Regulatory Matters (Tables)
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9 Months Ended |
Sep. 30, 2015 |
Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Line Items] |
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Regulatory Assets and Liabilities |
Regulatory assets and liabilities at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were comprised of the following items: | | | | | | | | | | | Con Edison | | CECONY | (Millions of Dollars) | 2015 | 2014 |
| | 2015 |
| 2014 |
| Regulatory assets | | | | | | Unrecognized pension and other postretirement costs | $4,208 | $4,846 |
| $4,008 | $4,609 | Future income tax | 2,363 | 2,273 |
| 2,254 | 2,166 | Environmental remediation costs | 884 | 925 |
| 784 | 820 | Revenue taxes | 235 | 219 |
| 223 | 208 | Deferred storm costs | 218 | 319 |
| 137 | 224 | Surcharge for New York State assessment | 68 | 99 |
| 63 | 92 | Unamortized loss on reacquired debt | 52 | 57 |
| 50 | 55 | Pension and other postretirement benefits deferrals | 49 | 66 |
| 21 | 42 | Net electric deferrals | 49 | 63 |
| 49 | 63 | O&R property tax reconciliation | 45 | 36 |
| — |
| — |
| Deferred derivative losses | 32 | 25 |
| 28 | 23 | Preferred stock redemption | 26 | 27 |
| 26 | 27 | O&R transition bond charges | 22 | 27 |
| — |
| — |
| Workers’ compensation | 11 | 8 |
| 11 | 8 | Recoverable energy costs | 4 | 19 |
| 4 | 17 | Other | 179 | 147 |
| 162 | 127 | Regulatory assets – noncurrent | 8,445 | 9,156 |
| 7,820 | 8,481 | Deferred derivative losses | 57 | 97 |
| 52 | 92 | Future income tax | 9 | 10 |
| — |
| — |
| Recoverable energy costs | 1 | 41 |
| 1 | 40 | Regulatory assets – current | 67 | 148 |
| 53 | 132 | Total Regulatory Assets | $8,512 | $9,304 |
| $7,873 | $8,613 | Regulatory liabilities |
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| Allowance for cost of removal less salvage | $633 | $598 |
| $530 | $499 | Property tax reconciliation | 299 | 295 |
| 299 | 295 | Base rate change deferrals | 134 | 155 |
| 134 | 155 | Net unbilled revenue deferrals | 134 | 138 |
| 134 | 138 | Prudence proceeding | 100 | 105 |
| 100 | 105 | Pension and other postretirement benefit deferrals | 76 | 46 |
| 46 | 37 | Variable-rate tax-exempt debt – cost rate reconciliation | 75 | 78 |
| 64 | 78 | New York State income tax rate change | 67 | 62 |
| 63 | 59 | Property tax refunds | 55 | 87 |
| 55 | 87 | Carrying charges on repair allowance and bonus depreciation | 50 | 58 |
| 49 | 57 | Earnings sharing – electric and steam | 37 | 19 |
| 37 | 18 | Net utility plant reconciliations | 31 | 21 |
| 31 | 20 | World Trade Center settlement proceeds | 26 | 41 |
| 26 | 41 | Unrecognized other postretirement costs | 20 | — |
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| 20 | — |
| Other | 203 | 290 |
| 167 | 248 | Regulatory liabilities – noncurrent | 1,940 | 1,993 |
| 1,755 | 1,837 | Refundable energy costs | 99 | 128 |
| 71 | 84 | Revenue decoupling mechanism | 41 | 30 |
| 39 | 30 | Future income tax | 20 | 24 |
| 20 | 24 | Deferred derivative gains | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 | Regulatory liabilities – current | 165 | 187 |
| 135 | 142 | Total Regulatory Liabilities | $2,105 | $2,180 |
| $1,890 | $1,979 |
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CECONY | Electric |
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Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Line Items] |
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Summary of Rate Plan |
The following table contains a summary of the rate plan for 2016: | | | Effective period | January 2016 – December 2016 | Base rate changes | None (a) | Amortizations to income of net regulatory (assets) and liabilities | Additional $123 million of net regulatory liabilities (b). | Other revenue sources | Continued retention of $90 million of annual transmission congestion revenues. | Revenue decoupling mechanism | Continued reconciliation of actual electric delivery revenues to those authorized in the rate plan. | Recoverable energy costs | Continued current rate recovery of purchased power and fuel costs (c). | Negative revenue adjustments | Continued potential penalties (up to $400 million annually) if certain performance targets are not met. | Cost reconciliations | Continued reconciliation of expenses for pension and other postretirement benefits, variable-rate tax-exempt debt, major storms, property taxes, municipal infrastructure support, the impact of new laws and environmental remediation to amounts reflected in rates (d). | Net utility plant reconciliations | Target levels reflected in rates are as follows: Transmission and distribution: $17,929 million Storm hardening: $268 million Other: $2,069 million | Average rate base | $18,282 million | Weighted average cost of capital (after-tax) | 6.91 percent | Authorized return on common equity | 9.0 percent | Earnings sharing | Most earnings above an annual earnings threshold of 9.6 percent are to be applied to reduce regulatory assets for environmental remediation and other costs. | Cost of long-term debt | 5.09 percent | Common equity ratio | 48 percent |
| | (a) | The impact of 2014 and 2015 base rate changes under the current electric rate plan will continue to be deferred. $249 million of annual revenues collected from electric customers will continue to be subject to potential refund following NYSPSC staff review of certain costs. Revenues will continue to include $21 million as funding for major storm reserve. |
| | (b) | Annual amortization of $107 million of the regulatory asset for deferred Superstorm Sandy and other major storm costs will continue. The costs recoverable from customers will be reduced by $4 million. The costs will no longer be subject to NYSPSC staff review and the recovery of the costs will no longer be subject to refund. |
| | (c) | For transmission service provided pursuant to the open access transmission tariff of PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM), unless and until changed by the NYSPSC, the company will recover all charges incurred associated with the transmission service. In January 2014, PJM submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a request that would substantially increase the charges for the transmission service. FERC has granted the request and rejected CECONY’s protests. CECONY is challenging the FERC’s decision. In August 2015, PJM submitted a request to FERC that, if approved by FERC, would further increase the charges. In September 2015, CECONY filed a protest to this increase. |
| | (d) | Deferrals for property taxes will continue to be limited to 90 percent of the difference from amounts reflected in rates, subject to an annual maximum for the remaining difference of not more than a 10 basis point impact on return on common equity. In general, if actual expenses for municipal infrastructure support (other than company labor) are below the amounts reflected in rates the company will defer the difference for credit to customers, and if the actual expenses are above the amount reflected in rates the company will defer for recovery from customers 80 percent of the difference subject to a maximum deferral of 30 percent of the amount reflected in rates. |
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O&R | Electric |
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Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Line Items] |
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Summary of Rate Plan |
The following tables contain a summary of the new rate plans:
O&R New York - Electric | | | Effective period | November 2015 - October 2017 | Base rate changes | Yr. 1 - $9.3 million Yr. 2 - $8.8 million | Amortizations to income of net regulatory (assets) and liabilities (a) | Yr. 1 - $(8.5) million Yr. 2 - $(9.4) million | Revenue decoupling mechanism | Continued reconciliation of actual electric delivery revenues to those authorized in the rate plan. | Recoverable energy costs | Continued current rate recovery of purchased power costs. | Negative revenue adjustments | Potential penalties (up to $4 million annually) if certain performance targets are not met. | Cost reconciliations | Continued reconciliation of expenses for pension and other postretirement benefits, major storms, property taxes, the impact of new laws and environmental remediation to amounts reflected in rates. | Net utility plant reconciliations (b) | Target levels reflected in rates are: Yr. 1 - $928 million Yr. 2 - $970 million | Average rate base | Yr. 1 - $763 million Yr. 2 - $805 million | Weighted average cost of capital (after-tax) | Yr. 1 - 7.10 percent Yr. 2 - 7.06 percent | Authorized return on common equity | 9.0 percent | Earnings sharing | Most earnings above an annual earnings threshold of 9.6 percent are to be applied to reduce regulatory assets. | Cost of long-term debt | Yr. 1 - 5.42 percent Yr. 2 - 5.35 percent | Common equity ratio | 48 percent |
| | (a) | $59.3 million of the regulatory asset for deferred storm costs is to be recovered from customers over a five-year period, including $11.85 million in each of years 1 and 2, $1 million of the regulatory asset for such costs will not be recovered from customers, and all outstanding issues related to Superstorm Sandy and other past major storms prior to November 2014 are resolved. Approximately $4 million of regulatory assets for property tax and interest rate reconciliations will not be recovered from customers. Amounts that will not be recovered from customers were charged-off in June 2015. |
| | (b) | Excludes electric advanced metering infrastructure as to which the company will be required to defer as a regulatory liability the revenue requirement impact of the amount, if any, by which actual average net utility plant balances are less than amounts reflected in rates: $1 million in year 1 and $9 million in year |
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O&R | Gas |
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Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Line Items] |
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Summary of Rate Plan |
O&R New York - Gas | | | Effective period | November 2015 - October 2018 | Base rate changes | Yr. 1 - $16.4 million Yr. 2 - $16.4 million Yr. 3 - $5.8 million Yr. 3 - $10.6 million collected through a surcharge | Amortizations to income of net regulatory (assets) and liabilities (a) | Yr. 1 - $(1.7) million Yr. 2 - $(2.1) million Yr. 3 - $(2.5) million | Revenue decoupling mechanism | Continued reconciliation of actual gas delivery revenues to those authorized in the rate plan, including through weather normalization clause. | Recoverable energy costs | Continued current rate recovery of purchased gas costs. | Negative revenue adjustments | Potential penalties (up to $3.7 million in Yr. 1, $4.7 million in Yr. 2 and $5.8 million in Yr. 3) if certain performance targets are not met. | Cost reconciliations | Continued reconciliation of expenses for pension and other postretirement benefits, property taxes, the impact of new laws and environmental remediation to amounts reflected in rates. | Net utility plant reconciliations (b) | Target levels reflected in rates are: Yr. 1 - $492 million Yr. 2 - $518 million Yr. 3 - $546 million | Average rate base | Yr. 1 - $366 million Yr. 2 - $391 million Yr. 3 - $417 million | Weighted average cost of capital (after-tax) | Yr. 1 - 7.10 percent Yr. 2 - 7.06 percent Yr. 3 - 7.06 percent | Authorized return on common equity | 9.0 percent | Earnings sharing | Most earnings above an annual earnings threshold of 9.6 percent are to be applied to reduce regulatory assets. | Cost of long-term debt | Yr. 1 - 5.42 percent Yr. 2 - 5.35 percent Yr. 3 - 5.35 percent | Common equity ratio | 48 percent |
| | (a) | Reflects that the company will not recover from customers a total of approximately $14 million of regulatory assets for property tax and interest rate reconciliations. Amounts that will not be recovered from customers were charged-off in June 2015. |
| | (b) | Excludes gas advanced metering infrastructure as to which the company will be required to defer as a regulatory liability the revenue requirement impact of the amount, if any, by which actual average net utility plant balances are less than amounts reflected in rates: $0.5 million in year 1, $4.2 million in year 2 and $7.2 million in year 3. |
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