Release Date: May 16, 2025
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
- South Bow Corp (SOBO, Financial) reported a strong financial start to 2025 with a normalized EBITDA of $266 million in the first quarter.
- The company successfully maintained its debt metrics despite a volatile market backdrop.
- SOBO declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, demonstrating its commitment to returning value to shareholders.
- Approximately 90% of SOBO's EBITDA is contracted over the next 7 years, providing financial stability and reducing exposure to commodity price risks.
- The company has made significant progress on its Blackrod Connection Project, which is expected to contribute to future growth.
Negative Points
- SOBO experienced an incident at milepost 171 in North Dakota, which required a system-wide shutdown and pressure restrictions.
- The incident has led to limitations on transporting uncommitted or spot volumes on the Keystone system.
- There is uncertainty regarding the duration of pressure restrictions and the full financial impact of the incident.
- The company faces headwinds from additional pipeline egress capacity and potential tariff impacts, affecting uncontracted volumes.
- SOBO's leverage ratio is expected to increase modestly through 2025 as it advances its Blackrod Connection Project and completes spinoff activities.
Q & A Highlights
Q: Can you elaborate on the potential financial and operational impacts following the recent incident?
A: Bevin Wirzba, President and CEO, emphasized that 90% of South Bow's EBITDA is contracted, minimizing risk to the base business. The company is working closely with regulators and has modeled various scenarios to assess potential impacts. The focus is on maintaining operations and adjusting maintenance activities as needed.
Q: What measures are being taken to prevent future incidents and ensure pipeline integrity?
A: Bevin Wirzba highlighted that pipeline integrity and safety are top priorities. South Bow has invested significantly in inline inspections and plans to conduct more tests. The company is evaluating new and historical data to enhance safety and reliability.
Q: Regarding the pressure restrictions, how do they affect your ability to transport volumes, and what is the expected duration?
A: Richard Prior, COO, stated that it's too early to predict the duration of pressure restrictions. The company is conducting a root cause failure analysis and expects to complete it by summer. South Bow aims to meet its contractual commitments of 585,000 barrels per day despite restrictions.
Q: How does the incident affect South Bow's financial outlook and leverage ratio for 2025?
A: Van Dafoe, CFO, confirmed that all costs related to the incident are expected to be covered by insurance or through variable tolls. The company's debt to EBITDA ratio for year-end remains unchanged at 4.8 times.
Q: What is the outlook for uncommitted volumes and the potential for future growth?
A: Bevin Wirzba noted that while there are headwinds due to additional egress capacity and tariff uncertainties, the base business remains strong. The company is optimistic about supply growth and expects contributions from the Blackrod project to support future EBITDA growth.
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
