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Long-Term Debt and Financing Obligations (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Long-Term Debt and Financing Obligations [Abstract]  
Schedule of Debt
Outstanding long-term debt and financing obligations are as follows:
 
December 31,
 
2012
 
2011
 
(In thousands)
Long-Term Debt:
 
 
 
Pollution Control Bonds (1):
 
 
 
7.25% 2009 Series A refunding bonds, due 2040 (7.46% effective interest rate)
$
63,500

 
$
63,500

4.50% 2012 Series A refunding bonds, due 2042 (4.63% effective interest rate)
59,235

 
59,235

7.25% 2009 Series B refunding bonds, due 2040 (7.49% effective interest rate)
37,100

 
37,100

1.875% 2012 Series A refunding bonds, due 2032 (2.34% effective interest rate)
33,300

 
33,300

Total Pollution Control Bonds
193,135

 
193,135

Senior Notes (2):
 
 
 
6.00% Senior Notes, net of discount, due 2035 (7.12% effective interest rate)
397,934

 
397,894

7.50% Senior Notes, net of discount, due 2038 (7.67% effective interest rate)
148,783

 
148,768

3.30% Senior Notes, net of discount, due 2022 (3.43% effective interest rate)
149,683

 

Total Senior Notes
696,400

 
546,662

RGRT Senior Notes (3):
 
 
 
3.67% Senior Notes, Series A, due 2015 (3.87% effective interest rate)
15,000

 
15,000

4.47% Senior Notes, Series B, due 2017 (4.62% effective interest rate)
50,000

 
50,000

5.04% Senior Notes, Series C, due 2020 (5.16% effective interest rate)
45,000

 
45,000

Total RGRT Senior Notes
110,000

 
110,000

Total long-term debt
999,535

 
849,797

Financing Obligations:
 
 
 
Revolving Credit Facility ($22,155 due in 2013) (4)
22,155

 
33,379

Total long-term debt and financing obligations
1,021,690

 
883,176

Current Portion (amount due within one year):
 
 
 
Current maturities of long-term debt

 
(33,300
)
Short-term borrowings under the revolving credit facility
(22,155
)
 
(33,379
)
 
$
999,535

 
$
816,497


 _____________________
(1)
Pollution Control Bonds (“PCBs”)

The Company has four series of tax exempt unsecured PCBs in aggregate principal amount of $193.1 million. In August 2012, the 4.80% 2005 Series A (El Paso Electric Company Palo Verde Project) Pollution Control Refunding Revenue Bonds with an aggregate principal amount of $59.2 million was refunded at a fixed rate of 4.50% and will mature on August 1, 2042. The 4.00% 2002 Series A (El Paso Electric Company Four Corners Project) Pollution Control Refunding Revenue Bonds with an aggregate principal amount of $33.3 million was remarketed in August 2012 at a fixed rate of 1.875%, until September 1, 2017 when the bonds are subject to mandatory tender for purchase. These bonds will mature on June 1, 2032.

(2)
Senior Notes

The Senior Notes are unsecured obligations of the Company. They were issued pursuant to bond covenants that provide limitations on the Company’s ability to enter into certain transactions. The 6.00% senior notes have an aggregate principal amount of $400.0 million and were issued in May 2005. The proceeds, net of a $2.3 million discount, were used to fund the retirement of the Company's first mortgage bonds. The Company amortizes the loss associated with a cash flow hedge recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings as interest expense over the life of the 6.00% senior notes. See Note O, "Financial Instruments and Investments - Treasury Rate Locks". This amortization is included in the effective interest rate of the 6.00% senior notes.

The 7.50% senior notes have an aggregate principal amount of $150.0 million and were issued in June 2008. The proceeds, net of a $1.3 million discount, were used to repay short-term borrowings of $44.0 million, fund capital expenditures and for other general corporate purposes.

The 3.30% senior notes have an aggregate principal amount of $150.0 million, were issued in December 2012 and will mature on December 15, 2022. The gross proceeds, net of a $0.3 million discount, will be used to fund construction expenditures and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

(3)
RGRT Senior Notes

On August 17, 2010, the Company and RGRT, a Texas grantor trust through which the Company finances its portion of fuel for Palo Verde, entered into a Note Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with various institutional purchasers. Under the terms of the Agreement, RGRT sold to the purchasers $110 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes (the "Notes"). The Company guarantees the payment of principal and interest on the Notes. In the Company’s financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the RGRT are reported as assets and liabilities of the Company.

RGRT will pay interest on the Notes on February 15 and August 15 of each year until maturity. RGRT may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount to be redeemed together with the interest on such principal amount accrued to the date of redemption, plus a make-whole amount based on the prevailing market interest rates. The Agreement requires compliance with certain covenants, including a total debt to capitalization ratio. The Company was in compliance with these requirements throughout 2012.

The sale of the Notes was made by RGRT in reliance on a private placement exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The proceeds of $109.4 million, net of issuance costs, from the sale of the Notes was used by RGRT to repay amounts borrowed under the revolving credit facility and will enable future nuclear fuel financing requirements of RGRT to be met with a combination of the Notes and amounts borrowed from the revolving credit facility.

(4)
Revolving Credit Facility

On March 29, 2012, the Company and RGRT entered into the Incremental Facility Assumption Agreement ("the Assumption Agreement") related to the revolving credit agreement (the “RCF”) with JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and issuing bank, and Union Bank, N.A., as syndication agent, and various lending banks party thereto. The Assumption Agreement provides for the Company's exercise in full of the accordian feature provided for under the RCF, increasing the aggregate unsecured borrowing available from $200 million to $300 million. The RCF has a term ending September 2016. No other material modifications were made to the terms and conditions of the RCF.

The RCF provides that amounts borrowed by the Company may be used for, among other things, working capital and general corporate purposes. Any amounts borrowed by RGRT may be used, among other things, to finance the acquisition and processing of nuclear fuel. Amounts borrowed by RGRT are guaranteed by the Company and the balance borrowed under the RCF is recorded as short-term borrowings on the consolidated balance sheet. The RCF is unsecured. The RCF requires compliance with certain covenants, including a total debt to capitalization ratio. The Company was in compliance with these requirements throughout 2012. As of December 31, 2012, the total amount borrowed by RGRT was $22.2 million for nuclear fuel under the RCF. No borrowings were outstanding under this facility for working capital and general corporate purposes. The weighted average interest rate on the RCF was 1.5% as of December 31, 2012.
Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt
As of December 31, 2012, the scheduled maturities for the next five years of long-term debt are as follows (in thousands): 
                
 
 
2013
$

2014

2015
15,000

2016

2017
83,300