SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, DC 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported) - SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 ALLETE, INC. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) MINNESOTA 1-3548 41-0418150 (State of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) 30 WEST SUPERIOR STREET DULUTH, MINNESOTA 55802-2093 (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code) (218) 279-5000 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions: / / Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) / / Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) / / Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) / / Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
ITEM 2.03 CREATION OF A DIRECT FINANCIAL OBLIGATION OR AN OBLIGATION UNDER AN OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENT OF A REGISTRANT On September 23, 2004 BNI Coal, Ltd. (BNI Coal), a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE, Inc. (ALLETE), entered into a master lease agreement with Farm Credit Leasing Services Corporation (Farm Credit) to lease equipment and other property. It is expected that BNI Coal will lease, under this new agreement, a new dragline that is scheduled to go into operation at BNI Coal's mine in early October 2004. BNI Coal will be obligated to make lease payments totaling $2.8 million annually for the 23 year lease term which expires in 2027. BNI Coal will have the option at the end of the lease term to renew the lease at a fair market rental, to purchase the dragline at fair market value, or to surrender the dragline to Farm Credit and pay a $3.0 million termination fee. -------------------- READERS ARE CAUTIONED THAT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALLETE'S DISCLOSURES UNDER THE HEADING: "SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995" LOCATED ON PAGE 2 OF THIS FORM 8-K. ALLETE Form 8-K dated September 29, 2004 1
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, ALLETE is hereby filing cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause ALLETE's actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) made by or on behalf of ALLETE in this Current Report on Form 8-K, in presentations, in response to questions or otherwise. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "will likely result," "will continue" or similar expressions) are not statements of historical facts and may be forward-looking. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, and are accompanied by, the following important factors, which are difficult to predict, contain uncertainties, are beyond our control and may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements: - - ALLETE's ability to successfully implement our strategic objectives; - - war and acts of terrorism; - - prevailing governmental policies and regulatory actions, including those of the United States Congress, state legislatures, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, the Florida Public Service Commission, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and various county regulators and city administrators, about allowed rates of return, financings, industry and rate structure, acquisition and disposal of assets and facilities, operation and construction of plant facilities, recovery of purchased power and capital investments, and present or prospective wholesale and retail competition (including but not limited to transmission costs); - - unanticipated effects of restructuring initiatives in the electric industry; - - economic and geographic factors, including political and economic risks; - - changes in and compliance with environmental and safety laws and policies; - - weather conditions; - - natural disasters; - - wholesale power market conditions; - - population growth rates and demographic patterns; - - the effects of competition, including competition for retail and wholesale customers; - - pricing and transportation of commodities; - - changes in tax rates or policies or in rates of inflation; - - unanticipated project delays or changes in project costs; - - unanticipated changes in operating expenses and capital expenditures; - - capital market conditions; - - competition for economic expansion or development opportunities; - - ALLETE's ability to manage expansion and integrate acquisitions; and - - the outcome of legal and administrative proceedings (whether civil or criminal) and settlements that affect the business and profitability of ALLETE. Additional disclosures regarding factors that could cause ALLETE's results and performance to differ from results or performance anticipated by this report are discussed in Item 7 under the heading "Factors that May Affect Future Results" beginning on page 46 of ALLETE's 2003 Form 10-K. Risk factors associated with our Automotive Services business are no longer applicable to ALLETE as that business was spun-off as of September 20, 2004. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which that statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of these factors, nor can it assess the impact of each of these factors on the businesses of ALLETE or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by ALLETE in its 2003 Form 10-K and in ALLETE's other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that attempt to advise interested parties of the factors that may affect ALLETE's business. 2 ALLETE Form 8-K dated September 29, 2004
SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. ALLETE, Inc. September 29, 2004 James K. Vizanko ------------------------------------------------- James K. Vizanko Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ALLETE Form 8-K dated September 29, 2004 3