Columbia Pipeline Partners announces distribution growth outlook through 2020

HOUSTON, May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: CPPL) ("CPPL"), a NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) company, today provided its average distribution growth outlook through 2020.  Subject to the key assumptions described below, CPPL expects to offer unitholders an average annual distribution growth rate of approximately 20 percent. 

"With approximately $8 billion in capital being deployed over the next several years at Columbia Pipeline Group, we plan to create value for CPPL unitholders through transparent and long-term distribution growth," Robert C. Skaggs Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of CPPL said. "Most of this investment is supported by long-term, fee-based, take-or-pay contracts."

CPPL's minimum quarterly distribution is $0.1675 per unit, or $0.67 per unit annually. On April 29, CPPL announced its initial prorated quarterly distribution of $0.0912 per unit to both common and subordinated unitholders, which covered the portion of the first quarter 2015 between the day following the close of the initial public offering on February 11, 2015, and March 31, 2015. 

CPPL's business and operations are conducted through its 15.7 percent interest in CPG OpCo LP and its subsidiaries, which own and operate substantially all of the natural gas transmission, storage and midstream assets of NiSource Inc.'s Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG) unit. 

Columbia Pipeline Group outlines post-separation performance outlook through 2020

In a NiSource press release issued this morning, CPG outlined its post-separation business strategy and growth outlook, which included among other things, that the expected net investment in CPG OpCo's pipeline, storage and midstream assets is expected to grow from approximately $4.6 billion at the beginning of 2015 to approximately $13.5 billion at year-end 2020. Total capital expenditures from 2016 to 2020 are expected to reach approximately $8.4 billion, of which approximately $4 billion is planned to be funded by the issuance of CPPL equity. Total capital expenditures include maintenance capital of approximately $135 million a year.

The committed project inventory is expected to deliver CPG EBITDA (non-GAAP) of approximately $680 million, excluding separation costs, in 2015, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 20 percent through 2020. For a reconciliation of CPG's EBITDA outlook to GAAP for 2015, please see the CPPL Form 8K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 14, 2015.

CPG post-separation performance outlook webcast scheduled for today

CPG's executive team will provide an overview of CPG's business strategy, highlighting its growth and infrastructure investment inventory, today at 10:30 a.m. – noon ET. A webcast of the event with accompanying presentations will be available at www.nisource.com. The webcast also will be archived at the NiSource website. 

About Columbia Pipeline Partners LP

Columbia Pipeline Partners LP, based in Houston, Texas, is a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership formed to own, operate and develop a growing portfolio of natural gas pipelines, storage and related midstream assets.

CPPL's business and operations are conducted through CPG OpCo LP and its subsidiaries, which own and operate substantially all of the natural gas transmission, storage and midstream assets of NiSource Inc.'s Columbia Pipeline Group unit. Columbia Pipeline Group operates approximately 15,000 miles of strategically located interstate pipelines extending from New York to the Gulf of Mexico, one of the nation's largest underground natural gas storage systems, and a growing portfolio of related gathering and processing assets. The majority of its assets overlay the Marcellus and Utica Shale production areas. Additional information can be found at www.columbiapipelinepartners.com and www.columbiapipelinegroup.com.  NI-F

Forward Looking Statements

This release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, which are statements other than historical facts and that frequently use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "position," "should," "strategy," "target," "will" and similar words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond CPPL's control. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release.  Although CPPL believes that the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved.  Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied or forecast in such statements.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on current plans and expectations and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  CPPL's business may be influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often beyond the CPPL's control.  These factors include, but are not limited to, the timing to consummate the separation of the businesses of NiSource and CPG; changes in general economic conditions; competitive conditions in our industry; actions taken by third-party operators, processors and transporters; the demand for natural gas storage and transportation services; our ability to successfully implement our business plan; our ability to complete internal growth projects on time and on budget; the price and availability of debt and equity financing; restrictions in our existing and any future credit facilities; capital market performance and other factors that may decrease the value of benefit plan assets; the availability and price of natural gas to the consumer compared to the price of alternative and competing fuels; competition from the same and alternative energy sources; energy efficiency and technology trends; operating hazards and other risks incidental to transporting, storing and gathering natural gas; natural disasters, weather-related delays, casualty losses and other matters beyond our control; interest rates; labor relations; large customer defaults; changes in the availability and cost of capital; changes in tax status; the effects of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; and the effects of future litigation. For a full discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please refer to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. CPPL refers you to those discussions and information included in subsequent filings it makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission for further information. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirely by such cautionary statements. CPPL does not have any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information or future events, after the date of this press release except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Columbia Pipeline Partners LP

Related Links

http://www.columbiapipelinepartners.com

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