Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. Reports Earnings for the Third Quarter 2009 and Declares Increased Th

PHILADELPHIA, October 26, 2009 – Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (NYSE: SXL) (the
“Partnership”) today announced net income for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009 of $48.5 million,
or $1.13 per limited partner unit on a diluted basis, compared with $50.3 million, or $1.41 per limited partner
unit on a diluted basis, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008. Operating income for the third quarter
ended September 30, 2009 increased by $2.0 million from the prior year’s third quarter. Distributable cash
flow (“DCF”), which represents the cash generated during the quarter which is available to pay distributions,
increased $1.9 million to $54.4 million compared to the third quarter of 2008.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, net income increased 40.9 percent to $196.0 million
compared to the same period in 2008. Operating income for this period increased $66.2 million, or 40.8
percent, when compared to the prior year period. DCF for the first nine months of 2009 increased 34.6 percent
to $216.0 million compared to the prior year period.
Sunoco Partners LLC, the general partner of Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P., declared a cash
distribution for the third quarter of 2009 of $1.065 per common partnership unit ($4.26 annualized), which is
an 10.4 percent increase over the third quarter of 2008 and a 2.4 percent increase over the prior quarter. The
distribution is payable November 13, 2009 to unit holders of record on November 6, 2009.
“Distributable cash flow for the third quarter continues to be strong and is an excellent indicator of the
health of our business.” said Deborah M. Fretz, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Quarterly net income
was negatively impacted by timing of contango crude oil inventory positions and will reverse in the next two
quarters.”
“The addition of two acquisitions during the quarter, the Excel crude oil pipeline in Oklahoma and the
refined products terminal in Romulus, Michigan, will provide additional opportunities for cash flow growth.
In addition, we completed construction on a new pipeline from our Nederland terminal to Motiva’s Port Arthur
refinery, as well as new tanks at the Nederland terminal. We continue to invest in organic growth
opportunities across our system which will translate to growing cash flows. The increase in our distribution
continues to affirm our confidence in the future of the business. This is the twenty-fifth distribution increase in
the past twenty-six quarters.”
Segmented Third Quarter Results
Refined Products Pipeline System
Operating income for the Refined Products Pipeline System increased $3.8 million to $13.3 million for
the third quarter ended September 30, 2009 compared to the prior year’s third quarter. Sales and other
operating revenue increased by $6.3 million to $32.0 million due primarily to results from the Partnership’s
acquisition of the MagTex refined products pipeline and terminals system in November 2008 and increased
pipeline fees. Other income increased $1.6 million due primarily to increased income associated with the
Partnership’s joint venture interests. Operating expenses increased $3.3 million to $14.4 million for the third
quarter 2009 due primarily to the MagTex acquisition and a reduction in refined product operating gains.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased for the three months ended September 30, 2009 primarily
due to the MagTex acquisition.
Terminal Facilities
Operating income for the Terminal Facilities segment increased by $7.0 million to $20.7 million for
the third quarter ended September 30, 2009 compared to the prior year’s third quarter. Sales and other
operating revenue increased by $5.6 million to $46.2 million due primarily to increased throughput, higher fees
and additional tankage at the Nederland terminal facility. Results from the MagTex refined products terminals
further contributed to the increase in revenues. Cost of goods sold and operating expenses decreased by $2.2
million to $15.7 million for the third quarter of 2009 due to absence of charges associated with hurricane
damages recognized in 2008, which was partially offset by cost associated with the MagTex acquisition.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $5.2 million for the third quarter of 2009 due to increased
tankage at the Nederland facility and the MagTex acquisition.
Crude Oil Pipeline System
Operating income for the Crude Oil Pipeline system decreased $8.8 million to $26.0 million for the
third quarter of 2009 compared to the prior year’s third quarter due to lower lease acquisition results and lower
operating gains. Lower lease acquisition income resulted from minimal income during the quarter from the
contango market structure due to timing of inventory accounting. However, contango inventory positions put
in place during the quarter will result in $10.0 million of additional income which is expected to be recognized
over the next two quarters. Other income increased $0.9 million compared to the prior year’s quarter due
primarily to increased equity income associated with the Partnership’s joint venture interests.
Lower crude oil prices were a key driver of the overall decrease in total revenue, cost of products sold
and operating expenses from the prior year’s quarter. The average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil
at Cushing, Oklahoma decreased to $68.29 per barrel for the third quarter of 2009 from $118.13 per barrel for
the third quarter of 2008.
Segmented Nine Month Results
Refined Products Pipeline System
Operating income for the Refined Products Pipeline System increased $9.7 million to $34.4 million for
the nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to the prior year period. Sales and other operating
revenue increased by $21.1 million to $94.6 million due primarily to results from the MagTex acquisition
described above, along with increased pipeline fees. Other income increased $2.7 million compared to the
prior year period as a result of an increase in equity income associated with the Partnership’s joint venture
interests. Operating expenses increased by $10.1 million to $43.7 million due primarily to the MagTex
acquisition, a reduction in refined products operating gains and increased environmental remediation expenses.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $2.9 million during the first nine months of 2009 due
primarily to the MagTex acquisition.
Terminal Facilities
Operating income for the Terminal Facilities segment increased by $20.3 million to $63.1 million for
the nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to the prior year period. Sales and other operating
revenue increased by $20.1 million to $139.4 million due primarily to increased terminal fees, additional
tankage at the Nederland terminal facility, along with the MagTex acquisition. Other income increased $0.6
million from the first nine months of 2009 as a result of an insurance recovery associated with the
Partnership’s refinery terminals. Cost of goods sold and operating expenses increased by $2.9 million to $48.4
million for the period ended September 30, 2009 due primarily to the MagTex acquisition partially offset by
reduced expenses associated with hurricane damages noted above. Depreciation and amortization expense
increased to $14.5 million for the first nine months of 2009 due to the MagTex acquisition and increased
tankage at the Nederland facility. During 2008, a $5.7 million non-cash impairment charge was recognized
related to the Partnership’s decision to discontinue efforts to expand LPG storage capacity at its Inkster,
Michigan facility.
Crude Oil Pipeline System
Operating income for the Crude Oil Pipeline system increased $36.2 million to $131.1 million for the
first nine months of 2009 compared to the prior year period due primarily to significantly higher lease
acquisition earnings primarily as a result of the contango market structure and increased pipeline fees, which
were partially offset by a reduction in pipeline operating gains. Other income decreased $1.8 million
compared to the prior year’s quarter due primarily to decreased equity income associated with the
Partnership’s joint venture interests and an insurance gain recognized in 2008.
Lower crude oil prices were a key driver of the overall decrease in total revenue, cost of products sold
and operating expenses from the prior year period. The average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil at
Cushing, Oklahoma decreased to $57.13 per barrel for the first nine months of 2009 from $113.38 per barrel
for the first nine months of 2008.
Other Analysis
Financing Costs
Net interest expense increased $9.4 million to $32.6 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2009, compared to the prior year period. The increase was due primarily to higher borrowings associated with
the $185.4 million MagTex acquisition, increased contango inventory positions and organic growth projects.
At September 30, 2009, the Partnership had total debt outstanding of $889.4 million, which consisted
of $599.4 million of Senior Notes and $290.0 million of borrowings under the Partnership’s credit facilities as
compared to $747.6 million at December 31, 2008. The Partnership had available borrowing capacity of
$167.5 million under its credit facilities as of September 30, 2009 and a Debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.5x for the
twelve months ended September 30, 2009.
Capital Expenditures
Maintenance capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were $15.3 million.
The Partnership expects that maintenance capital spending will be approximately $32.0 million for the full
year.
Expansion capital expenditures for the first nine months of 2009 were $143.5 million compared to
$73.4 million for the first nine months of 2008. Expansion capital for 2009 includes the acquisitions of a
refined products terminal in Romulus, MI and Excel Pipeline LLC, the owner of a crude oil pipeline which
services Gary Williams’ Wynnewood, OK refinery. Expansion capital also includes construction costs
associated with the completed project to connect the Nederland terminal to Motiva’s Port Arthur, Texas
refinery, construction of two additional storage tanks at Nederland and refined products terminal optimization
projects.
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.
Financial Highlights
(in thousands, except units and per unit amounts)
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
Income Statement 2009 2008 2009 2008
Sales and other operating revenue $ 1,420,064 $ 2,829,507 $ 3,740,794 $ 8,539,317
Other income 8,759 6,245 21,298 19,854
Total Revenues 1,428,823 2,835,752 3,762,092 8,559,171
Cost of products sold and operating expenses 1,342,002 2,752,609 3,450,490 8,316,720
Depreciation and amortization 12,240 10,010 35,328 29,499
Selling, general and administrative expenses 14,700 15,270 47,616 44,827
Impairment Charge - - - 5,674
Total costs and expenses 1,368,942 2,777,889 3,533,434 8,396,720
Operating income 59,881 57,863 228,658 162,451
Interest cost and debt expense, net 12,592 8,506 36,278 25,904
Capitalized interest (1,171) (977) (3,629) (2,613)
Net Income $ 48,460 $ 50,334 $ 196,009 $ 139,160
Calculation of Limited Partners’ interest:
Net Income $ 48,460 $ 50,334 $ 196,009 $ 139,160
Less: General Partner’s interest (1) (13,368) (9,724) (38,885) (26,185)
Limited Partners’ interest in Net Income $ 35,092 $ 40,610 $ 157,124 $ 112,975
Net Income per Limited Partner unit (1)
Basic $ 1.13 $ 1.42 $ 5.22 $ 3.94
Diluted $ 1.13 $ 1.41 $ 5.19 $ 3.92
Weighted average Limited Partners’ units
outstanding:
Basic 30,981,265 28,657,485 30,084,613 28,647,578
Diluted 31,190,187 28,845,559 30,288,345 28,830,653
Capital Expenditure Data:
Maintenance capital expenditures $ 6,304 $ 7,884 $ 15,326 $ 15,655
Expansion capital expenditures 82,100 28,665 143,477 73,389
Total $ 88,404 $ 36,549 $ 158,803 $ 89,044
September 30, 2009 December 31, 2008
Balance Sheet Data (at period end):
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,000 $ 2,000
Total Debt 889,374 747,631
Total Partners’ Capital 852,993 669,900
(1) Effective January 1, 2009, the Partnership changed its calculation of earnings per unit to conform to updated accounting guidance that requires undistributed
earnings to be allocated to the limited partner and general partner interests in accordance with the Partnership agreement. Prior period amounts have been
restated for comparative purposes. This change resulted in an increase in net income per diluted LP unit of $0.22 and $0.56 for the three and nine months
ended September 30, 2008 respectively.
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.
Earnings Contribution by Business Segment
(in thousands, unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2009 2008 2009 2008
Refined Products Pipeline System:
Sales and other operating revenue $ 32,032 $ 25,685 $ 94,648 $ 73,578
Other income 3,844 2,271 9,191 6,521
Total Revenues 35,876 27,956 103,839 80,099
Operating expenses 14,425 11,102 43,747 33,608
Depreciation and amortization 3,201 2,215 9,593 6,649
Selling, general and administrative expenses 4,970 5,156 16,057 15,092
Operating Income $ 13,280 $ 9,483 $ 34,442 $ 24,750
Terminal Facilities:
Sales and other operating revenues $ 46,198 $ 40,634 $ 139,389 $ 119,290
Other Income 12 - 1,404 825
Total Revenues 46,210 40,634 140,793 120,115
Cost of products sold and operating expenses 15,714 17,938 48,438 45,539
Depreciation and amortization 5,151 4,198 14,489 12,191
Selling, general and administrative expenses 4,635 4,760 14,721 13,853
Impairment Charge - - - 5,674
Operating Income $ 20,710 $ 13,738 $ 63,145 $ 42,858
Crude Oil Pipeline System:
Sales and other operating revenue $ 1,341,834 $ 2,763,188 $ 3,506,757 $ 8,346,449
Other income 4,903 3,974 10,703 12,508
Total Revenues 1,346,737 2,767,162 3,517,460 8,358,957
Cost of products sold and operating expenses 1,311,863 2,723,569 3,358,305 8,237,573
Depreciation and amortization 3,888 3,597 11,246 10,659
Selling, general and administrative expenses 5,095 5,354 16,838 15,882
Operating Income $ 25,891 $ 34,642 $ 131,071 $ 94,843
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.
Operating Highlights
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2009 2008 2009 2008
Refined Products Pipeline System: (1)(2)(3)
Total shipments (barrel miles per day) (4) 56,848,807 43,769,684 58,145,900 44,128,921
Revenue per barrel mile (cents) 0.612 0.638 0.595 0.609
Terminal Facilities:
Terminal throughput (bpd):
Refined product terminals (3) 465,206 437,018 462,969 428,146
Nederland terminal 559,874 545,105 619,297 541,517
Refinery terminals (5) 609,020 646,478 597,191 647,891
Crude Oil Pipeline System: (1)(2)(6)
Crude oil pipeline throughput (bpd) 611,000 649,274 648,232 672,877
Crude oil purchases at wellhead (bpd) 176,643 176,739 183,047 175,209
Gross margin per barrel of pipeline throughput (cents) (7) 46.5 57.2 77.6 52.2
(1) Excludes amounts attributable to equity ownership interests in corporate joint ventures.
(2) Effective January 1, 2009, the Partnership realigned its operating segments as discussed above. Prior period amounts
have been recast to reflect the current operating segments.
(3) Includes results from the Partnership’s purchase of the Romulus, MI terminal and the MagTex refined products pipeline
and terminals system from the acquisition date.
(4) Represents total average daily pipeline throughput multiplied by the number of miles of pipeline through which each
barrel has been shipped.
(5) Consists of the Partnership’s Fort Mifflin Terminal Complex, the Marcus Hook Tank Farm and the Eagle Point Dock.
(6) Includes results from the Partnership’s purchase of the Excel pipeline from the acquisition date.
(7) Represents total segment sales minus cost of products sold and operating expenses and depreciation and amortization
divided by crude oil pipeline throughput.
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(in thousands, unaudited)
Distributable Cash Flow (“DCF”) Three Months
Ended
September 30,
2009
Three Months
Ended
September 30,
2008
Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2009
Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2008
Net Income $ 48,460 $ 50,334 $ 196,009 $ 139,160
Add: Interest cost and debt expense; net 11,421 7,529 32,649 23,291
Add. Depreciation and amortization 12,240 10,010 35,328 29,499
Add: Impairment charge - - - 5,674
EBITDA 72,121 67,873 263,986 197,624
Less: Interest cost and debt expense; net (11,421) (7,529) (32,649) (23,291)
Less: Maintenance Capital (6,304) (7,884) (15,326) (15,655)
Add: Sunoco reimbursements - - - 1,851
Distributable Cash Flow (“DCF”) $ 54,396 $ 52,460 $ 216,011 $ 160,529
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation
and amortization (“EBITDA”)
Twelve Months Ended
September 30, 2009
Net Income $ 271,329
Add: Interest cost and debt expense, net 45,341
Less: Capitalized interest (4,871)
Add: Depreciation and amortization 45,883
EBITDA $ 357,682
Total Debt as of September 30, 2009 $889,374
Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio 2.5x
An investor call with management regarding the third-quarter results is scheduled for Monday
afternoon, October 26 at 2:00 pm EDT. Those wishing to listen can access the call by dialing (USA toll free)
1-877-297-3442; International (USA toll) 1-706-643-1335 and request “Sunoco Logistics Partners Earnings
Call, Conference Code 34719298”. This event may also be accessed by a webcast, which will be available at
www.sunocologistics.com. A number of presentation slides will accompany the audio portion of the call and
will be available to be viewed and printed shortly before the call begins. Individuals wishing to listen to the
call on the Partnership's web site will need Windows Media Player, which can be downloaded free of charge
from Microsoft or from Sunoco Logistics Partners' conference call page. Please allow at least fifteen minutes
to complete the download.
Audio replays of the conference call will be available for two weeks after the conference call
beginning approximately two hours following the completion of the call. To access the replay, dial 1-800-642-
1687. International callers should dial 1-706-645-9291. Please enter Conference ID #34719298
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (NYSE: SXL), headquartered in Philadelphia, is a master limited
partnership formed to acquire, own and operate refined product and crude oil pipelines and terminal facilities.
The Refined Products Pipeline System consists of approximately 2,200 miles of refined product pipelines
located in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, the recently acquired MagTex Pipeline System, and
interests in four refined products pipelines, consisting of a 9.4 percent interest in Explorer Pipeline Company, a
31.5 percent interest in Wolverine Pipe Line Company, a 12.3 percent interest in West Shore Pipe Line
Company and a 14.0 percent interest in Yellowstone Pipe Line Company. The Terminal Facilities consist of
approximately 10.1 million shell barrels of refined products terminal capacity and approximately 22.4 million
shell barrels of crude oil terminal capacity (including approximately 19.0 million shell barrels of capacity at
the Texas Gulf Coast Nederland Terminal). The Crude Oil Pipeline System consists of approximately 3,850
miles of crude oil pipelines, located principally in Oklahoma and Texas, a 55.3 percent interest in Mid-Valley
Pipeline Company, a 43.8 percent interest in the West Texas Gulf Pipe Line Company and a 37.0 percent
interest in the Mesa Pipe Line System. For additional information visit Sunoco Logistics’ web site at
www.sunocologistics.com.
Portions of this document constitute forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Although
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable,
investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and necessarily involve
risks that may affect the Partnership’s business prospects and performance causing actual results to differ from
those discussed in the foregoing release. Such risks and uncertainties include, by way of example and not of
limitation: whether or not the transactions described in the foregoing news release will be cash flow accretive;
increased competition; changes in demand for crude oil and refined products that we store and distribute;
changes in operating conditions and costs; changes in the level of environmental remediation spending;
potential equipment malfunction; potential labor issues; the legislative or regulatory environment; plant
construction/repair delays; nonperformance by major customers or suppliers; and political and economic
conditions, including the impact of potential terrorist acts and international hostilities. These and other
applicable risks and uncertainties have been described more fully in the Partnership’s Form 10-Q filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2009. The Partnership undertakes no obligation to update
any forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new information or future events.