Yahoo Finance Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund Announces Portfolio Update
NEW YORK, March 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 1, 2022, Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund (NYSE: CEN) learned of a definitive agreement outlining a potential transaction involving its investment in KKR Eagle Co-Invest LP (the “Private Investment”), which is a private vehicle through which CEN holds an indirect investment in Veresen Midstream Limited Partnership (“VMLP”), a privately owned Canadian natural gas and natural gas liquids midstream business. VMLP focuses on providing natural gas and natural gas liquids processing service solutions to the producer community in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Upon the consummation of this transaction, VMLP is expected to be combined with Energy Transfer Canada and additional natural gas gathering and processing assets currently owned by Pembina Pipeline Corporation (TSX: PPL). The resulting joint venture (“NewCo”) will be one of the largest, most diversified natural gas infrastructure platforms in Canada and will be 60% owned by PPL and 40% owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (“KKR”) and its funds and affiliates, including the Private Investment.
NewCo is expected to have a better commercial and leverage profile and benefit from increased efficiencies and economies of scale, creating a platform of critical natural gas infrastructure with greater customer diversity, significant synergies, reduced costs, and a well-respected management team. PPL and KKR have further communicated that NewCo will integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into its governance structure, and the assets will be included in PPL’s target of achieving a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2030, against a 2019 baseline.
CEN is reviewing the available information and has been in communication with KKR. At this time, CEN’s fair market valuation of the Private Investment is not expected to be adjusted due to the potential transaction. CEN’s position on valuation of its Private Investment is subject to change at any time as more information becomes available. Following an initial analysis of the potential transaction, we believe the business combination resulting in NewCo may be modestly accretive. CEN has not been asked, and does not anticipate that it will be asked, to contribute additional capital in view of the potential transaction.
PPL and KKR have indicated that the transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are referred to as "forward-looking statements" under the U.S. federal securities laws. Actual future results or occurrences may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Generally, the words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the historical experience of Brookfield Public Securities Group LLC (“PSG”) and the Fund managed by PSG and its present expectations or projections. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PSG and the Fund managed by PSG undertake no responsibility to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.
PSG is an SEC-registered investment adviser that represents the Public Securities platform of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., providing global listed real assets strategies including real estate equities, infrastructure equities, energy infrastructure equities, multi-strategy real asset solutions and real asset debt. With over $20 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2021, PSG manages separate accounts, registered funds and opportunistic strategies for financial institutions, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds and individual investors. PSG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $690 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2021. For more information, go to https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.
Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund is managed by PSG. The Fund uses its website as a channel of distribution of material information about the Fund. Financial and other material information regarding the Fund is routinely posted on and accessible at https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.
COMPANY CONTACT
Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund
Brookfield Place
250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10281-1023
(855) 777-8001
publicsecurities.enquiries@brookfield.com
Investing involves risk; principal loss is possible. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Risks
The outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as "COVID-19" is causing materially reduced consumer demand and economic output, disrupting supply chains, resulting in market closures, travel restrictions and quarantines, and adversely impacting local and global economies. As with other serious economic disruptions, governmental authorities and regulators are responding to this crisis with significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including by providing direct capital infusions into companies, introducing new monetary programs and considerably lowering interest rates, which in some cases resulted in negative interest rates. These actions, including their possible unexpected or sudden reversal or potential ineffectiveness, could further increase volatility in securities and other financial markets, reduce market liquidity, heighten investor uncertainty and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and the performance of the Fund. Markets generally and the energy sector specifically, including master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) and energy infrastructure companies in which the Fund invests, have also been adversely impacted by reduced demand for oil and other energy commodities as a result of the slowdown in economic activity resulting from the spread of COVID-19 and by price competition among key oil-producing countries. While some vaccines have been developed and approved for use by various governments, the political, social, economic, market and financial risks of COVID-19 could persist for years to come. These developments have and may continue to adversely impact the Fund's NAV and the market price of the Fund's common shares.
The Fund’s investments are concentrated in the energy infrastructure industry with an emphasis on securities issued by MLPs, which may increase price fluctuation. The value of commodity-linked investments such as the MLPs and energy infrastructure companies (including midstream MLPs and energy infrastructure companies) in which the Fund invests are subject to risks specific to the industry they serve, such as fluctuations in commodity prices, reduced volumes of available natural gas or other energy commodities, slowdowns in new construction and acquisitions, a sustained reduced demand for crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products, depletion of the natural gas reserves or other commodities, changes in the macroeconomic or regulatory environment, environmental hazards, rising interest rates and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets, each of which could affect the Fund’s profitability.
MLPs are subject to significant regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in the regulatory environment including the risk that an MLP could lose its tax status as a partnership. If an MLP was obligated to pay federal income tax on its income at the corporate tax rate, the amount of cash available for distribution would be reduced and such distributions received by the Fund would be taxed under federal income tax laws applicable to corporate dividends received (as dividend income, return of capital, or capital gain).
In addition, investing in MLPs involves additional risks as compared to the risks of investing in common stock, including risks related to cash flow, dilution and voting rights. Such companies may trade less frequently than larger companies due to their smaller capitalizations which may result in erratic price movement or difficulty in buying or selling.
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. As a result, the Fund’s returns may fluctuate to a greater extent than those of a diversified investment company. Shares of closed-end management investment companies, such as the Fund, frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase investors’ risk of loss. The Fund is not a complete investment program and you may lose money investing in the Fund.
Because of the Fund’s concentration in MLP investments, the Fund is not eligible to be treated as a “regulated investment company” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Instead, the Fund will be treated as a regular corporation, or “C” corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as a result, unlike most investment companies, will be subject to corporate income tax to the extent the Fund recognizes taxable income.
An investment in MLP units involves risks that differ from a similar investment in equity securities, such as common stock, of a corporation. Holders of MLP units have the rights typically afforded to limited partners in a limited partnership. As compared to common shareholders of a corporation, holders of MLP units have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership. There are certain tax risks associated with an investment in MLP units. Additionally, conflicts of interest may exist between common unit holders, subordinated unit holders and the general partner of an MLP.
The Fund currently seeks to enhance the level of its current distributions by utilizing financial leverage through borrowing, including loans from financial institutions, or the issuance of commercial paper or other forms of debt, through the issuance of senior securities such as preferred shares, through reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls or similar transactions or through a combination of the foregoing. Financial leverage is a speculative technique and investors should note that there are special risks and costs associated with financial leverage.
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