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Related Party Transactions
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12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2011
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| Related Party Transactions [Abstract] | |
| Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block] |
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had $0.7 million and $3.5 million of advances to affiliates, respectively. In addition, we have entered into the following related party transactions:
LNG Terminal Capacity Agreements
Terminal Use Agreement
In November 2006, Cheniere Marketing reserved approximately 2.0 Bcf/d of regasification capacity under a firm commitment TUA with Sabine Pass LNG and was required to make capacity reservation fee payments aggregating approximately $250 million per year for the period from January 1, 2009, through at least September 30, 2028. Cheniere guaranteed Cheniere Marketing's obligations under its TUA.
Effective July 1, 2010, Cheniere Marketing assigned its existing TUA with Sabine Pass LNG to Cheniere Investments, including all of its rights, titles, interests, obligations and liabilities in and under the TUA. In connection with the assignment, Cheniere's guarantee of Cheniere Marketing's obligations under the TUA was terminated. Cheniere Investments is required to make capacity payments under the TUA aggregating approximately $250 million per year through at least September 30, 2028; however, the revenue earned from Cheniere Investments' capacity payments is eliminated upon consolidation of our financial statements. We have guaranteed Cheniere Investments' obligations under its TUA.
Variable Capacity Rights Agreement
Concurrently with the TUA assignment, Cheniere Investments entered into a Variable Capacity Rights Agreement ("VCRA") with Cheniere Marketing in order for Cheniere Investments to monetize its capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. The VCRA will continue until the earliest of (a) the termination of Cheniere Investments' TUA, (b) expiration of the initial term of Cheniere Investments' TUA, (c) the termination of the VCRA by either party after two years, and (d) the termination of the VCRA as a result of default. Prior to 2018, Cheniere Marketing's termination right is subject to our having specified levels of cash reserved for distribution to our common unitholders as of the applicable termination date. Under the terms of the VCRA, Cheniere Marketing will be responsible for monetizing the capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal and will have the right to utilize all of the services and other rights at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal available under the TUA assigned to Cheniere Investments. In consideration of these rights, Cheniere Marketing is obligated to pay Cheniere Investments 80% of the expected gross margin of each cargo of LNG delivered to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. To the extent payments from Cheniere Marketing to Cheniere Investments under the VCRA increase our available cash in excess of the common unit and general partner distributions and certain reserves, the cash would be distributed to Cheniere Subsidiary Holdings, LLC in the form of distributions on its subordinated units. During the term of the VCRA, Cheniere Marketing is responsible for the payment of taxes and new regulatory costs under the TUA. Cheniere has guaranteed all of Cheniere Marketing's payment obligations under the VCRA. We recorded $11.2 and $1.9 million affiliate revenue from Cheniere Marketing in 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to the VCRA.
LNG Lease Agreement
In September 2011, Cheniere Investments entered into an agreement in the form of a lease (the "LNG Lease Agreement") with Cheniere Marketing that will enable Cheniere Investments to supply the Sabine Pass LNG terminal with LNG to maintain proper LNG inventory levels and temperature. The LNG Lease Agreement also enables Cheniere Investments to hedge the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows of its LNG inventory. Under the terms of the LNG Lease Agreement, Cheniere Marketing will fund all activities related to the purchase and hedging of the LNG, and Cheniere Investments will reimburse Cheniere Marketing for all costs and assume full price risk associated with these activities.
As a result of Cheniere Investments assuming full price risk associated with the LNG Lease Agreement, LNG inventory purchased by Cheniere Marketing under this arrangement is classified as LNG inventory—affiliate on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and is recorded at cost and subject to lower of cost or market adjustments at the end of each period. LNG inventory—affiliate cost is determined using the average cost method. Recoveries of losses resulting from interim period lower of cost or market adjustments are made due to market price recoveries on the same LNG inventory—affiliate in the same fiscal year and are recognized as gains in later interim periods with such gains not exceeding previously recognized losses. Gains or losses on the sale of LNG inventory—affiliate and lower of cost or market adjustments are recorded as revenues on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. At December 31, 2011, we had $4.4 million of LNG inventory—affiliate on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the year ended December 31, 2011, we recorded revenues of ($11.4) million related to lower of cost or market adjustments and sales of LNG inventory—affiliate.
Cheniere Marketing has entered into financial derivatives, on our behalf, to hedge the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows attributable to the future sale of our LNG inventory under the LNG Lease Agreement. The fair value of these derivative instruments at December 31, 2011 was $1.6 million and was classified as other current assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Changes in the fair value of these derivative instruments are classified as revenues on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. We recorded derivative revenues of $2.3 million related to LNG inventory derivatives in the year ended December 31, 2011.
Service Agreements
During 2011, 2010 and 2009, we recorded general and administrative expense—affiliate of $19.0 million, $15.9 million and $18.5 million, respectively, under the following service agreements.
Sabine Pass LNG O&M Agreement
In February 2005, Sabine Pass LNG entered into a 20-year operation and maintenance agreement (the "O&M Agreement") with a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheniere pursuant to which we receive all necessary services required to construct, operate and maintain the Sabine Pass LNG receiving terminal. Sabine Pass LNG is required to pay a fixed monthly fee of $130,000 (indexed for inflation) under the agreement, and the counterparty is entitled to a bonus equal to 50% of the salary component of labor costs in certain circumstances to be agreed upon between Sabine Pass LNG and the counterparty at the beginning of each operating year. In addition, Sabine Pass LNG is required to reimburse the counterparty for its operating expenses, which consist primarily of labor expenses.
Sabine Pass LNG Management Services Agreement
In February 2005, Sabine Pass LNG entered into a 20-year management services agreement ("MSA") with its general partner, which is our wholly owned subsidiary, pursuant to which its general partner was appointed to manage the construction and operation of the Sabine Pass LNG receiving terminal, excluding those matters provided for under the O&M Agreement. In August 2008, the general partner of Sabine Pass LNG assigned all of its rights and obligations under the MSA to Cheniere LNG Terminals, Inc. ("Cheniere Terminals"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheniere. Sabine Pass LNG is required to pay Cheniere Terminals a monthly fixed fee of $520,000 (indexed for inflation).
Cheniere Partners Services Agreement
In March 2007, we entered into a services agreement with Cheniere Terminals pursuant to which we would pay Cheniere Terminals an annual administrative fee of $10.0 million (adjusted for inflation) for the provision of various general and administrative services for our benefit following the closing of our initial public offering. Payments under this services agreement commenced January 1, 2009. In addition, we reimbursed Cheniere Terminals for its services in an amount equal to the sum of all out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by Cheniere Terminals directly related to our business or activities.
In June 2010, Cheniere Terminals and we amended, effective as of July 1, 2010, the fee structure for the various general and administrative services provided by Cheniere Terminals for our benefit and changed it from a fixed fee to a variable fee not to exceed $2.5 million per quarter (indexed for inflation). The amended and restated services agreement provides that fees will be paid quarterly from our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents remaining after making distributions to the common unitholders and the general partner in respect of each quarter and retaining certain reserves. Our ability to pay management fees is dependent on Cheniere Terminals' ability to, among other things, manage our and Sabine Pass LNG's operating and administrative expenses, monetize the 2.0 Bcf/d regasification capacity held by Cheniere Investments and develop new projects through either internal development or acquisition to increase cash flow.
Agreement to Fund Sabine Pass LNG's Cooperative Endeavor Agreements
In July 2007, Sabine Pass LNG executed CEAs with various Cameron Parish, Louisiana taxing authorities that allow them to collect certain annual property tax payments from Sabine Pass LNG in 2007 through 2016. This ten-year initiative represents an aggregate $25.0 million commitment and will make resources available to the Cameron Parish taxing authorities on an accelerated basis in order to aid in their reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Rita. In exchange for Sabine Pass LNG's payments of annual ad valorem taxes, Cameron Parish will grant Sabine Pass LNG a dollar for dollar credit against future ad valorem taxes to be levied against the Sabine Pass LNG terminal starting in 2019. In September 2007, Sabine Pass LNG modified its TUA with Cheniere Marketing, pursuant to which Cheniere Marketing will pay Sabine Pass LNG additional TUA revenues equal to any and all amounts payable under the CEAs in exchange for a similar amount of credits against future TUA payments it would owe Sabine Pass LNG under its TUA starting in 2019. In June 2010, Cheniere Marketing assigned its existing TUA to Investments and concurrently entered into a VCRA, allowing Cheniere Marketing to monetize Investments' capacity under the TUA after the assignment. The VCRA provides that Cheniere Marketing will continue to fund the CEAs during the term of the VCRA and, in exchange, Cheniere Marketing will receive any future credits.
On a consolidated basis, these TUA payments were recorded to other assets, and payments from Cheniere Marketing that Sabine Pass LNG utilized to make the ad valorem tax payments were recorded as deferred revenue. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had $12.3 million and $9.8 million of other non-current assets and non-current deferred revenue resulting from Sabine Pass LNG's ad valorem tax payments and the advance TUA payments received from Cheniere Marketing, respectively.
Contracts for Sale and Purchase of Natural Gas and LNG
Sabine Pass LNG is able to sell and purchase natural gas and LNG under an agreement with Cheniere Marketing. Under this agreement, Sabine Pass LNG purchases natural gas or LNG from Cheniere Marketing at a sales price equal to the actual purchase cost paid by Cheniere Marketing to suppliers of the natural gas or LNG, plus any third-party costs incurred by Cheniere Marketing in respect of the receipt, purchase, and delivery of the natural gas or LNG to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal.
Sabine Pass LNG recorded $4.2 million and $2.8 million of natural gas and LNG purchased from Cheniere Marketing under this agreement in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
LNG Terminal Export Agreement
In January 2010, Sabine Pass LNG and Cheniere Marketing entered into an LNG Terminal Export Agreement that provides Cheniere Marketing the ability to export LNG from the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. Sabine Pass LNG recorded revenues—affiliate of $0.3 million and $0.9 million pursuant to this agreement in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Tug Boat Lease Sharing Agreement
In connection with the tug boat lease described in Note 14—"Leases", Sabine Pass Tug Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sabine Pass LNG ("Tug Services"), entered into a tug sharing agreement with Cheniere Marketing to provide its LNG cargo vessels with tug boat and marine services at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. Tug Services recorded revenues—affiliate from Cheniere Marketing of $2.7 million, $2.7 million and $2.2 million pursuant to this agreement in the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
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