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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

NORTHEAST UTILITIES AND SUBSIDIARIES

THE CONNECTICUT LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARY

NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SUBSIDIARIES

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARY

 

COMBINED NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)

 

Refer to the Glossary of Terms included in this combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the combined notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

1.       SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

A.       Basis of Presentation

NU is a public utility holding company primarily engaged through its wholly owned regulated utility subsidiaries in the energy delivery business. On April 10, 2012, NU acquired 100 percent of the outstanding common shares of NSTAR and NSTAR (through a successor, NSTAR LLC) became a direct wholly owned subsidiary of NU. NU's wholly owned regulated utility subsidiaries include CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH, WMECO, Yankee Gas and NSTAR Gas. NU provides energy delivery service to approximately 3.6 million electric and natural gas customers through six regulated utilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. NU's consolidated financial information does not include NSTAR and its subsidiaries' results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2012. NSTAR Electric continues to maintain reporting requirements as an SEC registrant. The information disclosed for NSTAR Electric represents its results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, presented on a comparable basis.

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of NU, CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO include the accounts of each of their respective subsidiaries and are herein referred to as “consolidated financial statements.” Intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

The combined notes to consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures included in annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the entirety of this combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the 2012 combined Annual Report on Form 10-K of NU, CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO (NU 2012 Form 10-K), which was filed with the SEC. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

The consolidated financial statements contain, in the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal, recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly NU's and the above companies' financial positions as of March 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012 and the results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012. The results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for a full year. The demand for electricity and natural gas is affected by weather conditions, economic conditions, and consumer conservation behavior. Electric energy sales and revenues are typically higher in the winter and summer months than in the spring and fall months. Natural gas sales and revenues are typically higher in the winter months than during other periods of the year.

 

NU consolidates CYAPC and YAEC as CL&P's, NSTAR Electric's, PSNH's and WMECO's combined ownership interest in each of these entities is greater than 50 percent. Intercompany transactions between CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO and the CYAPC and YAEC companies have been eliminated in consolidation. For CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, the investment in CYAPC and YAEC continue to be accounted for under the equity method.

 

NU's utility subsidiaries are subject to the application of accounting guidance for entities with rate-regulated operations that considers the effect of regulation resulting from differences in the timing of the recognition of certain revenues and expenses from those of other businesses and industries. NU's utility subsidiaries' energy delivery business is subject to rate-regulation that is based on cost recovery and meets the criteria for application of rate-regulated accounting. See Note 2, "Regulatory Accounting," for further information.

 

Certain prior period amounts in NSTAR Electric's accompanying consolidated statements of income and cash flows have been reclassified between line items for comparative purposes and in order to conform to NU's presentation. The reclassifications did not affect NSTAR Electric's net income.

 

The NSTAR Electric consolidated statement of cash flows was revised to correct an error in the presentation of cash deposits related to the RRBs. The impact of this revision was an increase in investing cash inflows from Other Investing Activities in an amount of $24.8 million and a corresponding increase to financing cash outflows from Retirements of Rate Reduction Bonds for the three months ended March 31, 2012. This revision had no impact on NSTAR Electric's results of operations or cash balance and is not deemed material, individually or in the aggregate, to the previously issued consolidated financial statements.

 

Certain changes in classification and corresponding reclassifications of prior period data were made in the accompanying consolidated statements of income and statements of cash flows for NU, CL&P, PSNH and WMECO for comparative purposes to conform to the current period presentation. The consolidated statement of income reflects the reclassification of transmission expenses from Other Operating Expenses, as originally reported, to Purchased Power, Fuel and Transmission and the reclassification of energy efficiency expenses primarily from Other Operating Expenses, as originally reported, to Energy Efficiency Programs. In addition, Other Operating Expenses and Maintenance, as originally reported, were combined and are reported in aggregate as Operations and Maintenance.

  For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012
(Millions of Dollars) Transmission Expense Energy Efficiency Expense
NU $(2.7) $37.3
CL&P  (2.9)  22.0
PSNH  7.9  3.6
WMECO  1.0  5.6

Effective January 1, 2012, NSTAR Electric changed its estimates with respect to the allowance for doubtful accounts, incurred but not reported claims on medical benefits, general and workers' compensation liabilities and compensation accruals. The total aggregate impact of these changes in estimates on NSTAR Electric's accompanying consolidated statement of income was a decrease to net income of $11.4 million, after-tax, for the three months ended March 31, 2012.

 

NU evaluates events and transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued and recognizes in the financial statements the effects of all subsequent events that provide additional evidence about conditions that existed as of the balance sheet date and discloses, but does not recognize, in the financial statements subsequent events that provide evidence about the conditions that arose after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued. See Note 6, "Short-Term and Long-Term Debt," for further information.

 

B.       Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In the first quarter of 2013, NU adopted the following Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) final Accounting Standards Updates (ASU) relating to additional disclosure requirements:

 

  • Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Requires entities to disclose additional information about items reclassified out of AOCI. The ASU does not change existing guidance on which items should be reclassified out of AOCI but requires disclosures about the components of AOCI and the amount of reclassification adjustments to be presented in one location. The ASU is effective beginning in the first quarter of 2013 and is applied prospectively. For further information, see Note 11, “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss),” to the consolidated financial statements. The ASU did not affect the calculation of net income, comprehensive income or EPS and did not have an impact on financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

     

  • Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities Clarifies the scope of the offsetting disclosure requirements under GAAP. The disclosure requirements apply to derivative instruments, do not change existing guidance on which items should be offset in the balance sheets and require disclosures about the items that are offset. The ASU is effective beginning in the first quarter of 2013 with retrospective application. For further information, see Note 4, “Derivative Instruments,” to the consolidated financial statements. The ASU did not have an impact on financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

C.       Provision for Uncollectible Accounts

NU, including CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, presents its receivables at net realizable value by maintaining a provision for uncollectible amounts. This provision is determined based upon a variety of factors, including applying an estimated uncollectible account percentage to each receivable aging category, based upon historical collection and write-off experience and management's assessment of collectibility from individual customers. Management assesses the collectibility of receivables, and if circumstances change, collectibility estimates are adjusted accordingly. Receivable balances are written off against the provision for uncollectible accounts when the accounts are terminated and these balances are deemed to be uncollectible.

 

The provision for uncollectible accounts, which is included in Receivables, Net on the consolidated balance sheets, was as follows:

       
(Millions of Dollars) As of March 31, 2013 As of December 31, 2012
NU  $178.6 $165.5
CL&P   85.0  77.6
NSTAR Electric  44.8  44.1
PSNH  7.4  6.8
WMECO  9.0  8.5

D.       Restricted Cash and Other Deposits

As of March 31, 2013, NU, CL&P and PSNH had $3.8 million, $1.4 million and $1.7 million, respectively, of restricted cash, primarily relating to amounts held in escrow, insurance proceeds on bondable property at PSNH and amounts related to the sale of land, which were included in Prepayments and Other Current Assets on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2012, these amounts were $3.3 million, $1.3 million and $1.7 million for NU, CL&P and PSNH, respectively.

 

As of March 31, 2013, NU had $12.8 million of cash collateral posted not subject to master netting agreements. As of December 31, 2012, this amount was $14.6 million.

 

E.       Fair Value Measurements

NU, including CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH, and WMECO, applies fair value measurement guidance to derivative contracts recorded at fair value and to the marketable securities held in the NU supplemental benefit trust, WMECO's spent nuclear fuel trust and CYAPC's and YAEC's nuclear decommissioning trusts. Fair value measurement guidance is also applied to investment valuations used to calculate the funded status of NU's Pension and PBOP Plans, including NSTAR Electric's Pension Plan, and nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets such as goodwill and AROs.

 

Fair Value Hierarchy: In measuring fair value, NU uses observable market data when available and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. Inputs used in fair value measurements are categorized into three fair value hierarchy levels for disclosure purposes. The entire fair value measurement is categorized based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. NU evaluates the classification of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a quarterly basis, and NU's policy is to recognize transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

 

Level 1 - Inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.  Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

 

Level 2 - Inputs are quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable.

 

Level 3 - Quoted market prices are not available. Fair value is derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or assumptions are unobservable. Where possible, valuation techniques incorporate observable market inputs that can be validated to external sources such as industry exchanges, including prices of energy and energy-related products.

 

Determination of Fair Value: The valuation techniques and inputs used in NU's fair value measurements are described in Note 4, "Derivative Instruments," Note 5, "Marketable Securities," and Note 10, "Fair Value of Financial Instruments," to the consolidated financial statements.

 

F.       Other Income, Net

Items included within Other Income, Net on the consolidated statements of income primarily consist of investment income/(loss), interest income, AFUDC related to equity funds and equity in earnings. For CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, equity in earnings relate to investments in CYAPC, YAEC and MYAPC and also NSTAR Electric's investment in two regional transmission companies, which are all accounted for on the equity method. On an NU consolidated basis, equity in earnings relate to the investment in MYAPC and NU's investment in two regional transmission companies.

 

G.       Other Taxes

Gross receipts taxes levied by the state of Connecticut are collected by CL&P and Yankee Gas from their respective customers. These gross receipts taxes are shown on a gross basis with collections in Operating Revenues and payments in Taxes Other Than Income Taxes on the consolidated statements of income as follows:

 For the Three Months Ended
(Millions of Dollars)March 31, 2013 March 31, 2012
NU$ 38.4 $ 35.0
CL&P  32.0   29.4

Certain sales taxes are also collected by CL&P, NSTAR Electric and WMECO from their respective customers as agents for state and local governments and are recorded on a net basis with no impact on the consolidated statements of income.

H. Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Non-cash investing activities include plant additions included in Accounts Payable as follows:
          
(Millions of Dollars)As of March 31, 2013 As of March 31, 2012 
NU$98.7 $ 138.5 
CL&P 28.2   36.6 
NSTAR Electric (1) 30.7  29.5 
PSNH 12.9   32.5 
WMECO 15.8   56.6 
          
(1) NSTAR Electric amounts are not included in NU consolidated as of March 31, 2012.