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Long-Term Debt
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Long-term Debt, Unclassified [Abstract]  
Long-Term Debt
LONG-TERM DEBT
The following details long-term debt outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 (dollars in thousands):
Maturity
 
 
 
Interest
 
March 31,
 
December 31,
Year
 
Description
 
Rate
 
2015
 
2014
Avista Corp. Secured Long-Term Debt
 
 
 
 
 
 
2016
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
0.84%
 
$
90,000

 
$
90,000

2018
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
5.95%
 
250,000

 
250,000

2018
 
Secured Medium-Term Notes
 
7.39%-7.45%
 
22,500

 
22,500

2019
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
5.45%
 
90,000

 
90,000

2020
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
3.89%
 
52,000

 
52,000

2022
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
5.13%
 
250,000

 
250,000

2023
 
Secured Medium-Term Notes
 
7.18%-7.54%
 
13,500

 
13,500

2028
 
Secured Medium-Term Notes
 
6.37%
 
25,000

 
25,000

2032
 
Secured Pollution Control Bonds (1)
 
(1)
 
66,700

 
66,700

2034
 
Secured Pollution Control Bonds (1)
 
(1)
 
17,000

 
17,000

2035
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
6.25%
 
150,000

 
150,000

2037
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
5.70%
 
150,000

 
150,000

2040
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
5.55%
 
35,000

 
35,000

2041
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
4.45%
 
85,000

 
85,000

2044
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
4.11%
 
60,000

 
60,000

2047
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
4.23%
 
80,000

 
80,000

 
 
Total Avista Corp. secured long-term debt
 
 
 
1,436,700

 
1,436,700

Alaska Electric Light and Power Company Secured Long-Term Debt
 
 
 
 
 
 
2044
 
First Mortgage Bonds
 
4.54%
 
75,000

 
75,000

 
 
Total consolidated secured long-term debt
 
 
 
1,511,700

 
1,511,700

Alaska Energy and Resources Company Unsecured Long-Term Debt
 
 
 
 
 
 
2019
 
Unsecured Term Loan
 
3.85%
 
15,000

 
15,000

 
 
Total secured and unsecured long-term debt
 
 
 
1,526,700

 
1,526,700

 
 
Other long-term debt and capital leases
 
 
 
74,198

 
74,149

 
 
Settled interest rate swaps (2)
 
 
 
(17,439
)
 
(17,541
)
 
 
Unamortized debt discount
 
 
 
(1,081
)
 
(1,122
)
 
 
Total
 
 
 
1,582,378

 
1,582,186

 
 
Secured Pollution Control Bonds held by Avista Corporation (1)
 
 
 
(83,700
)
 
(83,700
)
 
 
Current portion of long-term debt and capital leases
 
 
 
(3,132
)
 
(6,424
)
 
 
Total long-term debt and capital leases
 
 
 
$
1,495,546

 
$
1,492,062

 
(1)
In December 2010, $66.7 million and $17.0 million of the City of Forsyth, Montana Pollution Control Revenue Refunding Bonds (Avista Corporation Colstrip Project) due in 2032 and 2034, respectively, which had been held by Avista Corp. since 2008 and 2009, respectively, were refunded by new bond issues (Series 2010A and Series 2010B). The new bonds were not offered to the public and were purchased by Avista Corp. due to market conditions. The Company expects that at a later date, subject to market conditions, these bonds may be remarketed to unaffiliated investors. So long as Avista Corp. is the holder of these bonds, the bonds will not be reflected as an asset or a liability on Avista Corp.'s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(2)
Upon settlement of interest rate swaps, these are recorded as a regulatory asset or liability and included as part of long-term debt above. They are amortized as a component of interest expense over the life of the associated debt and included as a part of the Company's cost of debt calculation for ratemaking purposes.
Snettisham Capital Lease Obligation
Included in long-term capital leases above is a power purchase agreement between AEL&P and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), an agency of the State of Alaska, under which AEL&P has a take-or-pay obligation, expiring in December 2038, to purchase all the output of the 78 MW Snettisham hydroelectric project. For accounting purposes, this power purchase agreement is treated as a capital lease.
The balances related to the Snettisham capital lease obligation as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were as follows (dollars in thousands):
 
 
March 31,
 
December 31,
 
 
2015
 
2014
Capital lease obligation (1)
 
$
69,398

 
$
69,955

Capital lease asset (2)
 
71,007

 
71,007

Accumulated amortization of capital lease asset (2)
 
2,731

 
1,821

(1)
The capital lease obligation amount is equal to the amount of AIDEA's revenue bonds outstanding.
(2)
These amounts are included in utility plant in service on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Interest on the capital lease obligation and amortization of the capital lease asset are included in utility resource costs in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and totaled the following amounts for the three months ended March 31 (dollars in thousands):
 
2015
 
2014
Interest on capital lease obligation
$
923

 
$

Amortization of capital lease asset
910

 


AIDEA issued $100.0 million in revenue bonds in 1998 to finance its acquisition of the project and the payments by AEL&P are designed to be more than sufficient to enable the AIDEA to pay the principal and interest amount of its revenue bonds, bearing interest at rates ranging from 4.9 percent to 6.0 percent and maturing in January 2034. AEL&P will make its last bond payment to AIDEA in December 2033. The payments by AEL&P under the agreement are unconditional, notwithstanding any suspension, reduction or curtailment of the operation of the project. The bonds are payable solely out of AIDEA's receipts under the agreement. AEL&P is also obligated to operate, maintain and insure the project. AEL&P's payments for power under the agreement are approximately $10.6 million per year, while debt service on the bonds is approximately $5.9 million per year, which is included in the $10.6 million total cost of power.
In May 2015, AIDEA posted a notice on the Electronic Municipal Market Access and the Bloomberg websites indicating it is considering an offering of tax-exempt refunding bonds with the purpose of refunding all or a portion of their outstanding revenue bonds associated with the Snettisham Hydroelectric Project. The transaction is currently anticipated to price in June 2015. The size and timing of the anticipated transaction remains subject to market conditions and AIDEA reserves the right to change or modify its plans as it deems appropriate. AIDEA is under no obligation to pursue this transaction or any other new money or refunding issue and there is no guarantee any contemplated transactions will be consummated.
Snettisham Electric Company, a non-operating subsidiary of AERC, has the option to purchase the Snettisham project with certain conditions at any time for the principal amount of the bonds outstanding at that time.
While the power purchase agreement is treated as a capital lease for accounting purposes, for ratemaking purposes, this agreement is treated as an operating lease with a constant level of annual rental expense (straight line expense). Because of this regulatory treatment, any difference between the operating lease expense for ratemaking purposes and the expenses recognized under capital lease treatment (interest and depreciation of the capital lease asset) is recorded as a regulatory asset and amortized during the later years of the lease when the capital lease expense is less than the operating lease expense included in base rates.
The Company evaluated this agreement to determine if it has a variable interest which must be consolidated. Based on this evaluation, AIDEA will not be consolidated under ASC 810 "Consolidation" because AIDEA is a government agency and ASC 810 has a specific scope exception which does not allow for the consolidation of government organizations.
The following table details future capital lease obligations, including interest, under the Snettisham PPA (dollars in thousands):
 
Remaining
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2015
 
2016
 
2017
 
2018
 
2019
 
Thereafter
 
Total
Principal
$
1,673

 
$
2,350

 
$
2,480

 
$
2,615

 
$
2,755

 
$
57,525

 
$
69,398

Interest
2,767

 
3,567

 
3,438

 
3,305

 
3,165

 
25,364

 
41,606

Total
$
4,440

 
$
5,917

 
$
5,918

 
$
5,920

 
$
5,920

 
$
82,889

 
$
111,004