Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (NYSE: BEP) reported Q3 FFO of $0.43, versus $0.33 reported last year. Revenue for the quarter came in at $642 million, versus $674 million reported last year.

Unit Split and Creation of an Exchange Corporation

Today we announced our intention to create a Canadian corporation in order to provide investors with greater flexibility in how they invest in Brookfield Renewable’s globally diversified, multi-technology renewable power portfolio. This entity will be publicly listed on the same exchanges as the current partnership ("BEP"), giving investors the optionality to invest in Brookfield Renewable through either a partnership or Canadian corporation and could therefore lead to increased demand and enhanced liquidity for Brookfield Renewable.

Brookfield Renewable intends to distribute to existing unitholders, on a tax-free basis to the majority of unitholders, class A shares of the new corporation, Brookfield Renewable Corporation (“BEPC”). From an economic and accounting perspective, the transaction will be analogous to a unit split as it will not result in any underlying change to aggregate cash flows or net asset value except for the adjustment for the number of units/shares outstanding.

The class A shares will be structured with the intention of providing an economic return equivalent to BEP units, including identical distributions, and will be exchangeable, at the shareholder's option, for one BEP unit. The class A shares are also intended to provide investors with the ability to have economic exposure to BEP through a more traditional corporate structure.

Current unitholders are expected to receive one BEPC class A share for every four BEP units held (i.e. 0.25 BEPC class A shares for each unit held of BEP) in the form of a special distribution.

The benefits of the creation of BEPC will be:

Potential increased demand from retail investors;
Potential increased demand from certain institutional investors who are currently unable, or prefer not to, own partnership units;
The ability to qualify for further index or ETF inclusion, which is not available today.

Following completion of the special distribution, the aggregate quarterly distributions and dividends from Brookfield Renewable and BEPC will correspond to the quarterly distributions made on Brookfield Renewable units as if the special distribution did not take place.

Holders of Brookfield Renewable’s preferred limited partnership units will not receive the class A shares.

The majority of the BEPC class A shares will be held by the holders of Brookfield Renewable’s units immediately after the effective split. Brookfield Renewable will own all of the BEPC class B and C shares. The class A and class B shares will control 25% and 75%, respectively, of the aggregate voting rights of the shares of BEPC. Brookfield Asset Management, as a unitholder of Brookfield Renewable, is expected to hold approximately 60% of the BEPC class A shares, which is equivalent to its effective ownership of Brookfield Renewable units. BEPC intends to apply to list its class A shares in the United States on the NYSE and in Canada on the TSX. Subject to the receipt of normal course regulatory approvals, Brookfield Renewable anticipates completing the special distribution in the first half of 2020.

In connection with this transaction, a registration statement (including a prospectus) has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and a preliminary prospectus will be filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. You should read the prospectus and other documents that have and will be filed with the SEC for more complete information about the transaction. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a copy of the prospectus can be sent to you at no cost, upon request, using the contact information below in this press release.RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors and Torys LLP as legal advisors to Brookfield Renewable for this transaction.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (BEP) click here.