Longview Power Wins Court Approval to Exit Bankruptcy
Longview Power LLC, the operator of a 700-megawatt, coal-fired power plant in West Virginia, won court approval yesterday to exit bankruptcy with a plan that relies on a key settlement reached with contractors and an insurer, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported today. The plan restructures more than $1 billion in debt and gives Longview $275 million in new financing to fund its exit from bankruptcy. The money is crucial, an official for the company said in a court filing, because the West Virginia plant is undergoing repairs and not generating electricity to sell. Current funds are also dwindling, according to the filing. The lynchpin of the plan is a settlement that resulted from lengthy arbitration with Norwegian construction firm Kvaerner ASA and Siemens AG, which built portions of the power plant. The dispute was over more than $335 million in liens the builders had argued were superior to Longview's top-ranking debt. The settlement also ended litigation between Longview and insurer First American Title Insurance Co. over the payout of a policy covering the builders' senior claims.
