364-DAY CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of September 10, 2008 among PPL ENERGY SUPPLY, LLC, THE LENDERS FROM TIME TO TIME PARTY HERETO and WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Administrative Agent, WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC, as Lead Arranger BARCLAYS...
Exhibit
10(a)
Execution
Version
CUSIP
Number: __________
$385,000,000
364-DAY
CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated
as of September 10, 2008
among
PPL
ENERGY SUPPLY, LLC,
THE
LENDERS FROM TIME TO TIME PARTY HERETO
and
WACHOVIA
BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as
Administrative Agent,
WACHOVIA
CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC,
as
Lead Arranger
BARCLAYS
BANK PLC,
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX BANK,
THE
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND
and
CREDIT
SUISSE, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH,
as
Syndication Agents
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE
I DEFINITIONS
|
1
|
||
Section
1.01.
|
Definitions
|
1
|
|
ARTICLE
II THE CREDITS
|
16
|
||
Section
2.01.
|
Commitments
to Lend
|
16
|
|
Section
2.02.
|
[Intentionally
Omitted]
|
16
|
|
Section
2.03.
|
Notice
of Borrowings
|
16
|
|
Section
2.04.
|
Notice
to Lenders; Funding of Revolving Loans.
|
16
|
|
Section
2.05.
|
Noteless
Agreement; Evidence of Indebtedness.
|
17
|
|
Section
2.06.
|
Interest
Rates.
|
18
|
|
Section
2.07.
|
Fees.
|
20
|
|
Section
2.08.
|
Adjustments
of Commitments.
|
20
|
|
Section
2.09.
|
Maturity
of Loans; Mandatory Prepayments.
|
22
|
|
Section
2.10.
|
Optional
Prepayments and Repayments.
|
23
|
|
Section
2.11.
|
General
Provisions as to Payments.
|
23
|
|
Section
2.12.
|
Funding
Losses
|
24
|
|
Section
2.13.
|
Computation
of Interest and Fees
|
24
|
|
Section
2.14.
|
Basis
for Determining Interest Rate Inadequate, Unfair or
Unavailable
|
24
|
|
Section
2.15.
|
Illegality
|
25
|
|
Section
2.16.
|
Increased
Cost and Reduced Return.
|
25
|
|
Section
2.17.
|
Taxes.
|
26
|
|
Section
2.18.
|
Base
Rate Loans Substituted for Affected Euro-Dollar Loans
|
28
|
|
Section
2.19.
|
Increases
to the Revolving Commitment.
|
29
|
|
ARTICLE
III LETTERS OF CREDIT
|
30
|
||
Section
3.01.
|
Issuing
Lenders
|
30
|
|
Section
3.02.
|
Letters
of Credit
|
30
|
|
Section
3.03.
|
Method
of Issuance of Letters of Credit
|
31
|
|
Section
3.04.
|
Conditions
to Issuance of Letters of Credit
|
31
|
|
Section
3.05.
|
Purchase
and Sale of Letter of Credit Participations
|
31
|
|
Section
3.06.
|
Drawings
under Letters of Credit
|
32
|
|
Section
3.07.
|
Reimbursement
Obligations
|
32
|
|
Section
3.08.
|
Duties
of Issuing Lenders to Lenders; Reliance
|
32
|
|
Section
3.09.
|
Obligations
of Lenders to Reimburse Issuing Lender for Unpaid Drawings
|
33
|
|
Section
3.10.
|
Funds
Received from the Borrower in Respect of Drawn Letters of
Credit
|
34
|
|
Section
3.11.
|
Obligations
in Respect of Letters of Credit Unconditional
|
34
|
|
Section
3.12.
|
Indemnification
in Respect of Letters of Credit
|
35
|
|
Section
3.13.
|
ISP98
|
36
|
|
ARTICLE
IV CONDITIONS
|
36
|
||
Section
4.01.
|
Conditions
to Closing
|
36
|
|
Section
4.02.
|
Conditions
to All Credit Events
|
37
|
|
ARTICLE
V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
|
38
|
||
Section
5.01.
|
Status
|
38
|
|
Section
5.02.
|
Authority;
No Conflict
|
38
|
|
Section
5.03.
|
Legality;
Etc
|
38
|
|
Section
5.04.
|
Financial
Condition.
|
38
|
|
Section
5.05.
|
Rights
to Properties
|
39
|
|
Section
5.06.
|
Litigation
|
39
|
|
Section
5.07.
|
No
Violation
|
39
|
|
Section
5.08.
|
ERISA
|
40
|
|
Section
5.09.
|
Governmental
Approvals
|
40
|
|
Section
5.10.
|
Investment
Company Act
|
40
|
|
Section
5.11.
|
Restricted
Subsidiaries, Etc
|
40
|
|
Section
5.12.
|
Tax
Returns and Payments
|
40
|
|
Section
5.13.
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
40
|
|
Section
5.14.
|
No
Default
|
41
|
|
Section
5.15.
|
Environmental
Matters.
|
41
|
|
Section
5.16.
|
Guarantees
|
42
|
|
Section
5.17.
|
OFAC
|
42
|
|
ARTICLE
VI COVENANTS
|
42
|
||
Section
6.01.
|
Information
|
42
|
|
Section
6.02.
|
Maintenance
of Property; Insurance.
|
44
|
|
Section
6.03.
|
Conduct
of Business and Maintenance of Existence
|
44
|
|
Section
6.04.
|
Compliance
with Laws, Etc
|
45
|
|
Section
6.05.
|
Books
and Records
|
45
|
|
Section
6.06.
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
45
|
|
Section
6.07.
|
Restriction
on Liens
|
45
|
|
Section
6.08.
|
Merger
or Consolidation
|
48
|
|
Section
6.09.
|
Asset
Sales
|
48
|
|
Section
6.10.
|
Restrictive
Agreements
|
49
|
|
Section
6.11.
|
Consolidated
Debt to Consolidated Capitalization Ratio
|
49
|
|
Section
6.12.
|
Indebtedness
|
49
|
|
ARTICLE
VII DEFAULTS
|
49
|
||
Section
7.01.
|
Events
of Default
|
49
|
|
ARTICLE
VIII THE AGENTS
|
51
|
||
Section
8.01.
|
Appointment
and Authorization
|
51
|
|
Section
8.02.
|
Individual
Capacity
|
52
|
|
Section
8.03.
|
Delegation
of Duties
|
52
|
|
Section
8.04.
|
Reliance
by the Administrative Agent
|
52
|
|
Section
8.05.
|
Notice
of Default
|
52
|
|
Section
8.06.
|
Non-Reliance
on the Agents and Other Lenders
|
53
|
|
Section
8.07.
|
Exculpatory
Provisions
|
53
|
|
Section
8.08.
|
Indemnification
|
53
|
|
Section
8.09.
|
Resignation;
Successors
|
54
|
|
Section
8.10.
|
Administrative
Agent’s Fees
|
55
|
|
ARTICLE
IX MISCELLANEOUS
|
55
|
||
Section
9.01.
|
Notices
|
55
|
|
Section
9.02.
|
No
Waivers; Non-Exclusive Remedies
|
57
|
|
Section
9.03.
|
Expenses;
Indemnification.
|
57
|
|
Section
9.04.
|
Sharing
of Set-Offs
|
58
|
|
Section
9.05.
|
Amendments
and Waivers
|
58
|
|
Section
9.06.
|
Successors
and Assigns.
|
59
|
|
Section
9.07.
|
Governing
Law; Submission to Jurisdiction
|
61
|
|
Section
9.08.
|
Counterparts;
Integration; Effectiveness
|
61
|
|
Section
9.09.
|
Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles
|
62
|
|
Section
9.10.
|
Usage
|
62
|
|
Section
9.11.
|
WAIVER
OF JURY TRIAL
|
63
|
|
Section
9.12.
|
Confidentiality
|
63
|
|
Section
9.13.
|
USA
PATRIOT Act Notice
|
64
|
Appendices
and Schedules:
Commitment
Appendix
Schedules:
Schedule
5.11
|
-
|
Restricted
Subsidiaries, Etc.
|
Schedule
5.16
|
-
|
Guarantees
of Foreign Subsidiary Debt
|
Schedule
6.07
|
-
|
Existing
Liens
|
Schedule
6.10
|
-
|
Restrictive
Agreements
|
Schedule
6.12
|
-
|
Existing
Debt
|
Exhibits:
Exhibit
A-1
|
-
|
Form
of Notice of Borrowing
|
Exhibit
A-2
|
-
|
Form
of Notice of Conversion/Continuation
|
Exhibit
A-3
|
-
|
Form
of Letter of Credit Request
|
Exhibit
B
|
-
|
Form
of Note
|
Exhibit
C
|
-
|
Form
of Assignment and Assumption Agreement
|
Exhibit
D
|
-
|
Forms
of Opinion of Counsel for the Borrower
|
Exhibit
E
|
-
|
Form
of Notice of Revolving Increase
|
364-DAY CREDIT AGREEMENT (this
“Agreement”)
dated as of September 10, 2008 among PPL ENERGY SUPPLY, LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company (the “Borrower”), the
LENDERS party hereto from time to time and WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Administrative Agent.
The
Borrower has requested, and, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the
Lenders have agreed, to extend certain credit facilities to the Borrower on the
terms and conditions of this Agreement. Accordingly, in consideration
of the mutual agreements set forth herein and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.01. Definitions. All
capitalized terms used in this Agreement or in any Appendix, Schedule or Exhibit
hereto which are not otherwise defined herein or therein shall have the
respective meanings set forth below.
“Adjusted London Interbank
Offered Rate” means, for any Interest Period, a rate per annum equal to
the quotient obtained (rounded upward, if necessary, to the nearest 1/100th of
1%) by dividing (i) the London Interbank Offered Rate for such Interest Period
by (ii) 1.00 minus the Euro-Dollar Reserve Percentage.
“Administrative Agent”
means Wachovia Bank, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders
hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, and its successor or successors in
such capacity.
“Administrative
Questionnaire” means, with respect to each Lender, an administrative
questionnaire in the form provided by the Administrative Agent and submitted to
the Administrative Agent (with a copy to the Borrower) duly completed by such
Lender.
“Affiliate” means,
with respect to any Person, any other Person who is directly or indirectly
controlling, controlled by or under common control with such
Person. A Person shall be deemed to control another Person if such
Person possesses, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management or policies of the controlled Person, whether
through the ownership of stock or its equivalent, by contract or
otherwise.
“Agent” means the
Administrative Agent or the Lead Arranger and “Agents” means both of
them.
“Agreement” means this
Credit Agreement, as amended, restated supplemented or modified from time to
time.
“Applicable Lending
Office” means, with respect to any Lender, (i) in the case of its Base
Rate Loans, its Base Rate Lending Office and (ii) in the case of its Euro-Dollar
Loans, its Euro-Dollar Lending Office.
“Applicable
Percentage” means, for purposes of calculating (i) the applicable
interest rate for any day for any Base Rate Loans or Euro-Dollar Loans, (ii) the
applicable rate for the Commitment Fee for any day for purposes of Section
2.07(a) or (iii) the applicable rate for the Letter of Credit Fee for any day
for purposes of Section 2.07(b), the appropriate applicable percentage set forth
below corresponding to the then current highest Borrower’s Ratings; provided, that, in
the event that (a) the Borrower’s Ratings shall fall within different levels and
ratings are maintained by all Rating Agencies, (i) if two applicable ratings are
equal and higher than the third applicable rating, the higher applicable rating
will apply, (ii) if two applicable ratings are equal and lower than the third
applicable rating, the lower applicable rating will apply, (iii) if no
applicable ratings are equal, the intermediate applicable rating will apply; (b)
if the Borrower’s Ratings shall fall within different levels and ratings are
then maintained by only two Rating Agencies, the applicable rating shall be
based on the higher of the two applicable ratings unless one of the two
applicable ratings is two or more levels lower than the other, in which case the
applicable rating shall be determined by reference to the level one rating lower
than the higher of the two applicable ratings:
Borrower’s
Ratings
(S&P
/Xxxxx’x /Fitch)
|
Applicable
Percentage for Commitment Fees
|
Applicable
Percentage for Base Rate Loans
|
Applicable
Percentage for Euro-Dollar Loans and Letter of Credit
Fees
|
|
Category
A
|
> A- from
S&P / A3 from
Xxxxx’x/
A- from Fitch
|
0.10%
|
0.0%
|
1.00%
|
Category
B
|
BBB+
from S&P / Baa1 from
Xxxxx’x
/ BBB+ from Fitch
|
0.15%
|
0.0%
|
1.250%
|
Category
C
|
BBB
from S&P / Baa2 from
Xxxxx’x
/ BBB from Fitch
|
0.20%
|
0.0%
|
1.50%
|
Category
D
|
BBB-
from S&P / Baa3 from
Xxxxx’x
/ BBB- from Fitch
|
0.30%
|
0.0%
|
1.75%
|
Category
E
|
<
BBB- from S&P / Baa3
from
Xxxxx’x / BBB- from
Fitch
|
0.35%
|
0.0%
|
2.00%
|
“Asset Sale” shall
mean any sale of any assets, including by way of the sale by the Borrower or any
of its Subsidiaries of equity interests in such Subsidiaries.
“Assignee” has the
meaning set forth in Section 9.06(c).
“Assignment and Assumption
Agreement” means an Assignment and Assumption Agreement, substantially in
the form of attached Exhibit C, under which an interest of a Lender hereunder is
transferred to an Eligible Assignee pursuant to Section 9.06(c).
“Availability Period”
means the period from and including the Closing Date to but excluding the
Termination Date.
“Bankruptcy Code”
means the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, as amended, or any successor
statute.
“Base Rate” means for
any day a rate per annum equal to the higher of (i) the Prime Rate for such day
and (ii) the sum of 1/2 of 1% plus the Federal Funds Rate for such
day.
“Base Rate Borrowing”
means a Borrowing comprised of Base Rate Loans.
“Base Rate Lending
Office” means, as to each Lender, its office located at its address set
forth in its Administrative Questionnaire (or identified in its Administrative
Questionnaire as its Base Rate Lending Office) or such other office as such
Lender may hereafter designate as its Base Rate Lending Office by notice to the
Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
“Base Rate Loan” means
a Loan in respect of which interest is computed on the basis of the Base Rate
plus the Applicable Percentage, if any, with respect to Base Rate
Loans.
“Borrower” has the
meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Borrower’s Rating”
means the senior unsecured long-term debt rating of the Borrower from S&P,
Xxxxx’x or Fitch.
“Borrowing” means a
group of Loans of a single Type made by the Lenders on a single date and, in the
case of a Euro-Dollar Borrowing, having a single Interest Period.
“Business Day” means
any day except a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in
Charlotte, North Carolina or New York, New York are authorized by law to close;
provided, that,
when used in Article III with respect to any action taken by or with respect to
any Issuing Lender, the term “Business Day” shall not include any day on which
commercial banks are authorized by law to close in the jurisdiction where the
office at which such Issuing Lender books any Letter of Credit is located; and
provided, further, that when
used with respect to any borrowing of, payment or prepayment of principal of or
interest on, or the Interest Period for, a Euro-Dollar Loan, or a notice by the
Borrower with respect to any such borrowing payment, prepayment or Interest
Period, the term “Business Day” shall also mean that such day is a day on which
commercial banks are open for international business (including dealings in
Dollar deposits) in London.
“Capital Lease” means
any lease of property which, in accordance with GAAP, should be capitalized on
the lessee’s balance sheet.
“Capital Lease
Obligations” means, with respect to any Person, all obligations of such
Person as lessee under Capital Leases, in each case taken at the amount thereof
accounted for as liabilities in accordance with GAAP.
“Change of Control”
means (i) the acquisition by any Person, or two or more Persons acting in
concert, of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended) of 25% or more of the outstanding shares of voting stock of PPL
Corporation or its successors or (ii) the failure at any time of PPL Corporation
or its successors to own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Voting
Stock in the Borrower.
“Closing Date” means
the date, not later than September 10, 2008, on which the Administrative Agent
determines that the conditions specified in or pursuant to Section 4.01 have
been satisfied.
“Commitment” means,
with respect to any Lender, the commitment of such Lender to (i) make Loans
under this Agreement as set forth in the Commitment Appendix, (ii) to purchase
participations in Letters of Credit pursuant to Article III hereof, in each case
as such Commitment may be reduced from time to time pursuant to Sections 2.08(a)
or (b), 9.06(c) or increased from time to time pursuant to Sections
2.19 or 9.06(c).
“Commitment Appendix”
means the Appendix attached under this Agreement identified as
such.
“Commitment Fee” has
the meaning set forth in Section 2.07(a).
“Commitment Ratio”
shall mean, with respect to any Lender for its Commitment, the percentage
equivalent of the ratio which such Lender’s portion of such Commitment bears to
the aggregate amount of all Commitments, as the case may be (as each may be
adjusted from time to time as provided herein); and “Commitment Ratios”
shall mean, with respect to any Commitment, the Commitment Ratios of all of the
Lenders with respect to such Commitment.
“Consolidated
Capitalization” shall mean the sum of, without duplication, (A) the
Consolidated Debt (without giving effect to clause (b) of the definition of
“Consolidated Debt”) and (B) the consolidated member’s equity (determined in
accordance with GAAP) of the common, preference and preferred equityholders of
the Borrower and minority interests recorded on the Borrower’s
consolidated financial statements (excluding from member’s equity the balance of
accumulated other comprehensive income/loss of the Borrower on any date of
determination solely with respect to (i) the effect of all unrealized gains and
losses reported under Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 in
connection with forward contracts, futures contracts or other derivatives or
commodity hedging agreements for the future delivery of electricity or capacity
and (ii) the effect of any pension and other post-retirement benefit liability
adjustment recorded in accordance with GAAP), except that for purposes of
calculating Consolidated Capitalization of the Borrower, Consolidated Debt of
the Borrower shall exclude Non-Recourse Debt and Consolidated Capitalization of
the Borrower shall exclude that portion of member’s equity attributable to
assets securing Non-Recourse Debt.
“Consolidated Debt”
means the consolidated Debt of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
(determined in accordance with GAAP), except that for purposes of this
definition (a) Consolidated Debt shall exclude Non-Recourse Debt of the
Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries, and (b) Consolidated Debt shall
exclude (i) Hybrid Securities of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
in an aggregate amount as shall not exceed 15% of Consolidated Capitalization
and (ii) Equity-Linked Securities in an aggregate amount as shall not exceed 15%
of Consolidated Capitalization.
“Consolidated
Subsidiary” means with respect to any Person at any date any Subsidiary
of such Person or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with
those of such Person in its consolidated financial statements if such statements
were prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP.
“Continuing Lender”
means with respect to any event described in Section 2.08(b), a Lender which is
not a Retiring Lender, and “Continuing Lenders” means any two or more of such
Continuing Lenders.
“Corporation” means a
corporation, association, company, joint stock company, limited liability
company, partnership or business trust.
“Credit Event” means a
Borrowing or the issuance, renewal or extension of a Letter of
Credit.
“Debt” of any Person
means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed
money, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes
or similar instruments, (iii) all Guarantees by such Person of Debt of others,
(iv) all Capital Lease Obligations and Synthetic Leases of such Person, (v) all
obligations of such Person in respect of Interest Rate Protection Agreements,
foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest or exchange rate hedging
arrangements (the amount of any such obligation to be the net amount that would
be payable upon the acceleration, termination or liquidation thereof), but only
to the extent that such net obligations exceed $75,000,000 in the aggregate and
(vi) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of
credit and bankers’ acceptances; provided, however, that “Debt”
of such Person does not include (a) obligations of such Person under any
installment sale, conditional sale or title retention agreement or any other
agreement relating to obligations for the deferred purchase price of property or
services (b) obligations under agreements relating to the purchase and sale of
any commodity, including any power sale or purchase agreements, any commodity
hedge or derivative (regardless of whether any such transaction is a “financial”
or physical transaction), (c) any trade obligations or other obligations of such
Person incurred in the ordinary course of business or (d) obligations of such
Person under any lease agreement (including any lease intended as security) that
is not a Capital Lease or a Synthetic Lease.
“Default” means any
condition or event which constitutes an Event of Default or which with the
giving of notice or lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become
an Event of Default.
“Defaulting Lender”
means at any time any Lender with respect to which a Lender Default is in effect
at such time.
“Dollars” and the sign
“$” means lawful money of the United States of America.
“Effective Date” means
the date this Agreement becomes effective in accordance with Section
9.08.
“Eligible Assignee”
means (i) a Lender; (ii) a commercial bank organized under the laws of the
United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least
$100,000,000; (iii) a commercial bank organized under the laws of any other
country which is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, or a political subdivision of any such country, and having a
combined capital and surplus of at least $100,000,000; provided, that such
bank is acting through a branch or agency located and licensed in the United
States; or (iv) an Affiliate of a Lender that is an “accredited investor” (as
defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended); provided, that upon
and following the occurrence of an Event of Default, an Eligible Assignee shall
mean any Person other than the Borrower or its Affiliates.
“Environmental Laws”
means any and all federal, state and local statutes, laws, regulations,
ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants,
franchises, licenses or other written governmental restrictions relating to the
environment or to emissions, discharges or releases of pollutants, contaminants,
petroleum or petroleum products, chemicals or industrial, toxic or Hazardous
Substances or wastes into the environment including, without limitation, ambient
air, surface water, ground water, or land, or otherwise relating to the
manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage,
disposal, transport or handling of pollutants, contaminants, petroleum or
petroleum products, chemicals or industrial, toxic or Hazardous Substances or
wastes.
“Environmental
Liabilities” means all liabilities (including anticipated compliance
costs) in connection with or relating to the business, assets, presently or
previously owned, leased or operated property, activities (including, without
limitation, off-site disposal) or operations of the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries, whether vested or unvested, contingent or fixed, actual or
potential, which arise under or relate to matters covered by Environmental
Laws.
“Equity-Linked
Securities” means any securities of the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries which are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities
of the Borrower, such Subsidiary or PPL Corporation, including any securities
issued by any of such Persons which are pledged to secure any obligation of any
holder to purchase equity securities of the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries or
PPL Corporation.
“ERISA” means the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or any successor
statute.
“ERISA Group” means
the Borrower and all members of a controlled group of corporations and all
trades or businesses (whether or not incorporated) under common control which,
together with the Borrower, are treated as a single employer under Section
414(b) or (c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
“Euro-Dollar Lending
Office” means, as to each Lender, its office, branch or Affiliate located
at its address set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire (or identified in
its Administrative Questionnaire as its Euro-Dollar Lending Office) or such
other office, branch or Affiliate of such Lender as it may hereafter designate
as its Euro-Dollar Lending Office by notice to the Borrower and the
Administrative Agent.
“Euro-Dollar
Borrowing” means a Borrowing comprised of Euro-Dollar Loans.
“Euro-Dollar Loan”
means a Loan in respect of which interest is computed on the basis of the
Adjusted London Interbank Offered Rate pursuant to the applicable Notice of
Borrowing or Notice of Conversion/Continuation.
“Euro-Dollar Reserve
Percentage” of any Lender for the Interest Period of any LIBOR Rate Loan
means the reserve percentage applicable to such Lender during such Interest
Period (or if more than one such percentage shall be so applicable, the daily
average of such percentages for those days in such Interest Period during which
any such percentage shall be so applicable) under regulations issued from time
to time by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any
successor) for determining the maximum reserve requirement (including, without
limitation, any emergency, supplemental or other marginal reserve requirement)
then applicable to such Lender with respect to liabilities or assets consisting
of or including “Eurocurrency Liabilities” (as defined in Regulation
D). The Adjusted London Interbank Offered Rate shall be adjusted
automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in the Euro-Dollar
Reserve Percentage.
“Event of Default” has
the meaning set forth in Section 7.01.
“Existing Debt” means
the Debt outstanding on the Closing Date and listed on Schedule 6.12
hereto.
“Federal Funds Rate”
means for any day the rate per annum (rounded upward, if necessary, to the
nearest 1/100th of 1%) equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight
Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged
by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided, that (i) if
such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be
such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so
published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (ii) if no such rate is so
published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such
day shall be the average of quotations for such day on such transactions
received by the Administrative Agent from three federal funds brokers of
recognized standing selected by the Administrative Agent.
“Fee Letter” means the
letter designated as such dated as of August 21, 2008 by the Administrative
Agent and Wachovia Securities, as a Lead Arranger and book manager, addressed to
and acknowledged and agreed to by the Borrower, as amended, modified or
supplemented from time to time.
“Fitch” means Fitch,
Inc. and its successors or, absent any such successor, such nationally
recognized statistical rating organization as the Borrower and the
Administrative Agent may select.
“Foreign Subsidiary”
means a Subsidiary which is not formed under the laws of the United States or
any territory thereof.
“Fronting Fee” has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.07(b).
“GAAP” means United
States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent
basis.
“Governmental
Authority” means any federal, state or local government, authority,
agency, central bank, quasi-governmental authority, court or other body or
entity, and any arbitrator with authority to bind a party at law.
“Group of Loans” means
at any time a group of Loans consisting of (i) all Loans which are Base Rate
Loans at such time or (ii) all Loans which are Euro-Dollar Loans of the same
Type having the same Interest Period at such time; provided, that, if a
Loan of any particular Lender is converted to or made as a Base Rate Loan
pursuant to Sections 2.15 or 2.18, such Loan shall be included in the same Group
or Groups of Loans from time to time as it would have been in if it had not been
so converted or made.
“Guarantee” of or by
any person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such person
guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Debt of any other
person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly,
and including any obligation of such person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase
or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Debt or
to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for
payment of such Debt, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services
for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Debt of the payment of such Debt
or (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial
statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the
primary obligor to pay such Debt; provided, however, that the
term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the
ordinary course of business.
“Hazardous Substances”
means any toxic, caustic or otherwise hazardous substance, including petroleum,
its derivatives, by-products and other hydrocarbons, or any substance having any
constituent elements displaying any of the foregoing
characteristics.
“Hybrid Securities”
means any trust preferred securities, or deferrable interest subordinated debt
with a maturity of at least 20 years issued by the Borrower, or any business
trusts, limited liability companies, limited partnerships (or similar entities)
(i) all of the common equity, general partner or similar interests of which
are owned (either directly or indirectly through one or more wholly owned
Subsidiaries) at all times by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) that
have been formed for the purpose of issuing hybrid preferred securities and
(iii) substantially all the assets of which consist of (A) subordinated
debt of the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower, as the case may be, and
(B) payments made from time to time on the subordinated debt.
“Indemnitee” has the
meaning set forth in Section 9.03(b).
“Interest Period”
means with respect to each Euro-Dollar Loan, a period commencing on the date of
borrowing specified in the applicable Notice of Borrowing or on the date
specified in the applicable Notice of Conversion/Continuation and ending one,
two, three or six months thereafter, as the Borrower may elect in the applicable
notice; provided,
that:
(i) any
Interest Period which would otherwise end on a day which is not a Business Day
shall, subject to clauses (iii) and (iv) below, be extended to the next
succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar
month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding
Business Day;
(ii) any
Interest Period which begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on
a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month
at the end of such Interest Period) shall, subject to clause (iii) below, end on
the last Business Day of a calendar month;
(iii) if
any Interest Period includes a date on which a payment of principal of the Loans
is required (based on circumstances existing at the first day of such Interest
Period) to be made under Section 2.09 but does not end on such date, then (x)
the principal amount (if any) of each Euro-Dollar Loan required to be repaid on
such date shall have an Interest Period ending on such date and (y) the
remainder (if any) of each such Euro-Dollar Loan shall have an Interest Period
determined as set forth above; and
(iv) no
Interest Period shall end after the Termination Date.
“Interest Rate Protection
Agreements” means any agreement providing for an interest rate swap, cap
or collar, or any other financial agreement designed to protect against
fluctuations in interest rates.
“Internal Revenue
Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any
successor statute.
“Issuing Lender” means
(i) Wachovia Bank, National Association, in its capacity as an issuer of Letters
of Credit under Section 3.02, and its successor or successors in such capacity,
and (ii) any other Lender approved as an “Issuing Lender” pursuant to Section
3.01.
“Lead Arranger” means
Wachovia Securities, in its capacity as lead arranger for the Lenders hereunder
and under the other Loan Documents, and its successors in such
capacity.
“Lender” means each
bank or other lending institution listed in the Commitment Appendix as having a
Commitment, each Eligible Assignee that becomes a Lender pursuant to Section
9.06(c) and their respective successors and shall include, as the context may
require, each Issuing Lender in such capacity.
“Lender Default” means
(i) the failure (which has not been cured) of any Lender to make available any
Loan or any reimbursement for a drawing under a Letter of Credit which in either
case it is obligated to make available under the terms and conditions of this
Agreement or (ii) a Lender having notified the Administrative Agent and the
Borrower that such Lender does not intend to comply with its obligations under
Article II following the appointment of a receiver or conservator with respect
to such Lender at the direction or request of any regulatory agency or
authority.
“Letter of Credit”
means any standby letter of credit issued under this Agreement by an Issuing
Lender.
“Letter of Credit
Commitment” means the aggregate Revolving Commitment.
“Letter of Credit Fee”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.07(b).
“Letter of Credit
Liabilities” means, for any Lender at any time, the product derived by
multiplying (i) the sum, without duplication, of (A) the aggregate amount that
is (or may thereafter become) available for drawing under all Letters of Credit
outstanding at such time plus (B) the aggregate unpaid amount of all
Reimbursement Obligations outstanding at such time by (ii) the quotient derived
by dividing such Lender’s Revolving Commitment by the aggregate of the Revolving
Commitments of all Revolving Lenders.
“Letter of Credit
Request” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“Lien” means, with
respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or
encumbrance intended to confer or having the effect of conferring upon a
creditor a preferential interest.
“Loan” means a Base
Rate Loan or a Euro-Dollar Loan and “Loans” means any combination of the
foregoing.
“Loan Documents” means
this Agreement and the Notes.
“London Interbank Offered
Rate” means, for any Euro-Dollar Loan for any Interest Period, the
interest rate for deposits in Dollars for a period of time comparable to such
Interest Period which appears on Telerate Page 3750 (or any successor page) as
the London interbank offered rate for deposits in Dollars at approximately 11:00
A.M. (London time) two Business Days before the first day of such Interest
Period; provided, however, if more than
one rate is specified on Telerate page 3750, the applicable rate shall be the
arithmetic means of all such rates. If for any reason such rate is
not available, the term “London Interbank Offered Rate” means for any Interest
Period, the rate per annum appearing on Reuters Screen LIBO Page as the London
interbank offered rate for deposits in Dollars at approximately 11:00 A.M.
(London time) two Business Days before the first day of such Interest Period for
a period of time comparable to such Interest Period; provided, however, that if more
than one such rate is specified on Reuters Screen LIBO Page, the applicable rate
shall be the arithmetic mean of all such rates (rounded upwards, if necessary,
to the nearest 1/100 of 1%). If for any reason the London interbank
offered rate is not available on either Telerate page 3750 or Reuters Screen
LIBO Page, the term “London Interbank Offered Rate” means for any Interest
Period, the rate per annum at which deposits in Dollars are offered to Wachovia
Bank, National Association in the London interbank market at approximately 11:00
A.M. (London time) two Business Days before the first day of such Interest
Period in an amount approximately equal to the principal amount of the
Euro-Dollar Loan of Wachovia Bank, National Association to which such Interest
Period is to apply and for a period of time comparable to such Interest
Period.
“Lower Mt. Bethel Lease
Financing” means the existing lease financing associated with the Lower
Mount Bethel project.
“Mandatory Letter of Credit
Borrowing” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.09.
“Margin Stock” means
“margin stock” as such term is defined in Regulation U.
“Material Adverse
Effect” means (i) any material adverse effect upon the business, assets,
financial condition or operations of the Borrower or the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (ii) a material adverse effect on the ability of
the Borrower to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Notes or the
other Loan Documents or (iii) a material adverse effect on the validity or
enforceability of this Agreement, the Notes or any of the other Loan
Documents.
“Material Debt” means
Debt (other than the Notes) of the Borrower and/or one or more of its Restricted
Subsidiaries in a principal or face amount exceeding $40,000,000.
“Material Plan” means
at any time a Plan or Plans having aggregate Unfunded Liabilities in excess of
$25,000,000.
“Moody’s” means
Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its successors or,
absent any such successor, such nationally recognized statistical rating
organization as the Borrower and the Administrative Agent may
select.
“Multiemployer Plan”
means at any time an employee pension benefit plan within the meaning of Section
4001(a)(3) of ERISA to which any member of the ERISA Group is then making or
accruing an obligation to make contributions or has within the preceding five
plan years made contributions.
“New Lender” means
with respect to any event described in Section 2.08(b), an Eligible Assignee
which becomes a Lender hereunder as a result of such event, and “New Lenders”
means any two or more of such New Lenders.
“Non-Defaulting
Lender” means each Lender other than a Defaulting Lender, and
“Non-Defaulting Lenders” means any two or more of such Lenders.
“Non-Recourse Debt”
shall mean Debt that is nonrecourse to the Borrower or any Restricted
Subsidiary.
“Non-U.S. Lender” has
the meaning set forth in Section 2.17(e).
“Note” shall mean a
promissory note, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, issued at the
request of a Lender evidencing the obligation of the Borrower to repay
outstanding Revolving Loans.
“Notice of Borrowing”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03.
“Notice of
Conversion/Continuation” has the meaning set forth in Section
2.06(d)(ii).
“Obligations”
means:
(i) all
principal of and interest (including, without limitation, any interest which
accrues after the commencement of any case, proceeding or other action relating
to the bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Borrower, whether or not
allowed or allowable as a claim in any such proceeding) on any Loan, fees
payable or Reimbursement Obligation under, or any Note issued pursuant to, this
Agreement or any other Loan Document;
(ii) all
other amounts now or hereafter payable by the Borrower and all other obligations
or liabilities now existing or hereafter arising or incurred (including, without
limitation, any amounts which accrue after the commencement of any case,
proceeding or other action relating to the bankruptcy, insolvency or
reorganization of the Borrower, whether or not allowed or allowable as a claim
in any such proceeding) on the part of the Borrower pursuant this Agreement or
any other Loan Document;
(iii) all
expenses of the Agents as to which such Agents have a right to reimbursement
under Section 9.03(a) hereof or under any other similar provision of any other
Loan Document; and
(iv) all
amounts paid by any Indemnitee as to which such Indemnitee has the right to
reimbursement under Section 9.03 hereof or under any other similar provision of
any other Loan Document;
together
in each case with all renewals, modifications, consolidations or extensions
thereof.
“OFAC” means the U.S.
Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
“Optional Increase”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.19(a).
“Other Taxes” has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.17(b).
“Participant” has the
meaning set forth in Section 9.06(b).
“PBGC” means the
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any entity succeeding to any or all of
its functions under ERISA.
“Permitted Business”
with respect to any Person means a business that is the same or similar to the
business of the Borrower or any Subsidiary as of the date hereof, or any
business reasonably related thereto.
“Person” means an
individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a limited liability
company, a trust or an unincorporated association or any other entity or
organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or
instrumentality thereof.
“Plan” means at any
time an employee pension benefit plan (including a Multiemployer Plan) which is
covered by Title IV of ERISA or subject to the minimum funding standards under
Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code and either (i) is maintained, or
contributed to, by any member of the ERISA Group for employees of any member of
the ERISA Group or (ii) has at any time within the preceding five years been
maintained, or contributed to, by any Person which was at such time a member of
the ERISA Group for employees of any Person which was at such time a member of
the ERISA Group.
“Prime Rate” means the
rate of interest publicly announced by Wachovia Bank, National Association in
Charlotte, North Carolina from time to time as its Prime Rate.
“Quarterly Date” means
the last Business Day of each of March, June, September and
December.
“Rating Agency” means
any of S&P, Moody’s or Fitch, and “Rating Agencies” means any two or more of
them collectively.
“Register” has the
meaning set forth in Section 9.06(e).
“Regulation U” means
Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as
amended, or any successor regulation.
“Regulation X” means
Regulation X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as
amended, or any successor regulation.
“Reimbursement
Obligations” means at any time all obligations of the Borrower to
reimburse the Issuing Lenders pursuant to Section 3.07 for amounts paid by the
Issuing Lenders in respect of drawings under Letters of Credit, including any
portion of any such obligation to which a Lender has become subrogated pursuant
to Section 3.09.
“Replacement Date” has
the meaning set forth in Section 2.08(b).
“Replacement Lender”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.08(b).
“Required Lenders”
means at any time Non-Defaulting Lenders having at least 51% of the aggregate
amount of the Revolving Commitments of all Non-Defaulting Lenders or, if the
Revolving Commitments shall have been terminated, having at least 51% of the
aggregate amount of the Revolving Outstandings of the Non-Defaulting Lenders at
such time.
“Responsible Officer”
means, as to any Person, the chief executive officer, president, chief financial
officer, controller, treasurer or assistant treasurer of such Person or any
other officer of such Person reasonably acceptable to the Administrative
Agent. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a
Responsible Officer of a Person shall be conclusively presumed to have been
authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the
part of such Person and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed
to have acted on behalf of such Person.
“Restricted
Subsidiary” means each Subsidiary listed on Schedule 5.11 and each other
Subsidiary designated by the Borrower as a “Restricted Subsidiary” in writing to
the Administrative Agent; provided, that, each
Restricted Subsidiary shall be a direct Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Borrower
or a direct Wholly Owned Subsidiary of a Restricted Subsidiary.
“Retiring Lender”
means a Lender that ceases to be a Lender hereunder pursuant to the operation of
Section 2.08(b).
“Revolving” means,
when used with respect to (i) a Lender’s Commitment, such Lender’s Commitment to
make Revolving Loans pursuant to Section 2.01, as such Commitment may be reduced
from time to time pursuant to Sections 2.08(a) or (b) or 9.06(c) or increased
from time to time pursuant to Sections 2.19 or 9.06(c), (ii) a Borrowing, a
Borrowing made by the Borrower under Section 2.01, as identified in the Notice
of Borrowing with respect thereto or a Mandatory Letter of Credit Borrowing,
(iii) a Lender’s Commitment Ratio, the percentage equivalent of the ratio which
any Lender’s portion of its Revolving Commitment bears to the amount of the
aggregate Revolving Commitments of all Lenders (as adjusted from time to time as
provided herein) and (iv) a Loan, a Loan made under Section 2.01; provided, that, if
any such loan or loans (or portions thereof) are combined or subdivided pursuant
to a Notice of Conversion/Continuation, the term “Revolving Loan” shall refer to
the combined principal amount resulting from such combination or to each of the
separate principal amounts resulting from such subdivision, as the case may
be.
“Revolving
Outstandings” means at any time, with respect to any Lender, the sum of
(i) the aggregate principal amount of such Lender’s outstanding Revolving Loans
plus (ii) the aggregate amount of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment Ratio in
respect of outstanding Letter of Credit Liabilities.
“Revolving Outstandings
Excess” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.09.
“Sanctioned Entity”
shall mean (i) an agency of the government of, (ii) an organization directly or
indirectly controlled by, or (iii) a person resident in, a country that is
subject to a sanctions program identified on the list maintained by OFAC and
available at xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx/xxxxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxx/xxxx/xxxxxxxxx/xxxxx.xxxx,
or as otherwise published from time to time as such program may be applicable to
such agency, organization or person.
“Sanctioned Person”
shall mean a person named on the list of Specially Designated Nationals or
Blocked Persons maintained by OFAC available at
xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx/xxxxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxx/xxxx/xxx/xxxxx.xxxx, or as otherwise
published from time to time.
“SEC” means the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
“S&P” means
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, a division of McGraw Hill, Inc., a New York
corporation, and its successors or, absent any such successor, such nationally
recognized statistical rating organization as the Borrower and the
Administrative Agent may select.
“Special Purpose
Subsidiary” means any Wholly Owned Subsidiary (regardless of the form of
organization) of the Borrower formed solely for the purpose of, and which
engages in no other activities except those necessary for, effecting financings
related to Synthetic Leases.
“Subsidiary” means any
Corporation, a majority of the outstanding Voting Stock of which is owned,
directly or indirectly, by the Borrower or one or more other Subsidiaries of the
Borrower.
“Synthetic Lease”
means any synthetic lease, tax retention operating lease, off-balance sheet loan
or similar off-balance sheet financing product where such transaction is
considered borrowed money indebtedness for tax purposes but is classified as an
operating lease in accordance with GAAP.
“Taxes” has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.17(a).
“Termination Date”
means the earliest to occur of (a) September 8, 2009 and (b) such earlier date
upon which all Commitments shall have been terminated in their entirety in
accordance with this Agreement.
“Type”, when used in
respect of any Loan or Borrowing, shall refer to the rate by reference to which
interest on such Loan or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing is
determined.
“Unfunded Liabilities”
means, with respect to any Plan at any time, the amount (if any) by which (i)
the value of all benefit liabilities under such Plan, determined on a plan
termination basis using the assumptions prescribed by the PBGC for purposes of
Section 4044 of ERISA, exceeds (ii) the fair market value of all Plan assets
allocable to such liabilities under Title IV of ERISA (excluding any accrued but
unpaid contributions), all determined as of the then most recent valuation date
for such Plan, but only to the extent that such excess represents a potential
liability of a member of the ERISA Group to the PBGC or any other Person under
Title IV of ERISA.
“United States” means
the United States of America, including the States and the District of Columbia,
but excluding its territories and possessions.
“Voting Stock” means
stock (or other interests) of a Corporation having ordinary voting power for the
election of directors, managers or trustees thereof, whether at all times or
only so long as no senior class of stock has such voting power by reason of any
contingency.
“Wachovia Bank” has
the meaning set forth in Section 8.09.
“Wachovia Securities”
means Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, and its successors and
assigns.
“Wholly Owned
Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person at any date, any Subsidiary
of such Person all of the Voting Stock of which (except directors’ qualifying
shares) are at the time directly or indirectly owned by such
Person.
ARTICLE
II
THE
CREDITS
Section
2.01. Commitments to
Lend. Each Lender severally agrees, on the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement, to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower
pursuant to this Section 2.01 from time to time during the Availability Period
in amounts such that its Revolving Outstandings shall not exceed its Revolving
Commitment; provided, that,
immediately after giving effect to each such Revolving Loan, the aggregate
principal amount of all outstanding Revolving Loans (after giving effect to any
amount requested) shall not exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments less the sum of all
outstanding Letter of Credit Liabilities. Each Revolving Borrowing
(other than Mandatory Letter of Credit Borrowings) shall be in an aggregate
principal amount of $10,000,000 or any larger multiple of $1,000,000 (except
that any such Borrowing may be in the aggregate amount of the unused Revolving
Commitments) and shall be made from the several Lenders ratably in proportion to
their respective Revolving Commitments. Within the foregoing limits,
the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.01, repay, or, to the extent
permitted by Section 2.10, prepay, Revolving Loans and reborrow under this
Section 2.01.
Section
2.02. [Intentionally
Omitted]
Section
2.03. Notice of
Borrowings. The Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent
notice substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 hereto (a “Notice of Borrowing”)
not later than (a) 11:30 A.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the date of
each Base Rate Borrowing and (b) 12:00 Noon (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on
the third Business Day before each Euro-Dollar Borrowing,
specifying:
(i) the date
of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(ii)
the
aggregate amount of such Borrowing;
(iii)
the
initial Type of the Loans comprising such Borrowing; and
(iv)
in the
case of a Euro-Dollar Borrowing, the duration of the initial Interest Period
applicable thereto, subject to the provisions of the definition of Interest
Period.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, no more than six (6) Groups of Euro-Dollar Loans shall be
outstanding at any one time, and any Loans which would exceed such limitation
shall be made as Base Rate Loans.
Section
2.04. Notice to Lenders; Funding
of Revolving Loans.
(a) Notice to
Lenders. Upon receipt of a Notice of Borrowing, the
Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of such Lender’s ratable
share (if any) of the Borrowing referred to in the Notice of Borrowing, and such
Notice of Borrowing shall not thereafter be revocable by the
Borrower.
(b) Funding of
Loans. Not later than (a) 1:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina
time) on the date of each Base Rate Borrowing and (b) 12:00 Noon (Charlotte,
North Carolina time) on the date of each Euro-Dollar Borrowing, each Lender
participating therein shall make available its share of such Borrowing, in
Federal or other funds immediately available in Charlotte, North Carolina, to
the Administrative Agent at its address referred to in Section
9.01. Unless the Administrative Agent determines that any applicable
condition specified in Article IV has not been satisfied, the Administrative
Agent shall apply any funds so received in respect of a Borrowing available to
the Borrower at the Administrative Agent’s address not later than (a) 3:00 P.M.
(Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the date of each Base Rate Borrowing and (b)
2:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the date of each Euro-Dollar
Borrowing.
(c) Funding By the
Administrative Agent in Anticipation of Amounts Due from the
Lenders. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received
notice from a Lender prior to the date of any Borrowing (except in the case of a
Base Rate Borrowing, in which case prior to the time of such Borrowing) that
such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s
share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender
has made such share available to the Administrative Agent on the date of such
Borrowing in accordance with subsection (b) of this Section, and the
Administrative Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to
the Borrower on such date a corresponding amount. If and to the
extent that such Lender shall not have so made such share available to the
Administrative Agent, such Lender and the Borrower severally agree to repay to
the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount, together
with interest thereon for each day from the date such amount is made available
to the Borrower until the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent
at (i) a rate per annum equal to the higher of the Federal Funds Rate and the
interest rate applicable thereto pursuant to Section 2.06, in the case of the
Borrower, and (ii) the Federal Funds Rate, in the case of such
Lender. Any payment by the Borrower hereunder shall be without
prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have
failed to make its share of a Borrowing available to the Administrative
Agent. If such Lender shall repay to the Administrative Agent such
corresponding amount, such amount so repaid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan
included in such Borrowing for purposes of this Agreement.
(d) Obligations of Lenders
Several. The failure of any Lender to make a Loan required to
be made by it as part of any Borrowing hereunder shall not relieve any other
Lender of its obligation, if any, hereunder to make any Loan on the date of such
Borrowing, but no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other
Lender to make the Loan to be made by such other Lender on such date of
Borrowing.
Section
2.05. Noteless Agreement; Evidence
of Indebtedness.
(a) Each
Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or
accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting
from each Loan made by such Lender from time to time, including the amounts of
principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time
hereunder.
(b) The
Administrative Agent shall also maintain accounts in which it will record (a)
the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Type thereof and the Interest Period
with respect thereto, (b) the amount of any principal or interest due and
payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder
and (c) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder
from the Borrower and each Lender’s share thereof.
(c) The
entries maintained in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b)
above shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the
Obligations therein recorded; provided, however, that the failure of the
Administrative Agent or any Lender to maintain such accounts or any error
therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay
the Obligations in accordance with their terms.
(d) Any
Lender may request that its Loans be evidenced by a Note. In such
event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a Note
payable to the order of such Lender. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced
by such Note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after any
assignment pursuant to Section 9.06(c)) be represented by one or more Notes
payable to the order of the payee named therein or any assignee pursuant to
Section 9.06(c), except to the extent that any such Lender or assignee
subsequently returns any such Note for cancellation and requests that such Loans
once again be evidenced as described in paragraphs (a) and (b)
above.
Section
2.06. Interest
Rates.
(a) Interest Rate
Options. The Loans shall, at the option of the Borrower and
except as otherwise provided herein, be incurred and maintained as, or converted
into, one or more Base Rate Loans or Euro-Dollar Loans.
(b) Base Rate
Loans. Each Loan which is made as, or converted into, a Base
Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof, for
each day from the date such Loan is made as, or converted into, a Base Rate Loan
until it becomes due or is converted into a Loan of any other Type, at a rate
per annum equal to the sum of the Base Rate for such day plus the Applicable
Percentage, if any, for Base Rate Loans for such day. Such interest
shall be payable quarterly in arrears on each Quarterly Date and, with respect
to the principal amount of any Base Rate Loan converted to a Euro-Dollar Loan,
on the date such Base Rate Loan is so converted. Any overdue
principal of or interest on any Base Rate Loan shall bear interest, payable on
demand, for each day until paid at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 2% plus
the rate otherwise applicable to Base Rate Loans for such day.
(c) Euro-Dollar
Loans. Each Euro-Dollar Loan shall bear interest on the
outstanding principal amount thereof, for each day during the Interest Period
applicable thereto, at a rate per annum equal to the sum of the Adjusted London
Interbank Offered Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Percentage
for Euro-Dollar Loans for such day; provided, that if any
Euro-Dollar Loan or any portion thereof shall, as a result of clause (iii) of
the definition of Interest Period, have an Interest Period of less than one
month, such portion shall bear interest during such Interest Period at the rate
applicable to Base Rate Loans during such period. Such interest shall
be payable for each Interest Period on the last day thereof and, if such
Interest Period is longer than three months, at intervals of three months after
the first day thereof. Any overdue principal of or interest on any
Euro-Dollar Loan shall bear interest, payable on demand, for each day until paid
at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 2% plus the sum of (A) the Adjusted
London Interbank Offered Rate applicable to such Loan at the date such payment
was due plus (B) the Applicable Percentage for Euro-Dollar Loans for such day
(or, if the circumstance described in Section 2.14 shall exist, at a rate per
annum equal to the sum of 2% plus the rate applicable to Base Rate Loans for
such day).
(d) Method of Electing Interest
Rates.
(i) Subject
to Section 2.06(a), the Loans included in each Borrowing shall bear interest
initially at the type of rate specified by the Borrower in the applicable Notice
of Borrowing. Thereafter, with respect to each Group of Loans, the
Borrower shall have the option (A) to convert all or any part of (y) so long as
no Default or Event of Default is in existence on the date of conversion,
outstanding Base Rate Loans to Euro-Dollar Loans and (z) outstanding Euro-Dollar
Loans to Base Rate Loans; provided, that in
each case that the amount so converted shall be equal to $10,000,000 or any
larger multiple of $1,000,000, or (B) upon the expiration of any Interest Period
applicable to outstanding Euro-Dollar Loans, so long as no Default or Event of
Default is in existence on the date of continuation, to continue all or any
portion of such Loans equal to $10,000,000 and any larger multiple of $1,000,000
in excess of that amount as Euro-Dollar Loans. The Interest Period of
any Base Rate Loan converted to a Euro-Dollar Loan pursuant to clause (A) above
shall commence on the date of such conversion. The succeeding
Interest Period of any Euro-Dollar Loan continued pursuant to clause (B) above
shall commence on the last day of the Interest Period of the Loan so
continued. Euro-Dollar Loans may only be converted on the last day of
the then current Interest Period applicable thereto or on the date required
pursuant to Section 2.18.
(ii) The
Borrower shall deliver a written notice of each such conversion or continuation
(a “Notice of
Conversion/Continuation”) to the Administrative Agent no later than (A)
12:00 Noon (Charlotte, North Carolina time) at least three (3) Business Days
before the date of the proposed conversion to, or continuation of, a Euro-Dollar
Loan and (B) 11:30 A.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the day of a
conversion to a Base Rate Loan. A written Notice of
Conversion/Continuation shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2
attached hereto and shall specify: (A) the Group of Loans (or portion thereof)
to which such notice applies, (B) the proposed conversion/continuation date
(which shall be a Business Day), (C) the aggregate amount of the Loans being
converted/continued, (D) an election between the Base Rate and the Adjusted
London Interbank Offered Rate and (E) in the case of a conversion to, or a
continuation of, Euro-Dollar Loans, the requested Interest
Period. Upon receipt of a Notice of Conversion/Continuation, the
Administrative Agent shall give each Lender prompt notice of the contents
thereof and such Lender’s pro rata share of all conversions and continuations
requested therein. If no timely Notice of Conversion/Continuation is
delivered by the Borrower as to any Euro-Dollar Loan, and such Loan is not
repaid by the Borrower at the end of the applicable Interest Period, such Loan
shall be converted automatically to a Base Rate Loan on the last day of the then
applicable Interest Period.
(e) Determination and Notice of
Interest Rates. The Administrative Agent shall determine each
interest rate applicable to the Loans hereunder. The Administrative
Agent shall give prompt notice to the Borrower and the participating Lenders of
each rate of interest so determined, and its determination thereof shall be
conclusive in the absence of manifest error. Any notice with respect
to Euro-Dollar Loans shall, without the necessity of the Administrative Agent so
stating in such notice, be subject to adjustments in the Applicable Percentage
applicable to such Loans after the beginning of the Interest Period applicable
thereto. When during an Interest Period any event occurs that causes
an adjustment in the Applicable Percentage applicable to Loans to which such
Interest Period is applicable, the Administrative Agent shall give prompt notice
to the Borrower and the Lenders of such event and the adjusted rate of interest
so determined for such Loans, and its determination thereof shall be conclusive
in the absence of manifest error.
Section
2.07. Fees.
(a) Commitment
Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for
the account of each Lender a fee (the “Commitment Fee”) for
each day at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Percentage for the
Commitment Fee for such day. The Commitment Fee shall accrue from and
including the Effective Date to but excluding the last day of the Availability
Period on the amount by which such Lender’s Revolving Commitment exceeds the sum
of its Revolving Outstandings on such day. The Commitment Fee shall
be payable on the last day of each of March, June, September and December and on
the Termination Date.
(b) Letter of Credit
Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent a fee
(the “Letter of Credit
Fee”) for each day at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Percentage
for the Letter of Credit Fee for such day. The Letter of Credit Fee
shall accrue from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the last day
of the Availability Period on the aggregate amount available for drawing under
any Letters of Credit outstanding on such day and shall be payable for the
account of the Lenders ratably in proportion to their participations in such
Letter(s) of Credit. In addition, the Borrower shall pay to each
Issuing Lender a fee (the “Fronting Fee”) in
respect of each Letter of Credit issued by such Issuing Lender computed at the
rate of 0.125% per annum on the average amount available for drawing under such
Letter(s) of Credit. Fronting Fees shall be due and payable quarterly
in arrears on each Quarterly Date and upon the first day after the Termination
Date. In addition, the Borrower agrees to pay to each Issuing Lender,
upon each issuance of, payment under, and/or amendment of, a Letter of Credit,
such amount as shall at the time of such issuance, payment or amendment be the
administrative charges and expenses which such Issuing Lender is customarily
charging for issuances of, payments under, or amendments to letters of credit
issued by it.
(c) Payments. Except
as otherwise provided in this Section 2.07, accrued fees under this Section 2.07
in respect of Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities shall be payable quarterly
in arrears on each Quarterly Date, on the last day of the Availability Period
and, if later, on the date the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities shall be
repaid in their entirety. Fees paid hereunder shall not be refundable
under any circumstances.
Section
2.08. Adjustments of
Commitments.
(a) Optional Termination or
Reductions of Commitments (Pro-Rata). The Borrower may, upon
at least three Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent,
permanently (i) terminate the Revolving Commitments, if there are no Revolving
Outstandings at such time or (ii) ratably reduce from time to time by a minimum
amount of $10,000,000 or any integral multiple of $5,000,000, the aggregate
amount of the Revolving Commitments in excess of the aggregate Revolving
Outstandings. Upon receipt of any such notice, the Administrative
Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders. If the Revolving Commitments
are terminated in their entirety, all accrued fees shall be payable on the
effective date of such termination.
(b) Optional Termination of
Commitments (Non-Pro-Rata). If (i) any Lender has demanded
compensation or indemnification pursuant to Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17,
(ii) the obligation of any Lender to make Euro-Dollar Loans has been suspended
pursuant to Section 2.15 or (iii) any Lender is a Defaulting Lender (each such
Lender described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) being a “Retiring Lender”),
the Borrower shall have the right, if no Default or Event of Default then
exists, to replace such Lender with one or more Eligible Assignees (which may be
one or more of the Continuing Lenders) (each a “Replacement Lender”
and, collectively, the “Replacement Lenders”)
reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent. The replacement of
a Retiring Lender pursuant to this Section 2.08(b) shall be effective on the
tenth Business Day (the “Replacement Date”)
following the date of notice of such replacement to the Retiring Lender and each
Continuing Lender through the Administrative Agent, subject to the satisfaction
of the following conditions:
(i) the
Replacement Lender shall have satisfied the conditions to assignment and
assumption set forth in Section 9.06(c) (with all fees payable pursuant to
Section 9.06(c) to be paid by the Borrower) and, in connection therewith, the
Replacement Lender(s) shall pay:
(A) to the
Retiring Lender an amount equal in the aggregate to the sum of (x) the principal
of, and all accrued but unpaid interest on, all outstanding Loans of the
Retiring Lender, (y) all unpaid drawings that have been funded by (and not
reimbursed to) the Retiring Lender under Section 3.10, together with all accrued
but unpaid interest with respect thereto and (z) all accrued but unpaid fees
owing to the Retiring Lender pursuant to Section 2.08; and
(B) to the
Issuing Lenders an amount equal to the aggregate amount owing by the Retiring
Lender to the Issuing Lenders as reimbursement pursuant to Section 3.09, to the
extent such amount was not theretofore funded by such Retiring Lender;
and
(ii) the
Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent for the account of the
Retiring Lender an amount equal to all obligations owing to the Retiring Lender
by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (other
than those obligations of the Borrower referred to in clause (i)(A)
above).
On the
Replacement Date, each Replacement Lender that is a New Lender shall become a
Lender hereunder, and the Retiring Lender shall cease to constitute a Lender
hereunder; provided, that the
provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, the provisions of
Sections 2.12, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03) shall continue to govern the rights and
obligations of a Retiring Lender with respect to any Loans made, any Letters of
Credit issued or any other actions taken by such Retiring Lender while it was a
Lender.
In lieu
of the foregoing, upon express written consent of a majority of the Continuing
Lenders, the Borrower shall have the right to permanently terminate the
Revolving Commitment of a Retiring Lender in full. Upon payment by
the Borrower to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Retiring Lender
of an amount equal to the sum of (i) the aggregate principal amount of all Loans
and Letter of Credit Liabilities held by the Retiring Lender and (ii) all
accrued interest, fees and other amounts owing to the Retiring Lender hereunder,
including, without limitation, all amounts payable by the Borrower to the
Retiring Lender under Sections 2.12, 2.16, 2.17 or 9.03, such Retiring Lender
shall cease to constitute a Lender hereunder; provided, that the
provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, the provisions of
Sections 2.12, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03) shall continue to govern the rights and
obligations of a Retiring Lender with respect to any Loans made, any Letters of
Credit issued or any other actions taken by such Retiring Lender while it was a
Lender.
Section
2.09. Maturity of Loans; Mandatory
Prepayments.
(a) Scheduled Repayments and
Prepayments of Loans; Overline Repayments.
(i) The
Revolving Loans shall mature on the Termination Date, and any Revolving Loans
and Letter of Credit Liabilities then outstanding (together with accrued
interest thereon and fees in respect thereof) shall be due and payable or, in
the case of Letters of Credit, cash collateralized pursuant to Section
2.09(a)(ii), on such date.
(ii) If on any
date the aggregate Revolving Outstandings exceed the aggregate amount of the
Revolving Commitments (such excess, a “Revolving Outstandings
Excess”), the Borrower shall prepay, and there shall become due and
payable (together with accrued interest thereon) on such date, an aggregate
principal amount of Revolving Loans equal to such Revolving Outstandings
Excess. If, at a time when a Revolving Outstandings Excess exists and
(x) no Revolving Loans are outstanding or (y) the Revolving Commitment has been
terminated pursuant to this Agreement and, in either case, any Letter of Credit
Liabilities remain outstanding, then, in either case, the Borrower shall cash
collateralize any Letter of Credit Liabilities by depositing into a cash
collateral account established and maintained (including the investments made
pursuant thereto) by the Administrative Agent pursuant to a cash collateral
agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent an
amount in cash equal to the then outstanding Letter of Credit
Liabilities. In determining Revolving Outstandings for purposes of
this clause (ii), Letter of Credit Liabilities shall be reduced to the extent
that they are cash collateralized as contemplated by this Section
2.09(a)(ii).
(b) Applications of Prepayments
and Reductions.
(i) Each
prepayment of Loans pursuant to this Section 2.09 shall be applied ratably to
the respective Loans of all of the Lenders.
(ii) Each
payment of principal of the Loans shall be made together with interest accrued
on the amount repaid to the date of payment.
(iii) Each
payment of the Loans shall be applied to such Group or Groups of Loans as the
Borrower may designate (or, failing such designation, as determined by the
Administrative Agent).
Section
2.10. Optional Prepayments and
Repayments.
(a) Prepayments of
Loans. Subject to Section 2.12, the Borrower may (i) upon
at least one (1) Business Day’s notice to the Administrative Agent, prepay any
Base Rate Borrowing or (ii) upon at least three (3) Business Days’ notice to the
Administrative Agent, prepay any Euro-Dollar Borrowing, in each case in whole at
any time, or from time to time in part in amounts aggregating $10,000,000 or any
larger multiple of $1,000,000, by paying the principal amount to be prepaid
together with accrued interest thereon to the date of
prepayment. Each such optional prepayment shall be applied to prepay
ratably the Loans of the several Lenders included in such
Borrowing.
(b) Notice to
Lenders. Upon receipt of a notice of prepayment pursuant to
Section 2.10(a), the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of
the contents thereof and of such Lender’s ratable share (if any) of such
prepayment, and such notice shall not thereafter be revocable by the
Borrower.
Section
2.11. General Provisions as to
Payments.
(a) Payments by the
Borrower. The Borrower shall make each payment of principal of
and interest on the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities and fees hereunder
(other than fees payable directly to the Issuing Lenders) not later than 12:00
Noon (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the date when due, without set-off,
counterclaim or other deduction, in Federal or other funds immediately available
in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the Administrative Agent at its address
referred to in Section 9.01. The Administrative Agent will promptly
distribute to each Lender its ratable share of each such payment received by the
Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders. Whenever any
payment of principal of or interest on the Base Rate Loans or Letter of Credit
Liabilities or of fees shall be due on a day which is not a Business Day, the
date for payment thereof shall be extended to the next succeeding Business
Day. Whenever any payment of principal of or interest on the
Euro-Dollar Loans shall be due on a day which is not a Business Day, the date
for payment thereof shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless
such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case the date for
payment thereof shall be the next preceding Business Day. If the date
for any payment of principal is extended by operation of law or otherwise,
interest thereon shall be payable for such extended time.
(b) Distributions by the Administrative
Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received
notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the
Lenders hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment in full, the
Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment in full
to the Administrative Agent on such date, and the Administrative Agent may, in
reliance upon such assumption, cause to be distributed to each Lender on such
due date an amount equal to the amount then due such Lender. If and
to the extent that the Borrower shall not have so made such payment, each Lender
shall repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such amount
distributed to such Lender together with interest thereon, for each day from the
date such amount is distributed to such Lender until the date such Lender repays
such amount to the Administrative Agent, at the Federal Funds Rate.
Section
2.12. Funding
Losses. If the Borrower makes any payment of principal with
respect to any Euro-Dollar Loan pursuant to the terms and provisions of this
Agreement (any conversion of a Euro-Dollar Loan to a Base Rate Loan pursuant to
Section 2.18 being treated as a payment of such Euro-Dollar Loan on the date of
conversion for purposes of this Section 2.12) on any day other than the last day
of the Interest Period applicable thereto, or the last day of an applicable
period fixed pursuant to Section 2.06(c), or if the Borrower fails to borrow,
convert or prepay any Euro-Dollar Loan after notice has been given in accordance
with the provisions of this Agreement, or in the event of the assignment of any
Euro-Dollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable
thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.08(b),the
Borrower shall reimburse each Lender within fifteen (15) days after demand for
any resulting loss or expense incurred by it (and by an existing Participant in
the related Loan), including, without limitation, any loss incurred in
obtaining, liquidating or employing deposits from third parties, but excluding
loss of margin for the period after any such payment or failure to borrow or
prepay; provided, that such
Lender shall have delivered to the Borrower a certificate as to the amount of
such loss or expense, which certificate shall be conclusive in the absence of
manifest error.
Section
2.13. Computation of Interest and
Fees. Interest on Loans based on the Prime Rate hereunder
shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap
year) and paid for the actual number of days elapsed. All other
interest and fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and paid
for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the
last day).
Section
2.14. Basis for Determining
Interest Rate Inadequate, Unfair or Unavailable. If on or
prior to the first day of any Interest Period for any Euro-Dollar
Loan: (a) Lenders having 50% or more of the aggregate
amount of the Commitments advise the Administrative Agent that the Adjusted
London Interbank Offered Rate as determined by the Administrative Agent, will
not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding their
Euro-Dollar Loans for such Interest Period; or (b) the Administrative Agent
shall determine that no reasonable means exists for determining the Adjusted
London Interbank Offered Rate, the Administrative Agent shall forthwith give
notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders, whereupon until the
Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to
such suspension no longer exist, (i) the obligations of the Lenders to make
Euro-Dollar Loans or to convert outstanding Loans into Euro-Dollar Loans shall
be suspended; and (ii) each outstanding Euro-Dollar Loan shall be converted into
a Base Rate Loan on the last day of the current Interest Period applicable
thereto. Unless the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent at
least two (2) Domestic Business Days before the date of (or, if at the time the
Borrower receives such notice the day is the date of, or the date immediately
preceding, the date of such Euro-Dollar Borrowing, by 10:00 A.M. on the date of)
any Euro-Dollar Borrowing for which a Notice of Borrowing has previously been
given that it elects not to borrow on such date, such Borrowing shall instead be
made as a Base Rate Borrowing.
Section
2.15. Illegality. If,
on or after the date of this Agreement, the adoption of any applicable law, rule
or regulation, or any change in any applicable law, rule or regulation, or any
change in the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental
Authority, central bank or comparable agency charged with the interpretation or
administration thereof, or compliance by any Lender (or its Euro-Dollar Lending
Office) with any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law)
of any such authority, central bank or comparable agency shall make it unlawful
or impossible for any Lender (or its Euro-Dollar Lending Office) to make,
maintain or fund its Euro-Dollar Loans and such Lender shall so notify the
Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall forthwith give notice
thereof to the other Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon until such Lender
notifies the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that the circumstances giving
rise to such suspension no longer exist, the obligation of such Lender to make
Euro-Dollar Loans, or to convert outstanding Loans into Euro-Dollar Loans, shall
be suspended. Before giving any notice to the Administrative Agent
pursuant to this Section, such Lender shall designate a different Euro-Dollar
Lending Office if such designation will avoid the need for giving such notice
and will not, in the judgment of such Lender, be otherwise disadvantageous to
such Lender. If such notice is given, each Euro-Dollar Loan of such
Lender then outstanding shall be converted to a Base Rate Loan either (i) on the
last day of the then current Interest Period applicable to such Euro-Dollar Loan
if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain and fund such Loan to such day
or (ii) immediately if such Lender shall determine that it may not lawfully
continue to maintain and fund such Loan to such day.
Section
2.16. Increased Cost and Reduced
Return.
(a) Increased
Costs. If after the date hereof, the adoption of any
applicable law, rule or regulation, or any change in any applicable law, rule or
regulation, or any change in the interpretation or administration thereof by any
Governmental Authority, central bank or comparable agency charged with the
interpretation or administration thereof, or compliance by any Lender (or its
Applicable Lending Office) with any request or directive (whether or not having
the force of law) of any such authority, central bank or comparable agency shall
impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve (including, without limitation,
any such requirement imposed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System), special deposit, insurance assessment or similar requirement against
Letters of Credit issued or participated in by, assets of, deposits with or for
the account of or credit extended by, any Lender (or its Applicable Lending
Office) or shall impose on any Lender (or its Applicable Lending Office) or on
the United States market for certificates of deposit or the London interbank
market any other condition affecting its Euro-Dollar Loans, its Notes, its
obligation to make Euro-Dollar Loans or its obligations hereunder in respect of
Letters of Credit, and the result of any of the foregoing is to increase the
cost to such Lender (or its Applicable Lending Office) of making or maintaining
any Euro-Dollar Loan, or of issuing or participating in any Letter of Credit, or
to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender (or its
Applicable Lending Office) under this Agreement or under its Notes with respect
thereto, then, within fifteen (15) days after demand by such Lender (with a copy
to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall pay to such Lender such
additional amount or amounts, as determined by such Lender in good faith, as
will compensate such Lender for such increased cost or reduction, solely to the
extent that any such additional amounts were incurred by the Lender within
ninety (90) days of such demand.
(b) Capital
Adequacy. If any Lender shall have determined that, after the
date hereof, the adoption of any applicable law, rule or regulation regarding
capital adequacy, or any change in any such law, rule or regulation, or any
change in the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental
Authority, central bank or comparable agency charged with the interpretation or
administration thereof, or any request or directive regarding capital adequacy
(whether or not having the force of law) of any such authority, central bank or
comparable agency, has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return
on capital of such Lender (or any Person controlling such Lender) as a
consequence of such Lender’s obligations hereunder to a level below that which
such Lender (or any Person controlling such Lender) could have achieved but for
such adoption, change, request or directive (taking into consideration its
policies with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time, within
fifteen (15) days after demand by such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative
Agent), the Borrower shall pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts
as will compensate such Lender (or any Person controlling such Lender) for such
reduction, solely to the extent that any such additional amounts were incurred
by the Lender within ninety (90) days of such demand.
(c) Notices. Each
Lender will promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of any
event of which it has knowledge, occurring after the date hereof, that will
entitle such Lender to compensation pursuant to this Section and will designate
a different Applicable Lending Office if such designation will avoid the need
for, or reduce the amount of, such compensation and will not, in the judgment of
such Lender, be otherwise disadvantageous to such Lender. A
certificate of any Lender claiming compensation under this Section and setting
forth in reasonable detail the additional amount or amounts to be paid to it
hereunder shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. In
determining such amount, such Lender may use any reasonable averaging and
attribution methods.
Section
2.17. Taxes.
(a) Payments Net of Certain
Taxes. Any and all payments by the Borrower to or for the
account of any Lender or any Agent hereunder or under any other Loan Document
shall be made free and clear of and without deduction for any and all present or
future taxes, duties, levies, imposts, deductions, charges and withholdings and
all liabilities with respect thereto, excluding: (i) taxes imposed on or
measured by the net income (including branch profits or similar taxes) of, and
gross receipts, franchise or similar taxes imposed on, any Agent or any Lender
by the jurisdiction (or subdivision thereof) under the laws of which such Lender
or Agent is organized or in which its principal executive office is located or,
in the case of each Lender, in which its Applicable Lending Office is located,
and (ii) in the case of each Lender, any United States withholding tax imposed
on such payments, but only to the extent that such Lender is subject to United
States withholding tax at the time such Lender first becomes a party to this
Agreement or changes its Applicable Lending Office (all such nonexcluded taxes,
duties, levies, imposts, deductions, charges, withholdings and liabilities being
hereinafter referred to as “Taxes”). If
the Borrower shall be required by law to deduct any Taxes from or in respect of
any sum payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to any Lender or any
Agent, (i) the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that after making
all such required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums
payable under this Section 2.17(a)) such Lender or Agent (as the case may be)
receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such
deductions been made, (ii) the Borrower shall make such deductions, (iii) the
Borrower shall pay the full amount deducted to the relevant taxation authority
or other authority in accordance with applicable law and (iv) the Borrower shall
furnish to the Administrative Agent, for delivery to such Lender, the original
or a certified copy of a receipt evidencing payment thereof.
(b) Other
Taxes. In addition, the Borrower agrees to pay any and all
present or future stamp or documentary taxes and any other excise or property
taxes, or similar charges or levies, which arise from any payment made pursuant
to this Agreement, any Note or any other Loan Document or from the execution,
delivery, registration or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this
Agreement, any Note or any other Loan Document (collectively, “Other
Taxes”).
(c) Indemnification. The
Borrower agrees to indemnify each Lender and each Agent for the full amount of
Taxes and Other Taxes (including, without limitation, any Taxes or Other Taxes
imposed or asserted by any jurisdiction on amounts payable under this Section
2.17(c)), whether or not correctly or legally asserted, paid by such Lender or
Agent (as the case may be) and any liability (including penalties, interest and
expenses) arising therefrom or with respect thereto as certified in good faith
to the Borrower by each Lender or Agent seeking indemnification pursuant to this
Section 2.17(c). This indemnification shall be paid within 15 days
after such Lender or Agent (as the case may be) makes demand
therefor.
(d) Refunds or
Credits. If a Lender or Agent receives a refund, credit or
other reduction from a taxation authority for any Taxes or Other Taxes for which
it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with respect to which the Borrower
has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17, it shall within
fifteen (15) days from the date of such receipt pay over the amount of such
refund, credit or other reduction to the Borrower (but only to the extent of
indemnity payments made or additional amounts paid by the Borrower under this
Section 2.17 with respect to the Taxes or Other Taxes giving rise to such
refund, credit or other reduction), net of all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
of such Lender or Agent (as the case may be) and without interest (other than
interest paid by the relevant taxation authority with respect to such refund,
credit or other reduction); provided, however, that the Borrower agrees to
repay, upon the request of such Lender or Agent (as the case may be), the amount
paid over to the Borrower (plus penalties, interest or other charges) to such
Lender or Agent in the event such Lender or Agent is required to repay such
refund or credit to such taxation authority.
(e) Tax Forms and
Certificates. On or before the date it becomes a party to this
Agreement, from time to time thereafter if reasonably requested by the Borrower,
and at any time it changes its Applicable Lending Office, each Lender organized
under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States, any State thereof
or the District of Columbia (a “Non-U.S. Lender”)
shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent: (i) two
(2) properly completed and duly executed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form
W-8 BEN, or any successor form prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service,
certifying that such Lender is entitled to the benefits under an income tax
treaty to which the United States is a party which exempts the Lender from
United States withholding tax or reduces the rate of withholding tax on payments
of interest for the account of such Lender or (ii) two (2) properly completed
and duly executed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 ECI, or any
successor form prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service, certifying that the
income receivable pursuant to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents is
effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United
States. In addition, each Non-U.S. Lender agrees that from time to
time after the Closing Date, when a lapse in time or change in circumstances
renders the previous certification obsolete or inaccurate in any material
respect, it will deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent two new
accurate and complete signed originals of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 BEN
or W-8 ECI, or successor forms, as the case may be, and such other forms as may
be required in order to confirm or establish the entitlement of such Non-U.S.
Lender to a continued exemption from or reduction in United States withholding
tax with respect to payments under this Agreement and any other Loan Document,
or it shall immediately notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of its
inability to deliver any such Form or certificate.
(f) Exclusions. The
Borrower shall not be required to indemnify any Non-U.S. Lender or Agent, or to
pay any additional amount to any Non-U.S. Lender or Agent, pursuant to Section
2.17(a), (b) or (c) in respect of Taxes or Other Taxes to the extent that the
obligation to indemnify or pay such additional amounts would not have arisen but
for the failure of such Non-U.S. Lender to comply with the provisions of
subsection (e) above.
(g) Mitigation. If
the Borrower is required to pay additional amounts to or for the account of any
Lender pursuant to this Section 2.17, then such Lender will use reasonable
efforts (which shall include efforts to rebook the Revolving Loans held by such
Lender to a new Applicable Lending Office, or through another branch or
affiliate of such Lender) to change the jurisdiction of its Applicable Lending
Office if, in the good faith judgment of such Lender, such efforts (i) will
eliminate or, if it is not possible to eliminate, reduce to the greatest extent
possible any such additional payment which may thereafter accrue and (ii) is not
otherwise disadvantageous, in the sole determination of such Lender, to such
Lender. Any Lender claiming any indemnity payment or additional
amounts payable pursuant to this Section shall use reasonable efforts
(consistent with legal and regulatory restrictions) to file any certificate or
document reasonably requested in writing by the Borrower or to change the
jurisdiction of its Applicable Lending Office if the making of such a filing or
change would avoid the need for or reduce the amount of any such indemnity
payment or additional amounts that may thereafter accrue and would not, in the
sole determination of such Lender, be otherwise disadvantageous to such
Lender.
(h) Confidentiality. Nothing
contained in this Section shall require any Lender or any Agent to make
available any of its tax returns (or any other information that it deems to be
confidential or proprietary).
Section
2.18. Base Rate Loans Substituted
for Affected Euro-Dollar Loans. If (a) the obligation of any
Lender to make or maintain, or to convert outstanding Loans to, Euro-Dollar
Loans has been suspended pursuant to Section 2.15 or (b) any Lender has demanded
compensation under Section 2.16(a) with respect to its Euro-Dollar Loans and, in
any such case, the Borrower shall, by at least four Business Days’ prior notice
to such Lender through the Administrative Agent, have elected that the
provisions of this Section shall apply to such Lender, then, unless and until
such Lender notifies the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such
suspension or demand for compensation no longer apply:
(i) all Loans
which would otherwise be made by such Lender as (or continued as or converted
into) Euro-Dollar Loans shall instead be Base Rate Loans (on which interest and
principal shall be payable contemporaneously with the related Euro-Dollar Loans
of the other Lenders); and
(ii) after
each of its Euro-Dollar Loans has been repaid (or converted to a Base Rate
Loan), all payments of principal that would otherwise be applied to repay such
Euro-Dollar Loans shall be applied to repay its Base Rate Loans
instead.
If such
Lender notifies the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such notice
no longer apply, the principal amount of each such Base Rate Loan shall be
converted into a Euro-Dollar Loan on the first day of the next succeeding
Interest Period applicable to the related Euro-Dollar Loans of the other
Lenders.
Section
1.01. Increases to the Revolving
Commitment.
(a) Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and prior to the date that is
three months prior to the Termination Date, the Borrower may, by delivering to
the Administrative Agent and the Lenders a Notice of Revolving Increase in the
form of Exhibit E, request increases to the Lenders’ Revolving Commitments (each
such request, an “Optional Increase”); provided that: (i) the Borrower may not
request any increase to the Revolving Commitments after the occurrence and
during the continuance of a Default or Event of Default, including, without
limitation, any Default that would result after giving effect to any Optional
Increase; (ii) each Optional Increase shall be in a minimum principal amount of
$10,000,000, or if less, the remaining principal amount permitted pursuant to
this Section 2.19 after giving effect to any prior Optional Increases made under
this Section; and (iii) the sum of the principal amounts of all aggregate
Optional Increases shall be in an aggregate principal amount of no more than
$150,000,000.
(b) Each
Lender may, but shall not be obligated to, participate in any Optional Increase,
and the decision of any Lender to commit to an Optional Increase shall be at
such Lender’s sole discretion and shall be made in writing. The
Borrower may, at its own expense, solicit additional Revolving Commitments from
third party financial institutions reasonably acceptable to the Administrative
Agent and the Issuing Lenders. Any such financial institution (if not
already a Lender hereunder) shall become a party to this Agreement as a Lender,
pursuant to a joinder agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
the Administrative Agent and the Borrower.
(c) As a
condition precedent to the Optional Increase, the Borrower shall deliver to the
Administrative Agent a certificate of the Borrower dated the effective date of
the Optional Increase, signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower,
certifying that: (i) the resolutions adopted by the Borrower approving or
consenting to such Optional Increase are attached thereto and such resolutions
are true and correct and have not been altered, amended or repealed and are in
full force and effect and (ii) before and after giving effect to the Optional
Increase, (A) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the
other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects on and as of
the effective date of the Optional Increase, except to the extent that such
representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which
case they are true and correct as of such earlier date, and (B) that no Default
or Event of Default exists, is continuing, or would result from the Optional
Increase.
(d) Each
Optional Increase and all Revolving Loans made in connection with such Optional
Increase (i) shall be subject to the terms applicable to the Revolving
Commitments and Revolving Loans in this Agreement (including, without
limitation, the terms applicable to pricing and maturity pursuant to Sections
2.06 and 2.09); (ii) shall for all purposes be Loans and Obligations hereunder
and under the Loan Documents; (iii) shall if requested by the applicable Lender
be represented by a replacement Note which shall be exchanged for the Note of
any Lender committing to an increase in its Revolving Commitment; and (iv) shall
rank pari passu with the other Loans for purposes of Sections 2.09 and
2.11.
(e) The
Revolving Outstandings will be reallocated by the Administrative Agent on the
effective date of any Optional Increase among the Lenders in accordance with
their revised Revolving Commitment Ratios, and the Borrower hereby agrees to pay
any and all costs (if any) required pursuant to Section 2.12 incurred by any
Lender in connection with the exercise of the Optional Increase.
ARTICLE
III
LETTERS
OF CREDIT
Section
3.01. Issuing
Lenders. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the
Borrower may from time to time identify and arrange for one or more of the
Lenders (other than Wachovia Bank) to act as Issuing Lenders
hereunder. Any such designation by the Borrower shall be notified to
the Administrative Agent at least four Business days prior to the first date
upon which the Borrower proposes that such Issuing Lender issue its first Letter
of Credit, so as to provide adequate time for such proposed Issuing Lender to be
approved by the Administrative Agent hereunder (such approval not to be
unreasonably withheld). Within two Business Days following the
receipt of any such designation of a proposed Issuing Lender, the Administrative
Agent shall notify the Borrower as to whether such designee is acceptable to the
Administrative Agent. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to
require any Lender (subject to the provisions of Section 8.09, other than
Wachovia Bank) to agree to act as an Issuing Lender, if it does not so
desire.
Section
3.02. Letters of
Credit. Each Issuing Lender agrees, on the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement, to issue Letters of Credit from time to
time before the fifth day prior to the Termination Date, for the account, and
upon the request, of the Borrower and in support of such obligations of the
Borrower or any Affiliate of the Borrower (other than PPL Electric Utilities
Corporation) that are reasonably acceptable to such Issuing Lender; provided, that,
immediately after each Letter of Credit is issued, (A) the aggregate amount of
the Letter of Credit Liabilities shall not exceed the Letter of Credit
Commitment and (B) the aggregate Revolving Outstandings shall not exceed the
aggregate amount of the Revolving Commitments.
Section
3.03. Method of Issuance of
Letters of Credit. The Borrower shall give an Issuing Lender
notice substantially in the form of Exhibit A-3 to this Agreement (a “Letter of Credit
Request”) of the requested issuance or extension of a Letter of Credit
prior to 1:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on the proposed date of the
issuance or extension of Letters of Credit (which shall be a Domestic Business
Day) (or such shorter period as may be agreed by such Issuing Lender in any
particular instance), specifying the date such Letter of Credit is to be issued
or extended and describing the terms of such Letter of Credit and the nature of
the transactions to be supported thereby. The extension or renewal of
any Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be an issuance of such Letter of Credit,
and if any Letter of Credit contains a provision pursuant to which it is deemed
to be extended unless notice of termination is given by an Issuing Lender, such
Issuing Lender shall timely give such notice of termination unless it has
theretofore timely received a Letter of Credit Request and the other conditions
to issuance of a Letter of Credit have theretofore been met with respect to such
extension. No Letter of Credit shall have a term extending or be so
extendible beyond the fifth Business Day before the Termination
Date.
Section
3.04. Conditions to Issuance of
Letters of Credit. The issuance by an Issuing Lender of each
Letter of Credit shall, in addition to the conditions precedent set forth in
Article IV, be subject to the conditions precedent that (i) such Letter of
Credit shall be satisfactory in form and substance to such Issuing Lender, (ii)
the Borrower and, if applicable, any such Affiliate of the Borrower, shall have
executed and delivered such other instruments and agreements relating to such
Letter of Credit as such Issuing Lender shall have reasonably requested and
(iii) such Issuing Lender shall have confirmed on the date of (and after giving
effect to) such issuance that (A) the aggregate amount of all Letter of Credit
Liabilities will not exceed the Letter of Credit Commitment and (B) the
aggregate Revolving Outstandings will not exceed the aggregate amount of the
Revolving Commitments. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Section 3.04, no Issuing Lender shall be under any obligation to issue any
Letter of Credit if: any order, judgment or decree of any governmental authority
shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain such Issuing Lender from
issuing such Letter of Credit, or any requirement of law applicable to such
Issuing Lender or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of
law) from any governmental authority with jurisdiction over such Issuing Lender
shall prohibit, or request that such Issuing Lender refrain from, the issuance
of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall
impose upon such Issuing Lender with respect to such Letter of Credit any
restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which such Issuing Lender is
not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall
impose upon such Issuing Lender any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was
not applicable on the Closing Date and which such Issuing Lender in good xxxxx
xxxxx material to it.
Section
3.05. Purchase and Sale of Letter
of Credit Participations. Upon the issuance by an Issuing
Lender of a Letter of Credit, such Issuing Lender shall be deemed, without
further action by any party hereto, to have sold to each Lender, and each Lender
shall be deemed, without further action by any party hereto, to have purchased
from such Issuing Lender, without recourse or warranty, an undivided
participation interest in such Letter of Credit and the related Letter of Credit
Liabilities in accordance with its respective Revolving Commitment Ratio
(although the Fronting Fee payable under Section 2.07(b) shall be payable
directly to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Issuing
Lender, and the Lenders (other than such Issuing Lender) shall have no right to
receive any portion of any such Fronting Fee) and any security therefor or
guaranty pertaining thereto. Upon any change in the Revolving
Commitments pursuant to Sections 2.19 or 9.06(c), there shall be an automatic
adjustment to the participations in all outstanding Letters of Credit and Letter
of Credit Liabilities to reflect the adjusted Revolving Commitments of the
Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.19, or the adjustment of the Revolving
Commitments of the assigning and assignee Lenders or of all Lenders having
Revolving Commitments pursuant to Section 9.06(c), as the case may
be.
Section
3.06. Drawings under Letters of
Credit. Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of
Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the applicable
Issuing Lender shall determine in accordance with the terms of such Letter of
Credit whether such drawing should be honored. If such Issuing Lender
determines that any such drawing shall be honored, such Issuing Lender shall
make available to such beneficiary in accordance with the terms of such Letter
of Credit the amount of the drawing and shall notify the Borrower as to the
amount to be paid as a result of such drawing and the payment date.
Section
3.07. Reimbursement
Obligations. The Borrower shall be irrevocably and
unconditionally obligated forthwith to reimburse the applicable Issuing Lender
for any amounts paid by such Issuing Lender upon any drawing under any Letter of
Credit, together with any and all reasonable charges and expenses which such
Issuing Lender may pay or incur relative to such drawing and interest on the
amount drawn at the rate applicable to Base Rate Loans for each day from and
including the date such amount is drawn to but excluding the date such
reimbursement payment is due and payable. Such reimbursement payment
shall be due and payable (i) at or before 1:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina
time) on the date the applicable Issuing Lender notifies the Borrower of such
drawing, if such notice is given at or before 10:00 A.M. (Charlotte, North
Carolina time) on such date or (ii) at or before 10:00 A.M. (Charlotte, North
Carolina time) on the next succeeding Business Day; provided, that no
payment otherwise required by this sentence to be made by the Borrower at or
before 1:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on any day shall be overdue
hereunder if arrangements for such payment satisfactory to the applicable
Issuing Lender, in its reasonable discretion, shall have been made by the
Borrower at or before 1:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on such day and
such payment is actually made at or before 3:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina
time) on such day. In addition, the Borrower agrees to pay to the
applicable Issuing Lender interest, payable on demand, on any and all amounts
not paid by the Borrower to such Issuing Lender when due under this Section
3.07, for each day from and including the date when such amount becomes due to
but excluding the date such amount is paid in full, whether before or after
judgment, at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 2% plus the rate applicable to
Base Rate Loans for such day. Each payment to be made by the Borrower
pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made to the applicable Issuing Lender in
Federal or other funds immediately available to it at its address referred to
Section 9.01.
Section
3.08. Duties of Issuing Lenders to
Lenders; Reliance. In determining whether to pay under any
Letter of Credit, the relevant Issuing Lender shall not have any obligation
relative to the Lenders participating in such Letter of Credit or the related
Letter of Credit Liabilities other than to determine that any document or
documents required to be delivered under such Letter of Credit have been
delivered and that they substantially comply on their face with the requirements
of such Letter of Credit. Any action taken or omitted to be taken by
an Issuing Lender under or in connection with any Letter of Credit shall not
create for such Issuing Lender any resulting liability if taken or omitted in
the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct. Each Issuing
Lender shall be entitled (but not obligated) to rely, and shall be fully
protected in relying, on the representation and warranty by the Borrower set
forth in the last sentence of Section 4.02 to establish whether the conditions
specified in clauses (c), (d) and (e) of Section 4.02 are met in connection with
any issuance or extension of a Letter of Credit. Each Issuing Lender
shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon advice
and statements of legal counsel, independent accountants and other experts
selected by such Issuing Lender and upon any Letter of Credit, draft, writing,
resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, cablegram,
telegram, telecopier, telex or teletype message, statement, order or other
document believed by it in good faith to be genuine and correct and to have been
signed, sent or made by the proper Person or Persons, and may accept documents
that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further
investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary unless
the beneficiary and the Borrower shall have notified such Issuing Lender that
such documents do not comply with the terms and conditions of the Letter of
Credit. Each Issuing Lender shall be fully justified in refusing to
take any action requested of it under this Section in respect of any Letter of
Credit unless it shall first have received such advice or concurrence of the
Required Lenders as it reasonably deems appropriate or it shall first be
indemnified to its reasonable satisfaction by the Lenders against any and all
liability and expense which may be incurred by it by reason of taking or
continuing to take, or omitting or continuing to omit, any such
action. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, each
Issuing Lender shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining
from acting, under this Section in respect of any Letter of Credit in accordance
with a request of the Required Lenders, and such request and any action taken or
failure to act pursuant hereto shall be binding upon all Lenders and all future
holders of participations in such Letter of Credit; provided, that this
sentence shall not affect any rights the Borrower may have against any Issuing
Lender or the Lenders that make such request.
Section
3.09. Obligations of Lenders to
Reimburse Issuing Lender for Unpaid Drawings. If any Issuing
Lender makes any payment under any Letter of Credit and the Borrower shall not
have reimbursed such amount in full to such Issuing Lender pursuant to Section
3.07, such Issuing Lender shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent, and
the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender (other than the
relevant Issuing Lender), and each such Lender shall promptly and
unconditionally pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of such Issuing
Lender, such Lender’s share of such payment (determined in accordance with its
respective Revolving Commitment Ratio) in Dollars in Federal or other
immediately available funds, the aggregate of such payments relating to each
unreimbursed amount being referred to herein as a “Mandatory Letter of Credit
Borrowing”; provided, however, that no
Lender shall be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent its pro rata share
of such unreimbursed amount for any wrongful payment made by the relevant
Issuing Lender under a Letter of Credit as a result of acts or omissions
constituting willful misconduct or gross negligence by such Issuing
Lender. If the Administrative Agent so notifies a Lender prior to
11:00 A.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on any Business Day, such Lender
shall make available to the Administrative Agent at its address referred to in
Section 9.01 and for the account of the relevant Issuing Lender such Lender’s
pro rata share of the amount of such payment by 3:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North
Carolina time) on the Business Day following such Lender’s receipt of notice
from the Administrative Agent, together with interest on such amount for each
day from and including the date of such drawing to but excluding the day such
payment is due from such Lender at the Federal Funds Rate for such day (which
funds the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to such Issuing
Lender). The failure of any Lender to make available to the
Administrative Agent for the account of an Issuing Lender its pro rata share of
any unreimbursed drawing under any Letter of Credit shall not relieve any other
Lender of its obligation hereunder to make available to the Administrative Agent
for the account of such Issuing Lender its pro rata share of any payment made
under any Letter of Credit on the date required, as specified above, but no such
Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to make
available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Lender
such other Lender’s pro rata share of any such payment. Upon payment
in full of all amounts payable by a Lender under this Section 3.09, such Lender
shall be subrogated to the rights of the relevant Issuing Lender against the
Borrower to the extent of such Lender’s pro rata share of the related Letter of
Credit Liabilities (including interest accrued thereon). If any
Lender fails to pay any amount required to be paid by it pursuant to this
Section 3.09 on the date on which such payment is due, interest shall accrue on
such Lender’s obligation to make such payment, for each day from and including
the date such payment became due to but excluding the date such Lender makes
such payment, whether before or after judgment, at a rate per annum equal to (i)
for each day from the date such payment is due to the third succeeding Business
Day, inclusive, the Federal Funds Rate for such day as determined by the
relevant Issuing Lender and (ii) for each day thereafter, the sum of 2% plus the
rate applicable to its Base Rate Loans for such day. Any payment made
by any Lender after 3:00 P.M. (Charlotte, North Carolina time) on any Business
Day shall be deemed for purposes of the preceding sentence to have been made on
the next succeeding Business Day.
Section
3.10. Funds Received from the
Borrower in Respect of Drawn Letters of Credit. Whenever an
Issuing Lender receives a payment of a Reimbursement Obligation as to which the
Administrative Agent has received for the account of such Issuing Lender any
payments from the other Lenders pursuant to Section 3.09 above, such Issuing
Lender shall pay the amount of such payment to the Administrative Agent, and the
Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to each Lender which has paid its pro
rata share thereof, in Dollars in Federal or other immediately available funds,
an amount equal to such Lender’s pro rata share of the principal amount thereof
and interest thereon for each day after relevant date of payment at the Federal
Funds Rate.
Section
3.11. Obligations in Respect of
Letters of Credit Unconditional. The obligations of the
Borrower under Section 3.07 above shall be absolute, unconditional and
irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement, under all circumstances whatsoever, including, without
limitation, the following circumstances:
(a) any lack
of validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any Letter of Credit or any
document related hereto or thereto;
(b) any
amendment or waiver of or any consent to departure from all or any of the
provisions of this Agreement or any Letter of Credit or any document related
hereto or thereto;
(c) the use
which may be made of the Letter of Credit by, or any acts or omission of, a
beneficiary of a Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom the beneficiary may be
acting);
(d) the
existence of any claim, set-off, defense or other rights that the Borrower may
have at any time against a beneficiary of a Letter of Credit (or any Person for
whom the beneficiary may be acting), any Issuing Lender or any other Person,
whether in connection with this Agreement or any Letter of Credit or any
document related hereto or thereto or any unrelated transaction;
(e) any
statement or any other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be
forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being
untrue or inaccurate in any respect whatsoever;
(f) payment
under a Letter of Credit against presentation to an Issuing Lender of a draft or
certificate that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; provided, that the
relevant Issuing Lender’s determination that documents presented under such
Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof shall not have constituted gross
negligence or willful misconduct of such Issuing Lender; or
(g) any other
act or omission to act or delay of any kind by any Issuing Lender or any other
Person or any other event or circumstance whatsoever that might, but for the
provisions of this subsection (g), constitute a legal or equitable discharge of
the Borrower’s obligations hereunder.
Nothing
in this Section 3.11 is intended to limit the right of the Borrower to make a
claim against any Issuing Lender for damages as contemplated by the proviso to the first
sentence of Section 3.12.
Section
3.12. Indemnification in Respect
of Letters of Credit. The Borrower hereby indemnifies and
holds harmless each Lender (including each Issuing Lender) and the
Administrative Agent from and against any and all claims, damages, losses,
liabilities, costs or expenses which such Lender or the Administrative Agent may
incur by reason of or in connection with the failure of any other Lender to
fulfill or comply with its obligations to such Issuing Lender hereunder (but
nothing herein contained shall affect any rights which the Borrower may have
against such defaulting Lender), and none of the Lenders (including any Issuing
Lender) nor the Administrative Agent, their respective affiliates nor any of
their respective officers, directors, employees or agents shall be liable or
responsible, by reason of or in connection with the execution and delivery or
transfer of or payment or failure to pay under any Letter of Credit, including,
without limitation, any of the circumstances enumerated in Section 3.11, as well
as (i) any error, omission, interruption or delay in transmission or delivery of
any messages, by mail, cable, telegraph, telex or otherwise, (ii) any error in
interpretation of technical terms, (iii) any loss or delay in the transmission
of any document required in order to make a drawing under a Letter of Credit,
(iv) any consequences arising from causes beyond the control of such indemnitee,
including without limitation, any government acts, or (v) any other
circumstances whatsoever in making or failing to make payment under such Letter
of Credit; provided, that the
Borrower shall not be required to indemnify any Issuing Lender for any claims,
damages, losses, liabilities, costs or expenses, and the Borrower shall have a
claim against such Issuing Lender for direct (but not consequential) damages
suffered by it, to the extent found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a
final, non-appealable judgment or order to have been caused by (i) the willful
misconduct or gross negligence of such Issuing Lender in determining whether a
request presented under any Letter of Credit issued by it complied with the
terms of such Letter of Credit or (ii) such Issuing Lender’s failure to pay
under any Letter of Credit issued by it after the presentation to it of a
request strictly complying with the terms and conditions of such Letter of
Credit. Nothing in this Section 3.12 is intended to limit the
obligations of the Borrower under any other provision of this
Agreement.
Section
3.13. ISP98. The
rules of the “International Standby Practices 1998” (the “ISP98”) as published
by the ICC most recently at the time of issuance of any Letter of Credit shall
apply to such Letter of Credit unless otherwise expressly provided in such
Letter of Credit.
ARTICLE
IV
CONDITIONS
Section
4.01. Conditions to
Closing. The obligation of each Lender to make a Loan or issue
a Letter of Credit on the occasion of the first Credit Event hereunder is
subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) Effectiveness. This
Agreement shall have become effective in accordance with Section
9.08.
(b) Notes. On
or prior to the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent shall have received a
duly executed Note for the account of each Lender requesting delivery of a Note
pursuant to Section 2.05.
(c) Officers’
Certificates. The Administrative Agent shall have received a
certificate dated the Closing Date signed on behalf of the Borrower by the
Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or the
Assistant Treasurer of the Borrower stating that (A) on the Closing Date and
after giving effect to the Loans and Letters of Credit being made or issued on
the Closing Date, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing and (B) the representations and warranties of the Borrower contained
in the Loan Documents are true and correct on and as of the Closing
Date.
(d) Proceedings. On
the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent shall have received (i) a copy of the
Borrower’s certificate of formation certified by the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware; (ii) a certificate of the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware, dated as of a recent date, as to the good standing of the Borrower;
and (iii) a certificate of the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the
Borrower dated the Closing Date and certifying (A) that attached thereto is a
true, correct and complete copy of the limited liability company agreement of
the Borrower, (B) as to the absence of dissolution or liquidation proceedings by
or against the Borrower, (C) that attached thereto is a true, correct and
complete copy of resolutions adopted by the managers of the Borrower authorizing
the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which the
Borrower is a party and each other document delivered in connection herewith or
therewith and that such resolutions have not been amended and are in full force
and effect on the date of such certificate and (D) as to the incumbency and
specimen signatures of each officer of the Borrower executing the Loan Documents
to which the Borrower is a party or any other document delivered in connection
herewith or therewith.
(e) Opinions of
Counsel. On the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent shall
have received from counsel to the Borrower, opinions addressed to the
Administrative Agent and each Lender, dated the Closing Date, substantially in
the form of Exhibit D-1 hereto and covering such additional matters incident to
the transactions contemplated hereby as the Administrative Agent or the Required
Lenders may reasonably request.
(f) [Intentionally
Omitted]
(g) Financial
Statements. The Administrative Agent and each Lender shall
have received and be satisfied with the (i) the audited consolidated financial
statements of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2007, audited by Ernst & Young, LLP, or other nationally
recognized independent public accountants, and containing an opinion of such
firm that such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects and
in conformity with GAAP, the financial position and results of operations of the
Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries, and (ii) unaudited, consolidated,
interim financial statements of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
for the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2008.
(h) Consents. All
necessary governmental (domestic or foreign), regulatory and third party
approvals, if any, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall have been obtained and remain in
full force and effect, in each case without any action being taken by any
competent authority which could restrain or prevent such transaction or impose,
in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent, materially adverse
conditions upon the consummation of such transactions.
(i) Borrower’s
Structure. The corporate and capital structure of the Borrower
and its Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the Borrower’s direct or
indirect ownership of the Restricted Subsidiaries, shall be satisfactory to the
Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion.
(j) Payment of
Fees. All costs, fees and expenses due to the Administrative
Agent, the Lead Arranger and the Lenders on or before the Closing Date shall
have been paid.
(k) Counsel
Fees. The Administrative Agent shall have received full
payment from the Borrower of the fees and expenses of Winston & Xxxxxx LLP
described in Section 9.03 which are billed through the Closing
Date.
(l) Other
Materials. The Administrative Agent shall have received such
other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the
Administrative Agent, any Issuing Lender or the Required Lenders may reasonably
request, in each case in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative
Agent.
Section
4.02. Conditions to All Credit
Events. The obligation of any Lender to make a Loan on the
occasion of any Borrowing, and the obligation of any Issuing Lender to issue (or
renew or extend the term of) any Letter of Credit, is subject to the
satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) the fact
that the Closing Date shall have occurred;
(b) receipt
by the Administrative Agent of a Notice of Borrowing as required by Section
2.03, or receipt by an Issuing Lender of a Letter of Credit Request as required
by Section 3.03;
(c) the fact
that, immediately before and after giving effect to such Credit Event, no
Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing;
and
(d) the fact
that the representations and warranties of the Borrower contained in this
Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be true and correct on and as of
the date of such Credit Event (except for the representations in Section
5.04(c), Section 5.06, Section 5.11 and Section 5.15, which shall be deemed only
to relate to the matters referred to therein on and as of the Closing
Date).
Each
Credit Event under this Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and
warranty by the Borrower on the date of such Credit Event as to the facts
specified in clauses (c) and (d) of this Section.
ARTICLE
V
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
The
Borrower represents and warrants that:
Section
5.01. Status. The
Borrower is a limited liability company duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has the limited
liability company authority to make and perform this Agreement and each other
Loan Document to which it is a party.
Section
5.02. Authority; No
Conflict. The execution, delivery and performance by the
Borrower of this Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it is a party
have been duly authorized by all necessary limited liability company action and
do not violate (i) any provision of law or regulation, or any decree, order,
writ or judgment, (ii) any provision of its limited liability company agreement,
or (iii) result in the breach of or constitute a default under any indenture or
other agreement or instrument to which the Borrower is a party; provided, that any
exercise of the option to increase the Revolving Commitment as contemplated in
Section 2.19 will require further authorization of the Borrower’s Board of
Managers.
Section
5.03. Legality;
Etc. This Agreement and each other Loan Document (other than
the Notes) to which the Borrower is a party constitute the legal, valid and
binding obligations of the Borrower, and the Notes, when executed and delivered
in accordance with this Agreement, will constitute legal, valid and binding
obligations of the Borrower, in each case enforceable against the Borrower in
accordance with their terms except to the extent limited by (a) bankruptcy,
insolvency, fraudulent conveyance or reorganization laws or by other laws
relating to or affecting the enforceability of creditors’ rights generally and
by general equitable principles which may limit the right to obtain equitable
remedies regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding of law
or equity or (b) any applicable public policy on enforceability of provisions
relating to contribution and indemnification.
Section
5.04. Financial
Condition.
(a) Audited Financial
Statements. The consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and
its Consolidated Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2007 and the related
consolidated statements of income and cash flows for the fiscal year then ended,
reported on by Ernst & Young, LLP, copies of which have been delivered to
each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, fairly present, in conformity
with GAAP, the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its
Consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date and their consolidated results of
operations and cash flows for such fiscal year.
(b) Interim Financial
Statements. The unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the
Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries as of June 30, 2008 and the related
unaudited consolidated statements of income and cash flows for the three months
then ended fairly present, in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis consistent
with the financial statements referred to in subsection (a) of this Section, the
consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Consolidated
Subsidiaries as of such date and their consolidated results of operations and
cash flows for such three-month period (subject to normal year-end audit
adjustments).
(c) Material Adverse
Change. Since December 31, 2007 there has been no change in
the business, assets, financial condition or operations of the Borrower and its
Consolidated Subsidiaries, considered as a whole, that would materially and
adversely affect the Borrower’s ability to perform any of its obligations under
this Agreement, the Notes or the other Loan Documents.
Section
5.05. Rights to
Properties. The Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries have
good and valid fee, leasehold, easement or other right, title or interest in or
to all the properties necessary to the conduct of their business as conducted on
the date hereof and as presently proposed to be conducted, except to the extent
the failure to have such rights or interests would not have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section
5.06. Litigation. Except
as disclosed in or contemplated by the Borrower’s Form 10-K Report to the SEC
for the year ended December 31, 2007 or in any subsequent Form 10-Q or 8-K
Report or otherwise furnished in writing to the Administrative Agent, no
litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding against the Borrower is
pending or, to the Borrower’s knowledge, threatened, which, if adversely
determined, would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Borrower to
perform any of its obligations under this Agreement, the Notes or the other Loan
Documents. There is no litigation, arbitration or administrative
proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened which
questions the validity of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents to which it
is a party.
Section
5.07. No
Violation. No part of the proceeds of the borrowings by
hereunder will be used, directly or indirectly by the Borrower for the purpose
of purchasing or carrying any “margin stock” within the meaning of Regulation U
of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or for any other
purpose which violates, or which conflicts with, the provisions of Regulations U
or X of said Board of Governors. The Borrower is not engaged principally, or as
one of its important activities, in the business of extending credit for the
purpose of purchasing or carrying any such “margin stock”.
Section
5.08. ERISA. Each
member of the ERISA Group has fulfilled its obligations under the minimum
funding standards of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to each
Material Plan and is in compliance in all material respects with the presently
applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to
each Material Plan. No member of the ERISA Group has (i) sought a
waiver of the minimum funding standard under Section 412 of the Internal Revenue
Code in respect of any Material Plan, (ii) failed to make any contribution or
payment to any Material Plan, or made any amendment to any Material Plan, which
has resulted or could result in the imposition of a lien or the posting of a
bond or other security under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code or (iii)
incurred any material liability under Title IV of ERISA other than a liability
to the PBGC for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA.
Section
5.09. Governmental
Approvals. No authorization, consent or approval from any
Governmental Authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance
by the Borrower of this Agreement, the Notes and the other Loan Documents to
which it is a party, except such authorizations, consents and approvals as have
been obtained prior to the Closing Date and are in full force and
effect.
Section
5.10. Investment Company
Act. The Borrower is not an “investment company” within the
meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Section
5.11. Restricted Subsidiaries,
Etc. Set forth in Schedule 5.11 hereto is a complete and
correct list as of the Closing Date of the Restricted Subsidiaries of the
Borrower, together with, for each such Subsidiary, the jurisdiction of
organization of such Subsidiary. Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.11
hereto, as of the Closing Date, (i) each such Subsidiary is a Wholly Owned
Subsidiary of the Borrower and (ii) each such Subsidiary is duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
organization and has all corporate or other organizational powers to carry on
its businesses as now conducted.
Section
5.12. Tax Returns and
Payments. The Borrower and each of its Restricted Subsidiaries
has filed or caused to be filed all Federal, state, local and foreign income tax
returns required to have been filed by it and has paid or caused to be paid all
income taxes shown to be due on such returns except income taxes that are being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which the Borrower or
its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, shall have set aside on its
books appropriate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP or that
would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section
5.13. Compliance with
Laws. To the knowledge of the Borrower or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, the Borrower and each of its Restricted Subsidiaries is
in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and orders of any
Governmental Authority, domestic or foreign, in respect of the conduct of its
business and the ownership of its property (including, without limitation,
compliance with all applicable ERISA and Environmental Laws and the requirements
of any permits issued under such Environmental Laws), except to the extent (a)
such compliance is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or
(b) non-compliance would not reasonably be expected to materially and adversely
affect its ability to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement, the
Notes or any other Loan Document to which it is a party.
Section
5.14. No
Default. No Default or Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing.
Section
5.15. Environmental
Matters.
(a) Except
(i) as disclosed in or contemplated by the Borrower’s Form 10-K Report to the
SEC for the year ended December 31, 2007 or in any subsequent Form 10-Q or 8-K
Report or otherwise furnished to the Administrative Agent in writing, or (ii) to
the extent that the liabilities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, that relate to or could result from the matters referred to in clauses
(i) through (iii) of this Section 5.15(a), inclusive, would not reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, to the Borrower’s or any of its
Subsidiaries’ knowledge:
(i) no
notice, notification, citation, summons, complaint or order has been issued, no
complaint has been filed, no penalty has been assessed nor is any investigation
or review pending or threatened by any governmental or other entity with respect
to any (A) alleged violation by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of any
Environmental Law, (B) alleged failure by the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries to have any environmental permit, certificate, license, approval,
registration or authorization required in connection with the conduct of its
business or (C) generation, storage, treatment, disposal, transportation or
release of Hazardous Substances;
(ii) no
Hazardous Substance has been released (and no written notification of such
release has been filed) (whether or not in a reportable or threshold planning
quantity) at, on or under any property now or previously owned, leased or
operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; and
(iii) no
property now or previously owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of
its Subsidiaries or any property to which the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries has, directly or indirectly, transported or arranged for the
transportation of any Hazardous Substances, is listed or, to the Borrower’s or
any of its Subsidiaries’ knowledge, proposed for listing, on the National
Priorities List promulgated pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (“CERCLA”), on CERCLIS
(as defined in CERCLA) or on any similar federal, state or foreign list of sites
requiring investigation or clean-up.
(b) Except as
disclosed in or contemplated by the Borrower’s Form 10-K Report to the SEC for
the year ended December 31, 2007 or in any subsequent Form 10-Q or 8-K Report or
otherwise furnished to the Administrative Agent in writing, to the Borrower’s or
any of its Subsidiaries’ knowledge, there are no Environmental Liabilities that
have resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(c) For
purposes of this Section 5.15, the terms “the Borrower” and “Subsidiary” shall
include any business or business entity (including a corporation) which is a
predecessor, in whole or in part, of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries
from the time such business or business entity became a Subsidiary of PPL
Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation.
Section
5.16. Guarantees. As
of the Closing Date, except as set forth in Schedule 5.16 hereto, the Borrower
has no Guarantees of any Debt of any Foreign Subsidiary of the Borrower other
than such Debt not in excess of $25,000,000 in the aggregate.
Section
5.17. OFAC. None
of the Borrower, any Subsidiary of the Borrower or any Affiliate of the
Borrower: (i) is a Sanctioned Person, (ii) has more than 10% of its assets in
Sanctioned Entities, or (iii) derives more than 10% of its operating income from
investments in, or transactions with Sanctioned Persons or Sanctioned
Entities. The proceeds of any Loan will not be used and have not been
used to fund any operations in, finance any investments or activities in, or
make any payments to, a Sanctioned Person or a Sanctioned Entity.
ARTICLE
VI
COVENANTS
The
Borrower agrees that so long as any Lender has any Commitment hereunder or any
amount payable hereunder or under any Note or other Loan Document remains unpaid
or any Letter of Credit Liability remains outstanding:
Section
6.01. Information. The
Borrower will deliver or cause to be delivered to each of the Lenders (it being
understood that the posting of the information required in clauses (a), (b) and
(f) of this Section 6.01 on the Borrower’s website (xxxx://xxx.xxxxxx.xxx) shall
be deemed to be effective delivery to the Lenders):
(a) Annual Financial
Statements. Promptly when available and in any event within
ten (10) days after the date such information is required to be delivered to the
SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Consolidated
Subsidiaries as of the end of such fiscal year and the related consolidated
statements of income and cash flows for such fiscal year and accompanied by an
opinion thereon by independent public accountants of recognized national
standing, which opinion shall state that such consolidated financial statements
present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its
Consolidated Subsidiaries as of the date of such financial statements and the
results of their operations for the period covered by such financial statements
in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis.
(b) Quarterly Financial
Statements. Promptly when available and in any event within
ten (10) days after the date such information is required to be delivered to the
SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Consolidated
Subsidiaries as of the end of such quarter and the related consolidated
statements of income and cash flows for such fiscal quarter, all
certified (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments) as to fairness of
presentation, GAAP and consistency by any vice president, the treasurer or the
controller of the Borrower.
(c) Officer’s
Certificate. Simultaneously with the delivery of each set of
financial statements referred to in subsections (a) and (b) above, a certificate
of the chief accounting officer of the Borrower, (i) setting forth in reasonable
detail the calculations required to establish compliance with the requirements
of Section 6.11 on the date of such financial statements and (ii) stating
whether there exists on the date of such certificate any Default or Event of
Default and, if any Default or Event of Default then exists, setting forth the
details thereof and the action which the Borrower is taking or proposes to take
with respect thereto.
(d) Default. Forthwith
upon acquiring knowledge of the occurrence of any (i) Default or (ii) Event of
Default, in either case a certificate of a vice president or the treasurer of
the Borrower setting forth the details thereof and the action which the Borrower
is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto.
(e) Change in Borrower’s
Ratings. Upon the chief executive officer, the president, any
vice president or any senior financial officer of the Borrower obtaining
knowledge of any change in a Borrower’s Rating, a notice of such Borrower’s
Rating in effect after giving effect to such change.
(f) Securities Laws
Filing. Promptly when available and in any event within ten
(10) days after the date such information is required to be delivered to the
SEC, a copy of any Form 10-K Report to the SEC and a copy of any Form 10-Q
Report to the SEC, and promptly upon the filing thereof, any other filings with
the SEC.
(g) ERISA
Matters. If and when any member of the ERISA
Group: (i) gives or is required to give notice to the PBGC of any
“reportable event” (as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA) with respect to any
Material Plan which might constitute grounds for a termination of such Plan
under Title IV of ERISA, or knows that the plan administrator of any Material
Plan has given or is required to give notice of any such reportable event, a
copy of the notice of such reportable event given or required to be given to the
PBGC; (ii) receives, with respect to any Material Plan that is a Multiemployer
Plan, notice of any complete or partial withdrawal liability under Title IV of
ERISA, or notice that any Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization, is insolvent
or has been terminated, a copy of such notice; (iii) receives notice from the
PBGC under Title IV of ERISA of an intent to terminate, impose material
liability (other than for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA) in respect of,
or appoint a trustee to administer any Material Plan, a copy of such notice;
(iv) applies for a waiver of the minimum funding standard under Section 412 of
the Internal Revenue Code with respect to a Material Plan, a copy of such
application; (v) gives notice of intent to terminate any Plan under Section
4041(c) of ERISA, a copy of such notice and other information filed with the
PBGC; (vi) gives notice of withdrawal from any Plan pursuant to Section 4063 of
ERISA; or (vii) fails to make any payment or contribution to any Plan or makes
any amendment to any Plan which has resulted or could result in the imposition
of a lien or the posting of a bond or other security, a copy of such notice, a
certificate of the chief accounting officer of the Borrower setting forth
details as to such occurrence and action, if any, which the Borrower or
applicable member of the ERISA Group is required or proposes to
take.
(h) Other
Information. From time to time such additional financial or
other information regarding the financial condition, results of operations,
properties, assets or business of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries as any
Lender may reasonably request.
The
Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent will make
available to the Lenders and each Issuing Lender materials and/or information
provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder (collectively, “Borrower Materials”)
by posting the Borrower Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic
system (the “Platform”) and (b)
certain of the Lenders may be “public-side” Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not
wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or
its securities) (each, a “Public
Lender”). The Borrower hereby agrees that it will use
commercially reasonable efforts to identify that portion of the Borrower
Materials that may be distributed to the Public Lenders and that (w) all such
Borrower Materials shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at
a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the
first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” the Borrower
shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lenders
and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material
non-public information (although it may be sensitive and proprietary) with
respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal
and state securities laws (provided, however, that to the
extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information (as defined below), they
shall be treated as set forth in Section 9.12); (y) all Borrower Materials
marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the
Platform designated “Public Investor;” and (z) the Administrative Agent shall be
entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being
suitable only for posting (subject to Section 9.12) on a portion of the Platform
not designated “Public Investor.” “Information” means
all information received from the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries relating
to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective
businesses, other than any such information that is available to the
Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Lender on a nonconfidential
basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; provided that, in the
case of information received from the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries after
the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery
as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality
of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied
with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of
care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would
accord to its own confidential information.
Section
6.02. Maintenance of Property;
Insurance.
(a) Maintenance of
Properties. The Borrower will keep, and will cause each of its
Restricted Subsidiaries to keep, all property useful and necessary in their
respective businesses in good working order and condition, subject to ordinary
wear and tear, unless the Borrower determines in good faith that the continued
maintenance of any of such properties is no longer economically desirable and so
long as the failure to so maintain such properties would not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Insurance. The
Borrower will maintain, or cause to be maintained, insurance with financially
sound (determined in the reasonable judgment of the Borrower) and responsible
companies in such amounts (and with such risk retentions) and against such risks
as is usually carried by owners of similar businesses and properties in the same
general areas in which the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries
operate.
Section
6.03. Conduct of Business and
Maintenance of Existence. The Borrower will (i) continue, and
will cause each of its Restricted Subsidiaries to continue, to engage in
businesses of the same general type as now conducted by the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries and businesses related thereto or arising out of such businesses,
except to the extent that the failure to maintain any existing business would
not have a Material Adverse Effect and (ii) except as otherwise permitted in
Section 6.08, preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect, and will cause
each of its Subsidiaries to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect,
their respective limited liability company (or other entity) existence and their
respective rights, privileges and franchises necessary or material to the normal
conduct of business, except, in each case, where the failure to do so could not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section
6.04. Compliance with Laws,
Etc. The Borrower will comply, and will cause each of its
Restricted Subsidiaries to comply, with all applicable laws, regulations and
orders of any Governmental Authority, domestic or foreign, in respect of the
conduct of its business and the ownership of its property (including, without
limitation, compliance with all applicable ERISA and Environmental Laws and the
requirements of any permits issued under such Environmental Laws), except to the
extent (a) such compliance is being contested in good faith by appropriate
proceedings or (b) non-compliance could not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
Section
6.05. Books and
Records. The Borrower (i) will keep, and will cause each of
its Restricted Subsidiaries to keep, proper books of record and account in
conformity with GAAP and (ii) will permit representatives of the Administrative
Agent and each of the Lenders to visit and inspect any of their respective
properties, to examine and make copies from any of their respective books and
records and to discuss their respective affairs, finances and accounts with
their officers, any employees and independent public accountants, all at such
reasonable times and as often as may reasonably be desired; provided, that, the
rights created in this Section 6.05 to “visit”, “inspect”, “discuss” and copy
shall not extend to any matters which the Borrower deems, in good faith, to be
confidential, unless the Administrative Agent and any such Lender agree in
writing to keep such matters confidential.
Section
6.06. Use of
Proceeds. The proceeds of the Loans made under this Agreement
will be used by the Borrower for general corporate purposes, including as a
commercial paper backstop, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries. The
Borrower will request the issuance of Letters of Credit solely for general
corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries. No such use
of the proceeds for general corporate purposes will be, directly or indirectly,
for the purpose, whether immediate, incidental or ultimate, of buying or
carrying any Margin Stock within the meaning of Regulation U.
Section
6.07. Restriction on
Liens. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien
upon or with respect to any property or assets of any kind (real or personal,
tangible or intangible) of the Borrower or any such Restricted Subsidiary
(including, without limitation, their Voting Stock), except:
(a) Liens for
taxes, assessments or governmental charges or levies not yet due or which are
being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and for which
adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP shall have been set aside on its
books;
(b) Liens
imposed by law, such as carriers’, landlords’, warehousemen’s and mechanics’
liens and other similar liens arising in the ordinary course of business which
secure payment of obligations not more than 45 days past due or which are being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate
reserves in accordance with GAAP shall have been set aside on its
books;
(c) Liens
arising out of pledges or deposits under worker’s compensation laws,
unemployment insurance, old age pensions, or other social security or retirement
benefits, or similar legislation;
(d) easements
(including, without limitation, reciprocal easement agreements and utility
agreements), rights-of-way, covenants, consents, reservations, encroachments,
variances and other restrictions, charges or encumbrances (whether or not
recorded) affecting the use of real property;
(e) Liens
existing on the Closing Date and described in Schedule 6.07 hereto;
(f) judgment
Liens arising from judgments which secure payment of legal obligations that
would not constitute a Default under Section 7.01;
(g) any
vendor’s Liens, purchase money Liens or any other Lien on any property or asset
acquired by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date
hereof existing on any such property or asset at the time of acquisition thereof
(and not created in anticipation thereof); provided, that, in
any such case no such Lien shall extend to or cover any other asset of the
Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be;
(h) Liens,
deposits and/or similar arrangements to secure the performance of bids, tenders
or contracts (other than contracts for borrowed money), public or statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of
a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business by the Borrower or any
of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including Liens to secure obligations under
agreements relating to the purchase and sale of any commodity (including power
purchase and sale agreements, any commodity hedge or derivative regardless of
whether any such transaction is a “financial” or “physical
transaction”);
(i) Liens on
assets of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries arising out of
obligations or duties to any municipality or public authority with respect to
any franchise, grant, license, permit or certificate.
(j) rights
reserved to or vested in any municipality or public authority to control or
regulate any asset of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or to
use such asset in a manner which does not materially impair the use of such
asset for the purposes for which it is held by the Borrower or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries;
(k) irregularities
in or deficiencies of title to any asset which do not materially adversely
affect the use of such property by the Borrower or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries in the normal course of its business;
(l) any Lien
on any property or asset of any corporation or other entity existing at the time
such corporation or entity is acquired, merged or consolidated or amalgamated
with or into the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and not created
in contemplation of such event;
(m) any Lien
on any asset securing Debt incurred or assumed for the purpose of financing all
or any part of the cost of acquiring, constructing or improving such asset;
provided, that
any such Lien attaches to such asset, solely to extent of the value of the
obligation secured by such Lien, concurrently with or within 180 days after the
acquisition, construction or improvement thereof:
(n) any Liens
in connection with the issuance of tax-exempt industrial development or
pollution control bonds or other similar bonds issued pursuant to Section 103(b)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, to finance all or any part of
the purchase price of or the cost of constructing, equipping or improving
property;
(o) rights of
lessees arising under leases entered into by the Borrower or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries as lessor, in the ordinary course of
business;
(p) any Liens
on or reservations with respect to governmental and other licenses, permits,
franchises, consents and allowances; any Liens on patents, patent licenses and
other patent rights, patent applications, trade names, trademarks, copyrights,
claims, credits, choses in action and other intangible property and general
intangibles including, but not limited to, computer software;
(q) any Liens
on automobiles, buses, trucks and other similar vehicles and movable equipment;
marine equipment; airplanes, helicopters and other flight equipment; and parts,
accessories and supplies used in connection with any of the
foregoing;
(r) any Liens
on furniture and furnishings; and computers and data processing, data storage,
data transmission, telecommunications and other facilities, equipment and
apparatus, which, in any case, are used primarily for administrative or clerical
purposes;
(s) Liens
securing letters of credit entered into in the ordinary course of
business;
(t) Liens
granted on the capital stock of Subsidiaries that are not Restricted
Subsidiaries for the purpose of securing the obligations of such
Subsidiaries;
(u) Liens in
addition to those permitted by clauses (a) through (t) on the property or assets
of a Special Purpose Subsidiary arising in connection with the Lower Mt. Bethel
Lease Financing or the lease of such property or assets through one or more
other lease financings;
(v) Liens by
any Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary for the
benefit of the Borrower or any such Restricted Subsidiary;
(w) Liens on
property which is the subject of a Capital Lease Obligation designating the
Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as lessee and all right, title
and interest of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in and to
such property and in, to and under such lease agreement, whether or not such
lease agreement is intended as a security; provided, that the
aggregate fair market value of the obligations subject to such Liens shall not
at any time exceed $500,000,000;
(x) Liens on
property which is the subject of one or more leases designating the Borrower or
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as lessee and all right, title and interest
of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in and to such property
and in, to and under any such lease agreement, whether or not any such lease
agreement is intended as a security;
(y) Liens
arising out of the refinancing, extension, renewal or refunding of any Debt or
other obligation secured by any Lien permitted by clauses (a) through (x) of
this Section; provided, that such
Debt or other obligation is not increased and is not secured by any additional
assets;
(z) other
Liens on assets or property of the Borrower or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries, so long as the aggregate value of the obligations secured by such
Liens does not exceed the greater of $250,000,000 or 15% of the total
consolidated assets of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries as of the
most recent fiscal quarter of the Borrower for which financial statements are
available.
Section
6.08. Merger or
Consolidation. The Borrower will not merge with or into or
consolidate with or into any other corporation or entity, unless (i) immediately
after giving effect thereto, no event shall occur and be continuing which
constitutes a Default or Event Default, (ii) the surviving or resulting Person,
as the case may be, assumes and agrees in writing to pay and perform all of the
obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement, (iii) substantially all of the
consolidated assets and consolidated revenues of the surviving or
resulting person, as the case may be, are anticipated to come from the utility
or energy businesses and (iv) the surviving or resulting person, as the case may
be, has senior long-term debt ratings from at least two Rating Agencies that are
at least equal to each Borrower’s Rating at the end of the fiscal quarter
immediately preceding the effective date of such consolidation or
merger. No Restricted Subsidiary will merge or consolidate with any
other Person if such Restricted Subsidiary is not the surviving or resulting
Person, unless such other Person is (a) the Borrower or a successor of the
Borrower permitted hereunder or (b) any other Person which is a Wholly Owned
Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower or a successor of the Borrower permitted
hereunder.
Section
6.09. Asset
Sales. Except for the sale of assets required to be sold to
conform with governmental requirements, the Borrower shall not, and shall not
permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate any Asset Sale, if the
aggregate net book value of all such Asset Sales consummated during the four
calendar quarters immediately preceding any date of determination would exceed
25% of the total assets of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries as of
the beginning of the Borrower’s most recently ended full fiscal quarter; provided, however, that any
such Asset Sale will be disregarded for purposes of the 25% limitation specified
above: (a) if any such Asset Sale is in the ordinary course of business of the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries; (b) if the assets subject to any such Asset Sale
are worn out or are no longer useful or necessary in connection with the
operation of the businesses of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries; (c) if the
assets subject to any such Asset Sale are being transferred to a Wholly Owned
Subsidiary of the Borrower; (d) if the proceeds from any such Asset Sale (i)
are, within twelve (12) months of such Asset Sale, invested or reinvested by the
Borrower or any Subsidiary in a Permitted Business, (ii) are used by the
Borrower or a Subsidiary to repay Debt of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, or
(iii) are retained by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries; or (e) if, prior to any
such Asset Sale, at least two Rating Agencies confirm the then-current Borrower
Ratings after giving effect to any such Asset Sale.
Section
6.10. Restrictive
Agreements. Except as set forth in Schedule 6.10, the Borrower
will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to enter into or assume any
agreement prohibiting or otherwise restricting the ability of any Restricted
Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions on its respective equity and
equity equivalents to the Borrower or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries.
Section
6.11. Consolidated Debt to
Consolidated Capitalization Ratio. The ratio of Consolidated
Debt of the Borrower to Consolidated Capitalization of the Borrower shall not
exceed 65% at any time.
Section
6.12. Indebtedness. The
Borrower will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to incur, create,
assume or permit to exist any Debt of such Restricted Subsidiaries
except:
(a) Existing
Debt and any extensions, renewals or refinancings thereof;
(b) Debt
owing to the Borrower or a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary;
(c) any Debt
incurred in respect of the Lower Mt. Bethel Lease Financing;
(d) Non-Recourse
Debt; and
(e) other
Debt, the aggregate principal amount of which does not exceed $500,000,000 at
any time.
ARTICLE
VII
DEFAULTS
Section
7.01. Events of
Default. If one or more of the following events (each an
“Event of
Default”) shall have occurred and be continuing:
(a) the
Borrower shall fail to pay when due any principal of the Loans or shall fail to
reimburse when due any drawing under any Letter of Credit; or
(b) the
Borrower shall fail to pay when due any interest on the Loans and Reimbursement
Obligations, any fee or any other amount payable hereunder or under any other
Loan Document for five (5) days following the date such payment becomes due
hereunder; or
(c) the
Borrower shall fail to observe or perform any covenant or agreement contained in
clause (ii) of Section 6.05, or Sections 6.06, 6.08, 6.09, 6.11 or 6.12;
or
(d) the
Borrower shall fail to observe or perform any covenant or agreement contained in
Section 6.01(d)(i) for 30 days after any such failure or in Section 6.01(d)(ii)
for ten (10) days after any such failure; or
(e) the
Borrower shall fail to observe or perform any covenant or agreement contained in
this Agreement or any other Loan Document (other than those covered by clauses
(a), (b), (c) or (d) above) for thirty (30) days after written notice thereof
has been given to the defaulting party by the Administrative Agent, or at the
request of the Required Lenders; or
(f) any
representation, warranty or certification made by the Borrower in this Agreement
or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, financial statement or other
document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto shall prove to have been incorrect
in any material respect when made or deemed made; or
(g) the
Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall (i) fail to pay any principal or
interest, regardless of amount, due in respect of any Material Debt beyond any
period of grace provided with respect thereto, or (ii) fail to observe or
perform any other term, covenant, condition or agreement contained in any
agreement or instrument evidencing or governing any such Material Debt beyond
any period of grace provided with respect thereto if the effect of any failure
referred to in this clause (ii) is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders
of such Debt or a trustee on its or their behalf to cause, such Debt to become
due prior to its stated maturity; or
(h) the
Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower shall commence a voluntary
case or other proceeding seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief
with respect to itself or its debts under any bankruptcy, insolvency or other
similar law now or hereafter in effect or seeking the appointment of a trustee,
receiver, liquidator, custodian or other similar official of it or any
substantial part of its property, or shall consent to any such relief or to the
appointment of or taking possession by any such official in an involuntary case
or other proceeding commenced against it, or shall make a general assignment for
the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay, or shall admit in
writing its inability to pay, its debts as they become due, or shall take any
corporate action to authorize any of the foregoing; or
(i) an
involuntary case or other proceeding shall be commenced against the Borrower or
any Restricted Subsidiary seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief
with respect to it or its debts under any bankruptcy, insolvency or other
similar law now or hereafter in effect or seeking the appointment of a trustee,
receiver, liquidator, custodian or other similar official of it or any
substantial part of its property, and such involuntary case or other proceeding
shall remain undismissed and unstayed for a period of 60 days; or an order for
relief shall be entered against the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary under
the Bankruptcy Code; or
(j) any
member of the ERISA Group shall fail to pay when due an amount or amounts
aggregating in excess of $25,000,000 which it shall have become liable to pay
under Title IV of ERISA; or notice of intent to terminate a Material Plan shall
be filed under Title IV of ERISA by any member of the ERISA Group, any plan
administrator or any combination of the foregoing; or the PBGC shall institute
proceedings under Title IV of ERISA to terminate, to impose liability (other
than for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA) in respect of, or to cause a
trustee to be appointed to administer any Material Plan; or a condition shall
exist by reason of which the PBGC would be entitled to obtain a decree
adjudicating that any Material Plan must be terminated; or there shall occur a
complete or partial withdrawal from, or default, within the meaning of Section
4219(c)(5) of ERISA, with respect to, one or more Multiemployer Plans which
could reasonably be expected to cause one or more members of the ERISA Group to
incur a current payment obligation in excess of $25,000,000; or
(k) the
Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries shall fail within sixty (60) days
to pay, bond or otherwise discharge any judgment or order for the payment of
money in excess of $20,000,000, entered against the Borrower or any such
Restricted Subsidiary that is not stayed on appeal or otherwise being
appropriately contested in good faith; or
(l) a Change
of Control shall have occurred;
then, and
in every such event, while such event is continuing, the Administrative Agent
may (A) if requested by the Required Lenders, by notice to the Borrower
terminate the Commitments, and the Commitments shall thereupon terminate, and
(B) if requested by the Lenders holding more than 50% of the sum of the
aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loans and Letter of Credit
Liabilities at such time, by notice to the Borrower declare the Loans and Letter
of Credit Liabilities (together with accrued interest and accrued and unpaid
fees thereon) to be, and the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities shall
thereupon become, immediately due and payable without presentment, demand,
protest or other notice of any kind (except as set forth in clause (A) above),
all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower and require the Borrower to, and
the Borrower shall, cash collateralize (in accordance with Section 2.09(a)(ii))
all Letter of Credit Liabilities then outstanding; provided, that, in
the case of any Default or any Event of Default specified in clause 7.01(h) or
7.01(i) above with respect to the Borrower, without any notice to the Borrower
or any other act by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, the Commitments
shall thereupon terminate and the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities
(together with accrued interest and accrued and unpaid fees thereon) shall
become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other
notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower, and the
Borrower shall cash collateralize (in accordance with Section 2.09(a)(ii)) all
Letter of Credit Liabilities then outstanding.
ARTICLE
VIII
THE
AGENTS
Section
8.01. Appointment and
Authorization. Each Lender hereby irrevocably designates and
appoints the Administrative Agent to act as specified herein and in the other
Loan Documents and to take such actions on its behalf under the provisions of
this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and perform such duties as are
expressly delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms of this Agreement
and the other Loan Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably
incidental thereto. The Administrative Agent agrees to act as such
upon the express conditions contained in this Article
VIII. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary elsewhere in this
Agreement or in any other Loan Document, the Administrative Agent shall not have
any duties or responsibilities, except those expressly set forth herein or in
the other Loan Documents, or any fiduciary relationship with any Lender, and no
implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or
liabilities shall be read into this Agreement or otherwise exist against the
Administrative Agent. The provisions of this Article VIII are solely
for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and Lenders, and no other Person
shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary of any of the provisions
hereof. For the sake of clarity, the Lenders hereby agree that
neither the Lead Arranger, any syndication agent, nor any documentation agent
shall have any duties or powers with respect to this Agreement or the other Loan
Documents.
Section
8.02. Individual
Capacity. The Administrative Agent and its Affiliates may make
loans to, accept deposits from and generally engage in any kind of business with
the Borrower and its Affiliates as though the Administrative Agent were not an
Agent. With respect to the Loans made by it and all obligations owing
to it, the Administrative Agent shall have the same rights and powers under this
Agreement as any Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an
Agent, and the terms “Required Lenders”, “Lender” and “Lenders” shall include
the Administrative Agent in its individual capacity.
Section
8.03. Delegation of
Duties. The Administrative Agent may execute any of its duties
under this Agreement or any other Loan Document by or through agents or
attorneys-in-fact. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible
for the negligence or misconduct of any agents or attorneys-in-fact selected by
it with reasonable care except to the extent otherwise required by Section
8.07.
Section
8.04. Reliance by the
Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be
entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon any note,
writing, resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, telecopy
or other electronic facsimile transmission, telex, telegram, cable, teletype,
electronic transmission by modem, computer disk or any other message, statement,
order or other writing or conversation believed by it to be genuine and correct
and to have been signed, sent or made by the proper Person or Persons and upon
advice and statements of legal counsel (including, without limitation, counsel
to the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by the
Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be fully
justified in failing or refusing to take any action under this Agreement or any
other Loan Document unless it shall first receive such advice or concurrence of
the Required Lenders, or all of the Lenders, if applicable, as it deems
appropriate or it shall first be indemnified to its satisfaction by the Lenders
against any and all liability and expense which may be incurred by it by reason
of taking or continuing to take any such action. The Administrative
Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from
acting, under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents in accordance with a
request of the Required Lenders or all of the Lenders, if applicable, and such
request and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding
upon all of the Lenders.
Section
8.05. Notice of
Default. The Administrative Agent shall not be deemed to have
knowledge or notice of the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default
hereunder unless the Administrative Agent has received notice from a Lender or
the Borrower referring to this Agreement, describing such Default or Event of
Default and stating that such notice is a “notice of default”. If the
Administrative Agent receives such a notice, the Administrative Agent shall give
prompt notice thereof to the Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall
take such action with respect to such Default or Event of Default as shall be
reasonably directed by the Required Lenders; provided, that,
unless and until the Administrative Agent shall have received such directions,
the Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) take such action,
or refrain from taking such action, with respect to such Default or Event of
Default as it shall deem advisable in the best interests of the
Lenders.
Section
8.06. Non-Reliance on the Agents
and Other Lenders. Each Lender expressly acknowledges that no
Agent or officer, director, employee, agent, attorney-in-fact or affiliate of
any Agent has made any representations or warranties to it and that no act by
any Agent hereafter taken, including any review of the affairs of the Borrower,
shall be deemed to constitute any representation or warranty by such Agent to
any Lender. Each Lender represents to the Agents that it has,
independently and without reliance upon any Agent or any other Lender, and based
on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own
appraisal of and investigation into the business, assets, operations, property,
financial and other condition, prospects and creditworthiness of the Borrower
and made its own decision to make its Loans hereunder and to enter into this
Agreement. Each Lender also represents that it will, independently
and without reliance upon any Agent or any other Lender, and based on such
documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to
make its own credit analysis, appraisals and decisions in taking or not taking
action under this Agreement, and to make such investigation as it deems
necessary to inform itself as to the business, assets, operations, property,
financial and other condition, prospects and creditworthiness of the
Borrower. No Agent shall have any duty or responsibility to provide
any Lender with any credit or other information concerning the business,
operations, assets, property, financial and other condition, prospects or
creditworthiness of the Borrower which may come into the possession of such
Agent or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or
affiliates.
Section
8.07. Exculpatory
Provisions. The Administrative Agent shall not, and no
officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or affiliates of the
Administrative Agent, shall (i) be liable for any action lawfully taken or
omitted to be taken by it under or in connection with this Agreement or any
other Loan Document (except for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or
bad faith) or (ii) be responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any
recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by the Borrower or any
of its officers contained in this Agreement, in any other Loan Document or in
any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for
in, or received by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this
Agreement or any other Loan Document or for any failure of the Borrower or any
of its officers to perform its obligations hereunder or
thereunder. The Administrative Agent shall not be under any
obligation to any Lender to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or
performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this
Agreement or any other Loan Document, or to inspect the properties, books or
records of the Borrower. The Administrative Agent shall not be
responsible to any Lender for the effectiveness, genuineness, validity,
enforceability, collectibility or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other
Loan Document or for any representations, warranties, recitals or statements
made by any other Person herein or therein or made by any other Person in any
written or oral statement or in any financial or other statements, instruments,
reports, certificates or any other documents in connection herewith or therewith
furnished or made by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders or by or on behalf
of the Borrower to the Administrative Agent or any Lender or be required to
ascertain or inquire as to the performance or observance of any of the terms,
conditions, provisions, covenants or agreements contained herein or therein or
as to the use of the proceeds of the Loans or of the existence or possible
existence of any Default or Event of Default.
Section
8.08. Indemnification. To
the extent that the Borrower for any reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount
required under Sections 9.03(a), (b) or (c) to be paid by it to the
Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent thereof), the Lenders agree to indemnify
the Administrative Agent, in its capacity as such, and hold the Administrative
Agent, in its capacity as such, harmless ratably according to their respective
Commitments from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses,
damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs and reasonable expenses or
disbursements of any kind whatsoever which may at any time (including, without
limitation, at any time following the full payment of the obligations of the
Borrower hereunder) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the
Administrative Agent, in its capacity as such, in any way relating to or arising
out of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any documents contemplated
hereby or referred to herein or the transactions contemplated hereby or any
action taken or omitted to be taken by the Administrative Agent under or in
connection with any of the foregoing, but only to the extent that any of the
foregoing is not paid by the Borrower; provided, that no
Lender shall be liable to the Administrative Agent for the payment of any
portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions,
judgments, suits, costs or expenses or disbursements resulting from the gross
negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Administrative
Agent. If any indemnity furnished to the Administrative Agent for any
purpose shall, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent, be
insufficient or become impaired, the Administrative Agent may call for
additional indemnity and cease, or not commence, to do the acts indemnified
against until such additional indemnity is furnished. The agreement
in this Section 8.08 shall survive the payment of all Loans, Letter of Credit
Liabilities, fees and other obligations of the Borrower arising
hereunder.
Section
8.09. Resignation;
Successors. The Administrative Agent may resign as
Administrative Agent upon twenty (20) days’ notice to the
Lenders. Upon the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the
Required Lenders shall appoint from among the Lenders a successor to the
Administrative Agent, subject to prior approval by the Borrower (so long as no
Event of Default exists) and the consent of the Required Lenders (such approval
or consent, as the case may be, not to be unreasonably withheld), whereupon such
successor Administrative Agent shall succeed to the rights, powers and duties of
the retiring Administrative Agent, and the term “Administrative Agent” shall
include such successor Administrative Agent effective upon its appointment, and
the retiring Administrative Agent’s rights, powers and duties as Administrative
Agent shall be terminated, without any other or further act or deed on the part
of such former Administrative Agent or any of the parties to this Agreement or
any other Loan Document. After the retiring Administrative Agent’s
resignation hereunder as Administrative Agent, the provisions of this Article
VIII shall inure to its benefit as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken
by it while it was Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan
Document. Any resignation by Wachovia Bank, National Association
(“Wachovia
Bank”), as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also
constitute its resignation as Issuing Lender, if Wachovia Bank is an Issuing
Lender. If applicable, upon the acceptance of a successor’s
appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, (a) such successor shall succeed
to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of
Wachovia Bank as Issuing Lender, (b) Wachovia Bank as Issuing Lender shall be
discharged from all of its respective duties and obligations hereunder or under
the other Loan Documents, and (c) the successor Issuing Lender shall issue
letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, issued by
Wachovia Bank and outstanding at the time of such succession or make other
arrangement satisfactory to Wachovia Bank to effectively assume the obligations
of Wachovia Bank as Issuing Lender with respect to such Letters of
Credit.
Section
8.10. Administrative Agent’s
Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for
its own account fees in the amount and at the times agreed upon between the
Borrower, the Administrative Agent and Wachovia Securities pursuant to the Fee
Letter.
ARTICLE
IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
9.01. Notices. Except
as otherwise expressly provided herein, all notices and other communications
hereunder shall be in writing (for purposes hereof, the term “writing” shall
include information in electronic format such as electronic mail and internet
web pages) or by telephone subsequently confirmed in writing; provided that the
foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender or Issuing Lender pursuant to
Article II or Article III, as applicable, if such Lender or Issuing Lender, as
applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of
receiving notices under such Article in electronic format. Any notice
shall have been duly given and shall be effective if delivered by hand delivery
or sent via electronic mail, telecopy, recognized overnight courier service or
certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, or posting on an
internet web page, and shall be presumed to be received by a party hereto (i) on
the date of delivery if delivered by hand or sent by electronic mail, posting on
an internet web page, or telecopy, (ii) on the Business Day following the day on
which the same has been delivered prepaid (or on an invoice basis) to a
reputable national overnight air courier service or (iii) on the third Business
Day following the day on which the same is sent by certified or registered mail,
postage prepaid, in each case to the respective parties at the address or
telecopy numbers, in the case of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, set
forth below, and, in the case of the Lenders, set forth on signature pages
hereto, or at such other address as such party may specify by written notice to
the other parties hereto:
if to the
Borrower:
PPL
Energy Supply, LLC
Xxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx (XXXXX00)
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
with a
copy to:
PPL
Energy Supply, LLC
Xxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx (XXXXX0)
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxxxxx
X. Xxxxx, Esq.
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
if to the
Administrative Agent:
Wachovia
Bank, National Association
One
Wachovia Center
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx – 15th Floor, NC 5562
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxx
Xxxxx
Telephone:
000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
with a
copy to:
Wachovia
Bank, National Association
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Syndications
Agency Services
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
with a
copy to:
Winston
& Xxxxxx LLP
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Esq.
Telephone
: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
Section
9.02. No Waivers; Non-Exclusive
Remedies. No failure by any Agent or any Lender to exercise,
no course of dealing with respect to, and no delay in exercising any right,
power or privilege hereunder or under any Note or other Loan Document shall
operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof
preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other
right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies provided herein
and in the other Loan Documents shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any
rights or remedies provided by law.
Section
9.03. Expenses;
Indemnification.
(a) Expenses. The
Borrower shall pay (i) all out-of-pocket expenses of the Agents, including legal
fees and disbursements of Winston & Xxxxxx LLP and any other local counsel
retained by the Administrative Agent, in its reasonable discretion, in
connection with the preparation, execution, delivery and administration of the
Loan Documents, the syndication efforts of the Agents with respect thereto, any
waiver or consent thereunder or any amendment thereof or any Default or alleged
Default thereunder and (ii) if an Event of Default occurs, all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Agents and each Lender, including
(without duplication) the fees and disbursements of outside counsel, in
connection with such Event of Default and restructuring, workout, collection,
bankruptcy, insolvency and other enforcement proceedings resulting therefrom;
provided, that
the Borrower shall not be liable for any legal fees or disbursements of any
counsel for the Agents and the Lenders other than Winston & Xxxxxx LLP
associated with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and
the closing documents contemplated hereby.
(b) Indemnity in Respect of Loan
Documents. The Borrower agrees to indemnify the Agents and
each Lender, their respective Affiliates and the respective directors, officers,
trustees, agents and employees of the foregoing (each an “Indemnitee”) and hold
each Indemnitee harmless from and against any and all liabilities, obligations,
losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs and expenses or
disbursements of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation, the
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel and any civil penalties or fines
assessed by OFAC), which may at any time (including, without limitation, at any
time following the payment of the obligations of the Borrower hereunder) be
imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Indemnitee in connection with
any investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding (whether or not such
Indemnitee shall be designated a party thereto) brought or threatened relating
to or arising out of the Loan Documents or any actual or proposed use of
proceeds of Loans hereunder; provided, that no
Indemnitee shall have the right to be indemnified hereunder for such
Indemnitee’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a court
of competent jurisdiction in a final, non-appealable judgment or
order.
(c) Indemnity in Respect of
Environmental Liabilities. The Borrower agrees to indemnify
each Lender and hold each Lender harmless from and against any and all
liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits,
costs and expenses or disbursements of any kind whatsoever (including, without
limitation, reasonable expenses of investigation by engineers, environmental
consultants and similar technical personnel and reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel) which may at any time (including, without limitation,
at any time following the payment of the obligations of the Borrower hereunder)
be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Lender in respect of or in
connection with any and all Environmental Liabilities. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower hereby waives all rights
of contribution or any other rights of recovery with respect to liabilities,
obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs and
expenses and disbursements in respect of or in connection with Environmental
Liabilities that it might have by statute or otherwise against any
Lender.
(d) Waiver of
Damages. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law,
the Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any
Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or
punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in
connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or
any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated
hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds
thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in clause (b) above shall be
liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any
information or other materials distributed by it through telecommunications,
electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this
Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or
thereby; provided that nothing in this Section 9.03(d) shall relieve any Lender
from its obligations under Section 9.12.
Section
9.04. Sharing of
Set-Offs. Each Lender agrees that if it shall, by exercising
any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, receive payment of a
proportion of the aggregate amount of principal and interest due with respect to
any Loan made or Note held by it and any Letter of Credit Liabilities which is
greater than the proportion received by any other Lender in respect of the
aggregate amount of principal and interest due with respect to any Loan, Note
and Letter of Credit Liabilities made or held by such other Lender, the Lender
receiving such proportionately greater payment shall purchase such
participations in the Loan made or Notes and Letter of Credit Liabilities held
by the other Lenders, and such other adjustments shall be made, in each case as
may be required so that all such payments of principal and interest with respect
to the Loan made or Notes and Letter of Credit Liabilities made or held by the
Lenders shall be shared by the Lenders pro rata; provided, that
nothing in this Section shall impair the right of any Lender to exercise any
right of set-off or counterclaim it may have for payment of indebtedness of the
Borrower other than its indebtedness hereunder.
Section
9.05. Amendments and
Waivers. Any provision of this Agreement or the Notes may be
amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is
signed by the Borrower and the Required Lenders (and, if the rights or duties of
the Administrative Agent any Issuing Lenders are affected thereby, by the
Administrative Agent or such Issuing Lender, as relevant); provided, that no
such amendment or waiver shall, unless signed by each Lender affected thereby,
(i) increase or decrease the Commitment of any Lender (except for a ratable
decrease in the Commitments of all of the Lenders) or subject any Lender to any
additional obligation (it being understood that waivers or modifications of
conditions precedent, covenants, Defaults or of mandatory reductions in the
Commitments shall not constitute an increase of the Commitment of any Lender,
and that an increase in the available portion of any Commitment of any Lender as
in effect at any time shall not constitute an increase in such Commitment), (ii)
reduce the principal of or rate of interest on any Loan (except in connection
with a waiver of applicability of any post-default increase in interest rates)
or the amount to be reimbursed in respect of any Letter of Credit or any
interest thereon or any fees hereunder, (iii) postpone the date fixed for any
payment of interest on any Loan or the amount to be reimbursed in respect of any
Letter of Credit or any interest thereon or any fees hereunder or for any
scheduled reduction or termination of any Commitment or (except as expressly
provided in Article III) expiration date of any Letter of Credit, (iv) postpone
or change the date fixed for any scheduled payment of principal of any Loan, (v)
change the percentage of the Commitments or of the aggregate unpaid principal
amount of the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities, or the number of Lenders,
which shall be required for the Lenders or any of them to take any action under
this Section or any other provision of this Agreement, (vi) change any provision
hereof in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required by
Section 2.11(a) or the pro rata reduction of Revolving Commitments required by
Section 2.08(a) or (vii) change the currency in which Loans are to be made,
Letters of Credit are to be issued or payment under the Loan Documents is to be
made, or add additional borrowers.
Section
9.06. Successors and
Assigns.
(a) Successors and
Assigns. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective
successors and assigns, except that the Borrower may not assign or otherwise
transfer any of its rights under this Agreement without the prior written
consent of all of the Lenders, except to the extent any such assignment results
from the consummation of a merger or consolidation permitted pursuant to Section
6.08 of this Agreement.
(b) Participations. Any
Lender may at any time grant to one or more banks or other financial
institutions or special purpose funding vehicle (each a “Participant”)
participating interests in its Commitments and/or any or all of its Loans and
Letter of Credit Liabilities. In the event of any such grant by a
Lender of a participating interest to a Participant, whether or not upon notice
to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, such Lender shall remain
responsible for the performance of its obligations hereunder, and the Borrower,
the Issuing Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall continue to deal solely
and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and
obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement pursuant to which any
Lender may grant such a participating interest shall provide that such Lender
shall retain the sole right and responsibility to enforce the obligations of the
Borrower hereunder including, without limitation, the right to approve any
amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided, that such
participation agreement may provide that such Lender will not agree to any
modification, amendment or waiver of this Agreement which would (i) extend the
Termination Date, reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of principal,
interest or fees on any Loan or Letter of Credit Liability in which such
Participant is participating (except in connection with a waiver of
applicability of any post-default increase in interest rates) or reduce the
principal amount thereof, or increase the amount of the Participant’s
participation over the amount thereof then in effect (it being understood that a
waiver of any Default or Event of Default or of a mandatory reduction in the
Commitments shall not constitute a change in the terms of such participation,
and that an increase in any Commitment or Loan or Letter of Credit Liability
shall be permitted without the consent of any Participant if the Participant’s
participation is not increased as a result thereof) or (ii) allow the assignment
or transfer by the Borrower of any of its rights and obligations under this
Agreement, without the consent of the Participant, except to the extent any such
assignment results from the consummation of a merger or consolidation permitted
pursuant to Section 6.08 of this Agreement. The Borrower agrees that
each Participant shall, to the extent provided in its participation agreement,
be entitled to the benefits of Article II with respect to its participating
interest to the same extent as if it were a Lender, subject to the same
limitations, and in no case shall any Participant be entitled to receive any
amount payable pursuant to Article II that is greater that the amount the Lender
granting such Participant’s participating interest would have been entitled to
receive had such Lender not sold such participating interest. An
assignment or other transfer which is not permitted by subsection (c) or (d)
below shall be given effect for purposes of this Agreement only to the extent of
a participating interest granted in accordance with this subsection
(b).
(c) Assignments
Generally. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more
Eligible Assignees (each, an “Assignee”) all, or a
proportionate part (equivalent to an initial amount of not less than $5,000,000
or any larger multiple of $1,000,000), of its rights and obligations under this
Agreement and the Notes with respect to its Loans and, if still in existence,
its Revolving Commitment, and such Assignee shall assume such rights and
obligations, pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption Agreement in substantially
the form of Exhibit C attached hereto executed by such Assignee and such
transferor, with (and subject to) the consent of the Borrower, which shall not
be unreasonably withheld, the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Lenders,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld; provided, that if an
Assignee is an Affiliate of such transferor Lender or was a Lender immediately
prior to such assignment, no such consent of the Borrower or the Administrative
Agent shall be required; provided, further, that if at
the time of such assignment a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing, no such consent of the Borrower shall be required. Upon
execution and delivery of such instrument and payment by such Assignee to such
transferor of an amount equal to the purchase price agreed between such
transferor and such Assignee, such Assignee shall be a Lender party to this
Agreement and shall have all the rights and obligations of a Lender with a
Commitment, if any, as set forth in such instrument of assumption, and the
transferor shall be released from its obligations hereunder to a corresponding
extent, and no further consent or action by any party shall be
required. Upon the consummation of any assignment pursuant to this
subsection (c), the transferor, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall
make appropriate arrangements so that, if required, a new Note is issued to the
Assignee. In connection with any such assignment, the transferor
shall pay to the Administrative Agent an administrative fee for processing such
assignment in the amount of $3,500. If the Assignee is not
incorporated under the laws of the United States or any state thereof, it shall
deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent certification as to
exemption from deduction or withholding of any United States Taxes in accordance
with Section 2.17.
(d) Assignments to Federal
Reserve Banks. Any Lender may at any time assign all or any
portion of its rights under this Agreement and its Note to a Federal Reserve
Bank. No such assignment shall release the transferor Lender from its
obligations hereunder.
(e) Register. The
Borrower hereby designates the Administrative Agent to serve as the Borrower’s
agent, solely for purposes of this subsection 9.06(e), to (i) maintain a
register (the “Register”) on which
the Administrative Agent will record the Commitments from time to time of each
Lender, the Loans made by each Lender and each repayment in respect of the
principal amount of the Loans of each Lender and to (ii) retain a copy of each
Assignment and Assumption Agreement delivered to the Administrative Agent
pursuant to this Section. Failure to make any such recordation, or
any error in such recordation, shall not affect the Borrower’s obligation in
respect of such Loans. The entries in the Register shall be
conclusive, in the absence of manifest error, and the Borrower, the
Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lenders and the other Lenders shall treat each
Person in whose name a Loan and the Note evidencing the same is registered as
the owner thereof for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice or
any provision herein to the contrary. With respect to any Lender, the
assignment or other transfer of the Commitments of such Lender and the rights to
the principal of, and interest on, any Loan made and any Note issued pursuant to
this Agreement shall not be effective until such assignment or other transfer is
recorded on the Register and, except to the extent provided in this subsection
9.06(e), otherwise complies with Section 9.06, and prior to such recordation all
amounts owing to the transferring Lender with respect to such Commitments, Loans
and Notes shall remain owing to the transferring Lender. The
registration of assignment or other transfer of all or part of any Commitments,
Loans and Notes for a Lender shall be recorded by the Administrative Agent on
the Register only upon the acceptance by the Administrative Agent of a properly
executed and delivered Assignment and Assumption Agreement and payment of the
administrative fee referred to in Section 9.06(c). The Register shall
be available for inspection by each of the Borrower and each Issuing Lender at
any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior
notice. In addition, at any time that a request for a consent for a
material or substantive change to the Loan Documents is pending, any Lender
wishing to consult with other Lenders in connection therewith may request and
receive from the Administrative Agent a copy of the Register. The
Borrower may not replace any Lender pursuant to Section 2.08(b), unless, with
respect to any Notes held by such Lender, the requirements of subsection 9.06(c)
and this subsection 9.06(e) have been satisfied.
Section
9.07. Governing Law; Submission to
Jurisdiction. This Agreement and each Note shall be governed
by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New
York. The Borrower hereby submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of
the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and of
any New York State court sitting in New York City for purposes of all legal
proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby. The Borrower irrevocably waives, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the
laying of the venue of any such proceeding brought in such court and any claim
that any such proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an
inconvenient forum.
Section
9.08. Counterparts; Integration;
Effectiveness. This Agreement may be signed in any number of
counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the
signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This
Agreement, the other Loan Documents and the Fee Letter constitute the entire
agreement and understanding among the parties hereto and supersede any and all
prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject
matter hereof and thereof. This Agreement shall become effective upon
receipt by the Administrative Agent of counterparts hereof signed by each of the
parties hereto (or, in the case of any party as to which an executed counterpart
shall not have been received, receipt by the Administrative Agent in form
satisfactory to it of telegraphic, telex, facsimile or other written
confirmation from such party of execution of a counterpart hereof by such
party).
Section
9.09. Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles. Unless otherwise specified herein, all
accounting terms used herein shall be interpreted, all accounting determinations
hereunder shall be made and all financial statements required to be delivered
hereunder shall be prepared in accordance with GAAP as in effect from time to
time, applied on a basis consistent (except for changes concurred in by the
Borrower’s independent public accountants) with the audited consolidated
financial statements of the Borrower and its Consolidated Subsidiaries most
recently delivered to the Lenders; provided, that, if
the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower wishes to amend
any covenant in Article VI to eliminate the effect of any change in GAAP on the
operation of such covenant (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower
that the Required Lenders wish to amend Article VI for such purpose), then the
Borrower’s compliance with such covenant shall be determined on the basis of
GAAP in effect immediately before the relevant change in GAAP became effective,
until either such notice is withdrawn or such covenant is amended in a manner
satisfactory to the Borrower and the Required Lenders.
Section
9.10. Usage. The
following rules of construction and usage shall be applicable to this Agreement
and to any instrument or agreement that is governed by or referred to in this
Agreement.
(a) All terms
defined in this Agreement shall have the defined meanings when used in any
instrument governed hereby or referred to herein and in any certificate or other
document made or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto unless otherwise defined
therein.
(b) The words
“hereof”, “herein”, “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this
Agreement or in any instrument or agreement governed here shall be construed to
refer to this Agreement or such instrument or agreement, as applicable, in its
entirety and not to any particular provision or subdivision hereof or
thereof.
(c) References
in this Agreement to “Article”, “Section”, “Exhibit”, “Schedule” or another
subdivision or attachment shall be construed to refer to an article, section or
other subdivision of, or an exhibit, schedule or other attachment to, this
Agreement unless the context otherwise requires; references in any instrument or
agreement governed by or referred to in this Agreement to “Article”, “Section”,
“Exhibit”, “Schedule” or another subdivision or attachment shall be construed to
refer to an article, section or other subdivision of, or an exhibit, schedule or
other attachment to, such instrument or agreement unless the context otherwise
requires.
(d) The
definitions contained in this Agreement shall apply equally to the singular and
plural forms of such terms. Whenever the context may require, any
pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter
forms. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning as
the word “shall”. The term “including” shall be construed to have the
same meaning as the phrase “including without limitation”.
(e) Unless
the context otherwise requires, any definition of or reference to any agreement,
instrument, statute or document contained in this Agreement or in any agreement
or instrument that is governed by or referred to in this Agreement shall be
construed (i) as referring to such agreement, instrument, statute or document as
the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time
(subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications
set forth in this Agreement or in any agreement or instrument governed by or
referred to in this Agreement), including (in the case of agreements or
instruments) by waiver or consent and (in the case of statutes) by succession of
comparable successor statutes and (ii) to include (in the case of agreements or
instruments) references to all attachments thereto and instruments incorporated
therein. Any reference to any Person shall be construed to include
such Person’s successors and permitted assigns.
(f) Unless
the context otherwise requires, whenever any statement is qualified by “to the
best knowledge of” or “known to” (or a similar phrase) any Person that is not a
natural person, it is intended to indicate that the senior management of such
Person has conducted a commercially reasonable inquiry and investigation prior
to making such statement and no member of the senior management of such Person
(including managers, in the case of limited liability companies, and general
partners, in the case of partnerships) has current actual knowledge of the
inaccuracy of such statement.
Section
9.11. WAIVER OF JURY
TRIAL. THE BORROWER HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL
RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO
THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section
9.12. Confidentiality. Each
Lender agrees to hold all non-public information obtained pursuant to the
requirements of this Agreement in accordance with its customary procedure for
handling confidential information of this nature and in accordance with safe and
sound banking practices; provided, that
nothing herein shall prevent any Lender from disclosing such information (i) to
any other Lender or to any Agent, (ii) to any other Person if reasonably
incidental to the administration of the Loans and Letter of Credit Liabilities,
(iii) upon the order of any court or administrative agency, (iv) to the extent
requested by, or required to be disclosed to, any rating agency or regulatory
agency or similar authority (including any self-regulatory authority, such as
the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (v) which had been
publicly disclosed other than as a result of a disclosure by any Agent or any
Lender prohibited by this Agreement, (vi) in connection with any litigation to
which any Agent, any Lender or any of their respective Subsidiaries or
Affiliates may be party, (vii) to the extent necessary in connection with the
exercise of any remedy hereunder, (viii) to such Lender’s or Agent’s Affiliates
and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents including legal
counsel and independent auditors (it being understood that the Persons to whom
such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such
information and instructed to keep such information confidential), (ix) with the
consent of the Borrower, (x) to Gold Sheets and other similar bank trade
publications, such information to consist solely of deal terms and other
information customarily found in such publications and (xi) subject to
provisions substantially similar to those contained in this Section, to any
actual or proposed Participant or Assignee or to any actual or prospective
counterparty (or its advisors) to any securitization, swap or derivative
transaction relating to the Borrower’s Obligations
hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Agent, any Lender or
Winston & Xxxxxx LLP may circulate promotional materials and place
advertisements in financial and other newspapers and periodicals or on a home
page or similar place for dissemination of information on the Internet or
worldwide web, in each case, after the closing of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement in the form of a “tombstone” or other release limited to
describing the names of the Borrower or its Affiliates, or any of them, and the
amount, type and closing date of such transactions, all at their sole
expense.
Section
9.13. USA PATRIOT Act
Notice. Each Lender that is subject to the Patriot Act (as
hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf
of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of
the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub.L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26,
2001)) (the “Patriot
Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that
identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the
Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative
Agent, as applicable, to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Patriot
Act.
[Signature
Pages to Follow]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first
above written.
PPL
ENERGY SUPPLY, LLC
By:
Name: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Assistant
Treasurer
WACHOVIA
BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Administrative Agent and Lender
By:
Name:
Title:
____________________,
as a Lender
(insert
name of Lender)
By:
Name:
Title
Second
signature block, if required
____________________,
as a Lender
(insert
name of Lender)
By:
Name:
Title