Pepco and Exelon Highlight Real and Substantial Benefits of Merger to the District as Record Closes
Merger guarantees affordability, reliability and sustainability
benefits for the District
Pepco Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POM) and Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) are
emphasizing the tangible affordability, reliability and sustainability
benefits their merger will provide residents and others in the District
as the Dec. 23 closing of the record nears in proceedings before the
Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (PSC).
“If the merger is completed, residents, businesses and organizations in
the District will benefit from a stronger utility that will provide
enhanced electric service, more affordable rates and more sustainability
benefits,” said Donna Cooper, region president, Pepco.
Under the settlement reached in early October with the District of
Columbia government and others, Pepco and Exelon committed to providing
numerous, enhanced benefits to residents, communities and organizations
in District, such as:
-
$25.6 million to offset distribution rate increases for
residential customers through March 2019;
-
$14 million for a direct bill credit of more than $50 per
residential customer within 60 days of the merger completion;
-
$16.15 million for low-income customer energy assistance;
-
Passing tens of millions of dollars in merger savings on to
customers through rates lower than they would be if the merger does
not occur;
-
$5.2 million for workforce development;
-
Hiring more than 100 union workers in the District;
-
New, higher requirements for fewer and shorter power outages;
-
Exceeding PSC standards for reliability in every year from 2016
to 2020;
-
Up to 10 megawatts of new solar generation in the District;
-
Making it easier for customers to install solar panels;
-
$3.5 million to fund renewable energy;
-
$3.5 million for energy efficiency programs;
-
$10.05 million to support the District’s Green Building Fund;
-
Purchasing 100 megawatts of wind energy;
-
Developing four new microgrids in coordination with the
District; and
-
$19 million in charitable contributions over 10 years to local
nonprofits.
The commitments in the settlement respond directly to many of the
priorities residents and organizations throughout the District have
expressed to Pepco and Exelon. At the same time, the companies,
recognizing some residents have concerns about the merger, will continue
to listen and make every effort to show Pepco’s and Exelon’s commitment
to the highest levels of service and accountability to communities and
the environment.
More than 40,000 District residents have signed a petition in support of
the merger, and approximately 9,000 District residents have sent letters
of support. The petition signatures and letters have been filed with the
PSC.
Among those who signed on to the settlement agreement are Mayor Muriel
Bowser, the Department of Energy and Environment, the Office of the
People’s Counsel, the Attorney General, the Apartment and Office
Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, the District of
Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, the National Consumer Law Center and
the National Housing Trust. A majority of D.C. Councilmembers also have
endorsed the merger.
The merger has been approved in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and
Virginia and by federal regulators. The D.C. PSC has set a schedule
which would allow for completing the proceeding by the first quarter of
2016.
About Exelon Corporation
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is the nation’s leading competitive
energy provider, with 2014 revenues of approximately $27.4 billion.
Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon does business in 48 states, the
District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest
competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 32,000 megawatts
of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation
business unit provides energy products and services to more than 2.5
million residential, public sector and business customers, including
more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Exelon’s utilities deliver
electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in
central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern
Pennsylvania (PECO). Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About Pepco Holdings Inc.
Pepco Holdings Inc. is one of the largest energy delivery companies in
the Mid-Atlantic region, serving about 2 million customers in Delaware,
the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey. PHI subsidiaries
Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric provide regulated
electricity service; Delmarva Power also provides natural gas service.
PHI also provides energy efficiency and renewable energy services
through Pepco Energy Services. For more information, visit online: www.pepcoholdings.com.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the
matters discussed in this communication constitute “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended by the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “might,”
“will,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“predict,” “project,” “future,” “potential,” “intend,” “seek to,”
“plan,” “assume,” “believe,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,”
“continue” or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and
words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any
discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger,
integration plans and expected synergies, the expected timing of
completion of the transaction, anticipated future financial and
operating performance and results, including estimates for growth. These
statements are based on the current expectations of management of Exelon
Corporation (Exelon) and Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), as applicable.
There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements
included in this communication. For example, (1) the uncertainty
surrounding reconsideration of the denial of the Merger application by
the DC Public Service Commission may delay the merger or cause the
companies to abandon the merger; (2) conditions to the closing of the
merger may not be satisfied; (3) problems may arise in successfully
integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the
combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected;
(4) the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting
synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those
synergies; (5) the merger may involve unexpected costs, unexpected
liabilities or unexpected delays, or the effects of purchase accounting
may be different from the companies’ expectations; (6) the credit
ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different
from what the companies expect; (7) the businesses of the
companies may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the merger;
(8) the companies may not realize the values expected to be obtained for
properties expected or required to be sold; (9) the industry may be
subject to future regulatory or legislative actions that could adversely
affect the companies; and (10) the companies may be adversely affected
by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Other unknown
or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on
future results, performance or achievements of the combined company.
Therefore, forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances
of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from
those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Discussions of some
of these other important factors and assumptions are contained in
Exelon’s and PHI’s respective filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov,
including: (1) Exelon’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial
Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 22; (2) Exelon’s Third Quarter
2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) Part II, Other Information,
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors; (b) Part 1, Financial Information, ITEM 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations and (c) Part I, Financial Information, ITEM 1. Financial
Statements: Note 19; (3) the definitive proxy statement that PHI filed
with the SEC on August 12, 2014 and mailed to its stockholders in
connection with the proposed merger (as supplemented by PHI’s Form 8-K
filed with the SEC on September 12, 2014); (4) PHI’s 2014 Annual Report
on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 15;
and (5) PHI’s Third Quarter 2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a)
PART I, ITEM 1. Financial Statements, (b) PART I, ITEM 2. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations, and (c) Part II, Other Information, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.
In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the
forward-looking events discussed in this communication may not occur.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
communication. Neither Exelon nor PHI undertakes any obligation to
publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication.
New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Exelon
or PHI to predict all such factors. Furthermore, it may not be possible
to assess the impact of any such factor on Exelon’s or PHI’s respective
businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors,
may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statement. Any specific factors that may be provided
should not be construed as exhaustive.
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