NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW
22 February 2018 – Ence Energía y Celulosa, S.A. (the “Company” or “Ence”) announced today the launch of an offering (the “Offering”) of €160 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured convertible bonds (the “Bonds”) due 2023, convertible into ordinary shares (the “Shares”) of the Company.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Bonds to fund the voluntary early redemption of its outstanding € 250 million at 5.375% Senior Notes due 1 November 2022, as well as for general corporate purposes, including extending the maturity term and reducing the average cost of its debt, improving its liquidity, and diversifying its sources of funding.
The Bonds will carry a coupon, which is expected to be set within a range of 0.625 to 1.375% per annum, payable biannually in arrears on 5 March and 5 September of each year, commencing on 5 September 2018. The Bonds will be issued at 100% of their principal amount and, unless previously redeemed, converted, or purchased and cancelled, will be redeemed at 100% of their principal amount at maturity on 5 March 2023.
The Bonds will be convertible at the option of bondholders into Shares at a conversion price that is expected to be set at a premium of between 35 and 40% above the volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of the Shares on the Spanish Exchanges (Bolsas de Valores) between opening and closing of trading today. Upon conversion, the Company will have the option to deliver new or existing Shares or a combination thereof. The conversion price will be subject to customary adjustment provisions set out in the terms and conditions of the Bonds.
ENCE will have the option to redeem all, but not only some, of the outstanding Bonds at their principal amount plus accrued interest at any time (i) on or after the date that falls 3 years and 21 days from the Issue Date, if the value of the Shares underlying a Bond in the principal amount of €100,000 exceeds €130,000 (during a specified period) or (ii) if less than 15% of the aggregate principal amount of the Bonds issued remain outstanding.
The final terms of the Bonds are expected to be determined and announced later today following an accelerated bookbuilding process, and settlement of the Offering is expected to take place on or around 5 March 2018 (the “Closing Date”).
In the context of the Offering, the Company and its subsidiaries will be subject to a lock-up undertaking in relation to the Shares for a period ending 90 days after the Closing Date, subject to customary exceptions.
ENCE intends to apply for admission to trading of the Bonds on the Open Market (Freiverkehr) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange or any other multilateral trading facility or regulated market as defined for the purposes of EU Directive 2014/65/EU on Markets in Financial Instruments, as amended (“MiFID II”), in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or other organised secondary market prior to the first coupon payment date.
BNP PARIBAS is acting as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner in respect of the Offering.
The Sole Bookrunner will carry out an accelerated bookbuilding process solely with qualified investors for the subscription of the Bonds. The Bonds will be offered outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. No public offering of the Bonds will be made.
About ENCE
ENCE is one of Europe’s largest short-fibre pulp (BHKP) producers, with installed capacity of 1,070,000 tons between the two mills in Galicia and Asturias, in the north of Spain, and as the biggest generator of biomass-fuelled renewable energy, with installed capacity of 112 MW integrated within the pulp plants and another 170 MW distributed between six standalone plants located in the south of Spain. Moreover, ENCE is the Spanish leader in the end-to-end and responsible management of forest land and crops.
ENCE has developed its activities around two core businesses: the production of pulp, which represented 79% of Group EBITDA in 2017, and the generation of renewable energy with biomass at standalone power plants, which accounted for the remaining 21%.
In the pulp business, ENCE has two eucalyptus pulp mills in Spain, which produce bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) by means of elementary chlorine-free (ECF) and totally chlorine-free (TCF) bleaching sequences: a 605,000 ton capacity facility in the town of Navia, Asturias, and a 465,000 ton capacity complex in Pontevedra, Galicia.
As an integral part of its kraft pulp production process, ENCE uses the lignin and forest waste derived from its manufacturing to generate the energy needed for the process. To this end, it operates a 34.6 MW CHP plant, integrated within the Pontevedra mill, and a 40.3 MW CHP plant and a 36.7 MW biomass generation plant, both of which are integrated within the pulp production process at the Navia facility. The energy produced at these power plants is sold to the grid and subsequently repurchased.
The pulp business therefore includes both the production and sale of pulp and the generation and cogeneration of energy at the plants involved in the production process, as well as the supply of timber to third parties from the plantations managed by the company.
The energy business, meanwhile, encompasses the generation of power from renewable sources –forestry and agricultural biomass– at plants that have no relation to the pulp production process. ENCE currently has six such power plants: two located in Huelva, with installed capacity of 50 MW and 41 MW, respectively, one in Merida (20 MW), one in Ciudad Real (16 MW), one in Jaen (16 MW) and another facility in Cordoba (27 MW).
Contacts
Luis Carlos Martinez
General Manager of Corporate Communications
e-mail: lcmartinez@ence.es
Tel: +34 913 378 783
NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE COMPANY, THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES THAT WOULD PERMIT AN OFFERING OF THE BONDS OR POSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PRESS RELEASE OR ANY OFFERING OR PUBLICITY MATERIAL RELATING TO THE BONDS IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE ACTION FOR THAT PURPOSE IS REQUIRED. PERSONS INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS PRESS RELEASE COMES ARE REQUIRED BY THE COMPANY AND THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER TO INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT, AND TO OBSERVE, ANY SUCH RESTRICTIONS.
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES OR THE SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO BUY SECURITIES, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS PRESS RELEASE AND THE OFFERING WHEN MADE ARE ONLY ADDRESSED TO, AND DIRECTED IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EEA AT PERSONS WHO ARE “QUALIFIED INVESTORS” WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE (“QUALIFIED INVESTORS”). FOR THESE PURPOSES, THE EXPRESSION “PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE” MEANS DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC, AS AMENDED.
SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PRODUCT GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS CONTAINED WITHIN: (A) MIFID II; (B) ARTICLES 9 AND 10 OF COMMISSION DELEGATED DIRECTIVE (EU) 2017/593 SUPPLEMENTING MIFID II; AND (C) LOCAL IMPLEMENTING MEASURES (TOGETHER, THE “MIFID II PRODUCT GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS”), AND DISCLAIMING ALL AND ANY LIABILITY, WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, WHICH ANY “MANUFACTURER” (FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE MIFID II PRODUCT GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS) MAY OTHERWISE HAVE WITH RESPECT THERETO, THE BONDS HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO A PRODUCT APPROVAL PROCESS, WHICH HAS DETERMINED THAT: (I) THE TARGET MARKET FOR THE BONDS IS ELIGIBLE COUNTERPARTIES AND PROFESSIONAL CLIENTS ONLY, EACH AS DEFINED IN MIFID II; AND (II) ALL CHANNELS FOR DISTRIBUTION OF THE BONDS TO ELIGIBLE COUNTERPARTIES AND PROFESSIONAL CLIENTS ARE APPROPRIATE. ANY PERSON SUBSEQUENTLY OFFERING, SELLING OR RECOMMENDING THE BONDS (A “DISTRIBUTOR”) SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE MANUFACTURER’S TARGET MARKET ASSESSMENT; HOWEVER, A DISTRIBUTOR SUBJECT TO MIFID II IS RESPONSIBLE FOR UNDERTAKING ITS OWN TARGET MARKET ASSESSMENT IN RESPECT OF THE BONDS (BY EITHER ADOPTING OR REFINING THE MANUFACTURER‘S TARGET MARKET ASSESSMENT) AND DETERMINING APPROPRIATE DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS.
THE TARGET MARKET ASSESSMENT IS WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY CONTRACTUAL OR LEGAL SELLING RESTRICTIONS IN RELATION TO ANY OFFERING OF THE BONDS.
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, THE TARGET MARKET ASSESSMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE: (A) AN ASSESSMENT OF SUITABILITY OR APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE PURPOSES OF MIFID II; OR (B) A RECOMMENDATION TO ANY INVESTOR OR GROUP OF INVESTORS TO INVEST IN, OR PURCHASE, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION WHATSOEVER WITH RESPECT TO THE BONDS.
THE BONDS ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE TO AND SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE TO ANY RETAIL INVESTOR IN THE EEA. FOR THESE PURPOSES, A RETAIL INVESTOR MEANS A PERSON WHO IS ONE (OR MORE) OF: (I) A RETAIL CLIENT AS DEFINED IN POINT (11) OF ARTICLE 4(1) OF MIFID II; OR (II) A CUSTOMER WITHIN THE MEANING OF DIRECTIVE 2002/92/EC, WHERE THAT CUSTOMER WOULD NOT QUALIFY AS A PROFESSIONAL CLIENT AS DEFINED IN POINT (10) OF ARTICLE 4(1) OF MIFID II. CONSEQUENTLY, NO KEY INFORMATION DOCUMENT REQUIRED BY REGULATION (EU) NO 1286/2014, AS AMENDED (THE “PRIIPS REGULATION”) FOR OFFERING OR SELLING THE BONDS OR OTHERWISE MAKING THEM AVAILABLE TO RETAIL INVESTORS IN THE EEA HAS BEEN PREPARED AND THEREFORE OFFERING OR SELLING THE BONDS OR OTHERWISE MAKING THEM AVAILABLE TO ANY RETAIL INVESTOR IN THE EEA MAY BE UNLAWFUL UNDER THE PRIIPS REGULATION.
IN ADDITION, IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THIS PRESS RELEASE IS BEING DISTRIBUTED ONLY TO, AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT, QUALIFIED INVESTORS (I) WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE “ORDER”) AND QUALIFIED INVESTORS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE ORDER, AND (II) TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS “RELEVANT PERSONS”). THIS PRESS RELEASE MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON (I) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS, AND (II) IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA OTHER THAN THE UNITED KINGDOM, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED INVESTORS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS PRESS RELEASE RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO (A) RELEVANT PERSONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND (B) QUALIFIED INVESTORS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EEA (OTHER THAN THE UNITED KINGDOM).
ANY DECISION TO PURCHASE ANY OF THE BONDS SHOULD ONLY BE MADE ON THE BASIS OF AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW BY A PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR OF THE COMPANY’S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION. NEITHER THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER NOR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES ACCEPT ANY LIABILITY ARISING FROM THE USE OF, OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF, THIS PRESS RELEASE OR THE COMPANY’S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT NOTICE UP TO THE CLOSING DATE.
EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR SHOULD PROCEED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT MUST BEAR THE ECONOMIC RISK OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE BONDS OR THE ORDINARY SHARES TO BE ISSUED OR TRANSFERRED AND DELIVERED UPON CONVERSION OF THE BONDS AND NOTIONALLY UNDERLYING THE BONDS (TOGETHER WITH THE BONDS, THE “SECURITIES”). NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO (I) THE SUITABILITY OF THE SECURITIES FOR ANY PARTICULAR INVESTOR, (II) THE APPROPRIATE ACCOUNTING TREATMENT AND POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF INVESTING IN THE SECURITIES OR (III) THE FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF THE SECURITIES EITHER IN ABSOLUTE TERMS OR RELATIVE TO COMPETING INVESTMENTS.
THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER IS ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY AND NO ONE ELSE IN CONNECTION WITH THE BONDS AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO ANY OTHER PERSON FOR PROVIDING THE PROTECTIONS AFFORDED TO CLIENTS OF THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER OR FOR PROVIDING ADVICE IN RELATION TO THE SECURITIES.
EACH OF THE COMPANY, THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATION OR UNDERTAKING TO UPDATE, REVIEW OR REVISE ANY STATEMENT CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE WHETHER AS A RESULT OF NEW INFORMATION, FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS OR OTHERWISE.
