Variable Interest Entities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]

Variable Interest Entities

VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

The primary beneficiary of a VIE is required to consolidate the VIE and to disclose certain information about its significant variable interests in the VIE. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is the entity that has both 1) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and 2) the obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

Virginia Power has long-term power and capacity contracts with four non-utility generators with an aggregate summer generation capacity of approximately 870 MW. These contracts contain certain variable pricing mechanisms in the form of partial fuel reimbursement that Virginia Power considers to be variable interests. After an evaluation of the information provided by these entities, Virginia Power was unable to determine whether they were VIEs. However, the information they provided, as well as Virginia Power's knowledge of generation facilities in Virginia, enabled Virginia Power to conclude that, if they were VIEs, it would not be the primary beneficiary. This conclusion reflects Virginia Power's determination that its variable interests do not convey the power to direct the most significant activities that impact the economic performance of the entities during the remaining terms of Virginia Power's contracts and for the years the entities are expected to operate after its contractual relationships expire. The contracts expire at various dates ranging from 2015 to 2021. Virginia Power is not subject to any risk of loss from these potential VIEs other than its remaining purchase commitments which totaled $1.3 billion as of December 31, 2011. Virginia Power paid $211 million, $213 million, and $210 million for electric capacity and $125 million, $164 million, and $117 million for electric energy to these entities for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Virginia Power purchased shared services from DRS, an affiliated VIE, of approximately $389 million, $465 million, and $416 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Virginia Power determined that it is not the most closely associated entity with DRS and therefore not the primary beneficiary. DRS provides accounting, legal, finance and certain administrative and technical services to all Dominion subsidiaries, including Virginia Power. Virginia Power has no obligation to absorb more than its allocated share of DRS costs.

Dominion leases the Fairless generating facility in Pennsylvania from Juniper, the lessor, which began commercial operations in June 2004. Dominion makes annual lease payments of approximately $53 million. The lease expires in 2013 and, at that time, Dominion may renew the lease on terms mutually agreeable to Dominion and Juniper based on original project costs and current market conditions; purchase Fairless for approximately $923 million or sell Fairless, on behalf of Juniper, to an independent third party. If Fairless is sold and the proceeds from the sale are less than its original construction cost, Dominion would be required to make a payment to the lessor in an amount up to 70.75% of the original project costs adjusted for certain other costs as specified in the lease. The lease agreement does not contain any provisions that involve credit rating or stock price trigger events. Dominion expects to purchase Fairless when the least expires in 2013.

Juniper was formed in 2003 as a limited partnership and was organized for the purpose of acquiring and constructing a number of assets for lease. Such assets were financed with proceeds from the issuance of bank debt, privately placed long-term debt and partnership capital received from Juniper's general and limited partners. Dominion has no voting equity interest in Juniper. Because Juniper had been subject to the business scope exception, Dominion was not required to evaluate whether Juniper was a VIE prior to October 2011.

Through September 30, 2011, Juniper held various power plant leases, including Fairless. In October 2011, the last lease other than Fairless expired and the related asset was sold by Juniper. With Fairless being its sole remaining asset, Juniper no longer qualified as a business as of October 2011, which required that Dominion determine whether Juniper is a VIE. Dominion concluded Juniper is a VIE because the entity's capitalization is insufficient to support its operations, the power to direct the most significant activities of the entity are not performed by the equity holders, and Dominion, through its residual value guarantee discussed above, guarantees a portion of the residual value of Fairless. The activities that most significantly impact Juniper's economic performance relate to the operation of Fairless. The decisions related to the operations of Fairless are made by Dominion and as such, Dominion is considered the primary beneficiary.

Accordingly, Dominion consolidated Juniper in October 2011 and recorded, at fair value, approximately $957 million of property, plant and equipment, $896 million of debt and $61 million of noncontrolling interests. The debt is non-recourse to Dominion and is secured by Juniper's assets. The annual lease payments made by Dominion to Juniper for Fairless are now eliminated in the Consolidated Statements of Income and are excluded from the lease commitments table in Note 23.

Dominion has not provided any financial or other support to Juniper in the current period that it was not previously contractually required to provide.