Forward-Looking Information
Overview
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, have been included in Enbridge’s 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report to provide information about us and our subsidiaries and affiliates, including management’s assessment of Enbridge and its subsidiaries’ future plans and operations. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as ‘‘anticipate”, “expect”, “project”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “plan”, “intend”, “target”, “believe”, “likely” and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or statements included or incorporated by reference in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the following: expected earnings before interest, income taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA); expected earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) per share; expected future cash flows; expected performance of the Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution, Green Power and Transmission, and Energy Services businesses; financial strength and flexibility; expectations on sources of liquidity and sufficiency of financial resources; expected costs related to announced projects and projects under construction; expected in-service dates for announced projects and projects under construction; expected capital expenditures; expected equity funding requirements for our commercially secured growth program; expected future growth and expansion opportunities; expectations about our joint venture partners’ ability to complete and finance projects under construction; expected closing of acquisitions and dispositions; estimated future dividends; recovery of the costs of the Canadian portion of the Line 3 Replacement Program (Canadian L3R Program); expected expansion of the T-South System and Spruce Ridge Program; expected capacity of the Hohe See Expansion Offshore Wind Project; expected costs in connection with Line 6A and Line 6B crude oil releases; expected effect of Aux Sable Consent Decree; expected future actions of regulators; expected costs related to leak remediation and potential insurance recoveries; expectations regarding commodity prices; supply forecasts; expectations regarding the impact of the Merger Transaction including our combined scale, financial flexibility, growth program, future business prospects and performance; impact of the Canadian L3R Program on existing integrity programs; the sponsored vehicle strategy; dividend payout policy; dividend growth and dividend payout expectation; expectations on impact of hedging program; and expectations resulting from the successful execution of our 2018-2020 Strategic Plan. Although we believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made and processes used to prepare the information, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Material assumptions include assumptions about the following: the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and renewable energy; prices of crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy; exchange rates; inflation; interest rates; availability and price of labor and construction materials; operational reliability; customer and regulatory approvals; maintenance of support and regulatory approvals for our projects; anticipated in-service dates; weather; the realization of anticipated benefits and synergies of the Merger Transaction; governmental legislation; acquisitions and the timing thereof; the success of integration plans; impact of the dividend policy on our future cash flows; credit ratings; capital project funding; expected EBITDA; expected earnings/(loss); expected earnings/(loss) per share; expected future cash flows and estimated future dividends. Assumptions regarding the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and renewable energy, and the prices of these commodities, are material to and underlie all forward-looking statements, as they may impact current and future levels of demand for our services. Similarly, exchange rates, inflation and interest rates impact the economies and business environments in which we operate and may impact levels of demand for our services and cost of inputs, and are therefore inherent in all forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and correlation of these macroeconomic factors, the impact of any one assumption on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with certainty, particularly with respect to the impact of the Merger Transaction on us, expected EBITDA, earnings/(loss), earnings/(loss) per share, or estimated future dividends. The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements on announced projects and projects under construction, including estimated completion dates and expected capital expenditures, include the following: the availability and price of labor and construction materials; the effects of inflation and foreign exchange rates on labor and material costs; the effects of interest rates on borrowing costs; the impact of weather and customer, government and regulatory approvals on construction and in-service schedules and cost recovery regimes. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to the impact of the Merger Transaction, operating performance, regulatory parameters, dividend policy, project approval and support, renewals of rights-of-way, weather, economic and competitive conditions, public opinion, changes in tax laws and tax rates, changes in trade agreements, exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices, political decisions and supply of and demand for commodities, including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed in this MD&A and in our other filings with Canadian and United States securities regulators. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as these are interdependent and our future course of action depends on management’s assessment of all information available at the relevant time. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Enbridge Inc. assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made in this MD&A or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.