STOCK SYMBOL: GLH.UN/TSX
GATINEAU, QC, July 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund today reported its financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008. The Fund provides additional information on its strategy and results in its Letter to Unitholders and Supplemental Information available at www.greatlakeshydro.com under Investor Relations/Financial Highlights.
Generation, revenues and income before non-cash items were the highest of any quarter since the Fund's inception. Generation for the quarter was 1,260 gigawatt hours (GWh), representing increases of 328 GWh and 149 GWh over the second quarter of 2007 and the long-term average, respectively. These very strong results were mainly due to above-average water inflows in the Quebec, Ontario and New England regions combined with favorable opening reservoirs leading into the quarter. The Ontario region was the largest contributor to the increase, with generation and revenues more than doubling relative to the second quarter of 2007. Generation in Quebec also achieved an all-time high despite the continued outage at Cedar Dam, which is now expected to be back in service in early fall.
Second quarter revenues of $56.6 million and income before non-cash items of $31.4 million increased by 37% and 74%, respectively, from the same period a year earlier. Second quarter distributions to unitholders totaled $15.1 million or 31.3 cents per unit.
"We are very pleased to report these excellent results and our second consecutive quarter of record generation," said Richard Legault, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Hydrology conditions have been very favorable overall and the reservoirs in each of our operating regions are well-positioned going into the third quarter. We continue to expect long-term average generation for the rest of the year and remain focused on those elements within our control, such as managing and maintaining our assets to optimize their performance independent of hydrology conditions."
Financial and Operating Highlights
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unaudited Three months Six months CDN $ millions, ended June 30 ended June 30 except otherwise noted 2008 2007 2008 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 56.6 $ 41.4 $ 107.8 $ 89.6 Income before non-cash items 31.4 18.0 58.3 42.8 Distribution 15.1 15.1 30.2 30.2 Per unit Income before non-cash items 0.65 0.37 1.21 0.89 Distribution 0.31 0.31 0.63 0.63 Power generated (GWh) 1,260 932 2,421 1,996 Average price (cents/KWh) 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the first half of 2008, the Fund has invested $5.5 million in capital expenditures and major maintenance. For the full year, the Fund currently expects to invest $16.9 million in capital expenditures and $3.0 million in major maintenance for a total of $19.9 million. In the second quarter, work continued as planned on the High Falls project in Quebec, the Wells generating station in Ontario and the Millinocket generating station in Maine. At quarter end, the Fund had a strong liquidity position and a current cash balance of $13.1 million, an increase of $7.8 million from the balance at the end of 2007. CONFERENCE CALL A conference call for investors and media to review the second quarter results for 2008 will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-644-3421 or 1-800-731-6941 toll-free in North America, at 9:50 a.m. (EDT). For those unable to participate in the conference call, a taped rebroadcast will also be available until midnight August 1, 2008. To access this rebroadcast, please call 1-877-289-8525 toll-free in North America, and enter the passcode 21277550(number sign). The conference call will also be webcast live on the Fund's website at www.greatlakeshydro.com, where it will be archived for three months. DISTRIBUTIONS The schedule below sets out the cash distribution history for the last twelve months: RECORD DATE PAYMENT DATE DISTRIBUTION PER UNIT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 30, 2008 July 31, 2008 10.417 cents May 30, 2008 June 30, 2008 10.417 cents April 30, 2008 May 30, 2008 10.417 cents March 31, 2008 April 30, 2008 10.417 cents February 29, 2008 March 31, 2008 10.417 cents January 31, 2008 February 29, 2008 10.417 cents December 31, 2007 January 31, 2008 10.417 cents November 30, 2007 December 31, 2007 10.417 cents October 31, 2007 November 30, 2007 10.417 cents September 30, 2007 October 31, 2007 10.417 cents August 31, 2007 September 28, 2007 10.417 cents July 31, 2007 August 31, 2007 10.417 cents
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund ("Fund") business and operations. Forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words, such as "believe", "expect", "well positioned", "long-term", "grow", "expand", "enhance" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results or performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward statements. More details relating to risk factors can be found in the Fund's annual information form in the section entitled Risk Factors.
Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to factors relating to production and the business, financial position, operations and prospects for the Fund. They include (1) the Fund's level of generation; (2) the Fund's cost of production; (3) interest rates as they bear on the Fund's indebtedness; (4) planned capital expenditures; (5) the impact of changes in the Canadian dollar - U.S. dollar on the Fund's costs and results of operations; (6) the negotiation of collective agreements with its unionized employees; (7) business and economic conditions; (8) the legislation governing air emissions, discharges into water, waste, hazardous materials and workers' health and safety as well as the impact of future legislation and regulations on expenses, capital expenditures and restrictions on operations; (9) regulatory investigations, claims, lawsuits and other proceedings; and (10) reliance on the guaranteed price for electricity by Brookfield Renewable Power Inc. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements contained herein, and as a such, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements represent our views as of the date of this news release. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Fund's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this news release.
ABOUT GREAT LAKES HYDRO INCOME FUND
Great Lakes Hydro (www.greatlakeshydro.com) is a premier Canadian income fund. We are the largest power income fund in North America with 1,021 megawatts of power generating capacity and average annual production of 3,912 gigawatt hours.
Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund produces electricity exclusively from environmentally friendly hydroelectric resources. The Fund owns, operates and manages 26 high quality hydroelectric generating stations located on eight river systems in four distinct geographic regions across North America: Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and New England.
Brookfield Renewable Power Inc., which comprises all the power operations of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., owns 50.1% of the Fund's outstanding units.
Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund units are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol GLH.UN.
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