LEASES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Leases of Lessee Disclosure [Text Block]

LEASES

NU, including CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, has entered into lease agreements, some of which are capital leases, for the use of data processing and office equipment, vehicles and office space. In addition, CL&P, PSNH and WMECO incur costs associated with leases entered into by NUSCO and RRR, which are included below in their respective operating lease rental expenses and future minimum rental payments. These intercompany lease amounts are eliminated on an NU consolidated basis.The provisions of the NU, CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH, and WMECO lease agreements generally contain renewal options. Certain lease agreements contain payments impacted by the commercial paper rate plus a credit spread or the consumer price index.

Operating lease rental payments charged to expense were as follows:

					NSTAR
(Millions of Dollars)	NU		CL&P		Electric (1)		PSNH		WMECO
2012	$	14.8	$	8.2	$	6.2	$	2.5	$	3.0
2011		8.4		8.3		19.8		2.1		2.8
2010		11.9		10.0		19.2		2.2		2.8

• NSTAR Electric amounts are included in NU consolidated from the date of the merger, April 10, 2012, through December 31, 2012. NSTAR Electric amounts are not included in NU consolidated for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Future minimum rental payments to external third parties excluding executory costs, such as property taxes, state use taxes, insurance, and maintenance, under long-term noncancelable leases, as of December 31, 2012 are as follows:

Capital Leases
(Millions of Dollars)	NU		CL&P		PSNH
2013	$	2.8	$	2.2	$	0.5
2014		2.2		2.0		0.2
2015		2.2		2.0		0.2
2016		2.0		1.9		0.1
2017		2.0		2.0		0.0
Thereafter		7.5		7.3		0.0
Future minimum lease payments		18.7		17.4		1.0
Less amount representing interest		7.6		7.4		0.1
Present value of future minimum lease payments	$	11.1	$	10.0	$	0.9

Operating Leases
(Millions of Dollars)	NU		CL&P		NSTAR Electric		PSNH		WMECO
2013	$	22.4	$	4.3	$	10.9	$	1.3	$	2.7
2014		16.6		3.7		8.2		1.0		1.1
2015		14.1		3.1		7.4		0.8		0.6
2016		11.2		2.3		6.1		0.6		0.3
2017		8.6		1.2		5.1		0.5		0.2
Thereafter		23.3		6.4		10.3		1.8		1.2
Future minimum lease payments	$	96.2	$	21.0	$	48.0	$	6.0	$	6.1

CL&Pentered into certain contracts for the purchase of energy that qualify as leases. These contracts do not have minimum lease payments and therefore are not included in the tables above. However, such contracts have been included in the contractual obligations table in Note 12B, "Commitments and Contingencies - Long-Term Contractual Arrangements," to the consolidated financial statements.