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Fitch: No Change to Atlanta Gas Light Ratings After Rate Case Settlement.


NEW YORK -- Fitch Ratings anticipates no change to the outstanding credit ratings of Atlanta Gas Light Atlanta Gas Light Company (AGLC), commonly known as Atlanta Gas Light, is the largest natural gas wholesaler in the Southeast U.S., and is the AGL in AGL Resources. It was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Atlanta, as is AGL Resources.  Co. (AGLC AGLC Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (Canada)
AGLC Atlanta Gas Light Company
) and its parent company AGL Resources, Inc. (AGLR AGLR AGL Resources
AGLR Anti-Glare, Low Reflection
) following resolution of AGLC's 2004-2005 rate case with the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC GPSC Georgia Public Service Commission
GPSC General Purpose System Console
). Fitch currently rates AGLC's outstanding $208 million medium term notes 'A' and AGLR's outstanding $975 million senior notes (issued by AGL Capital Corp.) 'A-' and $225 million trust-preferred securities (issued by AGL Capital Trust) 'BBB+'. The Rating Outlook for both AGLR and AGLC remains Stable.

On June 10, 2005, AGLC announced that it had reached a settlement agreement with the GPSC concerning a general rate case originally filed by AGLC in October 2004. The settlement vacates any earlier order issued by the GPSC on April 29, 2005. Key provisions of the revised rate structure include: a five-year rate freeze on customer base rates; the recognition of reduced revenues totaling $25 million over the next five years; and an authorized return on equity of 10.9%. In addition, AGLC received authorization to continue recovering capital costs related to its ongoing pipeline replacement program (PRP PrP A prion protein. See Prion. ) through December 2013. Fitch notes that the settlement agreement results in the discontinuation of AGLC's performance-based rate design, which in the past had enabled the company to share productivity/efficiency gains above its authorized ROE band with customers.

Fitch understands that the settlement agreement will reduce consolidated AGLR operating income by $10.5 million on an annualized annualized

Of or relating to a variable that has been mathematically converted to a yearly rate. Inflation and interest rates are generally annualized since it is on this basis that these two variables are ordinarily stated and compared.
 basis. This reduction will be offset on a cash basis over the next five years by lower PRP capital expenditures of approximately $40 million annually. Although key credit ratios could experience some modest erosion, projected levels remain within parameters for AGLR's current rating category. Specifically, based on the projected financial impact of the rate settlement disclosed by AGLR, Fitch anticipates that cash flow coverage of interest will continue to exceed 4.0 times (x) with debt leverage, as measured by total adjusted debt to EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) A metric used to show a company's profitability, but not its cash flow. EBITDA became popular in the 1980s to show the potential profitability of leveraged buyouts, but has become  remaining below 3.5x. Furthermore, the terms of the settlement include a five-year moratorium on future rate filings by either AGLC or the GPSC thus resulting in near-term regulatory certainty.

Fitch's rating definitions are available on the agency's public web site, www.fitchratings.com. Published ratings, criteria and methodologies, and relevant policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental  are also available from this site, at all times. This document will remain on the public site for seven days.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Jun 15, 2005
Words:399
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