Other Material Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Manhattan Explosion and Fire

On March 12, 2014, two multi-use five-story tall buildings located on Park Avenue between 116th and 117th Streets in Manhattan were destroyed by an explosion and fire. CECONY had delivered gas to the buildings through service lines from a distribution main located below ground on Park Avenue. Eight people died and more than 50 people were injured. Additional buildings were also damaged. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated. The parties to the investigation included the company, the City of New York, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the NYSPSC. In June 2015, the NTSB issued a final report concerning the incident, its probable cause and safety recommendations. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the incident was (1) the failure of a defective fusion joint at a service tee (which joined a plastic service line to a plastic distribution main) installed by the company that allowed gas to leak from the distribution main and migrate into a building where it ignited and (2) a breach in a City sewer line that allowed groundwater and soil to flow into the sewer, resulting in a loss of support for the distribution main, which caused it to sag and overstressed the defective fusion joint. The NTSB also made safety recommendations, including recommendations to the company that addressed its procedures for the preparation and examination of plastic fusions, training of its staff on conditions for notifications to the City’s Fire Department and extension of its gas main isolation valve installation program. In February 2017, the NYSPSC approved a settlement agreement with the company related to the NYSPSC's investigations of the incident and the practices of qualifying persons to perform plastic fusions. Pursuant to the agreement, the company is providing $27 million of future benefits to customers (for which it has accrued a regulatory liability) and will not recover from customers $126 million of costs for gas emergency response activities that it had previously incurred and expensed. Approximately eighty suits are pending against the company seeking generally unspecified damages and, in some cases, punitive damages, for wrongful death, personal injury, property damage and business interruption. The company has notified its insurers of the incident and believes that the policies in force at the time of the incident will cover the company’s costs, in excess of a required retention (the amount of which is not material), to satisfy any liability it may have for damages in connection with the incident. The company is unable to estimate the amount or range of its possible loss for damages related to the incident. At December 31, 2019, the company had not accrued a liability for damages related to the incident.

Other Contingencies

For information about the PG&E bankruptcy, see "Long-Lived and Intangible Assets" in Note A. Also, for additional contingencies, see “Other Regulatory Matters” in Note B and "Uncertain Tax Positions" in Note L.

Guarantees

Con Edison and its subsidiaries have entered into various agreements providing financial or performance assurance primarily to third parties on behalf of their subsidiaries. Maximum amounts guaranteed by Con Edison under these agreements totaled $1,831 million and $2,439 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

A summary, by type and term, of Con Edison’s total guarantees under these other agreements at December 31, 2019 is as follows:



Guarantee Type	0 – 3 years	4 – 10 years	> 10 years		Total
	(Millions of Dollars)
Con Edison Transmission	$387	$186		$—	$573
Energy transactions	419	51	209		679
Renewable electric production projects	70	9	431		510
Other	69	—	—		69
Total	$945	$246	$640		$1,831

Con Edison Transmission – Con Edison has guaranteed payment by CET Electric of the contributions CET Electric agreed to make to New York Transco LLC (NY Transco). CET Electric owns a 45.7 percent interest in NY Transco. In April 2019, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) selected a transmission project that was jointly proposed by National Grid and NY Transco. The siting, construction and operation of the project will require approvals and permits from appropriate governmental agencies and authorities, including the NYSPSC. The NYISO indicated it will work with the developers to enter into agreements for the development and operation of the projects, including a schedule for entry into service by December 2023. Guarantee amount shown includes the maximum possible required amount of CET Electric’s contributions for this project as calculated based on the

assumptions that the project is completed at 175 percent of its estimated costs and NY Transco does not use any debt financing for the project. Also included within the table above are guarantees for $25 million from Con Edison on behalf of CET Gas in relation to Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), LLC, a company developing a proposed gas transmission project in West Virginia and Virginia. See Note U.

Energy Transactions — Con Edison guarantees payments on behalf of the Clean Energy Businesses in order to facilitate physical and financial transactions in electricity, gas, pipeline capacity, transportation, oil, renewable energy credits and energy services. To the extent that liabilities exist under the contracts subject to these guarantees, such liabilities are included in Con Edison’s consolidated balance sheet.

Renewable Electric Production Projects – Con Edison and the Clean Energy Businesses guarantee payments on behalf of their wholly-owned subsidiaries associated with their investment in, or development for others of, solar and wind energy facilities. See Note U.

Other – Other guarantees include $70 million in guarantees provided by Con Edison to Travelers Insurance Company for indemnity agreements for surety bonds in connection with operation of solar energy facilities and energy service projects of the Clean Energy Businesses.