Exhibit 1
$75,000,000 Series K 4.90% Senior Notes
due October 1, 2014
GULF POWER COMPANY
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
September 13, 2004
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
As Representatives of the Underwriters listed on Schedule I hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Gulf Power Company, a Maine corporation (the "Company"),
confirms its agreement (the "Agreement") with you and the other Underwriter
named in Schedule I hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters", which term shall
also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10
hereof) for whom you are acting as representatives (in such capacity you shall
hereinafter be referred to as the "Representatives"), with respect to the sale
by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not
jointly, of $75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Series K 4.90% Senior
Notes due October 1, 2014 (the "Senior Notes") as set forth in Schedule I
hereto.
The Company understands that the Underwriters are making a
public offering of the Senior Notes pursuant to this Agreement. The Senior Notes
will be issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998, as
heretofore supplemented (the "Base Indenture"), between the Company and JPMorgan
Chase Bank (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee (the
"Trustee"), and as further supplemented by an eleventh supplemental indenture,
dated as of September 22, 2004, to the Base Indenture relating to the Senior
Notes (the "Supplemental Indenture" and, together with the Base Indenture and
any other amendments or supplements thereto, the "Indenture"), between the
Company and the Trustee.
SECTION 1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company
represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File Nos.
333-118060, 000-000000-00 and 333-118060-02), in respect of the Senior
Notes and certain other securities has been prepared and filed in
accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "1933 Act"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission"); such registration statement, as amended, and any
post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered or
to be delivered to the Underwriters, has been declared effective by the
Commission in such form (except that copies of the registration statement,
as amended, and any post-effective amendment delivered to the Underwriters
need not include exhibits but shall include all documents incorporated by
reference therein); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such
registration statement, as amended, has been issued and no proceeding for
that purpose has been initiated or, to the best knowledge of the Company,
threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in such
registration statement, as amended, or filed with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the
1933 Act, being hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"); such
registration statement, as amended, as it became effective, including the
exhibits thereto and all documents incorporated by reference therein
pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 at the time such registration statement, as
amended, became effective, being hereinafter called the "Registration
Statement"; the prospectus relating to the Senior Notes, in the form in
which it was included in the Registration Statement at the time it became
effective, being hereinafter called the "Prospectus"; any reference herein
to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to
and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to
Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, as of the date of such Preliminary
Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any
amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date
of such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), and
incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as
the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration
Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the
Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act after the
effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement; and the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented in final form by a prospectus supplement relating to the
Senior Notes in the form in which it is filed with the Commission, pursuant
to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act in accordance with Section 3(e) hereof,
including any documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of
such filing, being hereinafter called the "Final Supplemented Prospectus."
(b) The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement or Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, complied
in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and as of such time
of filing, when read together with the Prospectus, none of such documents
contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated
by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement
thereto, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will comply in
all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, when read
together with the Prospectus as it otherwise may be amended or
supplemented, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty
or representation to the Underwriters with respect to: (A) any statements
or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters through the
Representatives expressly for use in the Final Supplemented Prospectus; or
(B) any information set forth in the Final Supplemented Prospectus under
the caption "Description of the Series K Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only
Issuance -- The Depository Trust Company."
(c) The Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Final
Supplemented Prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements
to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, when any such
post-effective amendments are declared effective or supplements are filed
with the Commission, as the case may be, will comply, in all material
respects with the applicable provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the
1939 Act (hereinafter defined) and the General Rules and Regulations of the
Commission thereunder and do not and will not, (i) as of the applicable
effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto
and (ii) as of the date of the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any
Prospectus as further amended or supplemented, contain an untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to
make the statements therein not misleading in the case of the Registration
Statement and any amendment thereto, and, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading in the case of the Final
Supplemented Prospectus and any Prospectus as further amended or
supplemented; except that the Company makes no warranties or
representations with respect to: (A) that part of the Registration
Statement which shall constitute the Statements of Eligibility (Form T-1)
under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "1939 Act"); (B)
statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement or the Final
Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters through the
Representatives expressly for use therein; or (C) any information set forth
in the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the
Series K Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only Issuance -- The Depository Trust
Company."
(d) With respect to the Registration Statement, the conditions for use
of Form S-3, as set forth in the General Instructions thereof, have been
satisfied.
(e) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, except as
otherwise stated therein, there has been no material adverse change in the
business, properties or financial condition of the Company, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course of business.
(f) The Company is a corporation duly organized and existing under the
laws of the State of Maine, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a
foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Florida, Georgia and
Mississippi, and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility
business in which it is engaged and to own and operate the properties used
by it in such business, to enter into and perform its obligations under
this Agreement and the Indenture and to issue and sell the Senior Notes to
the Underwriters.
(g) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company.
(h) The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, on the
Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), will have been duly executed and
delivered by the Company, and, assuming due authorization, execution and
delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee, the Indenture will, on the
Closing Date, constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except to the
extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by (1) bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, receivership, liquidation, fraudulent
conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors' rights
generally or (2) general principles of equity (regardless of whether
enforcement is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity) (the
"Enforceability Exceptions"); the Indenture will conform in all material
respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus; and, on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have
been duly qualified under the 1939 Act.
(i) The issuance and delivery of the Senior Notes have been duly
authorized by the Company and, on the Closing Date, the Senior Notes will
have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the
manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment therefor
as described in the Final Supplemented Prospectus, will constitute valid
and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the
Company in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that
enforcement thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions, will
be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the
Indenture and will conform in all material respects to all statements
relating thereto in the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
(j) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this
Agreement, the Indenture and the Senior Notes and the consummation by the
Company of the transactions contemplated herein and therein and compliance
by the Company with its obligations hereunder and thereunder shall have
been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the
Company and do not and will not result in any violation of the charter or
bylaws of the Company, and do not and will not conflict with, or result in
a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default
under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company under (A) any
contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other
agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it may
be bound or to which any of its properties may be subject (except for
conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not, individually or in the
aggregate, be materially adverse to the Company or materially adverse to
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement), or (B) any existing
applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any
government, governmental instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, or
any regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body
having jurisdiction over the Company, or any of its properties.
(k) No authorization, approval, consent or order of any court or
governmental authority or agency is necessary in connection with the
issuance and sale by the Company of the Senior Notes or the transactions by
the Company contemplated in this Agreement, except (A) such as may be
required under the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder; (B)
such as may be required under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of
1935, as amended; (C) the qualification of the Indenture under the 1939
Act; (D) the approval of the Florida Public Service Commission (the
"Florida Commission"); and (E) such consents, approvals, authorizations,
registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities
or "blue sky" laws.
(l) The financial statements incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, together with
the related schedules and notes, present fairly, in all material respects,
the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company
as of and for the dates indicated; said financial statements have been
prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States ("GAAP") applied on a consistent basis (except that the
unaudited financial statements may be subject to normal year-end
adjustments) throughout the periods involved and necessarily include
amounts that are based on the best estimates and judgments of management.
The selected financial data and the summary financial information included
in the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus present
fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis
consistent with that of the audited and unaudited financial statements
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
SECTION 2. SALE AND DELIVERY TO THE UNDERWRITERS; CLOSING.
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(a) On the basis of the representations and warranties herein
contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the
Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and
each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the
Company, the principal amount of Senior Notes set forth in Schedule I to
this Agreement opposite the name of such Underwriter (plus any additional
amount of Senior Notes that such Underwriter may become obligated to
purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof), at a price equal
to 99.294% of the principal amount thereof.
(b) Payment for and delivery of certificates for the Senior Notes
shall be made at the offices of Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP, 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
XX, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000 at 10:00 A.M., Atlanta time, on
September 22, 2004 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of
Section 10) or such other time, place or date as shall be agreed upon by
the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and
delivery being herein called the "Closing Date"). Payment shall be made to
the Company by wire transfer in federal funds at the Closing Date against
delivery of the Senior Notes to the Representatives. It is understood that
each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for each Underwriter's
account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the
principal amount of the Senior Notes which each Underwriter has agreed to
purchase. The Representatives, individually and not as representatives of
the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the
principal amount of the Senior Notes to be purchased by any Underwriter
whose payment has not been received by the Closing Date, but such payment
shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
The delivery of the Senior Notes shall be made in fully
registered form, registered in the name of CEDE & CO., to the offices of The
Depository Trust Company in New York, New York or its designee, and the
Underwriters shall accept such delivery.
The certificate(s) for the Senior Notes will be made available
for examination by the Representatives not later than 12:00 Noon, New York City
time, on the last business day prior to the Closing Date.
SECTION 3. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY. The Company covenants
with the Underwriters as follows:
(a) The Company, on or prior to the Closing Date, will deliver to the
Underwriters conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally
filed and of all amendments thereto, heretofore or hereafter made,
including any post-effective amendment (in each case including all exhibits
filed therewith, and including unsigned copies of each consent and
certificate included therein or filed as an exhibit thereto, except
exhibits incorporated by reference, unless specifically requested). As soon
as the Company is advised thereof, it will advise the Representatives
orally of the issuance of any stop order under the 1933 Act with respect to
the Registration Statement, or the institution of any proceedings therefor,
of which the Company shall have received notice, and will use its best
efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to secure the
prompt removal thereof, if issued. The Company will deliver to the
Representatives sufficient conformed copies of the Registration Statement,
the Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and of all supplements
and amendments thereto (in each case without exhibits) for distribution to
the Underwriters and, from time to time, as many copies of the Prospectus
and the Final Supplemented Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably
request for the purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act or the 0000 Xxx.
(b) The Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of each
amendment and supplement to the Final Supplemented Prospectus relating to
the offering of the Senior Notes in such quantities as the Underwriters may
from time to time reasonably request. If, during the period (not exceeding
nine months) when the delivery of a prospectus shall be required by law in
connection with the sale of any Senior Notes by an Underwriter, any event
relating to or affecting the Company, or of which the Company shall be
advised in writing by the Underwriters, shall occur, which in the opinion
of the Company or of Underwriters' counsel should be set forth in a
supplement to or an amendment of the Final Supplemented Prospectus in order
to make the Final Supplemented Prospectus not misleading in the light of
the circumstances when it is delivered, or if for any other reason it shall
be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Final
Supplemented Prospectus or to file under the 1934 Act any document
incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
in order to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, the Company forthwith
will (i) notify the Underwriters to suspend solicitation of purchases of
the Senior Notes and (ii) at its expense, make any such filing or prepare
and furnish to the Underwriters a reasonable number of copies of a
supplement or supplements or an amendment or amendments to the Final
Supplemented Prospectus which will supplement or amend the Final
Supplemented Prospectus so that, as supplemented or amended, it will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances when the Final Supplemented Prospectus is
delivered, not misleading or which will effect any other necessary
compliance. In case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in
connection with the sale of any Senior Notes after the expiration of the
period specified in the preceding sentence, the Company, upon the request
of such Underwriter, will furnish to such Underwriter, at the expense of
such Underwriter, a reasonable quantity of a supplemented or amended
prospectus, or supplements or amendments to the Final Supplemented
Prospectus, complying with Section 10(a) of the 1933 Act. During the period
specified in the second sentence of this subsection, the Company will
continue to prepare and file with the Commission on a timely basis all
documents or amendments required under the 1934 Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder; provided, that the Company shall not file such
documents or amendments without also furnishing copies thereof prior to
such filing to the Representatives and Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP.
(c) The Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriters,
to qualify the Senior Notes for offering and sale under the applicable
securities laws of such states and the other jurisdictions of the United
States as the Representatives may designate; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any
jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to file a consent to
service of process or to file annual reports or to comply with any other
requirements in connection with such qualification deemed by the Company to
be unduly burdensome.
(d) The Company will make generally available to its security holders
as soon as practicable but not later than 45 days after the close of the
period covered thereby, an earnings statement of the Company (in form
complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the rules and regulations
under the 0000 Xxx) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than
the first day of the Company's fiscal quarter next following the "effective
date" (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(e) As soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and in
any event within the time prescribed by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, to
file the Final Supplemented Prospectus with the Commission and to advise
the Representatives of such filing and to confirm such advice in writing.
(f) During a period of 15 days from the date of this Agreement, the
Company will not, without the Representatives' prior written consent,
directly or indirectly, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale
of, or otherwise dispose of, any Senior Notes or any security convertible
into or exchangeable into or exercisable for the Senior Notes or any debt
securities substantially similar to the Senior Notes (except for the Senior
Notes issued pursuant to this Agreement). The Representatives agree that
commercial paper or other debt securities with scheduled maturities of less
than one year are not subject to this Section 3(f).
SECTION 4. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. The Company will pay all
expenses incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement,
including but not limited to, the expenses of (i) the printing and filing of the
Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii)
the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificate(s) for the Senior
Notes, (iii) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel and
accountants, (iv) the qualification of the Senior Notes under securities laws in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3(c) hereof, including filing fees and
the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in
connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of any blue sky
survey (such fees and disbursements of counsel shall not exceed $3,500), (v) the
printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Registration
Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto and of the
Prospectus, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any amendments or supplements
thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of any
blue sky survey, (vii) the fee of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. in connection with its review of the offering contemplated by this
Agreement, if applicable, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including
the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the
Indenture and the Senior Notes, (ix) any fees payable in connection with the
rating of the Senior Notes, (x) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or
registrar and (xi) the cost of qualifying the Senior Notes with The Depository
Trust Company.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 9 hereof, the
Underwriters shall pay all other expenses incurred by them in connection with
their offering of the Senior Notes, including fees and disbursements of their
counsel, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP.
SECTION 5. CONDITIONS OF UNDERWRITERS' OBLIGATIONS. The
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Senior Notes are
subject to the following conditions:
(a) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall be in effect on the Closing Date and no proceedings for
that purpose shall be pending before, or to the knowledge of the Company
threatened by, the Commission on such date. If filing of the Final
Supplemented Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to
Rule 424, the Final Supplemented Prospectus, and any such supplement, shall
have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule
424.
(b) Any required orders of the Florida Commission and the Commission
permitting the transactions contemplated hereby substantially in accordance
with the terms and conditions hereof shall be in full force and effect and
shall contain no provision unacceptable to the Underwriters or the Company
(but all provisions of such order or orders heretofore entered, copies of
which have heretofore been delivered to the Representatives, are deemed
acceptable to the Underwriters and the Company and all provisions of such
order or orders hereafter entered shall be deemed acceptable to the
Underwriters and the Company unless within 24 hours after receiving a copy
of any such order any party to this Agreement shall give notice to the
other parties to the effect that such order contains an unacceptable
provision).
(c) On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received:
(1) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Xxxxx & Lane, a Registered
Limited Liability Partnership, general counsel for the Company,
substantially in the form attached hereto as Schedule II-A.
(2) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP,
counsel for the Company, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Schedule II-B.
(3) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Cravath, Swaine &
Xxxxx LLP, counsel to the Trustee, substantially in the form attached
hereto as Schedule III.
(4) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP,
counsel for the Underwriters, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Schedule IV.
(d) At the Closing Date, there shall not have been, since the date
hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, any
material adverse change in the business, properties or financial condition
of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business,
and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the President
or any Vice President of the Company, and dated as of the Closing Date, to
the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii)
the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct
with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the
Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and
satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied on or
prior to the Closing Date, and (iv) no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or, to the knowledge of
the such Officer, threatened by the Commission.
(e) On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received from
Deloitte & Touche LLP, a letter dated the Closing Date to the effect that:
(A) they are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect
to the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act and the rules and
regulations under the 1933 Act; (B) in their opinion, the financial
statements audited by them and incorporated by reference in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and
regulations under the 1934 Act; and (C) on the basis of certain limited
procedures performed through a specified date not more than five business
days prior to the date of such letter, namely (i) reading the minute books
of the Company; (ii) performing the procedures specified by the standards
of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB")
for a review of interim financial statement information as described in
PCAOB Interim Standard AU 722, "Interim Financial Information", on the
unaudited financial statements, if any, of the Company incorporated by
reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus and on the latest available
unaudited financial statements of the Company, if any, for any calendar
quarter subsequent to the date of those incorporated by reference in the
Final Supplemented Prospectus; and (iii) making inquiries of certain
officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and
accounting matters regarding such unaudited financial statements or any
specified unaudited amounts derived therefrom (it being understood that the
foregoing procedures do not constitute an audit performed in accordance
with generally accepted auditing standards and they would not necessarily
reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments made in such
letter, and accordingly that Deloitte & Touche LLP make no representations
as to the sufficiency of such procedures for the Underwriters' purposes),
nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that: (1) any
material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed financial
statements, if any, incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented
Prospectus, for them to be in conformity with GAAP; (2) such unaudited
condensed financial statements do not comply as to form in all material
respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act as it
applies to Form 10-Q and the related published rules and regulations
thereunder; (3) the unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues, Earnings
Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preferred Stock and
the unaudited Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges set forth in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus do not agree with the amounts set forth in or
derived from the unaudited financial statements for the same period
included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; (4) as
of a specified date not more than five business days prior to the date of
delivery of such letter, there has been any change in the capital stock or
long-term debt of the Company or any decrease in net assets as compared
with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet incorporated by reference in
the Final Supplemented Prospectus, except in each case for changes or
decreases which (i) the Final Supplemented Prospectus discloses have
occurred or may occur, (ii) are occasioned by the declaration of dividends,
(iii) are occasioned by draw-downs under existing pollution control
financing arrangements, (iv) are occasioned by draw-downs and regularly
scheduled payments of capitalized lease obligations, (v) are occasioned by
the purchase or redemption of bonds or stock to satisfy mandatory or
optional redemption provisions relating thereto, (vi) are occasioned by the
reclassification of current maturities of long-term debt, or (vii) are
disclosed in such letter; and (5) the unaudited amounts for Operating
Revenues, Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on
Preferred Stock and the unaudited Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges for
any calendar quarter subsequent to those set forth in (3) above, which, if
available, shall be set forth in such letter, do not agree with the amounts
set forth in or derived from the unaudited financial statements for the
same period or were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with
that of the corresponding audited amounts or ratios included or
incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
(f) On the Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been
furnished with such documents and opinions as it may reasonably require for
the purpose of enabling it to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Senior
Notes as herein contemplated and related proceedings, or in order to
evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the
fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings
taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Senior
Notes as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to
the Representatives and Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters.
(g) No amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, or the
Final Supplemented Prospectus filed subsequent to the date of this
Agreement (including any filing made by the Company pursuant to Section 13
or 14 of the 0000 Xxx) shall be unsatisfactory in form to Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
LLP or shall contain information (other than with respect to an amendment
or supplement relating solely to the activity of the Underwriters) which,
in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives, shall materially impair
the marketability of the Senior Notes.
(h) The Company shall have performed its obligations when and as
provided under this Agreement.
If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been
fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated
by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time prior to the Closing
Date, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other
party except as provided in Sections 4, 7 and 9(b) hereof.
SECTION 6. CONDITIONS OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY. The
obligations of the Company shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the
first sentence of Section 5(a) and in Section 5(b). In case such conditions
shall not have been fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company
by mailing or delivering written notice thereof to the Representatives. Any such
termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as
otherwise provided in Sections 4, 7 and 9(b) hereof.
SECTION 7. INDEMNIFICATION.
---------------
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the
Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the
1934 Act, against any and all losses, claims, amages or liabilities, joint
or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the 1933
Act, 1934 Act or otherwise,and to reimburse any such Underwriter and such
controlling person or persons, if any, for any legal or other expenses
incurred by them in connection with defending any actions, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based
upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or, if the Company xxxx
furnish to the Underwritrs any amendments or any supplements thereto, or
shall make any filings pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act which
are incorporated therein by reference, in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus
as so amended or supplemented, or arise out of or are based upon any
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
actions arise out of or are based upon any such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission which was made in such
Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus or Final
Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by, or through the Representatives on
behalf of, any Underwriter for use therein and except that this indemnity
with respect to the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Final
Supplemented Prospectus, if the Company shall have furnished any amendment
or supplement thereto, shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter
(or of any person controlling such Underwriter) on account of any losses,
claims, damages, liabilities or actions arising from the sale of the Senior
Notes to any person if a copy of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus
or the Final Supplemented Prospectus (exclusive of documents incorporated
therein by reference pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3), as the same may then
be amended or supplemented, shall not have been sent or given by or on
behalf of such Underwriter to such person with or prior to the written
confirmation of the sale involved and the untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was corrected in the
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus
as supplemented or amended at the time of such confirmation. Each
Underwriter agrees, within ten days after the receipt by it of notice of
the commencement of any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought
by it, or by any person controlling it, from the Company on account of its
agreement contained in this Section 7, to notify the Company in writing of
the commencement thereof but the omission of such Underwriter so to notify
the Company of any such action shall not release the Company from any
liability which it may have to such Underwriter or to such controlling
person otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in
this Section 7. In case any such action shall be brought against an
Underwriter or any such person controlling such Underwriter and such
Underwriter shall notify the Company of the commencement thereof as above
provided, the Company shall be entitled to participate in (and, to the
extent that it shall wish, including the selection of counsel, to direct)
the defense thereof, at its own expense. In case the Company elects to
direct such defense and select such counsel, any Underwriter or controlling
person shall have the right to employ its own counsel, but, in any such
case, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such
Underwriter or such controlling person unless the employment of such
counsel has been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with
defending such action. No indemnifying party shall, without the written
consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of,
or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification may be
sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or
potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise
or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party
from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not
include any statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a
failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. In no event shall
any indemnifying party have any liability or responsibility in respect of
the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment
with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim effected without
its prior written consent.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees severally and not jointly, to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, its directors and such of its officers who
have signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who
controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or
Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act to the same extent and upon the same terms as
the indemnity agreement of the Company set forth in Section 7(a) hereof,
but only with respect to alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the
Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Final Supplemented Prospectus, or such documents as amended or
supplemented, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished
in writing to the Company by, or through the Representatives on behalf of,
such Underwriter for use therein.
SECTION 8. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS TO
SURVIVE DELIVERY. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in
this Agreement, or contained in certificates of officers of the Company
submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or
controlling person, or by, or on behalf of the Company and shall survive
delivery of the Senior Notes to the Underwriters.
SECTION 9. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT.
------------------------
(a) The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the
Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Date if (i) trading in
securities on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been generally
suspended or there shall have been a material disruption in settlement in
securities generally, (ii) minimum or maximum ranges for prices shall have
been generally established on the New York Stock Exchange by the Commission
or by the New York Stock Exchange, (iii) a general banking moratorium shall
have been declared by federal or New York State authorities, or (iv) there
shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of major hostilities in
which the United States is involved, any declaration of war by the United
States Congress or any other substantial national or international
calamity, crisis or emergency (including, without limitation, acts of
terrorism) affecting the United States, in any such case provided for in
clauses (i) through (iv) with the result that, in the reasonable judgment
of the Representatives, the marketability of the Senior Notes shall have
been materially impaired.
(b) If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Representatives
pursuant to subsection (a) above or because of any failure or refusal on
the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the
conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be
unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, then in any such
case, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for the reasonable fees
and disbursements of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP and for the out of pocket
expenses (in an amount not exceeding $10,000) reasonably incurred by the
Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of
the Senior Notes and, upon such reimbursement, the Company shall be
absolved from any further liability hereunder, except as provided in
Sections 4 and 7.
SECTION 10. DEFAULT BY AN UNDERWRITER. If an Underwriter shall
fail on the Closing Date to purchase the Senior Notes that it is obligated to
purchase under this Agreement (the "Defaulted Securities"), the Representatives
shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for the
non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not
less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon
and upon the terms herein set forth. If, however, the Representatives shall not
have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed
10% of the Senior Notes, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be
obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof
in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder
bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the
Senior Notes, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part
of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any
defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a
termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall
have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a period not exceeding seven
days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or
Final Supplemented Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.
SECTION 11. NOTICES. All notices and other communications
hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if
mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the
Underwriters shall be directed to the Underwriters at Citigroup Global Markets
Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx and X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc., 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx
00000, Attention: High Grade Syndicate Desk - 8th Floor; notices to the Company
shall be mailed to Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, 00000-0000, Attention:
Corporate Secretary, with a copy to Southern Company Services, Inc., 000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, X.X., Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxx.
SECTION 12. PARTIES. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit
of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their respective
successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or
shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the
Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling
persons and officers and directors referred to in Section 7 and their heirs and
legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in
respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and
all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and
exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective
successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their
heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or
corporation. No purchaser of Senior Notes from any of the Underwriters shall be
deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 13. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. This Agreement shall be
governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York
applicable to agreements made and to be performed in said State. Except as
otherwise set forth herein, specified times of day refer to New York City time.
SECTION 14. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed by
any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts
shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of
our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof,
whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding
agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
GULF POWER COMPANY
By: /s/Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Title: Vice President,
Chief Financial
Officer and
Comptroller
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written
As Representatives of the Several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
By: /s/Xxxx Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Director
X.X. XXXXXX SECURITIES INC.
By: /s/Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Name:Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Title:Vice President
SCHEDULE I
Principal Amount of Series K
NAME OF UNDERWRITER Senior Notes
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. $33,750,000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc. $33,750,000
ABN AMRO Incorporated $7,500,000
TOTAL $75,000,000
===========
2
Schedule II-A
[Letterhead of XXXXX & XXXX]
September __, 2004
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
As Representatives of the Underwriters named in
Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series K 4.90% Senior Notes due October 1, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the
"Company") in connection with (i) the Company's issuance and sale of $75,000,000
aggregate principal amount of its Series K 4.90% Senior Notes due October 1,
2014 (the "Notes") pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1,
1998, by and between the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly known as The
Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee (the "Trustee"), as heretofore supplemented
and as further supplemented by the Eleventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of
September 22, 2004 (collectively, the "Indenture"); and (ii) the purchase by the
Underwriters (as defined herein) of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an
Underwriting Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") dated September 13, 2004
among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereof (the
"Underwriters") for whom you are acting as Representatives. This opinion is
being delivered to you pursuant to Section 5(c)(1) thereof.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have
the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined
the registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File Nos. 333-118060,
000-000000-00 and 333-118060-02), pertaining to the Notes and certain other
securities (the "Registration Statement") filed under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "Act"), and the prospectus dated September 2, 2004, as
supplemented by a final prospectus supplement relating to the Notes dated
September 13, 2004 (the "Final Supplemented Prospectus"), which pursuant to Form
S-3 incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of
the Company for the quarters ended March 31, 2004 and June 30, 2004 and the
Current Reports on Form 8-K of the Company dated April 6, 2004, August 12, 2004
and September 13, 2004 (the "Exchange Act Documents"), each as filed under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to matters
of fact upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the
certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and
we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to
express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed
the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to
original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic
copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein
referred to collectively as the "Agreements".
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications
and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion, relying as to matters of
Georgia law and the federal law of the United States upon the opinion dated the
date hereof rendered to you by Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP and relying as to matters of
New York law upon the opinion dated the date hereof rendered to you by Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx LLP, that:
1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maine, is duly
qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of
the States of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, and has due corporate authority
to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and
operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform
its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the
Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by
the Company.
3. All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the
Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the
issuance and sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient
for the issuance and sale of the Notes; the issuance and sale of the Notes
conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other
order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United
States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the
provisions of the securities or "blue sky" laws of any jurisdiction, as to which
we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the
Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof
by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject
to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under
the Indenture may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the
Indenture conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the
description thereof in the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
5. The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and,
when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and
delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the
qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the
Notes may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and
other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by
general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Notes conform as to
legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus.
6. The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act
of 1939, as amended.
We have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness
or fairness of the statements made or included in the Registration Statement,
the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and take no
responsibility therefor, except as and to the extent set forth in paragraphs 4
and 5 above. In the course of the preparation by the Company of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we
participated in conferences with certain officers and employees of the Company,
with other counsel for the Company, with representatives of Deloitte & Touche
LLP and with your counsel. Based upon our examination of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, our
investigations made in connection with the preparation of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents and
our participation in the conferences referred to above, (i) we are of the
opinion that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date, and the Final
Supplemented Prospectus, as of September 13, 2004, complied as to form in all
material respects with the requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and that the Exchange Act Documents, as
of their respective dates of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in
all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the
applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in
each case we express no opinion as to the financial statements or other
financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act
Documents, and (ii) nothing came to our attention which gives us reason to
believe that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date (including the
Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained
any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein not misleading, or that the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the
Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date
hereof, any untrue statement therein of a material fact or omitted, as of its
date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, except that in each case we express no opinion
or belief with respect to the financial statements or other financial or
statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and
with respect to information set forth in the Final Supplemented Prospectus under
the caption "Description of the Series K Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only
Issuance -- The Depository Trust Company."
We are members of the Florida Bar and we do not express any
opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the States of Maine,
Florida and Mississippi and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the
States of Georgia and New York and the federal law of the United States.
This opinion is rendered to you in connection with the
above-described transaction. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any
other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our
prior written consent, except that Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP and Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP
may rely on this opinion in giving their opinions pursuant to Section 5(c) of
the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such opinions relates to matters of Maine,
Florida and Mississippi law.
Yours very truly,
XXXXX & XXXX
Schedule II-B
[Letterhead of XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX LLP]
September __, 2004
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
As Representatives of the Underwriters named in Schedule I
to the Underwriting Agreement
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series K 4.90% Senior Notes due October 1, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the "Company")
in connection with (i) the Company's issuance of $75,000,000 aggregate principal
amount of its Series K 4.90% Senior Notes due October 1, 2014 (the "Notes")
pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998, by and between
the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan
Bank), as trustee (the "Trustee"), as heretofore supplemented and as further
supplemented by the Eleventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 22,
2004 (collectively, the "Indenture"); and (ii) the purchase by the Underwriters
(as defined herein) of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting
Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") dated September 13, 2004, among the
Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereof (the "Underwriters")
for whom you are acting as Representatives. This opinion is being delivered to
you pursuant to Section 5(c)(2) thereof.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have
the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined
the registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File Nos. 333-118060,
000-000000-00 and 333-118060-02), pertaining to the Notes and certain other
securities (the "Registration Statement") filed under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "Act"), and the prospectus dated September 2, 2004, as
supplemented by a final prospectus supplement dated September 13, 2004 (the
"Final Supplemented Prospectus"), which pursuant to Form S-3 incorporates by
reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2003, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of the Company for
the quarters ended March 31, 2004 and June 30, 2004 and the Current Reports on
Form 8-K of the Company dated April 6, 2004, August 12, 2004 and September 13,
2004 (the "Exchange Act Documents"), each as filed under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to matters
of fact upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the
certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and
we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to
express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed
the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to
original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic
copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein
referred to collectively as the "Agreements".
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications
and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion, relying as to matters of
Maine, Florida and Mississippi law upon the opinion dated the date hereof
rendered to you by Xxxxx & Xxxx, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership
("Xxxxx & Lane"), and relying as to matters of New York law upon the opinion
dated the date hereof rendered to you by Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP, that:
1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maine, is duly
qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of
the States of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, and has due corporate authority
to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and
operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform
its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the
Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by
the Company.
3. All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the
Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the
issuance and sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient
for the issuance and sale of the Notes; the issuance and sale of the Notes
conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other
order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United
States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the
provisions of the securities or "blue sky" laws of any jurisdiction, as to which
we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the
Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof
by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject
to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under
the Indenture may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the
Indenture conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the
description thereof in the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
5. The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and,
when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and
delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the
qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the
Notes may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and
other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by
general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Notes conform as to
legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus.
6. The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act
of 1939, as amended.
We have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness
or fairness of the statements made or included in the Registration Statement,
the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and take no
responsibility therefor, except as and to the extent set forth in paragraphs 4
and 5 above. In the course of the preparation by the Company of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we
participated in conferences with certain officers and employees of the Company,
with other counsel for the Company, with representatives of Deloitte & Touche
LLP and with your counsel. Based upon our examination of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, our
investigations made in connection with the preparation of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents and
our participation in the conferences referred to above, (i) we are of the
opinion that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date, and the Final
Supplemented Prospectus, as of September 13, 2004, complied as to form in all
material respects with the requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and that the Exchange Act Documents, as
of their respective dates of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in
all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the
applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in
each case we express no opinion as to the financial statements or other
financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act
Documents, and (ii) nothing came to our attention which gives us reason to
believe that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date (including the
Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained
any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein not misleading, or that the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the
Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date
hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or
omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, except that in each case we express no opinion or belief
with respect to the financial statements or other financial or statistical data
contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Final
Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to
information set forth in the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption
"Description of the Series K Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only Issuance -- The
Depository Trust Company."
We are members of the State Bar of Georgia and we do not
express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the State of
Georgia and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth
herein, the laws of the States of Maine, Florida, Mississippi and New York.
This opinion is rendered to you in connection with the
above-described transaction. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any
other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our
prior written consent, except that Xxxxx & Lane may rely on this opinion in
giving its opinion pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Underwriting Agreement
insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law and the federal law of
the United States and Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx LLP may rely on this opinion in giving
its opinion pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as
such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law.
Yours very truly,
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX LLP
Schedule III
[Letterhead of Cravath, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP]
September __, 2004
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
As Representatives of the Underwriters named in
Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement
Gulf Power Company
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000
Gulf Power Company
Series K 4.90% Senior Notes
due October 1, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly
known as The Chase Manhattan Bank) (the "Bank") in connection with (a) the
Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998 as heretofore supplemented
(the "Original Indenture"), between Gulf Power Company (the "Company") and the
Bank, as Trustee, and (b) the Eleventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of
September 22, 2004 (together with the Original Indenture, herein called the
"Indenture"), between the Company and the Bank, as Trustee.
In that connection, we have examined originals, or copies
certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents,
records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the
purpose of this opinion, including copies of the Indenture and certain
resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Bank.
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
(i) the Bank has been duly incorporated and is
validly existing as a banking
corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of New York;
(ii) the Bank has the corporate trust power and
authority to execute, deliver and perform its duties under the Indenture, has
duly executed and delivered the Indenture, and, insofar as the laws governing
the trust powers of the Bank are concerned and assuming due authorization,
execution and delivery thereof by the Company, the Indenture constitutes a
legal, valid and binding agreement of the Bank, enforceable against the Bank in
accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting
creditors' rights generally from time to time in effect and to general
principles of equity (including, without limitation, concepts of materiality,
reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing), regardless of whether considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law;
(iii) the execution, delivery and performance by the
Bank of the Indenture do not
conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or bylaws of the Bank; and
(iv) no approval, authorization or other action by,
or filing with, any governmental authority of the United States of America or
the State of New York having jurisdiction over the trust powers of the Bank is
required in connection with the execution and delivery by the Bank of the
Indenture or the performance by the Bank of its duties thereunder, except such
as have been obtained, taken or made.
We are admitted to practice only in the State of New York, and
we express no opinion as to matters governed by any laws other than the laws of
the State of New York and the Federal law of the United States of America. We
are furnishing this opinion to you solely for your benefit. This opinion is not
to be relied upon by any other person or used, circulated, quoted or otherwise
referred to for any other purpose.
Very truly yours,
CRAVATH, SWAINE & XXXXX LLP
4
Schedule IV
[Letterhead of XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX LLP]
September __, 2004
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
As Representatives of the Underwriters
named in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series K 4.90% Senior Notes
due October 1, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented the Underwriters (as hereinafter defined)
in connection with (i) the issuance by Gulf Power Company (the "Company") of
$75,000,000 of its Series K 4.90% Senior Notes due October 1, 2014 (the "Notes")
pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998, by and between
the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan
Bank), as trustee (the "Trustee"), as heretofore supplemented and as further
supplemented by the Eleventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 22,
2004 (collectively, the "Indenture"); and (ii) the purchase by the Underwriters
(as defined herein) of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting
Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") dated September 13, 2004, among the
Company and the underwriters named in Schedule I thereof (the "Underwriters")
for whom you are acting as Representatives. This opinion is being delivered to
you pursuant to Section 5(c)(4) thereof.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have
the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined
the registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File Nos. 333-118060,
000-000000-00 and 333-118060-02), pertaining to the Notes and certain other
securities (the "Registration Statement") filed under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "Act"), and the prospectus dated September 2, 2004, as
supplemented by a final prospectus supplement dated September 13, 2004 (the
"Final Supplemented Prospectus"), which pursuant to Form S-3 incorporates by
reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2003, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of the Company for
the quarters ended March 31, 2004 and June 30, 2004 and the Current Reports on
Form 8-K of the Company dated April 6, 2004, August 12, 2004 and September 13,
2004 (the "Exchange Act Documents"), each as filed under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to matters
of fact upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the
certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and
we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to
express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed
the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to
original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic
copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein
referred to as the "Agreements".
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications
and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion, relying as aforesaid and
as to all matters covered hereby which are governed by or dependent upon the
laws of the States of Maine, Florida and Mississippi upon the opinion of Xxxxx &
Xxxx, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership ("Xxxxx & Lane"), dated the
date hereof and addressed to you and as to all matters covered hereby which are
governed by or dependent upon the law of the State of Georgia upon the opinion
of Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you, that:
1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maine,
is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the
laws of the States of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, and has due corporate
authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own
and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and
perform its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of
the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by
the Company.
3. All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals
of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for
the issuance and sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are
sufficient for the issuance and sale of the Notes; the issuance and sale of the
Notes conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no
other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United
States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the
provisions of the securities or "blue sky" laws of any jurisdiction, as to which
we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the
Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and
delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding
instrument of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with
its terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the
Company's obligations under the Indenture may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or
affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity
(regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in
equity or at law); and the Indenture conforms as to legal matters in all
material respects to the description thereof in the Final Supplemented
Prospectus.
5. The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the
Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the
Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to the
Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the
Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject
to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under
the Notes may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium
and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and
by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Notes conform as to
legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus.
6. The Indenture has been duly qualified under
the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as
amended.
We have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness
or fairness of the statements made or included in the Registration Statement,
the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and take no
responsibility therefor, except as and to the extent set forth in paragraphs 4
and 5 above. In the course of the preparation by the Company of the Registration
Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we
participated in conferences with certain officers and employees of the Company,
with representatives of Deloitte & Touche LLP and with counsel to the Company.
Based upon our examination of the Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented
Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, our investigations made in connection
with the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented
Prospectus and our participation in the conferences referred to above, (i) we
are of the opinion that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date,
and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of September 13, 2004, complied as to
form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the
applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that the
Exchange Act Documents, as of their respective dates of filing with the
Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant
requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no opinion as to the
financial statements or other financial or statistical data contained or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented
Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents, and (ii) nothing came to our attention
which gives us reason to believe that the Registration Statement, as of its
effective date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission
as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order
to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Final Supplemented
Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or
contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that in each
case we express no opinion or belief with respect to the financial statements or
other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange
Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the Series K Senior
Notes--Book-Entry Only Issuance--The Depository Trust Company."
We are members of the State Bar of New York and we do not
express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the State of
New York and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth
herein, the law of the States of Maine, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.
This opinion is rendered solely to you in connection with the
above matter. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose
or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written
consent except that Xxxxx & Lane and Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP may rely on this
opinion in giving their opinions pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Underwriting
Agreement, insofar as such opinions relate to matters of New York law, and
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to
Sections 102, 302 and 904 of the Indenture, insofar as such opinion relates to
matters of New York law.
Very truly yours,
XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX LLP
