Westlake Chemical Partners LP 10-Q

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk Commodity Price Risk A substantial portion of the Partnership's products and raw materials are commodities whose prices fluctuate as market supply and demand fundamentals change. However, our direct exposure to commodity price risk is limited to approximately 5.0% of our total ethylene production, which is the portion sold to third parties. We believe we have substantially mitigated our indirect exposure to commodity price fluctuations during the term of the Ethylene Sales Agreement through the minimum commitment and the cost-plus based pricing. Additionally, we may use derivative instruments to reduce price volatility risk on feedstocks and ethylene associated with the production and sales to third parties. Based on our open derivative positions as of September 30, 2020 , a hypothetical $0.10 increase in the price of a gallon of ethane would have increased our income before taxes by $0.8 million and a hypothetical $0.10 decrease in the price of a pound of ethylene would have increased our income before taxes by $1.8 million . Interest Rate Risk We are exposed to interest rate risk with respect to our outstanding debt, all of which is variable rate debt. At September 30, 2020 , we had total variable rate debt of $399.7 million outstanding, all of which was owed to wholly-owned subsidiaries of Westlake, and currently accrues interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 200 basis points. On March 19, 2020, the Partnership entered into an amendment to the MLP Revolver to extend the maturity date to March 19, 2023 and add a phase-out provision for LIBOR, which is to be replaced by an alternate benchmark rate. The amended credit agreement bears interest at a variable rate of either (a) LIBOR plus 2.0% or, if LIBOR is no longer available, (b) Alternate Base Rate plus 1.0%. The weighted average variable interest rate of our debt as of September 30, 2020 was 2.3% . We will continue to be subject to interest rate risk with respect to our variable rate debt as well as the risk of higher interest cost if and when this debt is refinanced. A hypothetical increase in our average interest rate on variable rate debt by 100 basis points would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $4.0 million , based on the September 30, 2020 debt balance. LIBOR is used as a reference rate for all of our outstanding variable rate debt as of September 30, 2020 . LIBOR is set to be phased out at the end of 2021 and to be replaced by an alternate benchmark rate. We do not expect the impact of the LIBOR phase out to be material.