Derivative Instruments (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]

NEE and FPL use derivative instruments (primarily swaps, options, futures and forwards) to manage the commodity price risk inherent in the purchase and sale of fuel and electricity, as well as interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with outstanding and forecasted debt issuances, and to optimize the value of NEER's power generation and gas infrastructure assets.

With respect to commodities related to NEE's competitive energy business, NEER employs risk management procedures to conduct its activities related to optimizing the value of its power generation and gas infrastructure assets, providing full energy and capacity requirements services primarily to distribution utilities, and engaging in power and gas marketing and trading activities to take advantage of expected future favorable price movements and changes in the expected volatility of prices in the energy markets.  These risk management activities involve the use of derivative instruments executed within prescribed limits to manage the risk associated with fluctuating commodity prices.  Transactions in derivative instruments are executed on recognized exchanges or via the OTC markets, depending on the most favorable credit terms and market execution factors.  For NEER's power generation and gas infrastructure assets, derivative instruments are used to hedge the commodity price risk associated with the fuel requirements of the assets, where applicable, as well as to hedge all or a portion of the expected output of these assets.  These hedges are designed to reduce the effect of adverse changes in the wholesale forward commodity markets associated with NEER's power generation and gas infrastructure assets.  With regard to full energy and capacity requirements services, NEER is required to vary the quantity of energy and related services it supplies based on the load demands of the customers served.  For this type of transaction, derivative instruments are used to hedge the anticipated electricity quantities required to serve these customers and reduce the effect of unfavorable changes in the forward energy markets.  Additionally, NEER takes positions in the energy markets based on differences between actual forward market levels and management's view of fundamental market conditions.  NEER uses derivative instruments to realize value from these market dislocations, subject to strict risk management limits around market, operational and credit exposure.

Derivative instruments, when required to be marked to market, are recorded on NEE's and FPL's condensed consolidated balance sheets as either an asset or liability measured at fair value.  At FPL, substantially all changes in the derivatives' fair value are deferred as a regulatory asset or liability until the contracts are settled, and, upon settlement, any gains or losses are passed through the fuel and purchased power cost recovery clause (fuel clause) or the capacity cost recovery clause (capacity clause).  For NEE's non-rate regulated operations, predominantly NEER, essentially all changes in the derivatives' fair value for power purchases and sales and trading activities are recognized on a net basis in operating revenues; fuel purchases and sales are recognized on a net basis in fuel, purchased power and interchange expense; and the equity method investees' related activity is recognized in other - net in NEE's condensed consolidated statements of income.  Settlement gains and losses are included within the line items in the condensed consolidated statements of income to which they relate.  Transactions for which physical delivery is deemed not to have occurred are presented on a net basis in the condensed consolidated statements of income.  For commodity derivatives, NEE believes that, where offsetting positions exist at the same location for the same time, the transactions are considered to have been netted and therefore physical delivery has been deemed not to have occurred for financial reporting purposes.  Settlements related to derivative instruments are primarily recognized in net cash provided by operating activities in NEE's and FPL's condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

While most of NEE's derivatives are entered into for the purpose of managing commodity price risk, optimizing the value of NEER's power generation and gas infrastructure assets, reducing the impact of volatility in interest rates on outstanding and forecasted debt issuances and managing foreign currency risk, hedge accounting is only applied where specific criteria are met and it is practicable to do so.  In order to apply hedge accounting, the transaction must be designated as a hedge and it must be highly effective in offsetting the hedged risk.  Additionally, for hedges of forecasted transactions, the forecasted transactions must be probable.  For interest rate swaps and foreign currency derivative instruments, generally NEE assesses a hedging instrument's effectiveness by using nonstatistical methods including dollar value comparisons of the change in the fair value of the derivative to the change in the fair value or cash flows of the hedged item.  Hedge effectiveness is tested at the inception of the hedge and on at least a quarterly basis throughout its life.  The effective portion of the gain or loss on a derivative instrument designated as a cash flow hedge is reported as a component of other comprehensive income (OCI) and is reclassified into earnings in the period(s) during which the transaction being hedged affects earnings or when it becomes probable that a forecasted transaction being hedged would not occur.  The ineffective portion of net unrealized gains (losses) on these hedges is reported in earnings in the current period.