared from time to time to implement corporate strategic initiatives.

 

The Company has a dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan which enables registered holders of Common Shares to receive their dividends in the form of newly issued Common Shares.  See Appendix C of this AIF for a summary of the terms of the Common Shares.

 

PREFERENCE SHARES

 

The declaration and payment of dividends on the Company’s Preference Shares are at the discretion of the Board.  Dividends on the Company’s Series A Preference Shares are fixed and are paid quarterly.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

Dividends on each series of Preference Shares outstanding, other than the Series A Preference Shares, are fixed for the initial term (the period from and including the date of issue of such shares to but excluding the applicable initial period end date) and are paid quarterly. At the end of the initial term, the fixed dividend rate for the respective series of Preference Shares will be reset for a subsequent five year term, or the holders may elect to convert to a floating rate dividend which will be reset quarterly thereafter.  See Appendix C of this AIF for a summary of the terms of each series of the Preference Shares.

 

DIVIDENDS

 

The following table summarizes the dividends paid per share for each of the three years ended December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, on each class and series of securities of the Company that was outstanding at Year End, all expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

 

						Distribution Per Security
			2016			2015			2014
Per Common Share 1			$2.1200			$1.8600			$1.4000
Per Preference Share
Series A 2			$1.3750			$1.3750			$1.3750
Series B 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series D 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series F 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series H 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series J 10			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000
Series L 10			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000
Series N 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series P 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series R 3,9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series 1 4,10			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000			U.S.$1.0000
Series 3 5, 9			$1.0000			$1.0000			$1.0000
Series 5 3			U.S.$1.1000			U.S.$1.1000			U.S.$1.1000
Series 7 4,11			$1.1000			$1.1000			$1.0631
Series 9 5,11			$1.1000			$1.1000			$0.7911
Series 11 6,11			$1.1000			$1.1000			$0.5824
Series 13 7,11			$1.1000			$1.1000			$0.4129
Series 15 8,11			$1.1000			$1.1000			$0.2079
Series 17 12			-			-			-

 

Notes:

(1)	Dividends paid on the Common Shares include: (i) a dividend of 0.3500 declared in 2014 but paid in the first quarter of 2015 and (ii) a dividend of 0.3150 declared in 2013 but paid in the first quarter of 2014. On January 5, 2017, the Company also declared a dividend of $0.583 per share on the Common Share which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.
(2)	On January 5, 2017, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.34375 per share on the Series A Preference Shares which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.
(3)	On January 5, 2017, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of U.S.$0.275 per share on the Series 5 Preference Shares, which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.
(4)	On January 15, 2014, the Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2381 per share on the Series 7 Preference Share which was paid on March 1, 2014. The regular quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share payable on the Series 7 Preference Shares took effect in the second quarter of 2014.
(5)	On June 1, 2014, the Company paid a first dividend of $0.2411 on the Series 9 Preference Shares. The regular quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share payable on the Series 9 Preference Shares took effect on September 1, 2014.
(6)	On September 1, 2014, the Company paid a first dividend of $0.3074 on the Series 11 Preference Shares. The regular quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share payable on the Series 11 Preference Shares took effect on December 1, 2014.
(7)	On December 1, 2014, the Company paid a first dividend of $0.4129 on the Series 13 Preference Shares. The regular quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share payable on the Series 13 Preference Shares took effect in the first quarter of 2015.
(8)	On December 1, 2014, the Company paid a first dividend of $0.2079 on the Series 15 Preference Shares. The regular quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share payable on the Series 15 Preference Shares took effect in the first quarter of 2015.
(9)	On January 5, 2017, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share on the Series B Preference Shares, the Series D Preference Shares, the Series F Preference Shares, the Series H Preference Shares, the Series N Preference Shares, the Series P Preference Shares, the Series R Preference Shares and the Series 3 Preference Shares, each which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form

 

 

(10)	On January 5, 2017, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of U.S.$0.25 per share on the Series J Preference Shares, the Series L Preference Shares and the Series 1 Preference Shares, each which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.
(11)	On January 5, 2017, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share on the Series 7 Preference Shares, the Series 9 Preference Shares, the Series 11 Preference Shares, the Series 13 Preference Shares and the Series 15 Preference Shares, each which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.
(12)	The Series 17 Preference Shares were issued on November 23, 2016. On January 5, 2017, the Company declared the initial quarterly dividend of $0.3457 per share on the Series 17 Preference Shares, which is payable in the first quarter of 2017.

 

OTHER SECURITIES

 

The table below outlines the securities not listed or quoted on an exchange that were issued in 2016 by Enbridge or its subsidiaries that are reporting issuers in Canada.  These securities are in the form of unsecured debt securities.

 

Issuer	Principal Amount ($ millions)	Coupon	Issue Date	Maturity Date	Issue Price ($)
EGD	300	2.50%	August 5, 2016	August 5, 2026	99.930
EPI	400	3.00%	August 9, 2016	August 10, 2026	99.991
EPI	400	4.13%	August 9, 2016	August 9, 2046	99.966
Enbridge	US 750	4.25%	November 29, 2016	December 1, 2026	99.356
Enbridge	US 750	5.50%	November 29, 2016	December 1, 2046	99.606
Enbridge	US 750	6.00%	December 20, 2016	January 15, 2077	100.000

 

There are no provisions associated with this debt that entitle debt holders to voting rights.  From time to time, the Company also issues commercial paper for various terms.

 

CREDIT FACILITIES

 

To ensure ongoing liquidity and to mitigate the risk of capital market disruption, Enbridge maintains ready access to funds through committed bank credit facilities and it actively manages its bank funding sources to optimize pricing and other terms. The following table provides details of the Company’s committed credit facilities at December 31, 2016 and 2015.

 

				2016						2015
				Total						Total
December 31,		Maturity		Facilities		Draws 1		Available		Facilities
(millions of Canadian dollars)
Enbridge		2017-2020		8,183		4,700		3,483		6,988
Enbridge (U.S.) Inc.		2018-2019		3,934		126		3,808		4,470
EEP		2018-2020		3,525		2,293		1,232		3,598
EGD		2018-2019		1,017		360		657		1,010
The Fund		2019		1,500		236		1,264		1,500
Enbridge Pipelines (Southern Lights) L.L.C.		2018		27		-		27		28
EPI		2018		3,000		1,032		1,968		3,000
Enbridge Southern Lights LP		2018		5		-		5		5
MEP		2018		900		564		336		1,121
Total committed credit facilities				22,091		9,311		12,780		21,720

 

Note:

 

(1)               Includes facility draws, letters of credit and commercial paper issuances that are back-stopped by the credit facility.

 

 

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

 

As at Year End, the directors and all officers of Enbridge (including the executive officers listed below) as a group beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, 1,731,025 Common Shares, representing less than 1% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on that date.  The information as to shares beneficially owned or over which control or direction is exercised, not being within the knowledge of the Company, has been furnished by the respective directors and officers individually.  The directors and officers do not beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 1% of the voting securities of any subsidiary of the Company.

 

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Enbridge Inc. 2016 Annual Information Form