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ASSETS HELD FOR SALE
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Regulated Operations [Abstract]  
ASSETS HELD FOR SALE
ASSETS HELD FOR SALE

In June 2015, Eversource and PSNH entered into the 2015 Public Service Company of New Hampshire Restructuring and Rate Stabilization Agreement, under the terms of which PSNH agreed to divest its generation assets, subject to NHPUC approval.  The NHPUC approval for this agreement, as well as NHPUC approval of the final divestiture plan and auction process, were received in the second half of 2016.  In October 2017, PSNH entered into two Purchase and Sale Agreements ("Agreements") to sell its thermal and hydroelectric generation assets to private investors at purchase prices of $175 million and $83 million, respectively, subject to adjustments as set forth in the Agreements. The NHPUC approved the Agreements in late November 2017, at which time the Company classified these assets as held for sale.

On January 10, 2018, PSNH completed the sale of its thermal generation assets, pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement dated October 11, 2017. In accordance with the Agreement, the original purchase price of $175 million was adjusted to reflect working capital adjustments, closing date adjustments and proration of taxes and fees prior to closing, totaling $40.9 million, resulting in net proceeds of $134.1 million. In the second quarter of 2018, PSNH adjusted the purchase price by approximately $17 million for the thermal generation assets relating to the valuation of certain allowances, and also received amounts in escrow of $3.5 million. As a result of these adjustments, total proceeds from the sale amounted to $116.8 million.

On May 8, 2018, PSNH issued $635.7 million of securitized RRBs to finance the unrecovered stranded costs associated with the divestiture of its generation assets, which included the deferred costs resulting from the sale of the thermal generation assets. As of June 30, 2018, unamortized securitized stranded costs totaled $628.8 million and are included in Regulatory Assets on the Eversource and PSNH balance sheets. As of December 31, 2017, the deferred costs resulting from the thermal generation asset sale of $516.1 million represented the difference between the carrying value and the fair value less cost to sell the thermal generation assets.

On July 16, 2018, FERC issued its order approving the transfer of PSNH's six hydro licenses to the private investors. The order includes a 30-day rehearing period. PSNH expects to complete the sale of its hydroelectric generation assets in the third quarter of 2018 at an amount above net carrying value, and the assets are therefore stated at carrying value. As of June 30, 2018, the difference between the carrying value of the hydroelectric generation assets and the anticipated sale proceeds was $23.2 million. The estimated gain from the sale of these assets was included in the amount of stranded costs securitized.

Full recovery of the costs of PSNH's generation assets and transaction-related expenses is expected to occur through a combination of cash flows during the remaining operating period, sales proceeds, and recovery of stranded costs primarily via the issuance of bonds that are secured by a non-bypassable charge billed to PSNH's customers. For further information on the securitized RRB issuance, see Note 7, "Rate Reduction Bonds and Variable Interest Entities."

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, pre-tax income associated with the hydroelectric assets held for sale was $3.3 million and $9.2 million, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, pre-tax income associated with PSNH's generation assets was $15.3 million and $30.1 million, respectively.

As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, PSNH's generation assets held for sale, which are included in current assets on the Eversource and PSNH balance sheets, and are part of the Electric Distribution reportable segment, were as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
As of June 30, 2018
 
As of December 31, 2017
Thermal Gross Plant
$

 
$
1,091.4

Hydroelectric Gross Plant
86.8

 
83.0

Accumulated Depreciation
(27.5
)
 
(575.4
)
Net Plant
59.3

 
599.0

Fuel and Inventory

 
87.7

Materials and Supplies
0.1

 
27.3

Emissions Allowances

 
19.1

Other Assets

 
2.6

Deferred Costs from Thermal Generation Asset Sale

 
(516.1
)
Total Generation Assets Held for Sale
$
59.4

 
$
219.6