INCOME TAXES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]

NU	For the Years Ended December 31,
(Millions of Dollars)	2013		2012 ⁽¹⁾		2011
Current Income Taxes:
Federal	$	8.8	$	(30.9)	$	3.0
State		(9.4)		17.6		(26.0)
Total Current		(0.6)		(13.3)		(23.0)
Deferred Income Taxes, Net:
Federal		386.2		291.3		187.7
State		45.4		0.8		9.1
Total Deferred		431.6		292.1		196.8
Investment Tax Credits, Net		(4.1)		(3.9)		(2.8)
Income Tax Expense	$	426.9	$	274.9	$	171.0

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2013								2012								2011
				NSTAR								NSTAR								NSTAR
(Millions of Dollars)		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO
Current Income
	Taxes:
	Federal	$	20.1	$	95.8	$	(8.2)	$	(53.4)	$	(47.8)	$	93.5	$	(0.9)	$	(24.7)	$	13.9	$	64.9	$	(25.8)	$	0.1
	State		(6.7)		29.6		3.6		4.2		3.1		27.6		3.4		3.4		(34.4)		30.2		0.1		0.3
Total Current			13.4		125.4		(4.6)		(49.2)		(44.7)		121.1		2.5		(21.3)		(20.5)		95.1		(25.7)		0.4
Deferred Income
	Taxes, Net:
	Federal		114.9		49.8		64.5		84.7		141.5		11.4		46.5		51.2		106.4		74.8		67.7		22.1
	State		15.1		(1.0)		11.2		2.3		(0.5)		(7.1)		12.0		2.7		6.2		(2.8)		7.9		1.0
Total Deferred			130.0		48.8		75.7		87.0		141.0		4.3		58.5		53.9		112.6		72.0		75.6		23.1
Investment Tax
	Credits, Net		(1.7)		(1.3)		0.0		(0.4)		(1.9)		(1.4)		0.0		(0.5)		(2.1)		(1.4)		-		(0.3)
Income Tax Expense		$	141.7	$	172.9	$	71.1	$	37.4	$	94.4	$	124.0	$	61.0	$	32.1	$	90.0	$	165.7	$	49.9	$	23.2

⁽¹⁾ NSTAR amounts were included in NU beginning April 10, 2012.

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

A reconciliation between income tax expense and the expected tax expense at the statutory rate is as follows:

NU		For the Years Ended December 31,
(Millions of Dollars, except percentages)		2013		2012 ⁽¹⁾		2011
Income Before Income Tax Expense		$	1,220.6	$	808.0	$	571.5

Statutory Federal Income Tax Expense at 35%			427.2		282.8		200.0
Tax Effect of Differences:
	Depreciation		(7.4)		(10.8)		(14.2)
	Investment Tax Credit Amortization		(4.1)		(3.9)		(2.8)
	Other Federal Tax Credits		(3.7)		(3.8)		(3.5)
	State Income Taxes, Net of Federal Impact		27.6		4.4		22.1
	ESOP		(8.0)		(6.4)		(2.2)
	Tax Asset Valuation Allowance/Reserve Adjustments		(4.3)		7.6		(33.1)
	Other, Net		(0.4)		5.0		4.7
Income Tax Expense		$	426.9	$	274.9	$	171.0
Effective Tax Rate			35.0%		34.0%		29.9%

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2013								2012								2011
(Millions of Dollars,				NSTAR								NSTAR								NSTAR
	except percentages)	CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO
Income Before Income
	Tax Expense	$	421.1	$	441.4	$	182.5	$	97.8	$	304.2	$	314.2	$	157.9	$	86.6	$	340.2	$	418.2	$	150.2	$	66.2

Statutory Federal Income
	Tax Expense at 35%		147.4		154.5		63.9		34.2		106.5		110.0		55.3		30.3		119.1		146.4		52.6		23.2
Tax Effect of Differences:
	Depreciation		(7.0)		0.1		0.6		0.0		(9.0)		0.0		(0.3)		0.2		(8.1)		0.0		(4.4)		0.1
	Investment Tax Credit
	Amortization		(1.7)		(1.3)		0.0		(0.4)		(1.9)		(1.4)		0.0		(0.5)		(2.1)		(1.4)		-		(0.3)
	Other Federal Tax
	Credits		0.0		0.0		(3.7)		0.0		0.0		0.0		(3.8)		0.0		(0.1)		0.0		(3.4)		0.0
	State Income Taxes,
	Net of Federal Impact		5.0		18.6		9.6		4.2		0.1		13.4		10.0		4.0		4.0		17.9		5.2		0.9
	ESOP		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		-		0.0		-		-
	Tax Asset Valuation
	Allowance/Reserve
	Adjustments		0.4		0.0		0.0		0.0		1.6		0.0		0.0		0.0		(22.3)		0.0		-		-
	Regulatory Decision Non-
	Plant Flow Through		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(1.3)		0.0		0.0		-		-
	Other, Net		(2.4)		1.0		0.7		(0.6)		(2.9)		2.0		(0.2)		(0.6)		(0.5)		2.8		(0.1)		(0.7)
Income Tax Expense		$	141.7	$	172.9	$	71.1	$	37.4	$	94.4	$	124.0	$	61.0	$	32.1	$	90.0	$	165.7	$	49.9	$	23.2
Effective Tax Rate			33.6%		39.2%		39.0%		38.2%		31.0%		39.5%		38.6%		37.1%		26.5%		39.6%		33.2%		35.0%

⁽¹⁾NSTAR amounts were included in NU beginning April 10, 2012.

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]

NU			As of December 31,
(Millions of Dollars)			2013		2012
Deferred Tax Assets:
	Employee Benefits		$	435.2	$	811.4
	Derivative Liabilities and Change in Fair Value of Energy Contracts			272.9		380.6
	Regulatory Deferrals			272.7		257.9
	Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts			65.0		64.2
	Tax Effect - Tax Regulatory Assets			16.2		17.2
	Federal Net Operating Loss Carryforwards			158.0		214.6
	Purchase Accounting Adjustment			132.8		146.4
	Other			230.6		242.4
Total Deferred Tax Assets				1,583.4		2,134.7
	Less: Valuation Allowance			24.3		4.2
Net Deferred Tax Assets			$	1,559.1	$	2,130.5
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
	Accelerated Depreciation and Other Plant-Related Differences		$	3,806.5	$	3,468.8
	Property Tax Accruals			95.1		89.6
	Regulatory Amounts:
		Other Regulatory Deferrals		1,146.7		1,561.1
		Tax Effect - Tax Regulatory Assets		248.2		217.2
		Goodwill Regulatory Asset - 1999 Merger		211.5		210.9
		Derivative Assets		30.1		36.2
		Securitized Contract Termination Costs		0.3		16.6
		Other		156.8		136.1
Total Deferred Tax Liabilities			$	5,695.2	$	5,736.5

			As of December 31,
			2013								2012
					NSTAR								NSTAR
(Millions of Dollars)			CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO
Deferred Tax Assets:
	Employee Benefits		$	56.0	$	38.3	$	15.5	$	(1.8)	$	141.2	$	116.3	$	64.8	$	16.3
	Derivative Liabilities and Change in
		Fair Value of Energy Contracts		272.4		3.3		0.0		(2.9)		375.9		5.8		-		(1.7)
	Regulatory Deferrals			61.5		114.7		40.9		1.0		35.5		123.6		43.9		6.3
	Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts			31.2		15.4		3.1		3.3		30.4		16.2		2.9		3.2
	Tax Effect - Tax Regulatory Assets			4.7		5.4		2.1		1.6		5.2		6.0		1.7		1.7
	Federal Net Operating Loss Carryforwards			51.0		0.0		56.6		18.6		82.0		-		71.4		15.1
	Other			75.3		31.3		40.3		8.3		82.8		26.0		33.7		8.0
Total Deferred Tax Assets				552.1		208.4		158.5		28.1		753.0		293.9		218.4	$	48.9
	Less: Valuation Allowance			23.1		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Net Deferred Tax Assets			$	529.0	$	208.4	$	158.5	$	28.1	$	753.0	$	293.9	$	218.4	$	48.9
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
	Accelerated Depreciation and Other
	Plant-Related Differences		$	1,238.1	$	1,179.4	$	526.6	$	361.1	$	1,194.7	$	1,079.3	$	476.5	$	261.3
	Property Tax Accruals			49.3		25.3		7.1		5.9		44.4		23.1		6.8		5.1
	Regulatory Amounts:
		Other Regulatory Deferrals		550.4		276.2		109.3		49.3		677.7		379.6		149.3		74.5
		Tax Effect - Tax Regulatory Assets		160.1		36.0		16.3		18.2		151.8		20.9		15.8		13.9
		Goodwill Regulatory Asset - 1999 Merger		-		181.6		-		-		-		181.0		-		-
		Derivative Assets		29.0		0.5		-		-		36.2		-		-		-
		Securitized Contract Termination Costs		-		0.0		0.0		0.3		-		5.5		7.9		3.3
		Other		20.6		26.4		28.0		3.3		10.1		30.2		14.1		2.3
Total Deferred Tax Liabilities			$	2,047.5	$	1,725.4	$	687.3	$	438.1	$	2,114.9	$	1,719.6	$	670.4	$	360.4

Summary of Operating Loss Carryforwards [Table Text Block]

Carryforwards: The following tables provide the amounts and expiration dates of state tax credit and loss carryforwards and federal tax credit and net operating loss carryforwards:

	As of December 31, 2013
					NSTAR						Year
(Millions of Dollars)	NU		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		Expiration Begins
Federal Net Operating Loss	$	451.3	$	145.8	$	0.0	$	161.8	$	53.3	2031
Federal Tax Credit		8.0		0.0		0.0		7.6		0.0	2031
State Tax Credit		104.7		86.8		0.0		0.0		0.0	2013
State Loss Carryforwards		12.1		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0	2013

	As of December 31, 2012
					NSTAR						Year
(Millions of Dollars)	NU		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		Expiration Begins
Federal Net Operating Loss	$	606.9	$	234.3	$	0.0	$	204.0	$	43.3	2031
Federal Tax Credit		3.8		0.0		0.0		3.8		0.0	2031
State Tax Credit		110.2		75.2		0.0		0.0		0.0	2013
State Loss Carryforwards		74.9		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0	2013

Summary of Income Tax Contingencies [Table Text Block]


(Millions of Dollars)		NU		CL&P
Balance as of January 1, 2011		$	101.2	$	80.8
	Gross Increases - Current Year		8.0		1.4
	Gross Decreases - Prior Year		(35.7)		(35.7)
Balance as of December 31, 2011			73.5		46.5
	Gross Increases - Current Year		10.3		2.5
	Gross Increases - Prior Year		0.1		-
	Gross Decreases - Prior Year		(0.8)		-
Balance as of December 31, 2012			83.1		49.0
	Gross Increases - Current Year		8.2		2.1
	Gross Decreases - Prior Year		(1.1)		(0.3)
	Settlements		(49.8)		(39.4)
	Lapse of Statute of Limitations		(2.2)		-
Balance as of December 31, 2013		$	38.2	$	11.4

Other Interest	For the Years Ended December 31,						Accrued Interest	As of December 31,
Expense/(Income)	2013		2012		2011		Expense	2013		2012
(Millions of Dollars)							(Millions of Dollars)
NU ⁽¹⁾	$	(8.6)	$	3.1	$	(2.8)	NU	$	1.5	$	10.1
CL&P		(4.0)		1.3		(3.7)	CL&P		0.0		4.0
NSTAR Electric		0.0		0.0		2.0	NSTAR Electric		0.0		0.0
PSNH		0.0		0.0		(0.6)	PSNH		0.0		0.0

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions.

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