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RATE REDUCTION BONDS AND VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Rate Reduction Bonds and Variable Interest Entity [Abstract]  
RATE REDUCTION BONDS AND VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES
RATE REDUCTION BONDS AND VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

Rate Reduction Bonds: PSNH Funding LLC 3 (PSNH Funding) is a bankruptcy remote, special purpose, wholly-owned subsidiary of PSNH. PSNH Funding was formed solely to issue rate reduction bonds (RRBs) to finance PSNH’s unrecovered stranded costs associated with the divestiture of its generation assets.

On May 8, 2018, PSNH Funding issued $635.7 million of securitized RRBs in multiple tranches with a weighted average interest rate of 3.66 percent, and final maturity dates ranging from 2026 to 2035.  The RRBs are expected to be repaid by February 1, 2033. RRB payments consist of principal and interest and will be paid semi-annually, beginning on February 1, 2019. The RRBs were issued pursuant to a finance order issued by the NHPUC on January 30, 2018 to recover stranded costs resulting from the divestiture of PSNH’s generation assets.

The proceeds were used to purchase PSNH’s stranded cost asset-recovery property, including its vested property right to bill, collect and adjust a non-bypassable stranded cost recovery charge from PSNH’s retail customers. The collections will be used to pay principal, interest and other costs in connection with the RRBs. The RRBs are secured by the stranded cost asset-recovery property. Cash collections from the stranded cost recovery charges and funds on deposit in trust accounts are the sole source of funds to satisfy the debt obligation. PSNH is not the owner of the RRBs, and PSNH Funding’s assets and revenues are not available to pay PSNH’s creditors. The RRBs are non-recourse senior secured obligations of PSNH Funding and are not insured or guaranteed by PSNH or Eversource Energy.

PSNH Funding is considered a variable interest entity (VIE) primarily because the equity capitalization is insufficient to support its operations. PSNH has the power to direct the significant activities of the VIE and is most closely associated with the VIE as compared to other interest holders. Therefore, PSNH is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates PSNH Funding in its consolidated financial statements. The following tables summarize the impact of PSNH Funding on PSNH's balance sheet and income statement:
(Millions of Dollars)
 
Balance Sheet:
As of September 30, 2018
Restricted Cash - Current Portion (included in Prepayments and Other Current Assets)
$
26.9

Restricted Cash - Long-Term Portion (included in Other Long-Term Assets)
3.2

Securitized Stranded Cost (included in Regulatory Assets)
618.6

Other Regulatory Liabilities (included in Regulatory Liabilities)
1.0

Accrued Interest (included in Other Current Liabilities)
8.8

Rate Reduction Bonds - Current Portion
52.3

Rate Reduction Bonds - Long-Term Portion
583.3

(Millions of Dollars)
Income Statement:
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2018
 
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
Amortization of RRB Principal (included in Amortization of Regulatory Assets, Net)
$
10.2

 
$
17.1

Interest Expense on RRB Principal (included in Interest Expense)
6.0

 
8.8



Variable Interest Entities - Other: The Company's variable interests outside of the consolidated group include contracts that are required by regulation and provide for regulatory recovery of contract costs and benefits through customer rates.  Eversource, CL&P and NSTAR Electric hold variable interests in VIEs through agreements with certain entities that own single renewable energy or peaking generation power plants, with other independent power producers and with transmission businesses.  Eversource, CL&P and NSTAR Electric do not control the activities that are economically significant to these VIEs or provide financial or other support to these VIEs.  Therefore, Eversource, CL&P and NSTAR Electric do not consolidate these VIEs.