Except as otherwise stated in the related prospectus supplement, the covenants in the NEE
Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture would not give registered owners of NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures protection in the event of a highly-leveraged transaction involving NEE Capital or NEE.
Subordination. The NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to all Senior
Indebtedness of NEE Capital. (NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture, Article Fifteen). No payment of the principal (including redemption and sinking fund payments) of, or interest, or premium, if any, on the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated
Debentures may be made by NEE Capital, until all holders of Senior Indebtedness of NEE Capital have been paid in full (or provision has been made for such payment), if any of the following occurs:
| |
(1) |
certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of NEE Capital, |
| |
(2) |
any Senior Indebtedness of NEE Capital is not paid when due (after the expiration of any applicable grace
period) and that default continues without waiver, or |
| |
(3) |
any other default has occurred and continues without waiver (after the expiration of any applicable grace
period) pursuant to which the holders of Senior Indebtedness of NEE Capital are permitted to accelerate the maturity of such Senior Indebtedness. (NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture, Section 1502). |
Upon any distribution of assets of NEE Capital to creditors in connection with any insolvency, bankruptcy or similar proceeding, all principal
of, and premium, if any, and interest due or to become due on all Senior Indebtedness of NEE Capital must be paid in full before the holders of the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures are entitled to receive or retain any payment from such
distribution. (NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture, Section 1502).
While NEE Capital is a holding company that derives
substantially all of its income from its operating subsidiaries, NEE Capital’s subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation to make any payments on the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture Securities or to
make any funds available for such payment. Therefore, NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture Securities will effectively be subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, debt and preferred stock, incurred or
issued by NEE Capital’s subsidiaries. In addition to trade liabilities, many of NEE Capital’s operating subsidiaries incur debt in order to finance their business activities. All of this indebtedness will effectively be senior to the NEE
Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture Securities. The NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture does not place any limit on the amount of liabilities, including debt or preferred stock, that NEE Capital’s subsidiaries may issue, guarantee or
incur. See “Description of NEE Common Stock—Common Stock Terms—Dividend Rights” for a description of contractual restrictions on the dividend-paying ability of NEE Capital.
Junior Subordinated Guarantee of NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures. Pursuant to the Junior Subordinated Guarantee, NEE will
absolutely, irrevocably and unconditionally guarantee the payment of principal of and any interest and premium, if any, on the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures, when due and payable, whether at the stated maturity date, by declaration of
acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, in accordance with the terms of such NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures and the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture. The Junior Subordinated Guarantee will remain in effect until the
entire principal of and any premium, if any, and interest on the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Debentures has been paid in full or otherwise discharged in accordance with the provisions of the NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture. (NEE
Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture, Article Fourteen).
The Junior Subordinated Guarantee will be subordinate and junior in right of
payment to all Senior Indebtedness of NEE. (NEE Capital Junior Subordinated Indenture, Section 1402). The term “Senior Indebtedness” with respect to NEE will be defined in the related prospectus supplement. No payment of the
principal (including redemption and sinking fund payments) of, or interest, or premium, if any, on, the NEE
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