PPL ELECTRIC UTILITIES CORPORATION $250,000,000 Senior Secured Bonds, 6.45% Series due 2037 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1(a)
PPL ELECTRIC UTILITIES CORPORATION
$250,000,000
Senior Secured Bonds, 6.45% Series due 2037
Senior Secured Bonds, 6.45% Series due 2037
August 8, 2007
BNP Paribas Securities Corp.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
As Representatives of the Underwriters
c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Eleven Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
As Representatives of the Underwriters
c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Eleven Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
1. Introductory.
PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation (“Company”), proposes
to issue and sell, and the several Underwriters named in Section 3 hereof (the
“Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the
“Representatives”), propose, severally and not jointly, to purchase, upon the terms and
conditions set forth herein, $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s Senior
Secured Bonds, 6.45% Series due 2037 (the “Bonds”) to be issued under an Indenture, dated
as of August 1, 2001, between the Company and The Bank of New York, as trustee thereunder (the
“Trustee”), as supplemented by Supplemental Indenture No. 7 (“Supplemental Indenture
No. 7”), to be dated as of August 1, 2007 (as so supplemented, the “Indenture”). The
Bonds will be initially secured by mortgage bonds (“Mortgage Bonds”) to be issued by the
Company in a like aggregate principal amount as the Bonds pursuant to the Company’s Mortgage and
Deed of Trust, dated as of October 1, 1945, to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (formerly
Bankers Trust Company, successor to Xxxxxx Guaranty Trust Company of New York, formerly Guaranty
Trust Company of New York), as trustee thereunder (the “Mortgage Trustee”), as amended and
supplemented by seventy indentures supplemental thereto (the “Mortgage and Deed of Trust”),
and as to be amended and supplemented by a Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture to be dated as of
August 1, 2007 (the “Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture ”) (such Mortgage and Deed of
Trust and the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture being hereinafter collectively referred to
herein as the “Mortgage”).
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
an automatic shelf registration statement (No. 333-132574-03) on Form S-3, including the related
preliminary prospectus or prospectus, which registration statement became effective upon filing
under Rule 462(e) (“Rule 462(e)”) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the
“Securities Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”). Such registration statement covers the registration of the Bonds under
the Securities Act. Promptly after the date of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a
prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) of the Securities
Act Regulations and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the Securities Act
Regulations. Any information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration
statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such
registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B Information.”
Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Bonds that omitted Rule 430B
Information (other than a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act
Regulations that has not been approved in writing by the Company and the Representatives) is herein
called a “preliminary prospectus.” Such registration statement, at any given time,
including the amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time,
the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the
Securities Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included
therein by the Securities Act Regulations, is herein called the “Registration Statement.”
The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the
“Original Registration Statement.” The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the
Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Bonds, including the documents
incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of
the date hereof and any preliminary prospectuses that form a part thereof, is herein called the
“Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration
Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic
Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“XXXXX”).
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information
which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and
include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by
reference in or otherwise deemed by Securities Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all
references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any
preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any
document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) which is
incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by Securities Act Regulations to be a part of or
included in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case
may be.
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2. Representations and Warranties.
The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the
Applicable Time referred to in Section 2(b) hereof and as of the Closing Date referred to in
Section 5 hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) (A) At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, (B) at the time of
the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated
report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus),
(C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for
this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act Regulations) made any offer relating
to the Bonds in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the Securities Act Regulations or
made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act
Regulations) and (D) at the date hereof, the Company was and is eligible to register and
issue the Bonds as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities
Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not having been and not being an
“ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Registration Statement is an “automatic
shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, and the Bonds, since their
registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration
by the Company on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement.” The Company has not
received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the Securities Act
Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form;
(b) The Original Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e)
of the Securities Act Regulations on March 20, 2006, and any post-effective amendment
thereto also became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e). No stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act and no
proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of
the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the
Commission for additional information has been complied with.
Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Bonds made prior to the
filing of the Original Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its
behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act
Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided
by Rule 163 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied
with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement,
to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the Securities Act provided by
Rule 163.
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At the respective times the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto
became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant
to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the Securities Act Regulations and at the Closing Date, the
Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the
requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”) and the rules and
regulations thereunder, and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading.
Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the
Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Date, included
or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Each preliminary prospectus (including the prospectus or prospectuses filed as part of
the Original Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied when so filed in all
material respects with the Securities Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and
the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was
identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission
pursuant to XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
As of the Applicable Time, neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing
Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined
below), the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus,
including the Final Term Sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 6(b) identified on
Schedule A hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure
Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus (as
defined below), when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any
untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.
As of the time of the filing of the Final Term Sheet, the General Disclosure Package,
when considered together with the Final Term Sheet (as defined in Section 6(b)), will not
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading.
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As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means 3:53 p.m. (New York City time) on August 8, 2007 or
such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,”
as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to
the Bonds that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a
“road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i),
whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing
pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Bonds or of the
offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required
to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in
the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced
by its being specified in Schedule A hereto.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
“Permitted Free Writing Prospectus” means any free writing prospectus
consented to in writing by the Company and the Representatives. For the avoidance of
doubt, any free writing prospectus that is not consented to in writing by the Company does
not constitute a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and will not be an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus.
“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the
Bonds that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time,
including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other
prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.
Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times
through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Bonds or until any earlier date
that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in Section 6(g), did
not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will
conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus,
including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other
prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.
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The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in
or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein or to
any statements in or omissions from the Statement of Eligibility of the Trustee under the
Indenture. At the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Indenture conformed in
all material respects to the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
(c) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with corporate power and
authority to conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus and to enter and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Indenture,
the Mortgage, the Bonds and the Mortgage Bonds;
(d) The Bonds have been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued, authenticated
and delivered in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of
the consideration therefor, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company
enforceable in accordance with their terms, (except to the extent limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization or moratorium laws or by other laws now
or hereafter in effect relating to or affecting the enforcement of mortgagee’s and other
creditors’ rights and by general equitable principles (regardless of whether considered in
a proceeding in equity or at law), an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and
consideration of public policy, and federal or state securities law limitations on
indemnification and contribution (the “Enforceability Exceptions”); the Bonds will
be in the forms established pursuant to, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture;
and the Bonds will conform in all material respects to the statements relating thereto
contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(e) The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, when Supplemental
Indenture No. 7 is executed and delivered by the Company, and assuming due authorization,
execution and delivery of Supplemental Indenture No. 7 by the Trustee, will constitute a
valid and legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable in accordance with its
terms (except to the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions); the Indenture
conforms and will conform in all material respects to the statements relating thereto
contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and at the effective date
of the Registration Statement, the Indenture was duly qualified under the Trust Indenture
Act;
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(f) The Mortgage Bonds have been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued,
authenticated and delivered in the manner provided for in the Mortgage, will constitute
valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms
(except to the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions); the Mortgage Bonds will be
in the forms established pursuant to, and entitled to the benefits of, the Mortgage; and
the Mortgage Bonds will conform in all material respects to the statements relating thereto
contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(g) The Mortgage has been duly authorized by the Company and, when the Seventy-Sixth
Supplemental Indenture is executed and delivered by the Company, and assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery of the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture by the
Mortgage Trustee, will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable
in accordance with its terms as it relates to the Mortgage Bonds (except to the extent
limited by the Enforceability Exceptions); the Mortgage conforms and will conform in all
material respects to the statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus; and at
the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Mortgage was duly qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act;
(h) The Company is in compliance in all material respects with its Amended and
Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws;
(i) There are no Liens on the Mortgaged Property (as each of such terms is defined in
the Indenture) other than (i) the Lien of the Mortgage, (ii) those Liens described in
subsections (b) through (u) of the definition of “Permitted Liens” in the Indenture or
(iii) such other Liens as would not materially impair the value of the Mortgaged Property,
taken as a whole;
(j) The securities certificate of the Company with respect to the Bonds and the
Mortgage Bonds has been duly registered pursuant to Section 1903 of the Pennsylvania Public
Utility Code (66 Pa. CS. § 1903), as amended, and such registration remains in effect.
Other than such registration, no further consent, approval, authorization, order,
registration or qualification of or with any federal, state or local governmental agency or
body or any federal, state or local court is required to be obtained by the Company in
connection with its execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Indenture, the Mortgage,
the Bonds or the Mortgage Bonds, or the performance by the Company of its obligations
hereunder or thereunder, except such as have been obtained and such as may be required
under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Bonds by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein and in the
Prospectus;
(k) Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement, Supplemental Indenture No. 7
or the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture, the
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issue and sale of the Bonds or the issuance of the Mortgage Bonds, nor the
consummation of any of the transactions herein or therein contemplated, will violate any
law or any regulation, order, writ, injunction or decree of any court or governmental
instrumentality applicable to the Company, or result in a breach or violation of any of the
terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, the Company’s amended and restated
articles of incorporation or by-laws, or any material agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which it is bound except for such breaches or defaults that would
not in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform its
obligations hereunder or thereunder;
(l) The consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries,
together with the related notes and schedules, each set forth or incorporated by reference
in the Registration Statement comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the
related published rules and regulations thereunder; such audited financial statements have
been prepared in all material respects in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles consistently applied throughout the periods involved, except as disclosed
therein; and no material modifications are required to be made to the unaudited interim
financial statements for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles;
(m) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company;
(n) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein or contemplated
thereby, there has been no event or occurrence that would result in a material adverse
change in the financial position or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(o) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Bonds
and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be, an
“investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended;
(p) Ernst & Young LLP, who have audited certain financial statements of the Company
and its consolidated subsidiaries and issued their report with respect to the audited
consolidated financial statements and schedules included and incorporated by reference in
the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the
Company during the periods covered by their reports within the meaning of the Securities
Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, who have
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audited financial statements as of December 31, 2005 and for each of the two years in
the period ended December 31, 2005 of the Company and its subsidiaries and issued their
report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedule included
and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, was the independent registered public
accounting firm for the Company as of December 31, 2005 and for each of the two years in
the period ended December 31, 2005 within the meaning of the Securities Act and the
Securities Act Regulations and the standards of the PCAOB; and
(q) The Company maintains systems of internal accounting controls sufficient to
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are executed in accordance with management’s
authorizations and transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of
financial statements. The Company maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” as such
term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act.
Each of you, as one of the several Underwriters, represents and warrants to, and agrees with,
the Company, its directors and such of its officers as shall have signed the Registration
Statement, and to each other Underwriter, that the information set forth in Schedule B hereto
furnished to the Company by or through you or on your behalf expressly for use in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus does not contain an untrue statement of a material fact and does not
omit to state a material fact in connection with such information required to be stated therein or
necessary to make such information not misleading.
3. Purchase and Sale of Bonds.
On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject
to the terms and conditions herein contained, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters, and
the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase
price of 99.098% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest, if any, from the date of
the first authentication of the Bonds to the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), the respective
principal amounts of the Bonds set forth below opposite the names of such Underwriters.
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Principal | ||||
Amount of | ||||
Underwriters | Bonds | |||
BNP Paribas Securities Corp. |
$ | 70,834,000 | ||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. |
70,833,000 | |||
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. |
70,833,000 | |||
ABN AMRO Incorporated |
12,500,000 | |||
BNY Capital Markets, Inc. |
12,500,000 | |||
Lazard Capital Markets LLC |
12,500,000 | |||
Total |
$ | 250,000,000 | ||
4. Public Offering.
The several Underwriters agree that as soon as practicable, in their judgment, they will make
a public offering of their respective portions of the Bonds in accordance with the terms set forth
in the Prospectus.
5. Delivery and Payment.
The Bonds will be represented by one or more definitive global securities in book-entry form
which will be deposited by or on behalf of the Company with The Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) or its designated custodian. The Company will deliver the Bonds to you against
payment by you of the purchase price therefor (such delivery and payment herein referred to as the
“Closing”) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the Company’s account (No.
2-334-233) at Mellon Bank, N.A. (ABA Routing Number 000000000) by 10:00 A.M., New York Time, on the
Closing Date. Such payment shall be made upon delivery of the Bonds for the account of Credit
Suisse Securities (USA) LLC at DTC. The Bonds so to be delivered will be in fully registered form
in such authorized denominations as established pursuant to the Indenture. The Company will make
the Bonds available for inspection by you at the office of The Bank of New York, 000 Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx not later than
10:00 A.M., New York Time, on the business day next preceding the Closing Date.
Each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of
the Company and the Representatives, it has not and will not make any offer relating to the Bonds
that would constitute or would use an “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 or
that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 of the
Securities Act Regulations that would be required to be filed with the Commission, other than
information contained in the Final Term Sheet prepared in accordance with Section 6(b).
The term “Closing Date” wherever used in this Agreement shall mean August 13, 2007, or
such other date (i) not later than the seventh full business day
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thereafter as maybe agreed upon in writing by the Company and you, or (ii) as shall be
determined by postponement pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof.
6. Certain Covenants of the Company.
The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters:
(a) The Company, subject to Section 6(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule
430B and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing,
(i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration
statement relating to the Bonds shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus
or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from
the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the
Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement or any amendment or
supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise
deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or
such new registration statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any
preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Bonds for offering
or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any
of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act
concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a
proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the
Bonds. The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and
within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)). The
Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if
any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Bonds within the
time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the Securities Act Regulations without regard to the
proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities
Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration
Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to
the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule
424(b)).
(b) The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or
prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating
to the Bonds or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any preliminary prospectus
(including any prospectus included in the Original Registration Statement or amendment
thereto at the time it became effective) or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the
Representatives
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with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed
filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the
Representatives shall reasonably object in writing. The Company will give the
Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing pursuant to the Exchange
Act or Exchange Act Regulations from the Applicable Time to the Closing Date and will
furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time
prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to which the
Representatives shall reasonably object in writing. The Company will prepare a final term
sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”) reflecting the final terms of the Bonds, in form and
substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, and shall file such Final Term
Sheet as an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” prior to the close of business two Business
Days after the date hereof (“Business Day” shall mean any day other than a
Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust
companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in The City of New York);
provided that the Company shall furnish the Representatives with copies of any such
Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use
or file any such document to which the Representatives shall reasonably object in writing.
(c) To furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, as many copies of the
Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto as each Underwriter may reasonably
request.
(d) That before amending and supplementing the preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus, they will furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment
or supplement and that it will not use any such proposed amendment or supplement to which
the Representatives reasonably object in writing.
(e) To use its best efforts to qualify the Bonds and to assist in the qualification of
the Bonds by you or on your behalf for offer and sale under the securities or “blue sky”
laws of such jurisdictions as you may designate, to continue such qualification in effect
so long as required for the distribution of the Bonds and to reimburse you for any expenses
(including filing fees and fees and disbursements of counsel) paid by you or on your behalf
to qualify the Bonds for offer and sale, to continue such qualification, to determine its
eligibility for investment and to print any preliminary or supplemental “blue sky” survey
or legal investment memorandum relating thereto; provided that the Company shall not be
required to qualify as a foreign corporation in any State, to consent to service of process
in any State other than with respect to claims arising out of the offering or sale of the
Bonds, or to meet any other requirement in connection with this paragraph (e) deemed by the
Company to be unduly burdensome;
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(f) Promptly to deliver to you one signed copy of the Registration Statement as
originally filed and of all amendments thereto heretofore or hereafter filed, including
conformed copies of all exhibits except those incorporated by reference, and such number of
conformed copies of the Registration Statement (but excluding the exhibits), each related
preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, and any amendments and supplements thereto, as you
may reasonably request;
(g) If at any time prior to the completion of the sale of the Bonds by the
Underwriters (as determined by the Representatives), any event occurs as a result of which
the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would include any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it
should be necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law,
the Company promptly (i) will notify the Representatives of any such event; (ii) subject to
the requirements of paragraph (b) of this Section 6, will prepare an amendment or
supplement that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and
(iii) will supply any supplemented or amended Prospectus to the several Underwriters
without charge in such quantities as they may reasonably request; provided that the expense
of preparing and filing any such amendment or supplement to the prospectus (x) that is
necessary in connection with such a delivery of a supplemental or amended prospectus more
than nine months after the date of this Agreement or (y) that relates solely to the
activities of any Underwriter shall be borne by the Underwriter or Underwriters or the
dealer or dealers requiring the same; and provided further that you shall, upon inquiry by
the Company, advise the Company whether or not any Underwriter or dealer which shall have
been selected by you retains any unsold Bonds and, for the purposes of this subsection (g),
the Company shall be entitled to assume that the distribution of the Bonds has been
completed when they are advised by you that no such Underwriter or dealer retains any
Bonds. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, there
occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other
registration statement related to the Bonds) or the Statutory Prospectus or any preliminary
prospectus would include an untrue statement of a material fact or would omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly
notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or
omission.
(h) As soon as practicable to make generally available to its security holders an
earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning after the
“effective date of the registration statement” within the
13
meaning of Rule 158 under the Securities Act which will satisfy the provisions of
Section 11(a) of the Securities Act;
(i) To pay or bear (i) all expenses in connection with the matters herein required to
be performed by the Company, including all expenses (except as provided in Section 6(g)
above) in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, and the furnishing of copies thereof
to the Underwriters, and all audits, statements or reports in connection therewith, and all
expenses in connection with the issue and delivery of the Bonds to the Underwriters at the
place designated in Section 5 hereof, any fees and expenses relating to the eligibility and
issuance of the Bonds in book-entry form and the cost of obtaining CUSIP or other
identification numbers for the Bonds, all federal and state taxes (if any) payable (not
including any transfer taxes) upon the original issue of the Bonds; (ii) all expenses in
connection with the printing, reproduction and delivery of this Agreement and the printing,
reproduction and delivery of any preliminary prospectus and each Prospectus, and (except as
provided in Section 6(g) above) any amendment or supplement thereto, to the Underwriters;
(iii) any and all fees payable in connection with the rating of the Bonds; and (iv) the
reasonable fees and expenses of the Trustee and the Mortgage Trustee, including the fees
and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee and the Mortgage Trustee, in connection with
the Indenture, the Mortgage, the Bonds and the Mortgage Bonds;
(j) During the period from the date of this Agreement through the Closing Date, the
Company shall not, without the Underwriters’ prior written consent, directly or indirectly,
sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of, any Bonds,
any security convertible into or exchangeable into or exercisable for Bonds or any debt
securities substantially similar to the Bonds (except for the Bonds issued pursuant to this
Agreement); and
(k) The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the
Representatives (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld), it has not made and will
not make any offer relating to the Bonds that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations, required to be filed with the Commission. The
Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has
complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending
and record keeping in accordance with the Securities Act Regulations.
14
7. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.
The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Bonds on the Closing
Date shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the
Company contained herein at the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the
statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the
performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) You shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, dated the date
of this Agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you and
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, confirming that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was the independent
registered public accounting firm for the Company’s financial statements as of December 31,
2005 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2005 within the meaning
of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations, and stating in effect that, in
their opinion, the consolidated financial statements and supplemental financial statement
schedule of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries audited by them and included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement comply as to form in all material
respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange
Act, and the related published rules and regulations thereunder.
(b) You shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated the date of this
Agreement and the Closing Date, confirming that Ernst & Young LLP is an independent
registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the
Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations, and that:
(i) they have read the minutes of the meetings of the Company’s Board of
Directors and Executive, Compensation Processes and Procedures and Nominating
Committees as set forth in the minute books at a specified date not more than five
business days prior to the date of delivery of such letter;
(ii) they have, if applicable, performed the procedures specified by the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) for a review of interim
financial information as described in Statement on Auditing Standards No. 100,
Interim Financial Information, on the unaudited condensed interim financial
statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement and have read the unaudited interim financial data for the period from
the date of the latest balance sheet included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement to the date of the latest available interim financial data;
and
15
(iii) on the basis of the review referred to in clause (ii) above, a reading
of the latest available interim financial statements of the Company, they have
performed inquiries of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for
financial and accounting matters regarding the specific items for which
representations are requested below and other specified procedures, nothing came to
their attention that caused them to believe that:
(A) any material modifications should be made to the unaudited
interim financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement for them to be in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles;
(B) the unaudited interim financial statements included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement do not comply as
to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the related
published rules and regulations thereunder;
(C) at the date of the latest available balance sheet of the Company
read by such accountants, there was any change in the common stock,
treasury stock or preferred securities (with or without sinking fund
requirements), or any increase in long-term debt, as compared with amounts
shown on the latest consolidated balance sheet included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement; or
(D) at a date not more than five business days prior to the date of
this Agreement, there was any change in the common stock, treasury stock
or preferred securities (with or without sinking fund requirements), or
any increase in long-term debt, as compared with amounts shown on the
latest consolidated balance sheet included or incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement; except in all cases for changes, increases or
decreases that the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or that
are described in such letter; and
(iv) they have read certain financial and statistical amounts included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, which
amounts are set forth in such letter and agreed such amounts to the Company’s
accounting records which are subject to controls over financial reporting or which
have been derived directly from such accounting records by analysis or computation
and have found such amounts to be in agreement with such results, except as
otherwise
16
specified in such letter and such other procedures as the Underwriters may
request and Ernst & Young LLP is willing to perform and report upon.
(c) The Registration Statement shall have become effective and on the Closing Date no
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and/or any notice
objecting to its use shall have been issued under the Securities Act or proceedings
therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the
Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable
satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430B
Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time
period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective
amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in
accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B). The Company shall have paid the required
Commission filing fees relating to the Bonds within the time period required by Rule
456(1)(i) of the Securities Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and
otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities Act Regulations and,
if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance
with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement
or the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).
(d) Subsequent to the execution of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred (i)
any material adverse change not contemplated by the Prospectus (as it exists on the date
hereof) in or affecting particularly the business or properties of the Company which, in
your judgment, materially impairs the investment quality of the Bonds; (ii) any suspension
or limitation of trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, or any
setting of minimum prices for trading on such exchange, or any suspension of trading of any
securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (iii) a
general banking moratorium declared by federal or New York authorities or a material
disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States;
(iv) any outbreak or escalation of major hostilities in which the United States is
involved, any declaration of war by Congress or any other substantial national or
international calamity or emergency if, in your reasonable judgment, the effect of any such
outbreak, escalation, declaration, calamity or emergency makes it impractical and
inadvisable to proceed with completion of the sale of and payment for the Bonds and you
shall have made a similar determination with respect to all other underwritings of debt
securities of utility or energy companies in which you are participating and have a
contractual right to make such a determination; or (v) any decrease in the ratings of the
Bonds by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a Division of The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.,
Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. or Fitch, Inc. or any such organization shall have publicly
announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications,
its rating of the Bonds.
17
(e) At or before the Closing Date, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and any
other regulatory authority whose consent or approval shall be required for the issue and
sale of the Bonds by the Company shall have taken all requisite action, or all such
requisite action shall be deemed in fact and law to have been taken, to authorize such
issue and sale on the terms set forth in the Prospectus, and such actions shall have become
final and no longer subject to appeal, and no appeal shall have been timely filed with
respect to such actions.
(f) You shall have received from Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx, Esq., Associate General Counsel,
or such other counsel for the Company as may be acceptable to you, an opinion in form and
substance satisfactory to you, dated the Closing Date and addressed to you, to the effect
that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business
as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(ii) The Bonds have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company and, assuming due authentication and delivery by the Trustee in the manner
provided for in the Indenture and delivery against payment therefor, are valid and
legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits and security of
the Indenture, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms
(except to the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions);
(iii) The Mortgage Bonds have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and, assuming due authentication and delivery by the Mortgage Trustee
in the manner provided for in the Mortgage and the Indenture, are valid and legally
binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance
with their terms (except to the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions);
and the Mortgage Bonds are entitled to the benefits and security of the Mortgage
equally and ratably with all other bonds outstanding thereunder;
(iv) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee,
constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms (except to the extent limited by
the Enforceability Exceptions); no authorization, vote, consent or action by the
holders of any of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company is
necessary with respect to the execution and delivery by the Company of the
Supplemental Indenture No. 7;
18
(v) The Mortgage has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company, has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act, and, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by the Mortgage Trustee, constitutes a valid
and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms (except to the extent limited by the Enforceability
Exceptions);
(vi) The Company has good and sufficient title to all the real property and
personal property described in the Indenture as owned by it and as subject to the
lien thereof, subject only to permitted liens as defined in Section 101 of the
Indenture (“Permitted Liens”); the Indenture constitutes a valid direct
mortgage Lien that such instrument purports to create upon said properties, subject
only to Permitted Liens (including the Mortgage), which properties include all of
the physical properties of the Company (except such property as may have been duly
released from the lien thereof and such property as may not be subjected to the
lien thereof under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without the
delivery thereof to the Trustee, and certain other classes of property expressly
excepted in the Indenture); and all physical properties (other than those of the
character not subject to the lien of the Indenture as aforesaid) acquired by the
Company after the respective dates of the Indenture and Supplement Indenture No. 7
have become or will, upon such acquisition, become subject to the lien thereof,
subject, however, to Permitted Liens;
(vii) The Company has good and sufficient title to all the real property and
personal property described in the Mortgage as owned by it and as subject to the
lien thereof, subject only to (1) minor leases which, in the opinion of such
counsel, do not interfere with the Company’s business; (2) minor defects,
irregularities and deficiencies in titles of properties and rights-of-way which, in
the opinion of such counsel, do not materially impair the use of such property and
rights-of-way for the purposes for which they are held by the Company; and (3)
other excepted encumbrances as defined in Section 6 of the Mortgage; the Mortgage,
subject only as set forth above, constitutes a valid direct first mortgage lien
that such instrument purports to create upon said properties, and said properties
include all of the physical properties and franchises of the Company (except such
property as may have been duly released from the lien thereof and such property as
may not be subjected to the lien thereof under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania without the delivery thereof to the Trustee, and certain other classes
of property expressly excepted in the Indenture); and all physical properties and
franchises (other than those of the character not subject to the lien of the
Mortgage as aforesaid) acquired by the Company after the respective dates of the
Mortgage and the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture have become or will, upon
such acquisition, become subject to the lien thereof, subject,
19
however, to excepted encumbrances and to liens, if any, existing or placed
thereon at the time of the acquisition thereof by the Company;
(viii) The Mortgage (other than the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture ) and
the Indenture (other than Supplemental Indenture No. 7) have been duly filed and
recorded in all jurisdictions in which it is necessary for such instruments to be
filed and recorded in order to constitute a lien of record on the property subject
thereto;
(ix) The descriptions in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus of statutes, legal and governmental proceedings and
contracts and other documents are accurate and fairly present the information
required to be shown; and (1) such counsel does not know of any legal or
governmental proceedings required to be described in the Registration Statement,
the General Disclosure Package or Prospectus which are not described, or of any
contracts or documents of a character required to be described in the Registration
Statement, any Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to
the Registration Statement which are not described and filed as required and (2)
nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that would lead such counsel to
believe either that the Registration Statement, at its effective date, contained
any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state any material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, or that the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, or
that the Prospectus, as supplemented, as of the date of this Agreement, and as it
shall have been amended or supplemented, as of the Closing Date, contained or
contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or omitted to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; it being understood that
such counsel need express no opinion as to the financial statements and other
financial data contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package or the Prospectus;
(x) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company;
(xi) All legally required proceedings in connection with the authorization and
issue of the Bonds and the Mortgage Bonds and the sale of the Bonds by the Company
in the manner set forth herein have been had and remain in effect; the Securities
Certificate of the Company with respect to the Bonds and the Mortgage Bonds has
been duly registered pursuant to Section 1903 of the Pennsylvania Public Utility
Code (66 Pa. CS. § 1903), as amended, and such registration remains in effect, and
all requisite action of public boards or bodies (other than in connection or in
20
compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any
jurisdiction, as to which such counsel need not express an opinion) as may be
legally required with respect to all or any of such matters or related thereto has
been taken and remains in effect;
(xii) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company holds all franchises,
certificates of public convenience, licenses and permits necessary to carry on the
utility business in which it is engaged; and
(xiii) All taxes payable to any State or subdivision thereof in connection
with the execution, delivery and recordation of the Mortgage, the Seventy-Sixth
Supplemental Indenture and the Indenture, the execution, authentication, issuance
and delivery of the Bonds and the Mortgage Bonds, and the mortgaging of property
under the Mortgage, the Seventy-Sixth Supplemental Indenture and the Indenture
have been paid.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters governed by New York law upon
the opinion of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP referred to in Section 7(g) of this Agreement.
(g) You shall have received from Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP, special counsel to the Company,
an opinion in form and substance satisfactory to you, dated the Closing Date and addressed
to you, to the effect that:
(i) The Bonds have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company
and, assuming due authentication and delivery by the Trustee in the manner provided
for in the Indenture and delivery against payment therefor, are valid and legally
binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits and security of the
Indenture, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms (except
to the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions);
(ii) The Mortgage Bonds have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and, assuming due authentication and delivery by the Mortgage Trustee
in the manner provided for in the Mortgage and the Indenture, are valid and legally
binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits and security of the
Mortgage, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms (except to
the extent limited by the Enforceability Exceptions);
(iii) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company, is duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and
legally binding obligation of the Company,
21
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (except to the
extent limited the Enforceability Exceptions);
(iv) The Mortgage has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company, is duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by the Mortgage Trustee, constitutes a valid
and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms (except to the extent limited by the Enforceability
Exceptions);
(v) (1) The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities
Act, and any preliminary prospectus included in the General Disclosure Package at
the Applicable Time and the Prospectus were filed with the Commission pursuant to
the subparagraph of Rule 424(b) specified in such opinion on the date or dates
specified therein, and the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus described in
Schedule A attached hereto was filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 on
the date specified in such opinion; (2) to the best of the knowledge of such
counsel after inquiry of the Company and the staff of the Commission, no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof has
been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted under the
Securities Act; (3) the Registration Statement, as of its effective date, the
General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, the Prospectus, as of the
date of this Agreement, and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date,
complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the
Securities Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
and (4) nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that would lead such
counsel to believe either that the Registration Statement, as of its effective
date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading; the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time,
contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material
fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading; or that the Prospectus, as supplemented, as
of the date of this Agreement, and as it shall have been amended or supplemented,
as of the Closing Date, contained or contains any untrue statement of a material
fact or omits or omitted to state any material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading; it being understood that such counsel need express no opinion as to
the financial statements and other financial or statistical data contained or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package or the Prospectus;
22
(vi) The statements in the Prospectus under the caption “Description of the
Offered Bonds”, insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of certain terms of
the Indenture, the Bonds, the Mortgage and the Mortgage Bonds, in each case
constitute accurate summaries of such terms of such documents and securities, in
all material respects;
(vii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company;
(viii) If notwithstanding the intention of the parties expressed in Section
1701 of the Indenture, it shall be finally determined by an appropriate court that
the Company has any interest in the Mortgage Bonds delivered to and registered in
the name of the Trustee as the basis for the issuance of the Bonds, then the
Indenture is sufficient to create a valid security interest under the Uniform
Commercial Code in effect in the State of New York (the “NYUCC”) in such
interest of the Company in the Mortgage Bonds. Assuming continuing registration of
the Mortgage Bonds in the name of the Trustee and continuing possession of the
Mortgage Bonds by the Trustee in New York, such security interest is perfected by
control under the provisions of the NYUCC and such security interest has priority
over any other security interest in such interest of the Company in the Mortgage
Bonds the perfection and priority of which is governed by NYUCC;
(ix) No consent, approval, authorization or other order of any public board or
body of the United States or the State of New York (except for the registration of
the Bonds under the Securities Act and the qualification of the Indenture under the
Trust Indenture Act and other than in connection or compliance with the provisions
of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which such counsel
need express no opinion) is legally required for the authorization of the issuance
of the Bonds; and
(x) The Company is not an “investment company” as such term is defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
In rendering such opinion, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP may rely as to matters governed by
Pennsylvania law upon the opinion of Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx, Esq. or such other counsel
referred to in subsection (f).
(h) You shall have received from Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the
Underwriters, such opinion or opinions in form and substance satisfactory to you, dated the
Closing Date, with respect to matters as you may require, and the Company shall have
furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them
to pass upon such matters. In rendering such opinion or opinions, Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP
may rely as to matters governed
23
by Pennsylvania law upon the opinion of Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx, Esq. or such other counsel
referred to above.
(i) You shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of an executive
officer and a financial or accounting officer of the Company, in which such officers, to
the best of their knowledge after reasonable investigation, shall state that (i) the
representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct in all
material respects as of the Closing Date, (ii) the Company has complied in all material
respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or
satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date, (iii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness
of the Registration Statement has been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose have
been instituted or are pending by the Commission, and (iv) subsequent to the date of the
latest financial statements in the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in
the financial position or results of operations of the Company except as set forth or
contemplated in the Prospectus; and
(j) You shall have received from the Company a copy of the rating letters from
Standard & Poor’s Rating Service, Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. and Fitch, Inc. assigning
ratings on the Bonds of at least A-, A3 and A-, respectively.
The Company will furnish you as promptly as practicable after the Closing Date with such
conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as you may reasonably
request.
In case any such condition shall not have been satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by
you upon notice in writing or by telegram to the Company without liability or obligation on the
part of the Company or any Underwriter, except as provided in Sections 6(e), 6(i), 9, 11 and 14
hereof.
8. Conditions of Company’s Obligations.
The obligations of the Company to sell and deliver the Bonds on the Closing Date are subject
to the following conditions:
(a) At the Closing Date no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall be in effect or proceeding therefor shall have been instituted or, to the
knowledge of the Company, shall be contemplated.
(b) At or before the Closing Date, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and any
other regulatory authority whose consent or approval shall be required for the issue and
the sale of the Bonds and the issuance of the Mortgage Bonds by the Company as herein
provided shall have taken all requisite action, or all requisite action shall be deemed in
fact and law to have been taken, to authorize such issue and sale on the terms set forth in
the Prospectus.
24
If any such conditions shall not have been satisfied, then the Company shall be entitled, by
notice in writing or by telegram to you, to terminate this Agreement without any liability on the
part of the Company or any Underwriter, except as provided in Sections 6(e), 6(i), 9, 11 and 14
hereof.
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees that it will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and
the officers and directors of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, against any loss,
expense, claim, damage or liability to which, jointly or severally, such Underwriter or
such controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar
as such loss, expense, claim, damage or liability (or actions in respect thereof) arises
out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material
fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Statutory Prospectus, any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement to any thereof, or
arises out of or is based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading and, except as hereinafter in this Section provided, the Company agrees to
reimburse each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter as aforesaid for
any reasonable legal or other expenses as incurred by such Underwriter or such controlling
person in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, expense, claim, damage
or liability; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to
the extent that any such loss, expense, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is
based on an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission
made in any such document in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information
furnished to the Company as set forth in Schedule B hereto by or through you on behalf of
any Underwriter expressly for use in any such document or arises out of, or is based on,
statements or omissions from the part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute
the Statement of Eligibility under the Trust Indenture Act of the Trustee under the
Indenture.
(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees that it will indemnify and
hold harmless the Company and its officers and directors, and each of them, and each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities
Act, against any loss, expense, claim, damage or liability to which it or they may become
subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, expense, claim,
damage or liability (or actions in respect thereof) arises out of or is based on any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Statutory
Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or
supplement to any thereof, or arises out of or is based upon the omission or alleged
omission to state therein any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make
25
the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, and only to the
extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission was made in any such documents in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written
information furnished to the Company as set forth in Schedule B hereto by or through you on
behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in any such document; and, except as
hereinafter in this Section provided, each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees
to reimburse the Company and its officers and directors, and each of them, and each person,
if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act,
for any reasonable legal or other expenses incurred by it or them in connection with
investigating or defending any such loss, expense, claim, damage or liability.
(c) Upon receipt of notice of the commencement of any action against an indemnified
party, the indemnified party shall, with reasonable promptness, if a claim in respect
thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under its agreement contained in this
Section 9, notify such indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the
omission so to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which
it may have to the indemnified party otherwise than under its agreement contained in this
Section 9. In the case of any such notice to an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party
shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects, to
assume the defense, of any such action, but, if it elects to assume the defense, such
defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to the indemnified
party and to any other indemnifying party that is a defendant in the suit. In the event
that any indemnifying party elects to assume the defense of any such action and retain such
counsel, the indemnified party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel
retained by it. No indemnifying party shall be liable in the event of any settlement of
any such action effected without its consent. Each indemnified party agrees promptly to
notify each indemnifying party of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against
it in connection with the issue and sale of the Bonds.
(d) If any Underwriter or person entitled to indemnification by the terms of
subsection (a) of this Section 9 shall have given notice to the Company of a claim in
respect thereof pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section 9, and if such claim for
indemnification is thereafter held by a court to be unavailable for any reason other than
by reason of the terms of this Section 9 or if such claim is unavailable under controlling
precedent, such Underwriter or person shall be entitled to contribution from the Company
for liabilities and expenses, except to the extent that contribution is not permitted under
Section 11(f) of the Securities Act. In determining the amount of contribution to which
such Underwriter or person is entitled, there shall be considered the relative benefits
received by such Underwriter or person and the Company from the offering of the Bonds that
were the subject of the claim for indemnification (taking into account the portion of the
proceeds of the offering realized by each), the Underwriter or person’s relative
26
knowledge and access to information concerning the matter with respect to which the
claim was asserted, the opportunity to correct and prevent any statement or omission, and
any other equitable considerations appropriate under the circumstances. The Company and
the Underwriters agree that it would not be equitable if the amount of such contribution
were determined by pro rata or per capita allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated
as one entity for such purpose).
(e) No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified
parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any
litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body,
commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or
contribution could be sought under this Section 9 (whether or not the indemnified parties
are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i)
includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party and all liability arising out
of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim, and (ii) does not include a
statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or the failure to act by or on behalf
of any indemnified party.
(f) The indemnity and contribution provided for in this Section 9 and the
representations and warranties of the Company and the several Underwriters set forth in
this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any
investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any person controlling any
Underwriter or the Company or its directors or officers, (ii) the acceptance of any Bonds
and payment therefor under this Agreement, and (iii) any termination of this Agreement.
10. Default of Underwriters.
If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in their obligations to purchase Bonds hereunder,
the non-defaulting Underwriters may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase
of such Bonds by other persons, including any of the non-defaulting Underwriters, but if no such
arrangements are made by the Closing Date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally in
the proportion which their respective commitments hereunder bear to the total commitment of the
non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase the Bonds which such defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. In the event that any Underwriter or Underwriters
default in their obligations to purchase Bonds hereunder, the Company may by prompt written notice
to non-defaulting Underwriters postpone the Closing Date for a period of not more than seven full
business days in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or in any other documents, and the Company will promptly file any
amendments to the Registration Statement or supplements to the Prospectus which may thereby be made
necessary. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for
an Underwriter
27
under this Section. Nothing herein will relieve an Underwriter from liability for its
default.
11. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations.
The respective indemnities, agreements, representations and warranties of the Company and of
or on behalf of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will
remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results
thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of its officers or directors
or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Bonds. If for any
reason the purchase of the Bonds by the Underwriters is not consummated, the Company shall remain
responsible for the expenses to be paid or reimbursed by it pursuant to Section 6, and the
respective obligations of the Company and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 9 hereof shall
remain in effect.
12. Notices.
The Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement
on behalf of each of the Underwriters if the same shall have been made or given by you jointly or
by Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. All statements, requests, notices, consents and agreements
hereunder shall be in writing, or by telegraph subsequently confirmed in writing, and, if to the
Company, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or mailed to the Company at Xxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (facsimile: 610-774-5235), Attn: Treasurer, and, if to
you, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or mailed to you at the address set forth on
the first page hereof (a copy of which shall be sent to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000, (facsimile: 212-325-4295) Attn: IBD Legal); provided, however,
that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9 hereof will also be delivered or mailed to
such Underwriter at the address, if any, of such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing
for the purpose of communications hereunder.
13. Parties in Interest.
This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of the Company and the Underwriters and, to
the extent provided in Section 9 hereof, to any person who controls any Underwriter, to the
officers and directors of the Company, and to any person who controls the Company, and their
respective successors. No other person, partnership, association or corporation shall acquire or
have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. The term “successor” shall not include any
assignee of an Underwriter (other than one who shall acquire all or substantially all of such
Underwriter’s business and properties), nor shall it include any purchaser of Bonds from any
Underwriter merely because of such purchase.
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14. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Bonds pursuant to
this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Bonds and any
related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company,
on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the
offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is and
has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its
stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will
assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering
contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has
advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any
obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations
expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be
engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the
Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice
with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal,
accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
15. Representation of Underwriters.
Any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives will be binding upon all the
Underwriters.
16. Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to
be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
17. Effectiveness.
This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties
hereto.
18. Headings.
The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference
only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
19. Applicable Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State
of New York.
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Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement between us by signing in
the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding
agreement between the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
Yours very truly, PPL ELECTRIC UTILITIES CORPORATION |
||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxx | |||
Title: | Treasurer | |||
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written. BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES CORP. |
||||
/s/ Xxxx Xxxxx | ||||
Name: | Xxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Managing Director | |||
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC |
||||
/s/ Xxx Xxxxxx | ||||
Name: | Xxx Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Director | |||
SCOTIA CAPITAL (USA) INC. |
||||
/s/ X. Xxxx | ||||
Name: | X. Xxxx | |||
Title: | Managing Director | |||
Acting severally on behalf of themselves and as Representatives of the several Underwriters named in Section 3 hereof. |
||||
SCHEDULE A
Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus
1. | Final Terms and Conditions, dated August 8, 2007, for $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 6.45% Senior Secured Bonds due 2037 filed with the Commission by the Company pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act. |
SCHEDULE B
Information Represented and Warranted by the Underwriters
Pursuant to Section 2 of Underwriting Agreement
Pursuant to Section 2 of Underwriting Agreement
1. | The third paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus Supplement; | |
2. | The second sentence of the fourth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus Supplement; and | |
3. | The fifth, sixth and seventh paragraphs under the heading “Underwriting” in the Prospectus Supplement. |