Williams Reports Second-Quarter 2017 Financial Results

• 2Q 2017 Net Income of $81 Million
• 2Q 2017 Adjusted EBITDA of $1.113 Billion, Up $48 Million
• Williams Partners Has Placed 3 Transco Expansions (Dalton Expansion, Hillabee Phase 1 and Gulf Trace) Into Service So Far in 2017
• On July 6, 2017, Williams Partners Completed Sale of Its Interests in Geismar Plant for $2.1 Billion in Cash; Entered into Long-Term Supply and Transportation Agreements with Plant Buyer
• Geismar Sale Proceeds Used by Williams Partners to Pay Off $850 Million Term Loan and Prefund a Portion of Growth Capex

Williams WMB today announced its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017.

Second-Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Williams reported unaudited second-quarter 2017 net income attributable to Williams of $81 million, an improvement of $486 million over second-quarter 2016. The favorable change was driven by an $869 million improvement in operating income primarily reflecting a $777 million decrease in impairments of certain assets and increased fee-based revenue from expansion projects. The decrease in impairments includes the absence of $747 million of impairments recognized in 2016 related to our former Canadian operations. These favorable changes are partially offset by unfavorable changes in income tax provision and income attributable to non-controlling interests, both driven by higher income.

Year-to-date, Williams reported unaudited net income attributable to Williams of $454 million, an improvement of $924 million over the same period in 2016. The favorable change was driven by a $1.04 billion improvement in operating income primarily reflecting a $784 million decrease in impairments of certain assets and increased fee-based revenue from expansion projects. The decrease in impairments includes the absence of the impairment charges referenced above. The improvement in net income also reflects a gain of $269 million associated with the disposition of certain equity-method investments in 2017 and the absence of $112 million of impairments of certain equity-method investments in 2016. These favorable changes are partially offset by unfavorable changes in income tax provision and income attributable to non-controlling interests, both driven by higher income. The unfavorable change in income tax provision includes a $127 million benefit associated with the expected utilization of a capital loss carryover.

Williams reported second-quarter 2017 Adjusted EBITDA of $1.113 billion, a $48 million increase over second-quarter 2016. The improvement is due primarily to $18 million increased fee-based revenues at Williams Partners and a $24 million increase in proportional EBITDA of joint ventures in the Williams Partners segment. Partially offsetting these increases were $22 million lower olefins margins in the Williams Partners segment.

Year-to-date, Williams reported Adjusted EBITDA of $2.258 billion, an increase of $137 million over the same six-month reporting period in 2016. The favorable change is primarily driven by the Williams Partners segment, which reflects $36 million lower operating and maintenance (O&M) and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, a $28 million improvement in other income and expense, and a $29 million increase in proportional EBITDA of joint ventures.

CEO Perspective

Alan Armstrong, president and chief executive officer, made the following comments:

"The second quarter demonstrated once again the long-term, sustainable benefits of our focused strategy as we recognized year-over-year growth in Adjusted EBITDA for the 15^th consecutive quarter. We met or exceeded business performance expectations in Williams Partners' remaining businesses, offset by weaker-than-expected performance at Geismar, which was impacted by a continuing outage and lower margins. Strong performance in the Atlantic-Gulf, coupled with expected growth for the balance of the year, gives us confidence in achieving our prior guidance on Adjusted EBITDA and DCF.

"We continue to deliver on project execution as planned for 2017. So far this year, we have successfully brought into service three Transco expansion projects including the 1.2 Bcf/d Gulf Trace project, the 0.8 Bcf/d Hillabee Phase 1 project, and just this week, the 0.4 Bcf/d Dalton Expansion project. The line of sight to future growth is evident as well as we are targeting second-half 2017 in-service dates for three more fully-contracted growth projects including Virginia Southside II, New York Bay, and Garden State Phase 1.

"In addition to year-over-year fee-based revenue growth in the Atlantic-Gulf, we also saw gathered volumes in the West up approximately 4 percent versus first-quarter 2017, adjusted for the Marcellus-for-Permian transaction. While pipeline takeaway constraints continue to impact volumes in the Northeast, we remain well-positioned for volume growth as those constraints are lifted. We're also pleased our Susquehanna and Ohio River Systems delivered year-over-year fee-based revenue growth. As we look ahead, around 97 percent of our gross margins will come from predictable fee-based sources now that we have successfully completed the sale of Geismar – reducing our commodity exposure and further strengthening our natural gas-focused strategy.

"We continue to see benefits from the reorganization of our operating areas and operational support functions such as safety and procurement. Continuous improvement in safety performance and project execution is another commitment that we are delivering on at the mid-point of 2017 and will continue to focus on as we move through the second half of the year."

Business Segment Results

Williams' business segments for financial reporting are Williams Partners and Other. In September 2016, Williams announced organizational changes aiming to simplify our structure, increase direct operational alignment to advance our natural gas-focused strategy, and drive continued focus on customer service and execution. Effective, Jan. 1, 2017, Williams implemented these changes which combined the management of certain of our operations and reduced the overall number of operating areas managed within our business. As a result of this realignment and the sale of our Canadian operations, the Williams NGL & Petchem Services reporting segment has been eliminated and the remaining assets are reported with Other.

Williams Partners Segment

Comprised of our consolidated master limited partnership, WPZ, the Williams Partners segment includes gas pipeline and midstream businesses. The gas pipeline business includes interstate natural gas pipelines and pipeline joint project investments. The midstream business provides natural gas gathering, treating, processing and compression services; NGL production, fractionation, storage, marketing and transportation; deepwater production handling and crude oil transportation services; a former olefin production business, and is comprised of several wholly owned and partially owned subsidiaries and joint project investments.

The Williams Partners segment reported second-quarter 2017 Modified EBITDA of $1.076 billion, an increase of $472 million from second-quarter 2016. Adjusted EBITDA increased $39 million to $1.104 billion. The favorable change in Modified EBITDA was driven primarily by the absence of a second-quarter 2016, $341 million impairment charge associated with Williams Partners' now former Canadian business that was sold in September 2016. The improvement in Adjusted EBITDA is due primarily to $18 million increased fee-based revenues and a $24 million increase in proportional EBITDA of joint ventures. Partially offsetting these increases were $22 million lower olefins margins.

Year-to-date, the Williams Partners segment reported Modified EBITDA of $2.208 billion, an improvement of $649 million over the same six-month reporting period in 2016. The favorable change was driven by the absence of a second-quarter 2016, $341 million impairment charge associated with Williams Partners' now former Canadian business that was sold in September 2016. Adjusted EBITDA increased by $96 million to $2.221 billion. The improvement in Adjusted EBITDA is due primarily to $36 million lower O&M and SG&A expenses, a $28 million improvement in other income and expense, and a $29 million increase in proportional EBITDA of joint ventures. Partially offsetting these increases were lower fee-based revenues in the West and NGL & Petchem segments.

On July 6, 2017, Williams Partners announced that it had completed the sale of all of its membership interest in the Geismar olefins production facility and associated complex. As a result of this transaction, Williams Partners expects to record a gain of approximately $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2017.

Williams Partners' complete financial results for second-quarter 2017 are provided in the earnings news release issued today by Williams Partners.

Other Segment

Williams' Other segment reported second-quarter 2017 Modified EBITDA of ($17) million, an improvement of $413 million from second-quarter 2016 primarily reflecting the absence of a second-quarter 2016, $406 million impairment charge associated with its former Canadian business that was sold in September 2016. Adjusted EBITDA realized a $9 million improvement to $9 million.

Year-to-date, Williams' Other segment reported Modified EBITDA of $1 million, an improvement of $468 million over the same six-month reporting period in 2016 primarily reflecting the absence of the previously mentioned 2016 impairment. Adjusted EBITDA realized a $41 million increase to $37 million.

Atlantic Sunrise Update

Williams Partners received notice to proceed on the mainline portion of the project, and construction activities are underway. In third-quarter 2017, the partnership expects to begin early mainline service and to receive final permits on the greenfield portion of the project. Williams Partners continues to target mid-2018 for the project's full in-service date.

Guidance

The Guidance previously provided at our Analyst Day event on May 11, 2017, remains unchanged.

Williams' Second-Quarter 2017 Materials to be Posted Shortly; Q&A Webcast Scheduled for Tomorrow

Williams' second-quarter 2017 financial results package will be posted shortly at www.williams.com. The materials will include the analyst package.

Williams and Williams Partners will host a joint Q&A live webcast on Thursday, Aug. 3 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (8:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time). A limited number of phone lines will be available at (877) 419-6594. International callers should dial (719) 325-4888. The conference ID is 9171330. The link to the webcast, as well as replays of the webcast, will be available for at least 90 days following the event at www.williams.com.

Form 10-Q

The company plans to file its second-quarter 2017 Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. Once filed, the document will be available on both the SEC and Williams websites.

Non-GAAP Measures

This news release may include certain financial measures – Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted income ("earnings"), adjusted earnings per share, cash available for dividends and other uses, WMB economic DCF, dividend coverage ratio, and economic coverage ratio – that are non-GAAP financial measures as defined under the rules of the SEC.

Our segment performance measure, Modified EBITDA, is defined as net income (loss) before income (loss) from discontinued operations, income tax expense, net interest expense, equity earnings from equity-method investments, other net investing income, impairments of equity investments and goodwill, depreciation and amortization expense, and accretion expense associated with asset retirement obligations for nonregulated operations. We also add our proportional ownership share (based on ownership interest) of Modified EBITDA of equity-method investments.

Adjusted EBITDA further excludes items of income or loss that we characterize as unrepresentative of our ongoing operations. Management believes these measures provide investors meaningful insight into results from ongoing operations.

Cash available for dividends and other uses is defined as cash received from our ownership in WPZ and Adjusted EBITDA from our Other segment, less interest, taxes and maintenance capital expenditures associated with our Other segment. We also calculate the ratio of cash available for dividends to the total cash dividends paid (dividend coverage ratio). This measure reflects our cash available for dividends relative to actual cash dividends paid. We further adjust these metrics to include Williams' proportional share of WPZ's distributable cash flow in excess of distributions, resulting in WMB economic DCF and economic coverage ratio.

This news release is accompanied by a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their nearest GAAP financial measures. Management uses these financial measures because they are accepted financial indicators used by investors to compare company performance. In addition, management believes that these measures provide investors an enhanced perspective of the operating performance of the Company's assets and the cash that the business is generating.

Neither Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted income, or cash available for dividends and other uses are intended to represent cash flows for the period, nor are they presented as an alternative to net income or cash flow from operations. They should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for a measure of performance prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

About Williams

Williams WMB is a premier provider of large-scale infrastructure connecting U.S. natural gas and natural gas products to growing demand for cleaner fuel and feedstocks. Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., Williams owns approximately 74 percent of Williams Partners L.P. WPZ. Williams Partners is an industry-leading, large-cap master limited partnership with operations across the natural gas value chain including gathering, processing and interstate transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids. With major positions in top U.S. supply basins, Williams Partners owns and operates more than 33,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including the nation's largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – providing natural gas for clean-power generation, heating and industrial use. Williams Partners' operations touch approximately 30 percent of U.S. natural gas. www.williams.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The reports, filings, and other public announcements of The Williams Companies, Inc. (Williams) may contain or incorporate by reference statements that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. Such statements are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). These forward-looking statements relate to anticipated financial performance, management's plans and objectives for future operations, business prospects, outcome of regulatory proceedings, market conditions, and other matters. We make these forward-looking statements in reliance on the safe harbor protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein that address activities, events or developments that we expect, believe or anticipate will exist or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by various forms of words such as "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "could," "may," "should," "continues," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "might," "goals," "objectives," "targets," "planned," "potential," "projects," "scheduled," "will," "assumes," "guidance," "outlook," "in-service date," or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and include, among others, statements regarding:

• Expected levels of cash distributions by Williams Partners L.P. (WPZ) with respect to limited partner interests;
• Levels of dividends to Williams stockholders;
• Future credit ratings of Williams, WPZ, and their affiliates;
• Amounts and nature of future capital expenditures;
• Expansion and growth of our business and operations;
• Expected in-service dates for capital projects;
• Financial condition and liquidity;
• Business strategy;
• Cash flow from operations or results of operations;
• Seasonality of certain business components;
• Natural gas and natural gas liquids prices, supply and demand;
• Demand for our services.

Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions, uncertainties and risks that could cause future events or results to be materially different from those stated or implied herein. Many of the factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. Specific factors that could cause actual results to differ from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

• Whether WPZ will produce sufficient cash flows to provide expected levels of cash distributions;
• Whether we are able to pay current and expected levels of dividends;
• Whether WPZ elects to pay expected levels of cash distributions and we elect to pay expected levels of dividends;
• Whether we will be able to effectively execute our financing plan;
• Whether we will be able to effectively manage the transition in our board of directors and management as well as successfully execute our business restructuring;
• Availability of supplies, including lower than anticipated volumes from third parties served by our business, and market demand;
• Volatility of pricing including the effect of lower than anticipated energy commodity prices and margins;
• Inflation, interest rates, and general economic conditions (including future disruptions and volatility in the global credit markets and the impact of these events on customers and suppliers);
• The strength and financial resources of our competitors and the effects of competition;
• Whether we are able to successfully identify, evaluate and timely execute our capital projects and other investment opportunities in accordance with our forecasted capital expenditures budget;
• Our ability to successfully expand our facilities and operations;
• Development and rate of adoption of alternative energy sources;
• The impact of operational and developmental hazards, unforeseen interruptions, and the availability of adequate insurance coverage;
• The impact of existing and future laws, regulations, the regulatory environment, environmental liabilities, and litigation, as well as our ability to obtain permits and achieve favorable rate proceeding outcomes;
• Our costs and funding obligations for defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans;
• Changes in maintenance and construction costs;
• Changes in the current geopolitical situation;
• Our exposure to the credit risk of our customers and counterparties;
• Risks related to financing, including restrictions stemming from debt agreements, future changes in credit ratings as determined by nationally-recognized credit rating agencies and the availability and cost of capital;
• The amount of cash distributions from and capital requirements of our investments and joint ventures in which we participate;
• Risks associated with weather and natural phenomena, including climate conditions and physical damage to our facilities;
• Acts of terrorism, including cybersecurity threats, and related disruptions;
• Additional risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Given the uncertainties and risk factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, we caution investors not to unduly rely on our forward-looking statements. We disclaim any obligations to and do not intend to update the above list or announce publicly the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments.

In addition to causing our actual results to differ, the factors listed above may cause our intentions to change from those statements of intention set forth herein. Such changes in our intentions may also cause our results to differ. We may change our intentions, at any time and without notice, based upon changes in such factors, our assumptions, or otherwise.

Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, we caution that there are important factors, in addition to those listed above, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. For a detailed discussion of those factors, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 22, 2017.

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