EPM Successfully Places US$764 Million Bond Offering

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant EPM announced October 31 that it successfully placed a COP$2.3 billion (US$764 million) 10-year bond offering at 8.375% interest.

“This is the third international issue denominated in Colombian pesos,” according to the company. Wall Street bond rater Fitch gave the issue a “BBB+” rating while Moody’s gave it a “Baa2” rating.

“With this issuance, made in order to prepay debt in dollars, the profile of the company’s debt is improved,” according to EPM. The latest placement takes advantage of the “current financial conditions of the international market,” according to the company, whose sole shareholder is the municipality of Medellin.

For the issue, about 60% of the bond buyers were from the United States, Europe, Chile, and Peru, while the remaining 40% were Colombian investors, according to the company.

“Thanks to this issue, we managed to make an important debt-management operation, which will allow us to improve the maturity profile and the average life of the debt,” added EPM general manager Jorge Londoño de la Cuesta.

“In addition, we will increase our debt composition in Colombian pesos, which will allow us to reduce EPM’s exposure to debt denominated in dollars, thereby minimizing the impacts derived from foreign exchange risk,” he said.

Funds from the bond issue will prepay a loan due in 2020, which was signed with seven banks in 2015. In total, 45% of the issue funds are going toward the construction of the US$5.5 billion, 2.4-gigawatt “Ituango” hydroelectric project in Antioquia, with the remaining 55% going to support other investment plans.

Spanish bank BBVA, U.S.-based Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and UK-based HSBC served as placement bankers for the issue.