Exhibit 8.1
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| | SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 1000 LOUISIANA STREET SUITE 5900 HOUSTON, TX 77002 +1 713 495 4500 +1 713 495 7799 FAX AMERICA • ASIA PACIFIC • EUROPE |
May 8, 2023
Energy Transfer LP
8111 Westchester Drive, Suite 600
Dallas, Texas 75225
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special tax counsel to Energy Transfer LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”), initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 8, 2023, pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration of 44,470,318 common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership that may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling unitholders listed in the Registration Statement.
This opinion is based on various facts and assumptions, and is conditioned upon certain representations made to us by the Partnership as to factual matters through an officer’s certificate (the “Officer’s Certificate”). In addition, this opinion is based upon the factual representations of the Partnership concerning its business, properties and governing documents as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Partnership’s responses to our examinations and inquiries.
In our capacity as special tax counsel to the Partnership, we have made such legal and factual examinations and inquiries, including an examination of originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of such documents, corporate records and other instruments, as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of this opinion. In our examination, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures thereon, the legal capacity of natural persons executing such documents and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies. For the purpose of our opinion, we have not made an independent investigation or audit of the facts set forth in the above-referenced documents or in the Officer’s Certificate. In addition, in rendering this opinion we have assumed the truth and accuracy of all representations and statements made to us which are qualified as to knowledge or belief, without regard to such qualification.
We are opining herein as to the effect on the subject transactions only of the federal income tax laws of the United States and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of other federal laws, foreign laws, the laws of any state or any other jurisdiction or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any other local agencies within any state. No opinion is expressed as to any matter not discussed herein.
Based on such facts, assumptions and representations and subject to the limitations set forth herein and in the Registration Statement and the Officer’s Certificate, the statements in the Registration Statement under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” insofar as such statements purport to constitute summaries of United States federal income tax law and regulations or legal conclusions with respect thereto, constitute the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP as to the material United States federal income tax consequences of the matters described therein.
Sidley Austin LLP is a limited liability partnership practicing in affiliation with other Sidley Austin partnerships.