London, 01 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has
today upgraded the issuer rating of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
(TAQA) to Aa3 from A3 and its short term rating to P-1 from P-2.
The outlook on all ratings is stable. This concludes the review
for upgrade Moody's had initiated on 12 February 2020. A full list
of the affected ratings can be found at the end of this press release.
TAQA successfully completed the transfer of certain assets from Abu Dhabi
Power Corporation PJSC (ADPower), TAQA's main direct shareholder,
on 1 July 2020. The transaction significantly enhances TAQA's asset
portfolio, adding transmission and distribution assets to its generation
assets and creating a monopoly integrated utility in the emirate of Abu
Dhabi.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The upgrade reflects Moody's view that the transfer of the ADPower assets
reinforces the strategic importance of TAQA for the government of Abu
Dhabi (Aa2 stable). The additional assets entrench TAQA's dominance
over electricity generation, transmission and distribution and water
desalination in Abu Dhabi. TAQA becomes a vertically integrated
utility with total assets of around AED200 billion ($54 billion)
and a more diversified energy generation mix. Indirect government
ownership will increase to 98.6% from 74.1%.
The new assets have a significant positive impact on TAQA's business and
financial profiles and led Moody's to upgrade the company's
Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) to baa1 from b1. The assets improve
the stability and predictability of TAQA's cash flow and dilute the company's
exposure to its underperforming oil and gas assets. In 2019,
the free cash flow generation of TAQA's oil and gas assets (after capital
expenditures) remained insufficient to service the debt that was incurred
to acquire them. Pro-forma for the transaction, the
company's adjusted CFO Pre-WC / debt increases to around
15% from 8% in 2019 and adjusted debt / book capitalization
reduces to around 45%, from 85% in 2019. The
assessment assumes that TAQA will generate the majority of cash flows
from regulated transmission and distribution activities in Abu Dhabi going
forward.
Moody's continues to view TAQA as a government-related issuer
(GRI) that benefits from credit linkages with the Government of Abu Dhabi
as expressed by a very high level of default dependence with and support
from the government. Moody's notes that TAQA is indirectly
owned by the government through Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company
PJSC (ADQ), a recently established intermediate holding company.
It is Moody's understanding that ADQ will provide financial and
strategic oversight on behalf of the Government in addition to that provided
by Abu Dhabi's debt management office.
LIQUIDITY
TAQA's liquidity is excellent. As of 31 December 2019, and
pro-forma for the transaction, the company had AED5.1
billion in cash and cash equivalents and AED11.5 billion available
under committed credit facilities. This, coupled with expected
funds from operations of around AED12.0 billion in the next 12
months, positions the company well to cover around AED3.3
billion of current financial liabilities as of 31 December 2019,
as well as capital spending, abandonment expenses, working
capital and dividends of around AED9.3 billion.
OUTLOOK
The stable outlook reflects the stable outlook on Abu Dhabi's sovereign
rating because of the strong credit links between TAQA and the government.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
TAQA's ratings could be upgraded as a result of an improvement in the
perceived importance of TAQA for the government. TAQA's BCA could
be upgraded if its financial profile improves such that (CFO pre-WC
+ interest)/interest is sustained above 4.5x; and (CFO
pre-WC - dividends)/debt is sustained above 17%.
An upgrade of the BCA would also require a more clearly developed financial
policy.
TAQA's ratings could be downgraded in case of a change in Moody's
government support assumptions, for instance, as a result
of adverse changes in regulation and oversight by the Government of Abu
Dhabi or a material reduction in government ownership. TAQA's BCA
could be downgraded in case of a weakening of TAQA's credit metrics such
that (CFO pre-WC + interest)/interest trends below 3.75x;
or (CFO pre-WC - dividends)/debt trends below 13%
or in case of a growing contribution to cash flows from unregulated businesses.
LIST OF AFFECTED RATINGS
Upgrades:
..Issuer: Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
.... LT Issuer Rating (Foreign and Local Currency),
Upgraded to Aa3 from A3
.... ST Issuer Rating (Foreign and Local Currency),
Upgraded to P-1 from P-2
....Senior Unsecured Medium-Term Note
Program (Foreign Currency), Upgraded to (P)Aa3 from (P)A3
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture
(Foreign Currency), Upgraded to Aa3 from A3
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From
Rating Under Review
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY
Since the last rating actions on this issuer, Moody's has updated
its approach to rating TAQA, and currently assigns and monitors
such ratings using the Regulated Electric and Gas Utilities published
in June 2017.
The methodologies used in these ratings were Regulated Electric and Gas
Utilities published in June 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1072530,
and Government-Related Issuers Methodology published in February
2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1186207.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
TAQA is the vertically-integrated power and water utility of the
emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE with ownership of almost all of the power
and water generation plants. The company also owns and operates
the emirate's power and water transmission and distribution networks,
and has international power generation and oil and gas businesses.
These activities are spread in the UAE and countries in the Middle East,
North America, Europe, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
TAQA will be indirectly owned at 98.6% by the Government
of Abu Dhabi, held primarily through Abu Dhabi Power Corporation,
with the remaining shareholding (1.4%) being in free float,
limited to UAE investors. TAQA generated pro-forma revenue
of AED44 billion and pro-forma EBITDA of AED18.6 billion
for 2019.
The local market analyst for this rating is Thomas Le Guay, +971
(423) 795-45.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and
sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and
Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's
Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.
For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of
debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures
in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the
same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant
to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing
ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings
issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain
regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the
support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action
for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's
credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement
provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional
rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may
be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each
case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior
to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have
affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings
tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action,
and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action,
the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated
agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy
for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on
its website www.moodys.com.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social
and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Julia Pribytkova
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service Limited, Russian Branch
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Russia
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Mario Santangelo
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
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