BGR BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE TO

TENDER OFFER STATEMENT

Under Section 14(d)(1) or 13(e)(1)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

(Names of Filing Person(s) (Issuer))

Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, Par Value $0.001 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)

09250U101

(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

John M. Perlowski

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

50 Hudson Yards

New York, New York 10001

(800) 882-0052

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Filing Person(s))

Copies to:

July 17, 2024

(Date Tender Offer First Published, Sent or Given to Security Holders)

Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which this statement relates:

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer. ☐

Introductory Statement

This Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO relates to an offer by BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”), to repurchase 2.5% of its issued and outstanding common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), in exchange for cash at a price equal to 98% of the net asset value (“NAV”) per Share (the “Purchase Price”) determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the principal market on which the Shares are traded, on the next day the NAV is calculated after the offer expires (the “Pricing Date”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated July 17, 2024 (the “Offer to Purchase”), and in the related Letter of Transmittal which are filed as Exhibits (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii), respectively, to this Schedule TO.

This Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO is being filed in satisfaction of the reporting requirements of Rule 13e-4(c)(2) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal is incorporated herein by reference in answer to Item 1 through Item 9 and Item 11 of Schedule TO.

The information set forth under “Summary Term Sheet” in the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) The name of the issuer is BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a non-diversified closed-end management investment company, organized as a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”). The principal executive offices of the Fund are located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809. The telephone number of the Fund is (800) 882-0052.

(b) The title of the securities being sought is common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share. As of July 10, 2024, there were 27,464,975 Shares issued and outstanding.

(c) The principal market in which the Shares are traded is the NYSE. For information on the high and low sales prices for the Shares in the principal market for each quarter during the past two years, see Section 10, “Price Range of Shares” of the Offer to Purchase, which is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) The Fund is the filing person. BlackRock Advisors, LLC acts as the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Advisor”). The Investment Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. The members of the Fund’s Board of Trustees are Cynthia L. Egan, Lorenzo A. Flores, Stayce D. Harris, J. Phillip Holloman, R. Glenn Hubbard, W. Carl Kester, Catherine A. Lynch, Arthur P. Steinmetz, Robert Fairbairn and John M. Perlowski (each, a “Trustee”). The principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer of the Fund are John M. Perlowski and Trent Walker, respectively. The Trustees and the executive officers of the Fund may be reached at the Fund’s business address and phone number set forth in Item 2(a) above. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Certain Information about the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1) The following sections of the Offer to Purchase contain a description of the material terms of the transaction and are incorporated herein by reference:

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(a)(2) Not applicable.

(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.

(e) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer,” “Plans or Proposals of the Fund,” “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” and “Certain Information about the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” and “Plans or Proposals of the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” is incorporated herein by reference.

(c) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” and “Plans or Proposals of the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.

(d) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a) No persons have been directly or indirectly employed, retained, or are to be compensated by or on behalf of the Fund to make solicitations or recommendations in connection with the Offer to Purchase. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Fees and Expenses” is incorporated herein by reference.

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(a) The audited annual financial statements of the Fund dated December 31, 2023 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated December 31, 2023, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSR on March 6, 2024, are incorporated by reference. The unaudited semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated June 30, 2023 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated June 30, 2023, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSRS on September 1, 2023, are incorporated by reference. The Fund will prepare and transmit to shareholders the audited annual financial statements of the Fund and the schedule of investments of the Fund within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(b) Not applicable.

(a)(1) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(2) None.

(a)(3) Not applicable.

(a)(4) Not applicable.

(a)(5) None.

(c) Not applicable.

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Filing Fee Exhibit

Not Applicable.

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SIGNATURE

After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

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Exhibit Index

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Exhibit (a)(1)(i)

Offer to Purchase

Up to 2.5% of the Issued and Outstanding Common Shares of Beneficial Interest

of

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

at

98% of Net Asset Value Per Share

by

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

in Exchange for Cash

THE OFFER TO PURCHASE WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME,

ON AUGUST 16, 2024, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

To the Common Shareholders of BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust:

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company, organized as a Delaware Statutory Trust (the “Fund”), is offering to purchase up to 2.5% of its issued and outstanding common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”) (the “Offer Amount”). The offer is to purchase Shares in exchange for cash at a price equal to 98% of the net asset value (“NAV”) per Share (the “Purchase Price”) determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the principal market on which the Shares are traded, on the next day the NAV is calculated after the Expiration Date (as defined below) (the “Pricing Date”). The offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal (which, together with any amendments or supplements thereto, collectively constitute the “Offer”). If more than the Offer Amount is tendered and not withdrawn, any purchases will be made on a pro rata basis.

In order to participate, the materials described in the Offer must be delivered to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) by 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on August 16, 2024, or such later date to which the Offer is extended (the “Expiration Date”). Should the Offer be extended beyond August 16, 2024, the Pricing Date will be the close of ordinary trading on the NYSE on the next day the NAV is calculated after the newly designated Expiration Date. Shareholders who choose to participate in the Offer can expect payments for Shares tendered and accepted to be made within approximately five business days after the Expiration Date.

The Shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol “BGR.” As of July 10, 2024, the Fund had 27,464,975 Shares outstanding; its NAV per Share was $14.74 and its market price per Share was $13.16, representing a discount to NAV of 10.72%. The NAV on the Pricing Date may be higher or lower than the NAV as of July 10, 2024, and the discount to NAV at which the Shares trade may be greater or lesser than the discount as of July 10, 2024. For the Fund’s most current NAV and market price per Share, you may view online at https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/products/240226/blackrock-energy-and-resources-trust-fund. For additional questions or information during the pendency of this Offer, you may contact Georgeson LLC (the “Information Agent”) by calling (866) 961-3705, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except holidays), and 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Eastern time, on Saturday.

The Offer is subject to important terms and conditions, including the conditions listed under Section 4, “Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the Offer, passed upon the fairness or merits of the Offer, or determined whether this Offer to Purchase is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a crime.

If you are not interested in selling any of your Shares at this time, you do not need to do anything. This Offer is not part of a plan to liquidate the Fund. Shareholders are not required to participate in the Offer.

You should be aware that, if you tender Shares pursuant to the Offer, tendered Shares will not be entitled to receive any Fund dividend or distribution with a record date on or after August 23, 2024.

Because this Offer is limited as to the number of Shares that the Fund will purchase, not all Shares tendered for purchase by shareholders may be accepted for payment by the Fund. This may occur, for example, if one or more large investors seek to tender a significant number of Shares or if a large number of investors tender Shares.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Shareholders who desire to participate in the Offer should either: (a) properly complete and sign the Letter of Transmittal (in the case of registered shareholders), provide thereon the original of any required signature guarantee(s) and mail or deliver it together with the Shares, if any (in proper form), and all other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal; or (b) request their broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company (each, a “Nominee”) to effect the transaction on their behalf. Shareholders whose Shares are registered in the name of a Nominee, such as a brokerage firm or other financial intermediary, must contact that firm to instruct the firm to participate in the Offer on their behalf. Tendering shareholders may be charged a fee by their Nominee or other financial intermediary for processing the documentation required to participate in the Offer on their behalf. Shareholders are urged to consult their own investment and tax advisers and make their own decisions whether to tender Shares and, if so, how many Shares to tender, or to refrain from tendering Shares in the Offer.

The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject Shares determined not to be tendered in appropriate form.

Beneficial owners should be aware that their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee may establish its own earlier deadline for participation in the Offer. Accordingly, beneficial owners wishing to participate in the Offer should contact their Nominee as soon as possible in order to determine the times by which such owner must take action in order to participate in the Offer.

If you want to tender your Shares but your certificates for the Shares are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the Depositary within the required time or you cannot comply with the procedures for book-entry transfer, or your other required documents cannot be delivered to the Depositary by the Expiration Date of the Offer, you will not be able to tender your Shares.

None of the Fund, its Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Board”) or BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Investment Advisor”) makes any recommendation to any shareholders as to whether to tender Shares for purchase or to refrain from tendering Shares in the Offer. No person has been authorized to make any recommendation on behalf of the Fund, its Board of Trustees or the Investment Advisor as to whether shareholders should tender Shares for purchase pursuant to the Offer or to make any representation or to give any information in connection with the Offer other than as contained herein. If made or given, any such recommendation, representation or information must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Fund, its Board of Trustees or the Investment Advisor. Shareholders are urged to carefully evaluate all information in the Offer, consult their own investment and tax advisers and make their own decisions whether to tender their Shares for purchase or refrain from participating in the Offer.

The Fund has filed with the Commission a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), relating to the Offer.

The making of the Offer may, in some jurisdictions, be restricted or prohibited by applicable law. The Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, in or into, and may not be accepted from within, any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or the acceptance of the Offer would, absent prior registration, filing or qualification under applicable laws, not be in compliance with the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, shareholders are required to inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

This Summary Term Sheet highlights certain information concerning this Offer. To understand the Offer fully and for a more complete discussion of its terms and conditions, you should read carefully the entire Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal. We have included section references parenthetically to direct you to a more complete description in the Offer of the topics in this Summary Term Sheet.

What is the Offer?

When will the Offer expire, and may the Offer be extended?

What is the purpose of the Offer?

i

Will I have to pay anything to participate in the Offer?

What is the NAV per Share as of a recent date?

Will the Fund’s NAV per Share be higher or lower on the Pricing Date?

Does the Fund have the financial resources to pay me for my Shares?

ii

How do I participate in the Offer?

Must I tender all of my Shares for purchase?

May I withdraw my Shares after I have tendered them for purchase and, if so, by when?

How do I withdraw previously tendered Shares?

May my Nominee place any conditions on my tender of Shares?

May I place any conditions on my tender of Shares?

Is my tender of Shares in the Offer a taxable transaction?

iii

Is there any reason Shares tendered by me for purchase would not be accepted?

What should I do if I decide not to tender my Shares for purchase?

If I decide not to tender, how will the Offer affect my Shares?

Does the Fund’s management recommend that shareholders participate in the Offer, and will management participate in the Offer?

Will there be additional opportunities to tender my Shares to the Fund?

How do I obtain more information?

iv

The Information Agent for the Offer is:

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9^th Floor

New York, NY 10104

(866) 961-3705 (Toll Free)

The Depositary for the Offer is:

v

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of any such extension or amendment), the Fund will accept for purchase, and pay for, an aggregate amount of up to 2.5% of its Shares outstanding as of July 10, 2024 (which were 27,464,975 Shares, rounded to the nearest whole Share) that are properly tendered and not timely withdrawn in accordance with Section 6 prior to the Expiration Date. The term “Expiration Date” means 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on August 16, 2024, unless the Fund, in its sole discretion, extends the period during which the Offer is open, in which case “Expiration Date” shall mean the time and date on which the Offer, as so extended by the Fund, shall expire. The Fund reserves the right in its sole discretion and for any reason to amend, extend or terminate the Offer prior to the time the Offer expires. See Section 16, “Amendments; Extensions of Purchase Period; Termination.” The Fund will not be obligated to purchase Shares pursuant to the Offer under certain circumstances. See Section 4, “Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

The purchase price of the Shares will be 98% of the NAV per Share determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE on the next day the NAV is calculated after the Expiration Date (previously defined as the “Pricing Date”). On July 10, 2024, the NAV per Share was $14.74 and the last reported market price for a Share on the NYSE on such date was $13.16, representing a discount to NAV of 10.72%. The NAV on the Pricing Date may be higher or lower than the NAV as of July 10, 2024, and the discount to NAV at which the Shares trade may be greater or lesser than the discount as of July 10, 2024. For the Fund’s most current NAV and market price per Share, you may view online at

https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/products/240226/blackrock-energy-and-resources-trust-fund. For additional questions or information during the pendency of this Offer, you may contact the Information Agent by calling (866) 961-3705, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except holidays), and 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Eastern time, on Saturday. Shareholders tendering Shares shall be entitled to receive all dividends with an “ex date” on or before the Expiration Date provided that they own Shares as of the record date for such dividend. Shareholders should be aware that, if they tender Shares pursuant to the Offer, tendered Shares will not be entitled to receive any Fund dividend or distribution with a record date on or after August 23, 2024.

The Offer is being made to all shareholders and is not conditioned upon shareholders tendering for purchase in the aggregate any minimum number of Shares. If the number of Shares properly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the date and time the Offer expires is less than or equal to the Offer Amount, the Fund will, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer, purchase all Shares tendered. If more than the Offer Amount is duly tendered for purchase pursuant to the Offer (and not timely withdrawn as provided in Section 6), the Fund, subject to the conditions listed in Section 3, will purchase Shares from participating shareholders in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the Offer on a pro rata basis based upon the number of Shares duly tendered (and not timely withdrawn) by or on behalf of each shareholder. The Fund does not intend to increase the number of Shares offered for purchase, even if more than the Offer Amount is tendered by all shareholders in the aggregate.

Shares will be purchased at 98% of the Fund’s NAV on the Pricing Date, which may help defray certain costs of the tender, including the processing of tender forms, effecting payment, postage and handling. The Fund will not charge a separate service fee in conjunction with the Offer. If your Shares are held through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary may charge a service fee for participation in the Offer. Tendering shareholders will not be obligated to pay transfer taxes on the purchase of Shares by the Fund, except in the circumstances set forth in Section 7, “Payment for Shares.”

On July 10, 2024, there were 27,464,975 Shares issued and outstanding. The Fund has been advised that none of its Board of Trustees or officers intends to tender any Shares pursuant to the Offer.

The Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at any time or from time to time, to extend the period of time during which the Offer is open by giving notice of such extension to the Depositary and making a public

1

announcement thereof. See Section 16, “Amendments; Extensions of Purchase Period; Termination.” The Fund makes no assurance that it will extend the Offer. During any extension, all Shares previously tendered and not withdrawn will remain subject to the Offer, subject to the right of a tendering shareholder to withdraw his or her Shares.

On May 3, 2024, the Fund and the Investment Advisor entered into the Standstill Agreement with Karpus, pursuant to which the Fund agreed to adopt the Program. As previously announced, under the Program, the Fund intends to offer to purchase its Shares based on four 3-month measurement periods (each a “Measurement Period”) if the Fund’s Shares trade at an average daily discount to NAV of greater than 7.5% during a Measurement Period (a “Trigger Event”).

The First Measurement Period under the Program commenced on April 1, 2024 and ended on June 30, 2024. In connection with the establishment of the First Measurement Period, the Board determined that if a Trigger Event occurred during the First Measurement Period, the Fund would offer to purchase 2.5% of its outstanding Shares at a price equal to 98% of the Fund’s NAV determined on the next day the NAV is calculated after the Expiration Date. During the First Measurement Period, the Fund’s Shares traded at an average discount to NAV of greater than 7.5%. Therefore, the Fund determined to execute the purchase required by the terms of the First Measurement Period by conducting the Offer.

There can be no assurances as to the effect that the Program will have on the Fund’s market discounts. Common shares of closed-end investment companies often trade at a discount to their NAVs, and the Fund’s Shares may also trade at a discount to their NAV, although it is possible that they may trade at or at a premium above NAV. The market price of the Fund’s Shares is determined by such factors as relative demand for and supply of such common stock in the market, the Fund’s NAV, general market and economic conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its Shares will trade at, below or above NAV.

Any Shares purchased by the Fund pursuant to the Offer will be available for issuance by the Fund without further shareholder action (except as required by applicable law or the rules of the NYSE on which the Shares are listed).

None of the Fund, the Board or the Investment Advisor makes any recommendation to any shareholder as to whether to tender Shares for purchase or to refrain from tendering Shares in the Offer. No person has been authorized to make any recommendation on behalf of the Fund, the Board or the Investment Advisor as to whether shareholders should tender Shares for purchase pursuant to the Offer or to make any representation or to give any information in connection with the Offer other than as contained herein. If made or given, any such recommendation, representation or information must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Fund, the Board or the Investment Advisor. Shareholders are urged to evaluate carefully all information in the Offer, consult their own investment and tax advisers and make their own decisions whether to tender their Shares for purchase or refrain from participating in the Offer.

Except to the extent described herein or in connection with the operation of the Fund’s automatic dividend reinvestment plan, the Fund does not have any present plans or proposals and is not engaged in any negotiations that relate to or would result in:

(a) any extraordinary transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or liquidation, involving the Fund or any of its subsidiaries;

2

(b) other than in connection with transactions in the ordinary course of the Fund’s operations and for purposes of funding the Offer, any purchase, sale or transfer of a material amount of assets of the Fund or any of its subsidiaries;

(c) any material change in the Fund’s present dividend policy, or indebtedness or capitalization of the Fund;

(d) changes to the present Board or management of the Fund, including changes to the number or the term of members of the Board, the filling of any existing vacancies on the Board or changes to any material term of the employment contract of any executive officer;

(e) any other material change in the Fund’s corporate structure or business, including any plans or proposals to make any changes in the Fund’s investment policy for which a vote would be required by Section 13 of the 1940 Act;

(f) any class of equity securities of the Fund being delisted from a national securities exchange or ceasing to be authorized to be quoted in an automated quotations system operated by a national securities association;

(g) any class of equity securities of the Fund becoming eligible for termination of registration pursuant to Section 12(g)(4) of the Exchange Act;

(h) the suspension of the Fund’s obligation to file reports pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

(i) the acquisition by any person of additional securities of the Fund, or the disposition of securities of the Fund; or

(j) any changes in the Fund’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, By-Laws or other governing instruments or other actions that could impede the acquisition of control of the Fund.

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Offer, and in addition to (and not in limitation of) the Fund’s right to extend, amend or terminate the Offer at any time in its sole discretion, the Fund shall not be required to accept for purchase or, subject to the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission, including Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act, pay for, and may delay the acceptance of or payment for any tendered Shares, if:

(a) such transactions, if consummated, would:

(b) the amount of Shares tendered would require liquidation of such a substantial portion of the Fund’s portfolio securities that the Fund would not be able to liquidate portfolio securities in an orderly manner in light of the existing market conditions and such liquidation would have an adverse effect on the NAV of the Fund to the detriment of non-tendering shareholders;

3

(c) there shall be instituted, pending or threatened before any governmental entity or court any action, proceeding, application or claim, or there shall be any judgment, order or injunction sought or any other action taken by any person or entity, which restrains, prohibits or materially delays the making or consummation of the Offer, challenges the acquisition by the Fund of any Shares pursuant to the Offer or the Board’s fulfillment of its fiduciary obligations in connection with the Offer, seeks to obtain any material amount of damages in connection with the Offer, or otherwise directly or indirectly adversely affects the Offer or the Fund;

(d) there shall have occurred (i) any general suspension of trading in or limitation on prices for securities on the NYSE, any other exchange on which the Shares are traded or any other exchange on which portfolio securities held by the Fund are traded; (ii) any declaration of a banking moratorium or similar action materially adverse to the Fund by U.S. federal or state authorities or any foreign jurisdiction, or any suspension of payment material to the Fund by banks in the United States, the State of New York, or any other jurisdiction; (iii) any limitation having a material adverse effect on the Fund that is imposed by U.S. federal or state authorities, or by any governmental authority of any foreign jurisdiction, with respect to the extension of credit by lending institutions or the convertibility of foreign currencies; (iv) the commencement of war, armed hostilities, or any other international or national calamity directly involving the United States other than any such event which is currently occurring; or (v) any other event or condition which, in the judgment of the Board, would have a material adverse effect on the Fund if the Offer were consummated; or

(e) the Board determines, in good faith, that effecting the Offer would be inconsistent with applicable legal requirements or would constitute a breach of the Board’s fiduciary duties owed to the Fund or its shareholders.

The foregoing conditions are for the Fund’s sole benefit and may be asserted by the Fund regardless of the circumstances giving rise to any such condition (including any action or inaction of the Fund), and any such condition may be waived by the Fund, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time in its reasonable judgment. The Fund’s failure at any time to exercise any of the foregoing rights shall not be deemed a waiver of any such right; the waiver of any such right with respect to particular facts and circumstances shall not be deemed a waiver with respect to any other facts or circumstances; and each such right shall be deemed an ongoing right which may be asserted at any time and from time to time. Any determination by the Fund concerning the events described in this Section 4 shall be final and binding.

The Fund reserves the right, at any time during the pendency of the Offer, to terminate, extend or amend the Offer in any respect. If the Fund determines to terminate or amend the Offer or to postpone the acceptance for payment of or payment for Shares tendered, it will, to the extent necessary, extend the period of time during which the Offer is open as provided in Section 16, “Amendments; Extensions of Purchase Period; Termination.” In the event any of the foregoing conditions are modified or waived in whole or in part at any time, the Fund will promptly make a public announcement of such waiver and may, depending on the materiality of the modification or waiver, extend the Offer period as provided in Section 16, “Amendments; Extensions of Purchase Period; Termination.”

A. Proper Tender of Shares.

Shareholders who desire to tender Shares registered in the name of a Nominee must contact their Nominee to effect a tender on their behalf.

For Shares to be properly tendered pursuant to the Offer, a shareholder must cause a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal bearing original signature(s) and the original of any required signature guarantee(s), and all other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, to be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase, and must cause certificates for tendered Shares to be received by the Depositary at such address or cause such Shares to be delivered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry delivery set forth below (and confirmation of receipt of such delivery to be received by the Depositary), in each case before the Expiration Date.

4

Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. If any certificate representing Shares has been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the shareholder should promptly call the Depositary at (781) 575-2879 or (800) 699-1236. The shareholder will then be instructed by the Depositary as to the steps that must be taken to replace the certificate. This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing lost or destroyed certificates have been followed.

Letters of Transmittal and certificates representing tendered Shares should not be sent or delivered to the Fund.

Registered shareholders may request to tender some or all of their Shares by delivering or mailing a Letter of Transmittal (together with certificates, if applicable, and other required documents) to the Depositary Agent at the appropriate address and in accordance with the instructions set forth in this Offer to Purchase. The Fund’s transfer agent holds Shares in uncertificated form for certain shareholders pursuant to the Fund’s automatic dividend reinvestment plan.

Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14e-4 promulgated thereunder make it unlawful for any person, acting alone or in concert with others, directly or indirectly, to request a purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer unless at the time of the request, and at the time the Shares are accepted for payment, the person requesting the purchase has a net long position equal to or greater than the amount requested for purchase in either: (a) Shares, and will deliver or cause to be delivered such Shares for the purpose of purchase to the Fund within the period specified in the Offer, or (b) an equivalent security and, upon the acceptance of his or her request to purchase, will acquire Shares by conversion, exchange, or exercise of such equivalent security to the extent required by the terms of the Offer, and will deliver or cause to be delivered the Shares so acquired for the purpose of requesting the purchase to the Fund prior to or on the Expiration Date. Section 14(e) and Rule 14e-4 provide a similar restriction applicable to the request to purchase or guarantee of a request to tender on behalf of another person.

The acceptance of Shares by the Fund for purchase will constitute a binding agreement between the participating shareholder and the Fund upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer, including the participating shareholder’s representation that the shareholder has a net long position in the Shares being tendered for purchase within the meaning of Rule 14e-4 and that the request to tender such Shares complies with Rule 14e-4.

By submitting the Letter of Transmittal, a tendering shareholder shall, subject to and effective upon acceptance for payment of the Shares tendered, be deemed in consideration of such acceptance to sell, assign and transfer to, or upon the order of, the Fund all right, title and interest in and to all the Shares that are being tendered (and any and all dividends, distributions, other Shares or other securities or rights declared or issuable in respect of such Shares after the Expiration Date) and irrevocably constitute and appoint the Depositary the true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact of the tendering shareholder with respect to such Shares (and any such dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights), with full power of substitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest) to (a) deliver certificates for such Shares (and any such other dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights) or transfer ownership of such Shares (and any such other dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights), together, in either such case, with all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity to or upon the order of the Fund, upon receipt by the Depositary of the purchase price, (b) present such Shares (and any such other dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights) for transfer on the books of the Fund, and (c) receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such Shares (and any such other dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights), all in accordance with the terms of the Offer. Upon such acceptance for payment, all prior powers of attorney given by the tendering shareholder with respect to such Shares (and any such dividends, distributions, other shares or securities or rights) will, without further action, be revoked and no subsequent powers of attorney may be given by the tendering shareholder with respect to the tendered Shares (and, if given, will be null and void).

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By submitting a Letter of Transmittal, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Offer, a tendering shareholder shall be deemed to represent and warrant that: (a) the tendering shareholder has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer the tendered Shares (and any and all dividends, distributions, other Shares or other securities or rights declared or issuable in respect of such Shares after the Expiration Date); (b) when and to the extent the Fund accepts the Shares for purchase, the Fund will acquire good, marketable and unencumbered title thereto, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges, proxies, encumbrances or other obligations relating to their sale or transfer, and not subject to any adverse claim; (c) on request, the tendering shareholder will execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the Depositary or the Fund to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the tendered Shares (and any and all dividends, distributions, other Shares or securities or rights declared or issuable in respect of such Shares after the Expiration Date); and (d) the tendering shareholder has read and agreed to all of the terms of the Offer, including this Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal.

B. Signature Guarantees and Method of Delivery. All signatures on the Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution. (See Instruction 2 of the Letter of Transmittal.) An “Eligible Institution” is a firm which is a broker, dealer, commercial bank, credit union, savings association or other entity and which is a member in good standing of a stock transfer association’s approved medallion program (such as STAMP, SEMP or MSP).

If the Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Shares tendered for purchase thereby, the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of the certificate(s) for the Shares tendered for purchase without any alteration, enlargement or any change whatsoever.

If any of the Shares tendered for purchase thereby are owned of record by two or more joint owners, all such owners must sign the Letter of Transmittal.

If any of the Shares tendered for purchase are registered in different names, it is necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate Letters of Transmittal as there are different registrations.

If the Letter of Transmittal or any certificates for Shares tendered for purchase or stock powers relating to Shares tendered for purchase are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such persons should so indicate when signing, and proper evidence satisfactory to the Fund of their authority so to act must be submitted together with the Letter of Transmittal.

If the Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Shares tendered for purchase, no endorsements of certificates or separate stock powers with respect to such Shares are required unless payment is to be made to, or certificates for Shares not purchased are to be issued in the name of, a person other than the registered holder(s). Signatures on such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

If the Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of the certificate(s) listed thereon, the certificate(s) must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear(s) on the certificate(s) for the Shares involved. Signatures on such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF ANY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES, IS AT THE ELECTION AND RISK OF THE PARTY TENDERING SHARES. IF DOCUMENTS ARE SENT BY MAIL, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THEY BE SENT BY REGISTERED MAIL, PROPERLY INSURED, WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED.

C. Book-Entry Delivery. Any financial institution that is a participant in the DTC system may make book-entry delivery of tendered Shares in accordance with DTC’s procedures. However, although delivery of Shares

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may be effected through book-entry transfer at DTC, a Letter of Transmittal properly completed and bearing original signature(s) and the original of any required signature guarantee(s) or an Agent’s Message (as defined below) in connection with a book-entry transfer and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary prior to the Expiration Date at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover page of this Offer to Purchase.

The term “Agent’s Message” means a message from DTC transmitted to, and received by, the Depositary forming a part of a timely confirmation of a book-entry transfer of Shares (a “Book-Entry Confirmation”) which states that (a) DTC has received an express acknowledgment from the DTC participant tendering the Shares for purchase that are the subject of the Book-Entry Confirmation, (b) the DTC participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Letter of Transmittal, and (c) the Fund may enforce such agreement against the DTC participant. Delivery of documents to DTC in accordance with DTC’s procedures does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.

D. Determinations of Validity. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance of tenders will be determined by the Fund, in its sole discretion, which determination shall be final and binding. The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject any or all tenders determined not to be in appropriate form or to refuse to accept for payment or purchase, or pay for, any Shares if, in the opinion of the Fund’s counsel, accepting, purchasing or paying for such Shares would be unlawful. The Fund also reserves the absolute right to the extent permitted by law to waive any of the conditions of the Offer or any defect in any tender, whether generally or with respect to any particular Share(s) or shareholder(s). The Fund’s interpretations of the terms and conditions of the Offer (including the Letter of Transmittal and the instructions thereto) shall be final and binding.

None of the Fund, the Board of Trustees, the Investment Advisor, the Information Agent, the Depositary nor any other person is or will be obligated to give any notice of any defect or irregularity in any tender, and none of the foregoing persons will incur any liability for failure to give any such notice.

E. U.S. Federal Income Tax Withholding. Under the U.S. federal income tax backup withholding rules, the Depositary would generally be required to withhold 24% of the gross payments made pursuant to the Offer to any U.S. Shareholder (as defined below) unless such U.S. Shareholder has completed and submitted to the Depositary an IRS Form W-9. In order to avoid the possibility of backup withholding, all participating U.S. Shareholders are required to provide the Depositary with a properly completed and signed IRS Form W-9. A “U.S. Shareholder” is a shareholder that is a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code. In general, a U.S. Shareholder is a shareholder that is (a) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; (b) a corporation or partnership, or other entity taxed as a corporation or partnership, created or organized in the United States or under the law of the United States or of any State thereof; (c) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of the source of such income; or (d) a trust if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

In order to avoid backup withholding, participating Non-U.S. Shareholders (as defined below) must provide the Depositary with a completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, or another type of Form W-8 appropriate to the particular Non-U.S. Shareholder. For purposes of this Offer to Purchase, a “Non-U.S. Shareholder” is generally any shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code. Copies of Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E are provided with the Letter of Transmittal for Non-U.S. Shareholders. Other types of Form W-8 can be found on the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions.

Tendering Non-U.S. Shareholders may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax, even if they submit an appropriate IRS Form W-8 in order to claim an exemption from backup withholding. For an additional discussion of U.S. federal income tax withholding as well as a discussion of certain other U.S. federal income tax consequences to tendering shareholders, see Section 14, “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

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At any time prior to the Expiration Date any shareholder may withdraw all, but not less than all, of the Shares that the shareholder has tendered. In addition, Shareholders will also have the right to withdraw the tender of Shares at any time after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 11, 2024, to the extent the Shares have not yet been accepted for payment as of that date.

To be effective, a written notice of withdrawal of Shares tendered for purchase must be timely received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. Shareholders may also send a facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal, which must be timely received by the Depositary prior to the Expiration Date, and the original notice of withdrawal must be delivered to the Depositary by overnight courier the next day. Any notice of withdrawal must specify the name(s) of the person who tendered the Shares to be withdrawn, the number of Shares to be withdrawn (which may not be less than all of the Shares tendered by the shareholder) and, if one or more certificates representing such Shares have been delivered or otherwise identified to the Depositary, the name(s) of the registered owner(s) of such Shares as set forth in such certificate(s) if different from the name(s) of the person tendering the Shares. If one or more certificates have been delivered to the Depositary, then, prior to the release of such certificate(s), the certificate number(s) shown on the particular certificate(s) evidencing such Shares must also be submitted and the signature on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

All questions as to the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) of notices of withdrawal will be determined by the Fund in its sole discretion, which determination shall be final and binding. Shares properly withdrawn will not thereafter be deemed to be tendered for purposes of the Offer. Withdrawn Shares, however, may be re-tendered for purchase by following the procedures described in Section 5 prior to the Expiration Date. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 6, tenders of Shares made pursuant to the Offer will be irrevocable.

None of the Fund, the Board of Trustees, the Investment Advisor, the Information Agent, the Depositary nor any other person is or will be obligated to give any notice of any defect or irregularity in any notice of withdrawal, nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give any such notice.

For purposes of the Offer, the Fund will be deemed to have accepted for payment and purchased Shares that are tendered for purchase (and not timely withdrawn in accordance with Section 6) when, as and if the Fund gives oral or written notice to the Depositary of its acceptance of such Shares for purchase pursuant to the Offer. Under the Exchange Act, the Fund is obligated to pay for or return Shares tendered for purchase promptly after the termination, expiration or withdrawal of the Offer. Unless otherwise indicated on the Letter of Transmittal, properly tendered Shares that are not purchased because of proration will be returned at our expense to you or to other persons at your discretion.

Payment for Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer will be made by the Depositary out of funds made available to it by the Fund. The Depositary will act as agent for the Fund for the purpose of effecting payment to the tendering shareholder. In all cases, payment for Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer will be made only after timely receipt by the Depositary of:

Accordingly, payment may not be made to all tendering shareholders at the same time and will depend upon when Share certificates are received by the Depositary or Book-Entry Confirmations of tendered Shares are received in the Depositary’s account at DTC.

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If any tendered Shares are not accepted for payment or are not paid because of an invalid tender, if certificates are submitted for more Shares than are tendered, or if a shareholder withdraws tendered Shares, (i) the Shares will be issued in book-entry form and will be electronically held in your account for such unpurchased Shares, as soon as practicable following the expiration, termination or withdrawal of the Offer, (ii) Shares delivered pursuant to the book-entry delivery procedures will be credited to the account from which they were delivered, and (iii) uncertificated Shares held by the Fund’s transfer agent pursuant to the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan will be returned to the automatic dividend reinvestment plan account maintained by the transfer agent.

The Fund will pay all transfer taxes, if any, payable on the transfer to it of Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer. If, however, payment of the purchase price is to be made to, or if unpurchased Shares were registered in the name of, any person other than the tendering holder, or if any tendered certificates are registered or the Shares tendered are held in the name of any person other than the person signing the Letter of Transmittal, the amount of any transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or such other person) payable on account of such transfer will be deducted from the purchase price unless satisfactory evidence of the payment of such taxes, or exemption therefrom, is submitted. In addition, if certain events occur, the Fund may not be obligated to purchase Shares pursuant to the Offer. See Section 4, “Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

Any tendering shareholder or other payee who fails to complete fully and sign the Substitute IRS Form W-9, if one is included with the Letter of Transmittal, may be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding of 24% of the gross proceeds paid to such shareholder or other payee pursuant to the Offer. Non-U.S. Shareholders should provide the Depositary with a completed IRS Form W-8 in order to avoid 24% backup withholding. A copy of IRS Form W-8 will be provided upon request from the Depositary. See Section 5, “Procedures for Tendering Shares for Purchase—U.S. Federal Income Tax Withholding.”

The actual cost of the Offer to the Fund cannot be determined at this time because the number of Shares to be purchased will depend on the number of Shares tendered for purchase, and the price will be based on the NAV per Share on the Pricing Date. If shareholders tendered all Shares offered for purchase pursuant to the Offer, and the Fund purchased such Shares at a price per share of $14.45, equal to 98% of the NAV as of July 10, 2024 ($14.74 per Share), payments by the Fund to the participating shareholders would be approximately $9.9 million. See Section 9, “Effects of the Offer; Consequences of Participation.”

The monies to be used by the Fund to purchase Shares pursuant to the Offer will be first obtained from any cash on hand and then from the proceeds of sales of securities in the Fund’s investment portfolio. The Board of Trustees believes that the Fund has sufficient liquidity to purchase the Shares that may be tendered pursuant to the Offer. However, if, in the judgment of the Board of Trustees, there is not sufficient liquidity of the assets of the Fund to pay for tendered Shares, the Fund may terminate the Offer.

No funds are expected to be borrowed, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of the Offer. There are no alternative financing arrangements or alternative financing plans. There are no material conditions to the availability of the Consideration for the purposes of this Offer, except as set forth herein. See Section 4, “Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

The Offer may have certain adverse consequences for tendering and non-tendering shareholders.

A. Effects on NAV and Consideration Received by Tendering Shareholders. To pay the aggregate purchase price of Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer, the Fund anticipates that funds will be first derived from any cash on hand and then from the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities held by the Fund. If the

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Fund is required to sell a substantial amount of portfolio securities to raise cash to finance the Offer, such dispositions of portfolio securities could cause market prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities, and hence the Fund’s NAV, to decline. If such a decline occurs, the Fund cannot predict what its magnitude might be or whether such a decline would be temporary or continue to or beyond the Expiration Date. Because the price per Share to be paid in the Offer will be dependent upon the NAV as determined as of the close of ordinary trading on the NYSE on the Pricing Date, if such a decline continued to the Pricing Date, the consideration received by tendering shareholders would be less than it otherwise might have been. In addition, a sale of portfolio securities will result in increased brokerage and related transaction expenses, and the Fund may receive proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities that are less than the valuations of such securities by the Fund. Accordingly, because of the Offer, the Fund’s NAV may decline more than it otherwise might, thereby reducing the amount of proceeds received by tendering shareholders, and also reducing the NAV for non-tendering shareholders.

The Fund will sell portfolio securities to raise cash for the purchase of Shares. Thus, it is likely that during the pendency of the Offer, and possibly for a short time thereafter, the Fund will hold a greater than normal percentage of its net assets in cash and cash equivalents. This larger cash position may interfere with the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. The Fund is required by law to pay for tendered Shares it accepts for payment promptly after the Expiration Date of this Offer. If on or prior to the Expiration Date the Fund does not have, or believes it is unlikely to have, sufficient cash to pay for all Shares tendered, it may extend the Offer to allow additional time to sell portfolio securities and raise sufficient cash.

B. Recognition of Capital Gains. As noted, the Fund will likely be required to sell portfolio securities pursuant to the Offer. If the Fund’s tax basis for the securities sold is less than the sale proceeds, the Fund will recognize capital gains. The Fund would expect to distribute any such gains to shareholders of record (reduced by net capital losses realized during the fiscal year, if any, and available capital loss carry-forwards) during, or following the end of, the Fund’s fiscal year. This recognition and distribution of gains, if any, would have two negative consequences: first, while shareholders at the time of a declaration of distributions will receive such distributions, such shareholders would be required to pay taxes on a greater amount of capital gain distributions than otherwise would be the case; and second, to raise cash to make the distributions, the Fund might need to sell additional portfolio securities, thereby possibly being forced to realize and recognize additional capital gains. It is impossible to predict what the amount of unrealized gains or losses would be in the Fund’s portfolio at the time that the Fund is required to liquidate portfolio securities (and hence the amount of capital gains or losses that would be realized and recognized). As of December 31, 2023, the end of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year, the Fund had net unrealized capital appreciation of approximately $108.6 million. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had non-expiring capital loss carryforwards of approximately $216.9 million.

In addition, some distributed gains may be realized on securities held for one year or less, which would generate income taxable to the shareholders at ordinary income rates. This could adversely affect the Fund’s after-tax performance.

C. Tax Consequences of Purchases to Shareholders. The Fund’s purchase of tendered Shares pursuant to the Offer will have tax consequences for tendering shareholders. See Section 14, “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

D. Effect on Remaining Shareholders, Higher Expense Ratio and Less Investment Flexibility. The purchase of Shares by the Fund pursuant to the Offer will have the effect of increasing the proportionate interest in the Fund of non-tendering shareholders. All shareholders remaining after the Offer will be subject to any increased risks associated with the reduction in the Fund’s aggregate assets resulting from payment for the tendered Shares, such as greater volatility due to decreased diversification and proportionately higher expenses due to a decreased asset base. The reduced net assets of the Fund as a result of the Offer may result in less investment flexibility for the Fund and may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investment performance.

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E. Possible Proration. If greater than the Offer Amount of the Fund’s Shares are tendered pursuant to the Offer, the Fund would, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer, purchase Shares tendered on a pro rata basis. Accordingly, shareholders cannot be assured that all of their tendered Shares will be purchased.

The following table sets forth, for each of the calendar quarters indicated, the high and low closing market prices for the Shares on the NYSE, the NAV per Share and the premium or discount to NAV per Share at which the Shares were trading.

Price Range of Shares

On July 10, 2024, the NAV per Share was $14.74 and the last reported market price for a Share on the NYSE on such date was $13.16. During the pendency of the Offer, daily NAV quotations can be obtained in the manner indicated in Section 1.

The tender of Shares, unless and until such tendered Shares are accepted for payment, will not affect the record ownership of any such tendered Shares for purposes of entitlement to any dividends payable by the Fund.

Information, as of particular dates, concerning the Fund’s trustees and executive officers, their remuneration, any material interest of such persons in transactions with the Fund and other matters, is required to be disclosed in proxy statements distributed to the Fund’s shareholders and filed with the Commission. The business address and business telephone number of each trustee and executive officer of the Fund are in care of BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.

The table below sets forth the number of Shares and percentage of outstanding Shares beneficially owned by the trustees of the Fund based on the number of Shares outstanding as of March 31, 2024.

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To the best of the Fund’s knowledge, no executive officer of the Fund beneficially owned Shares of the Fund as of March 31, 2024. Except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, to the best of the Fund’s knowledge, no person controlling the Fund or the Investment Advisor nor any associate or majority-owned subsidiary of such person beneficially owned Shares of the Fund as of March 31, 2024.

None of the Fund, the Investment Advisor or, to the best of the Fund’s knowledge, any of the Fund’s trustees or officers or any person controlling the Fund or the Investment Advisor, has effected any transaction in Shares, except for the issuance of Shares in the ordinary course of business (including dividend reinvestment) and share equivalents issued to certain Independent Trustees under the BlackRock deferred compensation plan, during the 60 days prior to the date of this Offer to Purchase.

Commencing December 1, 2023, the Fund may purchase, through November 30, 2024, up to 5% of its shares outstanding as of the close of business on November 30, 2023, subject to certain conditions. The Fund and any other person participating in the Offer will be subject to the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, Regulation M, which may restrict the ability of any person engaged in a “distribution,” as defined in Regulation M, of the Shares to engage in market-making activities with respect to the Shares. The Fund did not repurchase any of its Shares during the past 60 days under its open market share repurchase program.

Except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, none of the Fund, the Investment Advisor or, to the best of the Fund’s knowledge, any of the Fund’s trustees or executive officers or any person controlling the Fund or the Investment Advisor, is a party to any agreement, arrangement, or understanding, whether or not legally enforceable, with any other person with respect to any securities of the Fund, including, but not limited to, any agreement, arrangement, understanding or relationship concerning the transfer or the voting of any such securities, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guaranties of loans, guaranties against loss or the giving or withholding of proxies, consents or authorizations. Except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, there is no present or proposed material agreement, arrangement, understanding or relationship with respect to the Offer between the Fund and any of its executive officers, trustees, controlling persons or subsidiaries.

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The Fund has entered into, and may in the future enter into, in the ordinary course, fund of funds investment agreements (each, a “Fund of Funds Agreement”) with certain unaffiliated acquiring funds that are registered investment companies or business development companies (each, an “Acquiring Fund”) which, in each case, provide for the acquisition of Shares by each Acquiring Fund in a manner consistent with the requirements of Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act, including, among other things, an agreement by each Acquiring Fund to vote its Shares (together with any Shares held by certain of its affiliates) in its own discretion or in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders of the Fund (i.e., “echo voting”), each under certain circumstances.

The Fund has been advised that neither its Board of Trustees nor its officers intend to tender any Shares pursuant to the Offer. Therefore, the Fund does not intend to purchase Shares from any officer or trustee pursuant to the Offer.

Based on the number of Shares outstanding as of March 31, 2024, to the best of the Fund’s knowledge, no person beneficially owned more than 5% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, except for the following:

BlackRock Advisors, LLC acts as the investment adviser for the Fund. Pursuant to an investment management agreement between the Investment Advisor and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund pays the Investment Advisor a monthly fee at an annual rate of 1.20% of the Fund’s average weekly net assets.

The Investment Advisor has retained BlackRock International Limited, an affiliate of the Investment Advisor, to serve as sub-adviser to the Fund. Pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between the Fund, the Investment Advisor and the Sub-Advisor (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), the Investment Advisor pays the Sub-Advisor for services it provides for that portion of the Fund’s assets that have been allocated to the Sub-Advisor a monthly fee that is equal to a percentage of the investment advisory fee paid by the Fund to the Investment Advisor.

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Management Agreement by the Board is available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the period ended June 30, 2023. A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement by the Board is available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the period ended June 30, 2023.

The Fund also is a party to certain other service agreements. The Fund is a party to an Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement with Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (“Computershare”). The Fund pays Computershare a monthly fee plus out-of-pocket expenses for the services it provides as transfer, shareholders services and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund.

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as custodian for the Fund’s portfolio securities pursuant to the Custodian Agreement (“Custodian Agreement”) entered into with the Fund. Under the Custodian Agreement, the Fund is obligated to pay State Street reasonable compensation for its services and expenses as agreed upon from time to time between the Fund and State Street.

The amounts paid by the Fund under these service agreements are disclosed in the Fund’s financial statements, which can be found in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports.

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The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 20, 2004 pursuant to its Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as subsequently amended, is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, and commenced operations on December 23, 2004. The Fund is registered under the 1940 Act as a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s principal office is located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, and its telephone number is (800) 882-0052. As a closed-end investment company, the Fund differs from an open-end investment company (i.e., a mutual fund) in that it does not redeem its Shares at the election of a shareholder.

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide total return through a combination of current income and long-term capital appreciation. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be realized.

BlackRock Advisors, LLC acts as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Investment Advisor is responsible for the management of the Fund’s portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operation of the Fund. The Investment Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock International Limited has been retained as a sub-adviser for the Fund. The Sub-Advisor is responsible for the management of that portion of the Fund’s portfolio that has been allocated to it. The Sub-Advisor, located at Exchange Place One, 1 Semple Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8BL, United Kingdom, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc.

The Fund has filed with the Commission a Schedule TO, which provides additional information relating to the Offer. You may inspect and obtain a copy of Schedule TO by visiting the EDGAR database on the Commission’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the Schedule TO can be obtained, for a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

The following discussion is a general summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of a participating shareholder’s sale of Shares pursuant to the Offer. This discussion is based on current U.S. federal income tax law, including the Code, existing and proposed Treasury regulations, administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not apply to a shareholder that is a member of a class of holders subject to special rules (such as a dealer in securities, a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for its securities holdings, a bank, a life insurance company, a tax-exempt organization, a person that owns Shares as part of a hedging, integrated, conversion or constructive sale transaction or as a position in a straddle, a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an accrual basis taxpayer subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code or a U.S. Shareholder (as such term is defined in Section 5, “Procedures for Tendering Shares for Purchase—U.S. Federal Income Tax Withholding” above) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar). This summary assumes that the Fund is and will remain a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the taxable year that includes the purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer. No ruling has been or will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below. Shareholders must consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax consequences of a sale of Shares pursuant to the Offer, including potential tax consequences in jurisdictions where the shareholder is a citizen, resident or domiciliary.

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A. Consequences to U.S. Shareholders of Participating in the Offer.

In General. A shareholder’s tender of all or a part of its Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The tax consequences of the sale will be determined in part under the stock redemption rules of Section 302 of the Code. The amount and characterization of income recognized by a shareholder in connection with a sale pursuant to the Offer will depend on whether the sale is treated as an “exchange” or a “dividend” for tax purposes.

Treatment as an Exchange. If the redemption qualifies under any of the provisions of Section 302(b) of the Code, as more fully described below, the cash received pursuant to the Offer will be treated as received in exchange for the Shares sold. The treatment accorded to such an exchange results in a shareholder’s recognizing gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the cash received by the shareholder pursuant to the Offer and (b) the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the Shares surrendered. Assuming the Shares are held as capital assets, such recognized gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If the Shares were held longer than one year, such capital gain or loss will be long-term. If the Shares were held for one year or less, such capital gain or loss will be short-term. However, any loss upon an exchange of Shares held for six months or less generally will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received or deemed received from the Fund that were treated as long-term capital gain. In addition, under certain “wash sales” rules, recognition of a loss on Shares sold pursuant to the Offer will ordinarily be disallowed to the extent a shareholder acquires Shares within 30 days before or after the date Shares are purchased pursuant to the Offer and, in that event, the basis and holding period of the Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to a number of limitations under the Code.

Treatment as a Dividend. If none of the provisions under Section 302(b) of the Code outlined below are satisfied, a shareholder will be treated as having received a distribution on its Shares. Any such distribution will be treated as taxable dividend income in an amount equal to the entire amount of cash received by the shareholder for its Shares pursuant to the Offer to the extent the Fund has current or accumulated earnings and profits. Any amounts treated as distributions to shareholders in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to such shareholders to the extent of their basis in their Shares (reducing that basis accordingly) and then as capital gain (which will be long-term or short-term depending on such shareholder’s applicable holding period for the Shares tendered).

Accordingly, the difference between “dividend” and “sale or exchange” treatment is important with respect to the amount (there is no basis offset for dividends) and character of income that tendering shareholders are deemed to receive. While the marginal tax rate for dividends and capital gains remains the same for corporate shareholders, under the Code the top income tax rate on ordinary dividend income and short-term capital gains of individuals generally exceeds the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains.

Each shareholder’s tax adviser should determine whether that shareholder qualifies under one of the provisions of Section 302(b) of the Code. In the event that the transaction is treated as a dividend distribution to a shareholder for federal income tax purposes, such shareholder’s remaining tax basis in the Shares actually redeemed will be added to the tax basis of such shareholder’s remaining Shares in the Fund. In the event that a shareholder actually owns no Shares in the Fund after the redemption, but the transaction is nevertheless treated as a dividend distribution because such shareholder constructively owns Shares in the Fund (see below), such shareholder’s tax basis may, under certain circumstances, be added to Shares in the Fund owned by related persons that were considered constructively owned by such shareholder, or may be lost entirely. With respect to a purchase of Shares that is treated as a distribution but that is not otherwise taxable as a dividend because it exceeds the Fund’s earnings and profits, the method by which a U.S. holder must reduce its basis is uncertain in situations where the holder owns different blocks of stock that were acquired at different prices and thus have different bases. Each shareholder should consult its tax adviser with respect to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences to such shareholder of participating in the Offer.

Constructive Ownership of Stock. In determining whether the provisions under Section 302(b) of the Code, as described below, are satisfied, a shareholder must take into account not only Shares actually owned by such

15

shareholder, but also Shares that are constructively owned within the meaning of Section 318 of the Code. Under Section 318 of the Code, a shareholder may constructively own Shares actually owned, and in some cases constructively owned, by certain related individuals and certain entities in which the shareholder or a related individual or entity has an interest. The rules of constructive ownership are complex and must be applied to a particular shareholder’s situation by a tax adviser.

The Provisions of Section 302(b) of the Code. Under Section 302(b) of the Code, a redemption will be taxed as an exchange, and not as a dividend, if it (a) results in a “complete redemption” of all the Shares owned by a shareholder, (b) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to a shareholder, or (c) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to a shareholder. Each shareholder should be aware that, under certain circumstances, sales, purchases, or transfers of Shares in the market or to or from other parties contemporaneous with sales pursuant to the Offer may be taken into account in determining whether the tests under clause (a), (b), or (c) above are satisfied. Further, the Fund believes that in the event the Offer is oversubscribed, resulting in a proration, it is likely that less than all the Shares tendered by a shareholder will be purchased by the Fund. Proration may affect whether a sale by a shareholder will satisfy the provisions (a), (b), or (c) above.

A brief description of the three major applicable provisions of Section 302(b) of the Code is as follows:

Backup Withholding. The Depositary may be required to withhold 24% of the gross proceeds paid to a shareholder or other payee pursuant to the Offer unless either: (a) the shareholder has completed and submitted to the Depositary an IRS Form W-9 (including the Substitute IRS Form W-9, if one is included with the Letter of Transmittal) providing the shareholder’s taxpayer identification number/social security number and certifying

16

under penalties of perjury: (i) that such number is correct, (ii) either that (A) the shareholder is exempt from backup withholding, (B) the shareholder has not been notified by the IRS that the shareholder is subject to backup withholding as a result of an under-reporting of interest or dividends, or (C) the IRS has notified the shareholder that the shareholder is no longer subject to backup withholding, (iii) the shareholder is a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (as defined in IRS Form W-9), and (iv) the FATCA code(s) entered on the form (if any) indicating that the shareholder is exempt from FATCA reporting is correct; or (b) an exception applies under applicable law and Treasury regulations.

Medicare Tax. Certain U.S. Shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which generally includes capital gains or dividends recognized upon a sale of Shares pursuant to the Offer.

B. Consequences to Non-U.S. Shareholders of the Fund’s Purchase of Shares Pursuant to the Offer

U.S. Withholding at the Source. Since the Fund cannot determine whether a payment made pursuant to the Offer should be characterized for any particular shareholder as an “exchange” or a “dividend” for tax purposes at the time of the payment, we or the applicable withholding agent may treat any payments to a tendering shareholder that is a Non-U.S. Shareholder and that does not hold its Shares in connection with a trade or business conducted in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, a U.S. permanent establishment) as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty). This U.S. withholding tax will apply even if the Non-U.S. Shareholder has provided the required certification to avoid backup withholding. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding under an applicable tax treaty, a Non-U.S. Shareholder must deliver to the Depositary before the payment a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E. In order to obtain an exemption from withholding on the grounds that the Non-U.S. Shareholder holds its Shares in connection with a trade or business conducted in the United States, the Non-U.S. Shareholder must deliver to the Depositary a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8ECI. Such forms (and additional IRS forms) may be obtained from the Information Agent or the IRS at www.irs.gov.

A tendering Non-U.S. Shareholder who realizes a capital gain on a tender of Shares will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such gain, unless (i) the gain is effectively connected with the Non-US. Shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if required under an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) or (ii) the Non-U.S. Shareholder is an individual who is physically present in the United States for 183 days or more during the tax year and certain other conditions are satisfied. A tendering Non-U.S. Shareholder who realizes a capital gain may be eligible to claim a refund of any withheld tax by filing a U.S. tax return and demonstrating that it satisfies one of the provisions of Section 302 described above or is otherwise able to establish that no withholding or a reduced amount of withholding is due. Dividend income or capital gains that are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (and, if required under an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) will generally be taxed on a net income basis at the same rates applicable to U.S. persons (and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Shareholder that is a corporation, may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty)). Different rules may also apply in the case of certain Non-U.S. Shareholders that are subject to special rules, including former citizens or residents of the United States and “controlled foreign corporations.” Non-U.S. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers.

Backup Withholding and Certification Rules. Non-U.S. Shareholders have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding at a rate of 24%, and if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the Non-U.S. Shareholder’s country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the non-U.S. Shareholder must provide the Depositary with a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other IRS Form W-8, where applicable, or their substitute forms) to establish his or her status as a Non-U.S. Shareholder, to claim beneficial ownership over Shares, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate

17

of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. Backup withholding generally will not apply to amounts subject to the 30% or a treaty-reduced rate of withholding.

FATCA Withholding. A Non-U.S. Shareholder (other than an individual) may be subject to a 30% withholding tax under FATCA unless such Non-U.S. Shareholder establishes an exemption from such withholding tax under FATCA, typically on IRS Form W-8BEN-E. Amounts withheld under FATCA will be credited against any withholding due for U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Shareholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their participation in the Offer.

Non-U.S. Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of U.S. federal income tax withholding, including eligibility for a withholding tax reduction or exemption, and the refund procedure.

The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is a summary included for general information purposes only. In view of the individual nature of tax consequences, each shareholder is advised to consult its own tax adviser with respect to the specific tax consequences to it of the Offer, including the effect and applicability of state, local, foreign and other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

The Fund is not aware of any approval or action by any government or governmental, administrative or regulatory authority or agency, domestic or foreign, that would be required to effect the Offer. Should any such approval or other action be required, the Fund presently contemplates that such approval or other action will be sought. The Fund is unable to predict whether it may determine that it is required to delay the acceptance for payment of, or payment for, Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer pending the outcome of any such matter. There can be no assurance that any such approval or other action, if needed, would be obtained without substantial conditions or that the failure to obtain any such approval or other action might not have a material adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund’s obligations under the Offer to accept for payment and pay for Shares are subject to certain conditions described in Section 4, “Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

Subject to the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission, the Fund expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, to extend the period during which the Offer is open for any reason, including the failure to satisfy any of the conditions specified in Section 4, and thereby delay acceptance for payment of, and payment for, any Shares, by giving oral or written notice of such extension to the Depositary and by making a public announcement thereto. There can be no assurance that the Fund will exercise its right to extend the Offer. During any such extension, all Shares previously tendered and not properly withdrawn will remain subject to the Offer, subject to the rights of a tendering shareholder to withdraw such shareholder’s Shares. See Section 6, “Withdrawal Rights.”

Subject to the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission, the Fund also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, to: (a) terminate the Offer and not accept for payment (or pay for) any Shares if any of the conditions referred to in Section 4 has not been satisfied or upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any of the events specified in Section 5; and (b) waive any condition or amend the Offer in any respect, in each case by giving oral or written notice of termination, waiver or amendment to the Depositary and by making a public announcement thereof. The Fund acknowledges that Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act requires the Fund to pay the consideration offered or return the Shares tendered for purchase promptly after the termination or withdrawal of the Offer, and that the Fund may not delay acceptance or payment for any Shares upon the occurrence of any of the conditions specified in Section 6 without extending the period during which the Offer is open.

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Any extension, termination or amendment will be followed as promptly as practicable by a public announcement thereof, such announcement, in the case of an extension, to be made no later than 9:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date. Without limiting the manner in which the Fund may choose to make any public announcement, except as provided by applicable law (including Rules 13e-4(c), 13e-4(e) and 14e-1 under the Exchange Act, which require that material changes be promptly disseminated to holders of Shares), the Fund will have no obligation to publish, advertise or otherwise communicate any such public announcement other than by issuing a press release and filing such release with the Commission.

If the Fund makes a material change in the terms of the Offer or the information concerning the Offer, or waives a material condition of the Offer, the Fund will disseminate additional Offer materials and extend the Offer to the extent required by Rules 13e-4(e) and 13e-4(f) under the Exchange Act. The minimum period during which the Offer must remain open following material changes in the terms of the Offer or information concerning the Offer, other than a change in price or a change in percentage of securities sought, will depend upon the facts and circumstances, including the materiality of the changes. With respect to a change in price or, subject to certain limitations, a change in the percentage of securities sought, a minimum ten business day period from the date of such change is generally required to allow for adequate dissemination of such change to shareholders. Accordingly, if, for example, prior to the Expiration Date, the Fund decreased the number of Shares being sought, increased the consideration offered pursuant to the Offer or added a dealer’s soliciting fee, and if the Offer were scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the tenth business day from the date that notice of such increase, decrease or addition is first published, sent or given to shareholders, the Offer would be extended until at least the expiration of such ten business day period. For purposes of the Offer, a “business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a U.S. federal holiday and consists of the time period from 12:01 a.m. through midnight Eastern time.

The Fund will not pay to any broker or dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other person any solicitation fee for any Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer. The Fund will reimburse these firms for customary handling and mailing expenses incurred in forwarding the Offer. No broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company has been authorized to act as the agent of the Fund or the Depositary for purposes of the Offer.

The Fund has retained Georgeson LLC to act as the Information Agent and Computershare to act as the Depositary. The Fund will pay the Information Agent and the Depositary reasonable and customary compensation for their services and will also reimburse them for certain out-of-pocket expenses and indemnify them against certain liabilities.

The Offer is not being made to, nor will the Fund accept tenders from, or on behalf of, owners of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or its acceptance would not comply with the securities or “blue sky” laws of that jurisdiction. The Fund is not aware of any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or the acceptance of tenders of, purchase of, or payment for, Shares in accordance with the Offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. The Fund, however, reserves the right to exclude shareholders in any jurisdiction in which it is asserted that the Offer cannot lawfully be made or tendered Shares cannot lawfully be accepted, purchased or paid for. So long as the Fund makes a good-faith effort to comply with any state law deemed applicable to the Offer, the Fund believes that the exclusion of shareholders residing in any such jurisdiction is permitted under Rule 13e-4(f)(9) promulgated under the Exchange Act. In any jurisdiction where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer shall be deemed to be made on the Fund’s behalf by one or more brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited annual financial statements of the Fund dated December 31, 2023 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated December 31, 2023, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSR on March 6, 2024, are incorporated by reference. The unaudited semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated June 30, 2023 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated June 30, 2023, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSRS on September 1, 2023, are incorporated by reference. The Fund will prepare and transmit to shareholders the audited annual financial statements of the Fund and the schedule of investments of the Fund within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the 1940 Act.

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The Letter of Transmittal and Share certificates and any other required documentation should be sent or delivered by each shareholder or the shareholder’s broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to the Depositary at one of the addresses set forth below.

The Depositary for the Offer is:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Any questions or requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, the Letter of Transmittal and other documents may be directed to the Information Agent at its telephone number and location listed below.

The Information Agent for the Offer is:

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9^th Floor

New York, NY 10104

(866) 961-3705 (Toll Free)

BLACKROCK ENERGY AND RESOURCES TRUST

July 17, 2024

OTP_BGR_0724

Exhibit (a)(1)(ii)

Letter of Transmittal

Regarding Common Shares of Beneficial Interest of

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

Tendered Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase Dated July 17, 2024

The Depositary Agent for the Offer is:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

This Letter of Transmittal is to be completed by shareholders of BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust (the “Purchaser”) if certificates representing Shares (as defined below) are to be forwarded herewith.

DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET

FORTH ABOVE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE VALID DELIVERY.

THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SHOULD BE READ

CAREFULLY BEFORE THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS COMPLETED.

NOTE: SIGNATURES MUST BE PROVIDED BELOW

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned hereby tenders the above-described common shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) of BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust for purchase by the Purchaser at a price equal to 98% of the net asset value (“NAV”) per Share as determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the principal market in which the Shares are traded, on the next day the NAV is calculated after the Offer (as defined below) expires, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated July 17, 2024 and in this Letter of Transmittal (which, together with any amendments or supplements thereto, collectively constitute the “Offer”).

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (and if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms of any such extension or amendment), and subject to, and effective upon, acceptance for payment of Shares tendered herewith, in accordance with the terms of the Offer, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to or upon the order of the Purchaser all right, title and interest in and to all Shares that are being tendered hereby and all dividends, distributions (including, without limitation, distributions of additional Shares) and rights declared, paid or distributed in respect of such Shares that are declared, paid or distributed in respect of a record date on or after the Expiration Date (as defined in Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase) (collectively, “Distributions”) and irrevocably appoints Computershare Trust Company (the “Depositary Agent”) the true and lawful agent of the undersigned with respect to such Shares (and all Distributions), with full power of substitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest), to (i) deliver certificates representing such Shares (and all Distributions) (“Share Certificates”), if applicable, together with all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity, to or upon the order of the Purchaser, (ii) present such Shares (and all Distributions) for transfer on the books of the Purchaser and (iii) receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such Shares (and all Distributions), all in accordance with the terms of the Offer.

By executing this Letter of Transmittal, the undersigned hereby irrevocably appoints the Purchaser as the attorney and proxy of the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, to vote in such manner as each such attorney and proxy or his substitute shall, in its sole discretion, deem proper and otherwise act (by written consent or otherwise) with respect to all Shares tendered hereby which have been accepted for payment by the Purchaser prior to the time of such vote or other action and all Shares and other securities issued in Distributions in respect of such Shares, which the undersigned is entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders of the Purchaser (whether annual or special and whether or not an adjourned or postponed meeting) or consent in lieu of any such meeting or otherwise. This proxy and power of attorney is coupled with an interest in Shares tendered hereby, is irrevocable and is granted in consideration of, and is effective upon, the acceptance for payment of such Shares by the Purchaser in accordance with the other terms of the Offer. Such acceptance for payment shall revoke all other proxies and powers of attorney granted by the undersigned at any time with respect to such Shares (and all Shares and other securities issued as Distributions in respect of such Shares), and no subsequent proxies, powers of attorney, consents or revocations may be given by the undersigned with respect thereto (and if given will not be deemed effective). The undersigned understands that, in order for Shares (and Distributions) to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon the Purchaser’s acceptance of such Shares for payment, the Purchaser must be able to exercise full voting and other rights with respect to such Shares (and any and all Distributions), including, without limitation, voting at any meeting of the Purchaser’s shareholders. The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer Shares tendered hereby and all Distributions, that when such Shares are accepted for payment by the Purchaser, the Purchaser will acquire good, marketable and unencumbered title thereto and to all Distributions, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances, and that none of such Shares and Distributions will be subject to any adverse claim. The undersigned, upon request, shall execute and deliver all additional documents deemed by the Depositary Agent or the Purchaser to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of Shares tendered hereby and all Distributions. In addition, the undersigned

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

- 2 -

shall remit and transfer promptly to the Depositary Agent for the account of the Purchaser all Distributions in respect of Shares tendered hereby, accompanied by appropriate documentation of transfer, and pending such remittance and transfer or appropriate assurance thereof, the Purchaser shall be entitled to all rights and privileges as owner of each such Distribution and may withhold the entire purchase price of Shares tendered hereby, or deduct from such purchase price, the amount or value of such Distribution as determined by the Purchaser in its sole discretion.

No authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred shall be affected by, and all such authority shall survive, the death or incapacity of the undersigned. All obligations of the undersigned hereunder shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned. Except as stated in the Offer to Purchase, this tender is irrevocable.

The undersigned understands that the valid tender of Shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described in the Offer to Purchase and in the instructions hereto will constitute the undersigned’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Offer. The Purchaser’s acceptance of such Shares for payment will constitute a binding agreement between the undersigned and the Purchaser upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (and, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms or conditions of any such extension or amendment).

Unless otherwise indicated below in the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions,” the undersigned is requesting that the check for the purchase price of all Shares purchased from the undersigned pursuant to the Offer and, if applicable, a Direct Registration System (“DRS”) statement, evidencing Shares held for the undersigned in an electronic book-entry account maintained by the Depositary Agent, representing the number of Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment, be issued in the name(s) of the registered shareholder(s) appearing above under “Description of Shares Tendered”. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated below in the box entitled “Special Delivery Instructions,” the undersigned is requesting that the check for the purchase price of all Shares purchased from the undersigned pursuant to the Offer and, if applicable, a DRS statement, evidencing Shares held for the undersigned in an electronic book-entry account maintained by the Depositary Agent, representing the number of Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment, be mailed to the address of the registered shareholder(s) appearing above under “Description of Shares Tendered.”

In the event that the boxes below entitled “Special Payment Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” are both completed, the undersigned is requesting that the check for the purchase price of all Shares purchased from the undersigned pursuant to the Offer and, if applicable, a DRS statement, evidencing Shares held for the undersigned in an electronic book-entry account maintained by the Depositary Agent, representing the number of Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment be issued and mailed to the person(s) so indicated. The undersigned recognizes that the Purchaser has no obligation, pursuant to the Special Payment Instructions or the Special Delivery Instructions, to make any payment or to transfer any Shares from the name of the registered shareholder(s) thereof if the Purchaser does not accept for payment any Shares tendered by the undersigned pursuant to the Offer. If Shares are held in book-entry form only, the Shares purchased will be debited from the book-entry account of the undersigned.

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

- 3 -

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

- 4 -

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

INSTRUCTIONS

Forming Part of the Terms and Conditions of the Offer

1. Guarantee of Signatures. All signatures on this Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by a firm which is a member of the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, or by any other “eligible guarantor institution,” as such term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (each of the foregoing being an “Eligible Institution”), unless (i) this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered shareholder(s) of Shares tendered hereby and such shareholder(s) has (have) not completed the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions” or “Special Delivery Instructions” in this Letter of Transmittal or (ii) such Shares are tendered for the account of an Eligible Institution. See Instruction 5.

2. Delivery of Letter of Transmittal and Shares. This Letter of Transmittal is to be used only if Shares being tendered are to be forwarded herewith or if Shares being tendered are held in book-entry form on the books of the Depositary Agent. Share Certificates evidencing all physically tendered Shares, as well as a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary Agent at one of its addresses set forth below prior to the Expiration Date (as defined in Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase). If Share Certificates are forwarded to the Depositary Agent in multiple deliveries, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal must accompany each such delivery. If Shares are held in book-entry form, please indicate the number of Shares being tendered in the box titled “Number of Shares Tendered” on this Letter of Transmittal.

The method of delivery of this Letter of Transmittal, Shares and all other required documents is at the option and risk of the tendering shareholder, and the delivery will be deemed made only when actually received by the Depositary Agent. If delivery is by mail, registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, is recommended. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

No alternative, conditional or contingent tenders will be accepted and no fractional Shares will be purchased. By execution of this Letter of Transmittal, all tendering shareholders waive any right to receive any notice of the acceptance of their Shares for payment.

3. Inadequate Space. If the space provided under “Description of Shares Tendered” is inadequate, the Share Certificate numbers (if applicable), the number of Shares evidenced by such Share Certificates (if applicable) and the number of Shares tendered should be listed on a separate signed schedule and attached hereto.

4. Partial Tenders. If fewer than all Shares evidenced by any Share Certificate delivered to the Depositary Agent herewith are to be tendered hereby, fill in the number of Shares that are to be tendered in the box entitled “Number of Shares Tendered.” In such cases, a DRS statement evidencing the remainder of Shares that were evidenced by the Share Certificates delivered to the Depositary Agent herewith will be sent to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal, unless otherwise provided in the box entitled “Special Delivery Instructions,” as soon as practicable after the Expiration Date or the termination of the Offer. All Shares evidenced by Share Certificates delivered to the Depositary Agent will be deemed to have been tendered unless otherwise indicated.

5. Signatures on Letter of Transmittal; Stock Powers and Endorsements. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered shareholder(s) of Shares tendered hereby, the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of the Share Certificates or DRS statement, evidencing such Shares without alteration, enlargement or any other change whatsoever.

If any Shares tendered hereby are held of record by two or more persons, all such persons must sign this Letter of Transmittal.

If any Shares tendered hereby are registered in different names, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate Letters of Transmittal as there are different registrations of such Shares.

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered shareholder(s) of Shares tendered hereby, no endorsements of Share Certificates or separate stock powers are required, unless payment is to be made to, or DRS statements evidencing Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment are to be issued in the name of, a person other than the registered shareholder(s). If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered shareholder(s) of the Shares tendered, the Share(s) tendered hereby must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered shareholder(s) appear(s) on the Share Certificate(s) or DRS statement. Signatures on such Share Certificate(s) and stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

If this Letter of Transmittal or any Share Certificate or stock power is signed by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such person should so indicate when signing, and proper evidence satisfactory to the Purchaser, in its sole discretion, of such person’s authority so to act must be submitted.

6. Share Transfer Taxes. Share transfer taxes may be applicable under certain circumstances. You should consult your own tax advisor for a complete description of the tax consequences to you of any sale of transfer of Shares pursuant to the Offer.

7. Special Payment and Delivery Instructions. If a check for the purchase price of any Shares tendered hereby is to be issued in the name of, and/or DRS statements evidencing Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment are to be issued in the name of and/or returned to, a person other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal or if such check or any such DRS statements are to be sent to a person other than the signer of this Letter of Transmittal or to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal but at an address other than that shown in the box entitled “Description of Shares Tendered,” the boxes entitled “Special Payment Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” herein, as appropriate, must be completed.

8. Questions and Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to Georgeson LLC (the “Information Agent”) at the telephone number set forth below. Additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, this Letter of Transmittal, and the Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Form W-9 may be obtained from the Information Agent.

9. Important Tax Information. Under Federal income tax law, a shareholder whose tendered Shares are accepted for payment is required by law to provide the Depositary Agent (as payer) with the shareholder’s correct taxpayer identification number, which is accomplished by completing and signing the enclosed Form W-9.

10. Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. If any certificate representing Shares has been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the shareholder should promptly call the Depositary at (781) 575-2879 or (800) 699-1236. The shareholder will then be instructed by the Depositary as to the steps that must be taken to replace the certificate. This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing lost or destroyed certificates have been followed.

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

This Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, Share Certificates and any other required documents should be sent or delivered by each shareholder or such shareholder’s broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to the Depositary Agent at one of its addresses set forth below:

The Depositary Agent for the Offer is:

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the

Information Agent at its telephone number listed below.

Additional copies of the Offer to Purchase and this Letter of Transmittal may be obtained from the Information Agent.

A shareholder may also contact brokers, dealers, commercial banks or trust companies for assistance concerning the Offer.

The Information Agent for the Offer is:

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor

New York, NY 10104

(866) 961-3705 (Toll Free)

LT_BGR_0724

Voluntary Corporate Action — BGR

Before you begin. For guidance related to the purpose of Form W-9, see Purpose of Form, below.

Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:

Certification instructions. You must cross out item 2 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return. For real estate transactions, item 2 does not apply. For mortgage interest paid, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, contributions to an individual retirement arrangement (IRA), and, generally, payments other than interest and dividends, you are not required to sign the certification, but you must provide your correct TIN. See the instructions for Part II, later.

Exhibit (d)(2)

AMENDED AND RESTATED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT

AGREEMENT, dated July 1, 2024, between BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, and BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”), a Delaware limited liability company.

WHEREAS, Advisor has agreed to furnish investment advisory services to the Trust, a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and

WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, and the Advisor is willing to furnish such services upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein set forth; and

WHEREAS, the Trust and the Advisor previously entered into an Investment Management Agreement, dated September 29, 2006 (the “Original Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, the Trust and the Advisor wish to amend and restate the Original Agreement in its entirety as set out herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:

1. In General. The Advisor agrees, all as more fully set forth herein, to act as investment advisor to the Trust with respect to the investment of the Trust’s assets and to supervise and arrange for the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the purchase of securities for and the sale of securities held in the investment portfolio of the Trust.

2. Duties and Obligations of the Advisor with Respect to Investment of Assets of the Trust. Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section and subject to the direction and control of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Advisor shall (i) act as investment advisor for and supervise and manage the investment and reinvestment of the Trust’s assets and in connection therewith have complete discretion in purchasing and selling securities and other assets for the Trust and in voting, exercising consents and exercising all other rights appertaining to such securities and other assets on behalf of the Trust; (ii) supervise continuously the investment program of the Trust and the composition of its investment portfolio; (iii) arrange, subject to the provisions of paragraph 4 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets held in the investment portfolio of the Trust; and (iv) provide investment research to the Trust.

3. Duties and Obligations of Advisor with Respect to the Administration of the Trust. The Advisor also agrees to furnish office facilities and equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services (other than such services, if any, provided by the Trust’s Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent and other service providers) for the Trust. To the extent requested by the Trust, the Advisor agrees to provide the following administrative services:

(a) Oversee the determination and publication of the Trust’s net asset value in accordance with the Trust’s policy as adopted from time to time by the Board of Trustees;

(b) Oversee the maintenance by the Trust’s Custodian and Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent of certain books and records of the Trust as required under Rule 31a- 1(b)(4) of the 1940 Act and maintain (or oversee maintenance by such other persons as approved by the Board of Trustees) such other books and records required by law or for the proper operation of the Trust;

(c) Oversee the preparation and filing of the Trust’s federal, state and local income tax returns and any other required tax returns;

(d) Review the appropriateness of and arrange for payment of the Trust’s expenses;

(e) Prepare for review and approval by officers of the Trust, financial information for the Trust’s semi-annual and annual reports, proxy statements and other communications with shareholders required or otherwise to be sent to Trust shareholders, and arrange for the printing and dissemination of such reports and communications to shareholders;

(f) Prepare for review by an officer of the Trust, the Trust’s periodic financial reports required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on Form N- CEN, Form N-CSR, Form N-PX, Form N-PORT, and such other reports, forms and filings, as may be mutually agreed upon;

(g) Prepare such reports relating to the business and affairs of the Trust as may be mutually agreed upon and not otherwise appropriately prepared by the Trust’s custodian, counsel or auditors;

(h) Prepare such information and reports as may be required by any stock exchange or exchanges on which the Trust’s shares are listed;

(i) Make such reports and recommendations to the Board of Trustees concerning the performance of the independent accountants as the Board of Trustees may reasonably request or deems appropriate;

(j) Make such reports and recommendations to the Board of Trustees concerning the performance and fees of the Trust’s Custodian and Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent as the Board of Trustees may reasonably request or deems appropriate;

(k) Oversee and review calculations of fees paid to the Trust’s service providers;

(l) Oversee the Trust’s portfolio and perform necessary calculations as required under Section 18 of the 1940 Act;

(m) Consult with the Trust’s officers, independent accountants, legal counsel, custodian, accounting agent and transfer and dividend disbursing agent in establishing the accounting policies of the Trust and monitor financial and shareholder accounting services;

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(n) Review implementation of any share purchase programs authorized by the Board of Trustees;

(o) Determine the amounts available for distribution as dividends and distributions to be paid by the Trust to its shareholders; prepare and arrange for the printing of dividend notices to shareholders; and provide the Trust’s dividend disbursing agent and custodian with such information as is required for such parties to effect the payment of dividends and distributions and to implement the Trust’s dividend reinvestment plan;

(p) Prepare such information and reports as may be required by any banks from which the Trust borrows funds;

(q) Provide such assistance to the Custodian and the Trust’s counsel and auditors as generally may be required to properly carry on the business and operations of the Trust;

(r) Assist in the preparation and filing of Forms 3, 4, and 5 pursuant to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 30(h) of the 1940 Act for the officers and trustees of the Trust, such filings to be based on information provided by those persons;

(s) Respond to or refer to the Trust’s officers or transfer agent, any shareholder (including any potential shareholder) inquiries relating to the Trust; and

(t) Supervise any other aspects of the Trust’s administration as may be agreed to by the Trust and the Advisor.

All services are to be furnished through the medium of any directors, officers or employees of the Advisor or its affiliates as the Advisor deems appropriate in order to fulfill its obligations hereunder. The Advisor may from time to time, in its sole discretion to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisors, including, without limitation, affiliates of the Advisor, to perform investment advisory services with respect to the Trust, or assign all or a portion of this Agreement to any of its affiliates. The Advisor may terminate any or all sub-advisors in its sole discretion at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.

The Trust will reimburse the Advisor or its affiliates for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with the performance of the administrative services described in this paragraph 3.

4. Covenants. (a) In the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Advisor shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance with, any requirements imposed by: (i) the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and all applicable Rules and Regulations of the SEC; (ii) any other applicable provision of law; (iii) the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, as such documents are amended from time to time; (iv) the investment objectives and policies of the Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2; and (v) any policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Trust; and

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(b) In addition, the Advisor will:

(i) place orders either directly with the issuer or with any broker or dealer. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in placing orders with brokers and dealers, the Advisor will attempt to obtain the best price and the most favorable execution of its orders. In placing orders, the Advisor will consider the experience and skill of the firm’s securities traders as well as the firm’s financial responsibility and administrative efficiency. Consistent with this obligation, the Advisor may select brokers on the basis of the research, statistical and pricing services they provide to the Trust and other clients of the Advisor. Information and research received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Advisor hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be higher than that which another qualified broker would have charged for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall responsibility of the Advisor to the Trust and its other clients and that the total commissions paid by the Trust will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Trust over the long-term. In no instance, however, will the Trust’s securities be purchased from or sold to the Advisor, or any affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by applicable law;

(ii) maintain a policy and practice of conducting its investment advisory services hereunder independently of the commercial banking operations of its affiliates. When the Advisor makes investment recommendations for the Trust, its investment advisory personnel will not inquire or take into consideration whether the issuer of securities proposed for purchase or sale for the Trust’s account are customers of the commercial department of its affiliates; and

(iii) treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust all records and other information relative to the Trust, and the Trust’s prior, current or potential shareholders, and will not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust.

5. Services Not Exclusive. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Advisor or any officer, employee or other affiliate thereof from acting as investment advisor for any other person, firm or corporation, or from engaging in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or restrict the Advisor or any of its officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however, that the Advisor will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will adversely affect the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.

6. Books and Records. In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Advisor hereby agrees that all records which it maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Trust any such records upon the Trust’s request. The Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-l under the 1940 Act.

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7. Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, the Advisor will bear all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred in connection with its duties hereunder and shall bear the costs of any salaries or trustees fees of any officers or trustees of the Trust who are affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Advisor; provided that the Board of Trustees of the Trust may approve reimbursement to the Advisor of the pro rata portion of the salaries, bonuses, health insurance, retirement benefits and all similar employment costs for the time spent on Trust operations (including, without limitation, compliance matters) (other than the provision of investment advice and administrative services required to be provided hereunder) of all personnel employed by the Advisor who devote substantial time to Trust operations or the operations of other investment companies advised by the Advisor.

8. Compensation of the Advisor. (a) The Trust agrees to pay to the Advisor and the Advisor agrees to accept as full compensation for all services rendered by the Advisor as such, a monthly fee (the “Investment Advisory Fee”) in arrears at an annual rate equal to 1.00%, of the average weekly value of the Trust’s net assets. For any period less than a month during which this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to a full month of 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, as the case maybe.

(b) For purposes of this Agreement, the net assets of the Trust shall be calculated pursuant to the procedures adopted by resolutions of the Trustees of the Trust for calculating the value of the Trust’s assets or delegating such calculations to third parties.

9. Indemnity. (a) The Trust may, with the prior consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act), indemnify the Advisor, and each of the Advisor’s directors, officers, employees, agents, associates and controlling persons and the directors, partners, members, officers, employees and agents thereof (including any individual who serves at the Advisor’s request as director, officer, partner, member, trustee or the like of another entity) (each such person being an “Indemnitee”) against any liabilities and expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and counsel fees (all as provided in accordance with applicable state law) reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in which such Indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which such Indemnitee may be or may have been threatened, while acting in any capacity set forth herein or thereafter by reason of such Indemnitee having acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as to which such Indemnitee shall have been adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Indemnitee’s action was in the best interest of the Trust and furthermore, in the case of any criminal proceeding, so long as such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful; provided, however, that (1) no Indemnitee shall be indemnified hereunder against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders or any expense of such Indemnitee arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross negligence or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Indemnitee’s position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through (iv) being sometimes referred to herein as “disabling conduct”), (2) as to any matter disposed of by settlement or a compromise payment by such Indemnitee, pursuant to a consent decree or otherwise, no indemnification either for said payment or for any other expenses shall be provided unless there has been a determination that such

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settlement or compromise is in the best interests of the Trust and that such Indemnitee appears to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Indemnitee’s action was in the best interest of the Trust and did not involve disabling conduct by such Indemnitee and (3) with respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any Indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such Indemnitee was authorized by a majority of the full Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act).

(b) The Trust may make advance payments in connection with the expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might be sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation of the Indemnitee’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust unless it is subsequently determined that such Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification and if the trustees of the Trust determine that the facts then known to them would not preclude indemnification. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: (A) the Indemnitee shall provide security for such Indemnitee-undertaking, (B) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any unlawful advance, or (C) a majority of a quorum consisting of trustees of the Trust who are neither “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) nor parties to the proceeding (“Disinterested Non-Party Trustees”) or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

(c) All determinations with respect to the standards for indemnification hereunder shall be made (1) by a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that such Indemnitee is not liable or is not liable by reason of disabling conduct, or (2) in the absence of such a decision, by (i) a majority vote of a quorum of the Disinterested Non-Party Trustees of the Trust, or (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, if a majority vote of such quorum so directs, independent legal counsel in a written opinion. All determinations that advance payments in connection with the expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized and shall be made in accordance with the immediately preceding clause (2) above.

The rights accruing to any Indemnitee under these provisions shall not exclude any other right to which such Indemnitee may be lawfully entitled.

10. Limitation on Liability. (a) The Advisor will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by Advisor or by the Trust in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties under this Agreement.

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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, as provided in Section 5.1 of Article V of the Declaration of Trust, this Agreement is executed by the Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, notindividually but as such Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, and the obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders individually but bind only the estate of the Trust.

11. Duration and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective on the date hereof, and shall amend and restate the Original Agreement as of that date. Unless sooner terminated with respect to the Trust as provided herein, this Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of two years. Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the Trust for successive periods of 12 months, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (a) the vote of a majority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, and (b) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice (which notice may be waived by the Advisor), provided that such termination by the Trust shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice (which notice may be waived by the Trust). This Agreement will also immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. (As used in this Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “interested person” and “assignment” shall have the same meanings of such terms in the 1940 Act.)

12. Notices. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing to the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to time for the receipt of such notice and shall be deemed to be received on the earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid.

13. Amendment of this Agreement. No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought. Any amendment of this Agreement shall be subject to the 1940 Act.

14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for contracts to be performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act.

15. Use of the Name BlackRock. The Advisor has consented to the use by the Trust of the name or identifying word “BlackRock” in the name of the Trust. Such consent is conditioned upon the employment of the Advisor as the investment advisor to the Trust. The name or identifying word “BlackRock” may be used from time to time in other connections and for other purposes by the Advisor and any of its affiliates. The Advisor may require the Trust to cease using “BlackRock” in the name of the Trust if the Trust ceases to employ, for any reason, the Advisor, any successor thereto or any affiliate thereof as investment advisor of the Trust.

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16. Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.

17. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts by the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart, and all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers, all as of the day and the year first above written.

[Signature Page to Amended and Restated Investment Management Agreement of BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust]

Exhibit (d)(3)

AMENDED AND RESTATED SUB-INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

This AMENDED AND RESTATED SUB-INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT dated June July 1, 2019 (this “Agreement”), among BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), BlackRock Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Advisor”), and BlackRock International Limited, a corporation organized under the laws of Scotland (the “Sub-Advisor”).

WHEREAS, the Advisor has agreed to furnish investment advisory services to the Trust, a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and

WHEREAS, the investment management agreement between the Advisor and the Trust, dated September 29, 2006 (such agreement or the most recent successor agreement between such parties relating to advisory services to the Trust is referred to herein as the “Advisory Agreement”), contemplates that the Advisor may appoint a sub-adviser to perform investment advisory services with respect to the Trust; and

WHEREAS, the Advisor retained the Sub-Advisor to provide it with certain sub-advisory services as described below in connection with Advisor’s advisory activities on behalf of the Trust pursuant to a Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 11, 2013 (the “Original Sub-Advisory Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, the parties now wish to amend and restate the Original Sub-Advisory Agreement to reflect the changes implemented by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (the “FCA”) to incorporate the requirements of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (“MiFID II”) and to make certain additional amendments; and

WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, and the Sub-Advisor is willing to furnish such services upon the terms and conditions herein set forth.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:

1. Appointment. (a) The Advisor hereby appoints the Sub-Advisor to act as sub-advisor with respect to the Trust and the Sub-Advisor accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth for the compensation herein provided. For the purposes of the rules, guidance and principles of the FCA, as amended or consolidated from time to time (the “FCA Rules”) and based on information obtained in respect of the Advisor, the Advisor will be treated by the Sub-Advisor as a professional client. The Advisor acknowledges and accepts this categorization. The Advisor has the right to request a different categorization at any time from the Sub-Advisor, however, the Sub-Advisor only provides the services to professional clients and will no longer be able to provide services to the Advisor in the event of a request for a change in categorization.

(b) By signing this Agreement, the Advisor acknowledges that it has been separately provided with a copy of the supplemental disclosures document provided to clients and potential clients of the Sub-Advisor that contains the Sub-Advisor’s disclosures required under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2014/65/EU and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation EU 600/2014, as amended, and made available to the Advisor from time to time (“Supplemental Disclosures”), which sets out: (i) information on the services that the Sub-Advisor is required to provide to the Advisor by applicable regulation and (ii) other information which the Sub-Advisor deems appropriate. The Supplemental Disclosures include, among other things: risk disclosures (which provide a description of the nature of risks of financial instruments), a summary of the Sub-Advisor’s conflicts of interest policy and disclosures, a summary of the Sub-Advisor’s order execution policy, details of the reports the Sub-Advisor will provide in relation to the services provided hereunder, details on how the Sub-Advisor will provide the Advisor with information on costs and charges, and the Sub-Advisor’s data protection notice.

2. Services of the Sub-Advisor. Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section, the oversight and supervision of the Advisor and the direction and control of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Sub-Advisor will perform certain of the day-to-day operations of the Trust, which may include one or more of the following services, at the request of the Advisor: (a) acting as investment advisor for and managing the investment and reinvestment of those assets of the Trust as the Advisor may from time to time request and in connection therewith have complete discretion in purchasing and selling such securities and other assets for the Trust and in voting, exercising consents and exercising all other rights appertaining to such securities and other assets on behalf of the Trust; (b) arranging, subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets of the Trust; (c) providing investment research and credit analysis concerning the Trust’s investments, (d) assisting the Advisor in determining what portion of the Trust’s assets will be invested in cash, cash equivalents and money market instruments, (e) placing orders for all purchases and sales of such investments made for the Trust, and (f) maintaining the books and records as are required to support the Trust’s investment operations. At the request of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor will also, subject to the oversight and supervision of the Advisor and the direction and control of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, provide to the Advisor or the Trust any of the facilities and equipment and perform any of the services described in Section 3 of the Advisory Agreement. In addition, the Sub-Advisor will keep the Trust and the Advisor informed of developments materially affecting the Trust and shall, on its own initiative, furnish to the Trust from time to time whatever information the Sub-Advisor believes appropriate for this purpose. The Sub-Advisor will periodically communicate to the Advisor, at such times as the Advisor may direct, information concerning the purchase and sale of securities for the Trust, including: (a) the name of the issuer, (b) the amount of the purchase or sale, (c) the name of the broker or dealer, if any, through which the purchase or sale is effected, (d) the CUSIP number of the instrument, if any, and (e) such other information as the Advisor may reasonably require for purposes of fulfilling its obligations to the Trust under the Advisory Agreement. The Sub-Advisor will provide the services rendered by it under this Agreement in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Trust’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (as currently in effect and as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time) and the resolutions of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

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The Sub-Advisor represents, warrants and covenants that it is authorized and regulated by the FCA.

3. Covenants. (a) In the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance with, any requirements imposed by: (i) the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and all applicable Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”); (ii) any other applicable provision of law; (iii) the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, as such documents are amended from time to time; (iv) the investment objectives and policies of the Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2; and (v) any policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

(b) In addition, the Sub-Advisor will:

(i) provide the Supplemental Disclosures, which include information on the Sub-Advisor’s order execution policy (the “Order Execution Policy”). The Advisor confirms that it has read and understood, and consents to, the Order Execution Policy. In particular, the Advisor consents to: (i) the Sub-Advisor trading through brokers/counterparties and/or outside of a Trading Venue (as defined in the FCA Rules), and (ii) some or all orders resulting from the Sub-Advisor’s decisions to deal on the Advisor’s behalf, or received from the Advisor, to be placed with an affiliated company, who will act as agent for the purpose of executing such orders in accordance with the Order Execution Policy. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in placing orders with brokers and dealers, the Sub-Advisor will attempt to obtain the best price and the most favorable execution of its orders in accordance with the Order Execution Policy. In placing orders, the Sub-Advisor will consider the experience and skill of the firm’s securities traders as well as the firm’s financial responsibility and administrative efficiency. Consistent with this obligation, the Sub-Advisor may select brokers on the basis of the research, statistical and pricing services they provide to the Trust and other clients of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor. Information and research received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Sub-Advisor hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be higher than that which another qualified broker would have charged for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall responsibility of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to the Trust and their other clients and that the total commissions paid by the Trust will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Trust over the long-term. In no instance, however, will the Trust’s securities be purchased from or sold to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or any affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by applicable law. Subject to the foregoing and the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and other applicable provisions of law, the Sub-Advisor may select brokers and dealers with which it or the Trust is affiliated;

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(ii) maintain books and records with respect to the Trust’s securities transactions and will render to the Advisor and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, such periodic and special reports as they may request;

(iii) maintain a policy and practice of conducting its investment advisory services hereunder independently of the commercial banking operations of its affiliates. When the Sub-Advisor makes investment recommendations for the Trust, its investment advisory personnel will not inquire or take into consideration whether the issuer of securities proposed for purchase or sale for the Trust’s accounts are customers of the commercial department of its affiliates;

(iv) treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust all records and other information relative to the Trust, and the Trust’s prior, current or potential shareholders, and will not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Sub-Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust; and

(v) be responsible for ensuring that the Advisor complies with any position limit that the FCA or any other applicable regulator might apply to any commodity derivatives held in the Trust. The Advisor shall provide the Sub-Advisor with information relating to any positions in commodity derivatives held outside of the Trust by the Advisor or any other member of its group, as applicable.

4. Services Not Exclusive. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Sub-Advisor or any officer, employee or other affiliate thereof from acting as investment advisor for any other person, firm or corporation, or from engaging in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or restrict the Sub-Advisor or any of its officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however, that the Sub-Advisor will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will adversely affect the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.

5. Books and Records. In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Sub-Advisor hereby agrees that all records which it maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust as the case may be and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Trust, any such records upon the Trust’s request as the case may be. The Sub-Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act (to the extent such books and records are not maintained by the Advisor).

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6. Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, the Sub-Advisor will bear all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred by the Sub-Advisor in connection with its duties hereunder; provided that the Board of Trustees of the Trust may approve reimbursement to the Sub-Advisor of the pro-rata portion of the salaries, bonuses, health insurance, retirement benefits and all similar employment costs for the time spent on the Trust’s operations (including, without limitation, compliance matters) (other than the provision of investment advice and administrative services required to be provided hereunder) of all personnel employed by the Sub-Advisor who devote substantial time to the Trust’s operations or the operations of other investment companies advised or sub-advised by the Sub-Advisor.

7. Compensation.

(a) For that portion of the Trust for which the Sub-Advisor acts as sub-adviser, the Advisor agrees to pay to the Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisor agrees to accept as full compensation for all services rendered by the Sub-Advisor pursuant to this Agreement, an annual fee in arrears in an amount equal to 50.6% of the management fees received by the Advisor from the Trust with respect to the average daily value of the Managed Assets of the Trust allocated to the Sub-Advisor.

(b) For purposes of this Agreement, the Managed Assets of the Trust shall be calculated pursuant to the procedures adopted by resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Trust for calculating the value of the Trust’s assets or delegating such calculations to third parties.

(c) If Advisor waives any or all of its advisory fee payable under the Advisory Agreement, or reimburses the Trust pursuant to Section 8(b) of that Agreement, with respect to the Trust, Sub-Advisor will bear its share of the amount of such waiver or reimbursement by waiving fees otherwise payable to it hereunder on a proportionate basis to be determined by comparing the aggregate fees that would otherwise be paid to it hereunder with respect to the Trust to the aggregate fees that would otherwise be paid by the Trust to Advisor under the Advisory Agreement with respect to the Trust. Advisor shall inform Sub-Advisor prior to waiving any advisory fees.

8. Indemnity.

(a) The Trust may, with the prior consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the trustees of the Trust that are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act), indemnify the Sub-Advisor and each of the Sub-Advisor’s directors, officers, employees, agents, associates and controlling persons and the directors, partners, members, officers, employees and agents thereof (including any individual who serves at the Sub-Advisor’s request as director, officer, partner, member, trustee or the like of another entity) (each such person being an “Indemnitee”) against any liabilities and expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and counsel fees (all as provided in accordance with applicable state law) reasonably

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incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in which such Indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which such Indemnitee may be or may have been threatened, while acting in any capacity set forth herein or thereafter by reason of such Indemnitee having acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as to which such Indemnitee shall have been adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Indemnitee’s action was in the best interest of the Trust and furthermore, in the case of any criminal proceeding, so long as such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful; provided, however, that (1) no Indemnitee shall be indemnified hereunder against any liability to the Trust, the Trust’s shareholders or any expense of such Indemnitee arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross negligence or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Indemnitee’s position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through (iv) being sometimes referred to herein as “disabling conduct”), (2) as to any matter disposed of by settlement or a compromise payment by such Indemnitee, pursuant to a consent decree or otherwise, no indemnification either for said payment or for any other expenses shall be provided unless there has been a determination that such settlement or compromise is in the best interests of the Trust and that such Indemnitee appears to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Indemnitee’s action was in the best interest of the Trust and did not involve disabling conduct by such Indemnitee and (3) with respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any Indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such Indemnitee was authorized by a majority of the full Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act).

(b) The Trust shall make advance payments in connection with the expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might be sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation of the Indemnitee’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust unless it is subsequently determined that such Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification and if the trustees of the Trust determine that the facts then known to them would not preclude indemnification. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: (A) the Indemnitee shall provide a security for such Indemnitee-undertaking, (B) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any unlawful advance, or (C) a majority of a quorum consisting of trustees of the Trust who are neither “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) nor parties to the proceeding (“Disinterested Non-Party Trustees”) or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

(c) All determinations with respect to indemnification hereunder shall be made (1) by a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that such Indemnitee is not liable by reason of disabling conduct, or (2) in the absence of such a decision, by (i) a majority vote of a quorum of the Disinterested Non-Party Trustees of the Trust, or (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or even, if obtainable, if a majority vote of such quorum so directs, independent legal counsel in a written opinion. All determinations that advance payments in connection with the expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized shall be made in accordance with the immediately preceding clause (2) above.

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The rights accruing to any Indemnitee under these provisions shall not exclude any other right to which such Indemnitee may be lawfully entitled.

9. Limitation on Liability.

(a) The Sub-Advisor will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Advisor or by the Trust in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties under this Agreement. As used in this Section 8(a), the term “Sub-Advisor” shall include any affiliates of the Sub-Advisor performing services for the Trust contemplated hereby and partners, directors, officers and employees of the Sub-Advisor and such affiliates.

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, as provided in Section 5.1 of Article V of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, this Agreement is executed by the Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, not individually but as such Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, and the obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders individually but bind only the estate of the Trust.

10. Duration and Termination.

(a) This Agreement shall become effective as of July 1, 2019 and, unless sooner terminated with respect to the Trust as provided herein, shall continue in effect for a period of one year. Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the Trust for successive periods of 12 months, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (a) the vote of a majority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees or a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote and (b) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees, who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by the Trust or the Advisor at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon giving the Sub-Advisor 60 days’ notice (which notice may be waived by the Sub-Advisor), provided that such termination by the Trust or the Advisor shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, or by the Sub-Advisor on 60 days’ written notice (which notice may be waived by the Trust and the Advisor), and will terminate automatically upon any termination of the Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor. This Agreement will also immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. (As used in this Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “interested person” and “assignment” shall have the same meanings of such terms in the 1940 Act.)

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11. Notices and Communications. Any legal notice under this Agreement shall be in writing to the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to time for the receipt of such legal notice and shall be deemed to be received on the earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if such legal notice is mailed first class postage prepaid. In relation to communications other than legal notices under this Agreement, each party may communicate with and provide information to the other party in whatever medium deemed appropriate. This may include the use of e-mail, the internet or other electronic means, in the place of paper communications.

12. Amendment of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended by the parties only if such amendment is specifically approved by the vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval and, where required by the 1940 Act, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust.

13. Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.

14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for contracts to be performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act.

15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts by the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart, and all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement.

[Signature Page Follows]

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.

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Exhibit (d)(5)

Discount Management Program Standstill Agreement

This Discount Management Program Standstill Agreement is entered into as of May 3, 2024 (this “Agreement”), by and among Karpus Management, Inc., doing business as Karpus Investment Management (“Karpus”), BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”) and BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust (the “Fund”). Karpus, the Manager and the Fund are hereforth referred to as the “Parties,” and each individually as a “Party.”

WHEREAS, the Fund is a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and

WHEREAS, the Manager serves as the Fund’s investment adviser pursuant to an investment management agreement between the Fund and the Manager.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Conditional Tender Offers by the Fund.

1.1. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the performance by Karpus of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and the other conditions set forth herein:

(a) The Board of Trustees of the Fund (the “Board”) has authorized the Fund, subject to the execution of this Agreement by Karpus, to commence conditional tender offers (each, a “Conditional Tender Offer”) to purchase 2.5% (the “Maximum Amount”) of its then outstanding common shares of beneficial interest (“Common Shares”) as soon as practicable following each calendar quarter end (but in no event later than fifteen (15) Business Days (as defined below) following each calendar quarter end) during the 12-month period beginning on April 1, 2024, if and only if the Average Trading Discount (as defined below) of the Fund is greater than 7.50% for such calendar quarter. For these purposes, “Average Trading Discount” means the simple average of the trading discounts (and premiums, as the case may be) of the Common Shares on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading (each a “Business Day”) during the applicable calendar quarter, with the trading discount (or premium) on each Business Day equal to the percentage difference between the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Common Shares and the trading price of the Common Shares as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on such Business Day (the “closing price”), with a trading price below NAV expressed as a negative percentage (i.e., percentage discount) and a trading price above NAV as a positive percentage (i.e., percentage premium).¹ The Fund shall perform such calculations as soon as practicable after the applicable period (but in no event later than fifteen (15) Business Days following each calendar quarter end) in good faith and on a consistent basis using the Fund’s published daily NAV calculations and the closing price of the Common Shares as published on the Fund’s website on blackrock.com.

(b) Each Conditional Tender Offer, if any, shall include the following terms: (1) all shareholders shall have the opportunity to tender some or all of their Common Shares at a price equal to 98% of the Fund’s NAV as determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE on the next day the NAV is calculated after the expiration date of the Conditional Tender Offer or, if the Conditional Tender Offer is extended, on the next day the Fund’s NAV is calculated after the day to which the Conditional Tender Offer is extended, (2) the Fund shall purchase Common Shares properly tendered and not withdrawn on a prorated basis up to the Maximum Amount if greater than the Maximum Amount of Common Shares is properly tendered and not withdrawn, (3) the consideration to be paid by the Fund for Common Shares purchased under the Conditional Tender Offer shall consist solely of cash, and (4) if less than the Maximum Amount of Common Shares has been properly tendered and not withdrawn, then the Fund shall only be obligated to purchase such amount of Common Shares actually tendered.

(c) Each Conditional Tender Offer shall not provide for preferential treatment for any shareholders of the Fund.

(d) Each Conditional Tender Offer shall require odd lot tenders to be subject to the same proration terms as tenders of 100 shares or more.

(e) Although the Board has authorized the Fund to conduct Conditional Tender Offers under the circumstances set forth above, notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement, the Fund will not commence a Conditional Tender Offer or accept tenders of its Common Shares during any period when (i) such transactions, if consummated, would: (A) result in the delisting of the Fund’s Common Shares from the NYSE or (B) impair the Fund’s status as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; (ii) there is any (A) legal or regulatory action or proceeding instituted or threatened challenging the legality of such transaction, (B) suspension of or limitation on prices for trading securities generally on the NYSE or other national securities exchange(s), including the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) National Market System, or (C) declaration of a banking moratorium by federal or state authorities or any suspension of payment by banks in the United States or New York State; or (iii) the Board determines in good faith and upon the written advice of counsel, that effecting any such transaction would constitute a breach of its fiduciary duty owed to the Fund or its shareholders. In the event of a delay pursuant to any of clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Fund will provide prompt written notice to Karpus. In the event of a delay pursuant to either clause (i) or (ii) above, the Fund will commence the applicable Conditional Tender Offer as soon as practicable and no later than fifteen (15) days after the termination of such delaying event.

Section 2. Additional Agreements.

2.1. Karpus covenants and agrees that during the period from the date of this Agreement through the date that is the earlier of (A) three (3) years from the date of this Agreement, (B) ten (10) days prior to the record date for the Fund’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders, (C) if the Fund has not commenced a Conditional Tender Offer within fifteen (15) Business Days of the applicable calendar quarter end if required to be commenced pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the date that is sixteen (16) Business Days after the applicable calendar quarter end

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and (D) such date that the Fund determines not to conduct a Conditional Tender Offer if required to be conducted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement (which date shall not include a determination to delay a Conditional Tender Offer pursuant to the last sentence of Section 1.1(e)) (the “Standstill Period”), it will not, and will cause the affiliated persons of Karpus (as defined in the 1940 Act and which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall include (without limitation) any account or pooled investment vehicle now or in the future managed, advised or sub-advised by Karpus or its affiliated persons) (all such persons, collectively, the “Karpus Entities”) and the directors, officers and employees of Karpus (collectively with the Karpus Entities, the “Karpus Affiliates”) and its and their respective representatives not to, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert with others (including, by directing, requesting or suggesting that any other person take any of the actions set forth below), take any of the actions set forth below with respect to the Fund, unless specifically permitted in writing in advance by the Board:

(a) effect, seek, offer, engage in, propose (whether publicly or otherwise and whether or not subject to conditions) or cause, participate in or act to, or assist any other person to effect, seek, engage in, offer or propose (whether publicly or otherwise) or cause, participate in or act to or take action with respect to (other than as specifically contemplated by this Agreement):

(i) any “solicitation” of “proxies” or become a “participant” in any such “solicitation” as such terms are defined in Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including an otherwise exempt solicitation pursuant to clause (iv) of Rule 14a-1(l)(2) and including any otherwise exempt solicitation pursuant to Rule 14a-2(b), in each case, with respect to securities of the Fund (including, without limitation, any solicitation of consents to act by written consent or call a special meeting of shareholders);

(ii) publicly or privately encourage or advise any other person or assist or act to assist any person in so encouraging or advising any person with respect to the giving or withholding of any proxy, consent or other authority to vote (other than such encouragement or advice that is consistent with the recommendation of the Board with respect to the Fund);

(iii) any (i) tender or exchange offer for securities of the Fund (other than any Conditional Tender Offer contemplated by Section 1.1 or any other tender offer offered by the Fund to all shareholders), or any merger, consolidation, business combination or acquisition or disposition of assets of the Fund or (ii) recapitalization, restructuring, open-ending, liquidation, dissolution or other similar extraordinary transaction with respect to the Fund (it being understood that the foregoing shall not restrict any person from tendering Common Shares, receiving payment for Common Shares or otherwise participating in any such transaction on the same basis as other shareholders of the Fund or from participating in any such transaction that has been approved by the Board, subject to the terms of this Agreement);

(iv) engage, directly or indirectly, in any short sale that includes, relates to or derives any part of its value from a decline in the market price or value of the securities issued by the Fund;

(b) form, join or in any way participate in any “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-5(b)(1) thereunder) (other than the existing group) with respect to the securities of the Fund or in connection with seeking the election or removal of any trustee of the Fund;

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(c) deposit any securities of the Fund in any voting trust or subject any securities of the Fund to any arrangement or agreement with respect to the voting of the securities of the Fund, including, without limitation, lend any securities of the Fund to any person or entity for the purpose of allowing such person or entity to vote such securities in connection with any shareholder vote or consent of the Fund or to sell such securities, other than any such voting trust, arrangement or agreement solely among the members of Karpus and the Karpus Affiliates;

(d) seek or encourage, alone or in concert with others, (i) the election or appointment to, or representation on, the Board of the Fund, including by nominating or proposing the nomination of, or recommending the nomination of, any candidate to the Board of the Fund, or (ii) the removal or resignation of any trustee from the Board;

(e) make any proposal for consideration by shareholders of the Fund at, or bring any other business before, any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Fund (pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act or otherwise), or take any action (other than in accordance with Section 2.1 and Section 2.2) with respect to any shareholder proposal or written consent submitted prior to the date of this Agreement or during the Standstill Period;

(f) conduct a referendum of shareholders of the Fund, or make a request for a shareholder list or other books and records of the Fund under Delaware or New York law or any other statutory or regulatory provision or under the agreement and declaration of trust (the “Charter”) or By-Laws of the Fund;

(g) seek to control or influence the management, Board or policies of the Fund;

(h) institute, solicit, assist or join any litigation, arbitration or other proceeding against or involving the Fund or any of its current or former trustees or officers (including derivative actions); provided, however, that for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not prevent Karpus from (A) bringing litigation to enforce the provisions of this Agreement, (B) making counterclaims with respect to any proceeding initiated by, or on behalf of, the Fund against Karpus, or (C) responding to or complying with a validly initiated legal process;

(i) make any public statement or proposal with respect to (i) any change in the number or term of trustees or the filling of any vacancies on the Board, (ii) any change in the capitalization, share repurchase program, dividend policy or distribution policy of the Fund, (iii) any other material change in the Fund’s management, business, policies or corporate structure, or (iv) any waiver, amendment or modification to the Charter or By-Laws of the Fund;

(j) publicly or privately disclose any intention, plan or arrangement inconsistent with the foregoing;

(k) enter into any discussions, negotiations, arrangements or understandings with any person with respect to any of the foregoing, or advise, assist, encourage or seek to persuade others to take any action with respect to any of the foregoing; or

(l) publicly, or privately in a manner that is intended to or would reasonably be expected to require any public disclosure by the Fund or Karpus, request that (x) the Fund, the Board, or any of their respective representatives amend or waive any provision of this Section 2.1 (including this sentence) or (y) the Board to specifically invite Karpus or any of the Karpus Affiliates to take any of the actions prohibited by this Section 2.1.

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Nothing in this Section 2.1 shall be deemed to prohibit Karpus and the Karpus Affiliates from communicating privately with Fund’s trustees, officers, investment adviser (including the Manager) and any sub-adviser, so long as (i) such private communications are not intended to and would not reasonably be expected to trigger public disclosure obligations for any Party and (ii) such private communications do not violate the terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the term “affiliate” with respect to Karpus shall not include (and the defined terms “Karpus”, “Karpus Entities” and “Karpus Affiliates” shall not include) any separately operated affiliated registered investment adviser or any account or pooled investment vehicle now or in the future managed, advised or sub-advised by such separately operated affiliated registered investment adviser that is disaggregated from Karpus for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (a “Separate RIA”), provided that (i) any common shares of the Fund owned, controlled or held by such Separate RIA were acquired in the ordinary course of such Separate RIA’s investment management business and not with the intent or purpose of influencing control of the Fund, and (ii) information barriers and related procedures between Karpus and each Separate RIA have been established and maintained.

2.2. Karpus covenants and agrees that during the Standstill Period, and provided that it (or any of the Karpus Affiliates) owns or controls Common Shares of the Fund, it will, and will cause the Karpus Affiliates to:

(a) appear by proxy or otherwise at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Fund, including for the avoidance of doubt the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund, and to cause all Common Shares it and the Karpus Affiliates beneficially own as of the record date for such meeting to be counted as present thereat for purposes of a quorum; and

(b) vote or cause to be voted at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Fund, including for the avoidance of doubt the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund, all of the Common Shares it and the Karpus Affiliates beneficially own as of the record date for such meeting (i) in favor of any proposal with respect to which the Board recommends a vote in favor of such proposal (including in favor of election of the nominees of the Board), and (ii) against any proposal with respect to which the Board recommends a vote against such proposal or any proposal made in opposition to, or in competition or inconsistent with, the recommendation of the Board (including regarding the election of the nominees to the Board or a shareholder proposal submitted to the Fund pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act or otherwise).

For the avoidance of doubt, if Karpus or any of the Karpus Affiliates lends any Common Shares of the Fund to any third party (in compliance with the restrictions in Section 2.1), Karpus or the Karpus Affiliates, as applicable, shall recall any such stock loan in advance of the record date for any vote of or consent by the shareholders of the Fund so that Karpus shall have full voting rights with respect to all such loaned Common Shares. In no event shall Karpus or any Karpus Affiliate enter into any agreement with the intent of disposing, or resulting in the disposition of, its rights to vote any of the Common Shares of the Fund in circumvention of the requirements of this Section 2.2; provided, however, that a final sale of Common Shares of the Fund (not coupled with any repurchase agreement or similar reacquisition agreement) shall not be considered a prohibited sale of voting rights in contravention of this Section 2.2.

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2.3. During the Standstill Period: (i) upon the written request of the Fund, which shall be no more frequently than once each fiscal year of the Fund, Karpus will notify the Fund in writing of the number of Common Shares beneficially owned by it and the Karpus Affiliates and (ii) Karpus shall take such reasonable actions as are necessary and practical to prevent the present and future Karpus Affiliates from engaging in conduct otherwise prohibited by this Agreement.

2.4. Karpus represents and warrants as follows:

(a) It has the power and authority to execute, deliver and carry out the terms and provisions of this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

(b) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by it and is enforceable against Karpus in accordance with its terms.

(c) The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not contravene any agreement, organizational document or provision of law applicable to it.

(d) Karpus beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, and has the sole power to vote all of the Common Shares of the Fund described in the recitals to this Agreement, and its ownership of such Common Shares has at all times complied with applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the Exchange Act, and the rules under such Acts.

(e) As of the date hereof, neither Karpus nor any of the Karpus Affiliates is a party to any derivative securities, including without limitation any swap or hedging transactions or other derivative agreement, or any securities lending or short sale arrangements, of any nature with respect to the Common Shares of the Fund.

2.5. The Fund and the Manager each represent and warrant as follows:

(a) It has the power and authority to execute, deliver and carry out the terms and provisions of this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

(b) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by it and is enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

(c) The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not contravene any agreement, organizational document or provision of law applicable to it.

Section 3. Press Releases; Public Statements.

3.1. Karpus, the Manager and the Fund agree that, no later than two business days following the execution of this Agreement, the Fund will issue a press release in the form attached hereto as Appendix A announcing the entry into and terms of this Agreement, and the determination of the Board to authorize the Conditional Tender Offers (the “Fund Press Release”), and no Party shall make any statement inconsistent with the Fund Press Release during the Standstill Period. No Party shall issue any press release in connection with this Agreement or the actions contemplated hereby without the prior written consent of the other Parties (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent

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(a) any Party from taking any action required by any governmental or regulatory authority (except to the extent such requirement arose as a result of the discretionary act(s) of such Party), including without limitation any statements, filings, notices or announcements made in the context of an issuer tender offer conducted under Section 13(e)(1) of, or pursuant to Schedule TO under, the Exchange Act, and (b) any Party from making any factual statement that is required in any compelled testimony or production of information, either by legal process, by subpoena or as part of a response to a request for information from any governmental authority with jurisdiction over such Party or as otherwise legally required and (c) subject to Section 5.1 of this Agreement, any Party from communicating privately with their respective investors, prospective investors and governance boards regarding the terms of this Agreement; provided that such communication is otherwise consistent with this Agreement and the Fund Press Release.

Section 4. Termination.

4.1. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, and except for regulatory requirements or natural disasters/occurrences beyond the Fund’s control, if the Fund fails to conduct a Conditional Tender Offer if required to be conducted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, this Agreement shall immediately terminate.

4.2. Otherwise, this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until the earlier of:

(a) the expiration of the Standstill Period; and

(b) such other date as may be established by mutual written agreement of the Fund, the Manager and Karpus.

4.3. Section 6 and Section 7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement. No termination pursuant to Section 4.1 relieves any Party from liability for any breach of this Agreement prior to such termination.

Section 5. No Disparagement.

5.1. During the Standstill Period, the Fund, the Manager and Karpus shall each refrain from making, and shall cause their respective affiliates and its and their respective principals, directors, trustees, members, general partners, officers, agents, advisors, and employees not to make or cause to be made any statement or announcement, including in any document or report filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or through the press, media, analysts or other persons, that constitutes an ad hominem attack on, or otherwise, whether true or false, disparages, defames, slanders, impugns or is reasonably likely to damage the reputation, character, honesty, integrity, morality, business acumen or abilities of, (a) in the case of such statements or announcements by Karpus: the Fund or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries or advisors (including the Manager and any sub-adviser to the Fund), or any of its or their respective current or former officers, directors, trustees or employees (including, without limitation, any statements or announcements regarding the Fund’s strategy, operations, performance, products or services), and (b) in the case of statements or announcements by the Fund or the Manager: Karpus and the Karpus Affiliates, subsidiaries or advisors, or any of its or their respective principals, directors, members, general partners, officers, or employees or any person who has served in any such capacity with respect to Karpus and Karpus’s advisors.

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Section 6. Miscellaneous.

6.1. Specific Performance. Each Party hereto hereby acknowledges and agrees that irreparable harm will occur in the event any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the Parties will be entitled to seek specific performance hereunder, including, without limitation, an injunction or injunctions to prevent and enjoin breaches of the provisions of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof in any state or federal court in the State of New York, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law or in equity. Any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with respect to any such remedy are hereby waived. All rights and remedies under this Agreement are cumulative, not exclusive, and will be in addition to all rights and remedies available to any Party at law or in equity.

6.2. Jurisdiction; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial. The Parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally consent to and submit to the jurisdiction of the state or federal courts in the State of New York for any actions, suits or proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. The Parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any action, suit or proceeding arising out of this Agreement, or the transactions contemplated hereby, in the state or federal courts in the State of New York, and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each of the Parties waives all right to trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

6.3. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and may be amended only by an agreement in writing executed by the Parties hereto. This Agreement supersedes all previous negotiations, representations and discussions by the Parties hereto concerning the subject matter hereof, and integrates the whole of all of their agreements and understanding concerning same. No prior oral representations or undertakings concerning the subject matter hereof will operate to amend, supersede, or replace any of the terms or conditions set forth in this Agreement, nor will they be relied upon.

6.4. Section Headings. Descriptive headings are for convenience only and will not control or affect the meaning or construction of any provision of this Agreement.

6.5. Notice. All notices, consents, requests, instructions, approvals and other communications provided for herein and all legal process in regard hereto will be validly given, made or served, if in writing and sent by email, with a copy by personal delivery, certified mail, return receipt requested, or by overnight courier service to:

If to the Fund and/or the Manager, to:

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust (BGR)

BlackRock Advisors, LLC

50 Hudson Yards

New York, New York 10001

Attention: Janey Ahn, Secretary

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with a copy to (which copy shall not constitute notice):

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

787 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

Attention: Elliot J. Gluck

If to Karpus, to:

Karpus Management, Inc.

183 Sully’s Trail

Pittsford, New York 14534

Attn: Daniel Lippincott, President & CIO

with copies to (which copies shall not constitute notice):

Baker & Hostetler LLP

45 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, New York 10111

Attn: Adam Finerman

6.6. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction will, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of any provisions of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. In addition, the Parties agree to use commercially reasonable efforts to agree upon and substitute a valid and enforceable term, provision, covenant or restriction for any such term, provision, covenant or restriction that is held invalid, void or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction.

6.7 Expenses. All attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and all matters related hereto will be paid by the party incurring such fees, costs or expenses.

6.8. Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of law principles thereof.

6.9. Binding Effect; No Assignment. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by and against, as applicable, the successors and assigns of the Parties hereto. Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, is intended to confer on any person other than the Parties hereto and those persons or categories of persons specifically enumerated herein, or their respective successors and assigns, any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement. No Party to this Agreement may, directly or indirectly, assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder (whether voluntarily, involuntarily, or by operation of law) without the prior written consent of the other Parties. Any such attempted assignment will be null and void.

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6.10. Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by an instrument in writing signed by the Parties hereto, and no provision hereof may be waived other than by an instrument in writing signed by the Party against whom enforcement is sought.

6.11. Receipt of Adequate Information; No Reliance; Representation by Counsel. Each Party acknowledges that it has received adequate information to enter into this Agreement, that is has not relied on any promise, representation or warranty, express or implied not contained in this Agreement and that it has been represented by counsel in connection with this Agreement. Accordingly, any rule of law or any legal decision that would provide any Party with a defense to the enforcement of the terms of this Agreement against such Party by reason of the foregoing shall have no application and is expressly waived. The provisions of the Agreement shall be interpreted in a reasonable manner to effect the intent of the Parties.

6.12. Counterparts; Electronic Execution. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page of this Agreement by email or other electronic means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterparty hereof.

[Signatures appear on next page]

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.

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Appendix A

Press Release

[See next page]

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Exhibit 107

EX-FILING FEES

Calculation of Filing Fee Tables

SC TO-I

(Form Type)

BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1: Transaction Valuation