TAQA Group successfully completes US$1.5 Billion 7-year and 30-year dual-tranche bond offering
First issuance since landmark 2020 transaction with ADPower was four times oversubscribed
Offers to purchase outstanding bonds maturing in 2021 and 2023
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA, the Company or the Group), one of the largest listed unified utility companies in the EMEA region, announced today the successful placement of an accumulated US$1.5 billion in 7-year and 30-year dual-tranche senior unsecured notes (the Notes).
The 7-year notes, sized at $750 million and maturing April 2028, were issued at a coupon rate of 2.0%. The 30-year notes, also sized at $750 million and maturing April 2051, were issued at a coupon rate of 3.4%. The 30-year tranche is TAQAs first Formosa issuance dual-listed in Taipei and London to tap into Taiwanese demand.
The order book was four times oversubscribed with strong demand from Asian investors setting the stage for more orders from MENA, Europe and the US. The final order book of $6.1 billion granted the company to achieve significantly lower interest costs than on existing TAQA bonds. The Notes are rated Aa3 by Moodys and AA- by Fitch, in line with the corporate credit ratings of the company.
Net proceeds from the sale of the Notes will be used for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of outstanding debt.
The issuance was arranged and offered through a syndicate of joint lead managers and bookrunners comprising of Bank of China, Citi, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Mashreq, Mizuho Securities and MUFG.
In addition to the bond issuance, TAQA offered to buy back, for cash, all the $1.5 billion of outstanding corporate bonds maturing in 2021 and up to $250 million of the bonds maturing in January 2023, subject to customary conditions. A total of $712 million of the 2021 Notes were invested by investors whilst the buyback of the 2023 Notes continues as of the date of this release. The buy backs were arranged by BNP Paribas, HSBC, MUFG and SMBC Nikko acting as joint dealer managers.
Jasim Husain Thabet, TAQAs Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, commented: We are delighted with the results of our first funding exercise following the transformational transaction with ADPower last year. The strong demand from global credit markets and investors from around the world is a strong vote of confidence in TAQAs strengthened financial profile as well as the companys strategy to become a low carbon power and water champion in the UAE and beyond. I am confident that we will continue to go from strength to strength, demonstrating why TAQA, and the utilities sector in the UAE, is a compelling opportunity for investors.
TAQA is proud to have been able to achieve very competitive funding rates that will help lower our financing costs and support future growth. Achieving negative new issue premiums on both tranches sets a strong tone for the company and lays a solid foundation for future financing opportunities. Moreover, we have set some notable achievements as part of this exercise, namely the lowest coupon achieved by TAQA to date, at 2%. With our long-term growth plans and firm financial stewardship, we remain committed to maintaining strong investment grade credit ratings on a standalone basis. commented Stephen Ridlington, TAQAs Group Chief Financial Officer.
