Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income tax expense for continuing operations including noncontrolling interests

Details of income tax expense for continuing operations including noncontrolling interests were as follows:

	Dominion Energy									Virginia Power									Dominion Energy Gas
Year Ended December 31,	2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015
(millions)
Current:
Federal	$	(1	)	$	(155	)	$	(24	)	$	432		$	168		$	316		$	16		$	(27	)	$	90
State		(26	)		85			75			73			90			92			8			4			30
Total current expense (benefit)		(27	)		(70	)		51			505			258			408			24			(23	)		120
Deferred:
Federal
2017 Tax Reform Act impact		(851	)		—			—			(93	)		—			—			(197	)		—			—
Taxes before operating loss carryforwards and investment tax credits		739			1,050			384			319			435			154			199			239			156
Tax utilization expense (benefit) of operating loss carryforwards		174			(161	)		539			4			(2	)		96			5			(2	)		6
Investment tax credits		(200	)		(248	)		(134	)		(23	)		(25	)		(11	)		—			—			—
State		132			50			66			59			27			13			20			1			1
Total deferred expense (benefit)		(6	)		691			855			266			435			252			27			238			163
Investment tax credit-gross deferral		5			35			—			5			35			—			—			—			—
Investment tax credit-amortization		(2	)		(1	)		(1	)		(2	)		(1	)		(1	)		—			—			—
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	(30	)	$	655		$	905		$	774		$	727		$	659		$	51		$	215		$	283

Effective Income Tax

For continuing operations including noncontrolling interests, the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate reconciles to the Companies’ effective income tax rate as follows:

	Dominion Energy									Virginia Power									Dominion Energy Gas
Year Ended December 31,	2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015
U.S. statutory rate		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%		35.0	%
Increases (reductions) resulting from:
State taxes, net of federal benefit		2.0			2.4			3.7			3.7			3.8			3.9			2.4			0.5			2.7
Investment tax credits		(6.3	)		(11.7	)		(4.7	)		(0.8	)		—			(0.6	)		—			—			—
Production tax credits		(0.7	)		(0.8	)		(0.8	)		(0.4	)		(0.5	)		(0.6	)		—			—			—
Valuation allowances		0.2			1.2			(0.3	)		—			0.1			—			0.3			—			—
Federal legislative change		(27.5	)		—			—			(4.0	)		—			—			(29.5	)		—			—
State legislative change		—			(0.6	)		(0.1	)		—			—			—			—			—			—
AFUDC—equity		(1.4	)		(0.6	)		(0.3	)		(0.6	)		(0.6	)		(0.6	)		(0.9	)		(0.2	)		0.2
Employee stock ownership plan deduction		(0.6	)		(0.6	)		(0.6	)		—			—			—			—			—			—
Other, net		(1.7	)		(1.4	)		0.1			0.6			(0.4	)		0.6			0.4			0.1			0.3
Effective tax rate		(1.0	)%		22.9	%		32.0	%		33.5	%		37.4	%		37.7	%		7.7	%		35.4	%		38.2	%

Deferred income taxes components

The Companies’ deferred income taxes consist of the following:

	Dominion Energy						Virginia Power						Dominion Energy Gas
At December 31,	2017			2016			2017			2016			2017			2016
(millions)
Deferred income taxes:
Total deferred income tax assets	$	2,686		$	1,827		$	923			$   268			$   320		$	126
Total deferred income tax liabilities		7,158			10,381			3,600			5,323			1,774			2,564
Total net deferred income tax liabilities	$	4,472		$	8,554		$	2,677			$5,055			$1,454		$	2,438
Total deferred income taxes:
Plant and equipment, primarily depreciation method and basis differences	$	5,056		$	7,782		$	2,969			$4,604			$1,132		$	1,726
Excess deferred income taxes		(1,050	)		—			(687	)		—			(244	)		—
Nuclear decommissioning		829			1,240			260			406			—			—
Deferred state income taxes		834			747			378			321			227			204
Federal benefit of deferred state income taxes		(175	)		(261	)		(79	)		(112	)		(48	)		(71	)
Deferred fuel, purchased energy and gas costs		1			(25	)		(3	)		(29	)		2			4
Pension benefits		141			155			(104	)		(138	)		419			646
Other postretirement benefits		(51	)		(68	)		44			49			(2	)		(6	)
Loss and credit carryforwards		(1,536	)		(1,547	)		(111	)		(88	)		(4	)		(5	)
Valuation allowances		146			135			5			3			3			—
Partnership basis differences		473			688			—			—			26			43
Other		(196	)		(292	)		5			39			(57	)		(103	)
Total net deferred income tax liabilities	$	4,472		$	8,554		$	2,677			$5,055			$1,454		$	2,438
Deferred Investment Tax Credits – Regulated Operations		51			48			51			48			—			—
Total Deferred Taxes and Deferred Investment Tax Credits	$	4,523		$	8,602		$	2,728			$5,103			$1,454		$	2,438

Summary of deductible loss and credit carryforwards

At December 31, 2017, Dominion Energy had the following deductible loss and credit carryforwards:

	Deductible Amount		Deferred Tax Asset		Valuation Allowance			Expiration Period
(millions)
Federal losses		$   560		$   118		$    —			2034
Federal investment credits		—		938		—			2033-2037
Federal production credits		—		129		—			2031-2037
Other federal credits		—		58		—			2031-2037
State losses		1,366		103		(63	)		2018-2037
State minimum tax credits		—		90		—			No expiration
State investment and other credits		—		100		(83	)		2018-2027
Total		$1,926		$1,536		$(146	)

At December 31, 2017, Virginia Power had the following deductible loss and credit carryforwards:

	Deductible Amount		Deferred Tax Asset		Valuation Allowance			Expiration Period
(millions)
Federal losses		$  1		$   —		$—			2034
Federal investment credits		—		51		—			2034-2037
Federal production and other credits		—		51		—			2031-2037
State investment credits		—		9		(5	)		2024
Total		$  1		$111		$(5	)

At December 31, 2017, Dominion Energy Gas had the following deductible loss and credit carryforwards:

	Deductible Amount		Deferred Tax Asset		Valuation Allowance			Expiration Period
(millions)
Other federal credits		$ —		$1		$—			2032-2036
State losses		33		3		(3	)		2036-2037
Total		$33		$4		$(3	)

Reconciliation of changes in unrecognized tax benefits

A reconciliation of changes in the Companies’ unrecognized tax benefits follows:

	Dominion Energy									Virginia Power									Dominion Energy Gas
	2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015			2017			2016			2015
(millions)
Balance at January 1	$	64		$	103		$	145		$	13		$	12		$	36			$  7		$	29			$29
Increases-prior period positions		1			9			2			—			4			—			—			1			—
Decreases-prior period positions		(9	)		(44	)		(40	)		(1	)		(3	)		(25	)		—			(19	)		—
Increases-current period positions		5			6			8			—			—			1			—			—			—
Settlements with tax authorities		(23	)		(8	)		(5	)		(8	)		—			—			(7	)		(4	)		—
Expiration of statutes of limitations		—			(2	)		(7	)		—			—			—			—			—			—
Balance at December 31	$	38		$	64		$	103		$	4		$	13		$	12			$—		$	7			$29

Earliest tax year remaining

For each of the major states in which Dominion Energy operates, the earliest tax year remaining open for examination is as follows:

State	Earliest Open Tax Year
Pennsylvania(1)		2012
Connecticut		2014
Virginia(2)		2014
West Virginia(1)		2014
New York(1)		2011
Utah		2014

(1) Considered a major state for Dominion Energy Gas’ operations.

(2) Considered a major state for Virginia Power’s operations.