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Property, Plant and Equipment
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]  
Property, Plant and Equipment Property, Plant and Equipment
(a) Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment includes the following:
December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Weighted Average Useful LivesProperty, Plant and Equipment, GrossAccumulated Depreciation & AmortizationProperty, Plant and Equipment, NetProperty, Plant and Equipment, GrossAccumulated Depreciation & AmortizationProperty, Plant and Equipment, Net
(in years)(in millions)
CenterPoint Energy
Electric transmission and distribution 36$17,156 $4,658 $12,498 $15,225 $4,785 $10,440 
Electric generation (1)
261,807 1,179 628 1,922 754 1,168 
Natural gas distribution3013,578 3,981 9,597 14,022 4,019 10,003 
Finance ROU asset mobile generation7.5179 — 179 — — — 
Other property
16953 371 582 1,345 594 751 
Total
$33,673 $10,189 $23,484 $32,514 $10,152 $22,362 
Houston Electric
Electric transmission and distribution38$13,321 $3,502 $9,819 $11,911 $3,396 $8,515 
Finance ROU asset mobile generation7.5179 — 179 — — — 
Other property191,773 568 1,205 1,682 534 1,148 
Total
$15,273 $4,070 $11,203 $13,593 $3,930 $9,663 
CERC
Natural gas distribution29$7,833 $2,093 $5,740 $8,928 $2,392 $6,536 
Other property1945 22 23 44 22 22 
Total
$7,878 $2,115 $5,763 $8,972 $2,414 $6,558 

(1)SIGECO and AGC own a 300 MW unit at the Warrick Power Plant (Warrick Unit 4) as tenants in common. SIGECO’s share of the cost of this unit as of December 31, 2021, is $196 million with accumulated depreciation totaling $154 million. AGC and SIGECO share equally in the cost of operation and output of the unit. SIGECO’s share
of operating costs is included in Operation and maintenance expense in CenterPoint Energy’s Statements of Consolidated Income.

(b) Depreciation and Amortization

The following table presents depreciation and amortization expense for 2021, 2020 and 2019:
 Year Ended December 31,
 202120202019
 CenterPoint EnergyHouston ElectricCERCCenterPoint EnergyHouston ElectricCERCCenterPoint EnergyHouston ElectricCERC
 (in millions)
Depreciation$1,024 $391 $311 $961 $368 $289 $879 $339 $277 
Amortization of securitized regulatory assets
213 213 — 155 155 — 271 271 — 
Other amortization
79 38 15 73 37 15 75 38 16 
Total
$1,316 $642 $326 $1,189 $560 $304 $1,225 $648 $293 

(c) AROs

The Registrants recorded AROs associated with the removal of asbestos and asbestos-containing material in its buildings, including substation building structures. CenterPoint Energy recorded AROs relating to the closure of the ash ponds at A.B. Brown and F.B. Culley. CenterPoint Energy and Houston Electric also recorded AROs relating to treated wood poles for electric distribution, distribution transformers containing PCB (also known as Polychlorinated Biphenyl), and underground fuel storage tanks. CenterPoint Energy and CERC also recorded AROs relating to gas pipelines abandoned in place. The estimates of future liabilities were developed using historical information, and where available, quoted prices from outside contractors.

A reconciliation of the changes in the ARO liability recorded in Other non-current liabilities on each of the Registrants’ respective Consolidated Balance Sheets is as follows:
 December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
 CenterPoint EnergyHouston ElectricCERCCenterPoint EnergyHouston ElectricCERC
 (in millions)
Beginning balance$787 $43 $571 $539 $42 $325 
Accretion expense (1)
21 12 16 11 
Revisions in estimates (2)
(67)(2)(93)232 — 235 
Ending balance
$741 $42 $490 $787 $43 $571 

(1)Reflected in Regulatory assets on each of the Registrants’ respective Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(2)In 2021, the Registrants reflected a decrease in their respective ARO liability, which is primarily attributable to increases in the long-term interest rates used for discounting in the ARO calculation.