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Revenue from Contracts with Customers
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS
The registrants generate revenues from a variety of sources, some of which are excluded from the scope of ASC 606, such as leases, derivatives, and certain cost recovery mechanisms. See Note (A) under "Recently Adopted Accounting Standards – Revenue" for additional information on the adoption of ASC 606 for revenue from contracts with customers.
The majority of the revenues of the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Company Gas are generated from contracts with retail electric and natural gas distribution customers. Revenues from this integrated service to deliver electricity or gas when and if called upon by the customer is recognized as a single performance obligation satisfied over time and is recognized at a tariff rate as electricity or gas is delivered to the customer during the month. The traditional electric operating companies and Southern Company Gas exclude taxes imposed on the customer and collected on behalf of governmental agencies to be remitted to these agencies from the transaction price in determining the revenue related to contracts with a customer.
The traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power also have contracts with multiple performance obligations, such as capacity and energy in a wholesale PPA, where the contract's total transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on the standalone selling price. The standalone selling price is primarily determined by the price charged to customers for the specific goods or services transferred with the performance obligations. Generally, the registrants recognize revenue as the performance obligations are satisfied over time as electricity or natural gas is delivered to the customer or as generation capacity is available to the customer. At Southern Company Gas, the performance obligations related to wholesale gas services are satisfied, and revenue is recognized, at a point in time when natural gas is delivered to the customer.
The registrants generally have a right to consideration in an amount that corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the entity's performance completed to date and may recognize revenue in the amount to which the entity has a right to invoice and has elected to recognize revenue for its sales of electricity, capacity, and natural gas using the invoice practical expedient. In addition, payment for goods and services rendered is typically due in the subsequent month following satisfaction of the registrants' performance obligation.
The following tables disaggregate revenue sources for the three months ended March 31, 2018:
 
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
(in millions)
Southern Company
 
Operating revenues
 
Retail electric revenues(a)
 
Residential
$
1,539

Commercial
1,243

Industrial
756

Other
30

Natural gas distribution revenues
1,224

Alternative revenue programs(b)
(24
)
Total retail electric and gas distribution revenues
$
4,768

Wholesale energy revenues(c)(d)
468

Wholesale capacity revenues(d)
151

Other natural gas revenues(e)
407

Other revenues(f)
578

Total operating revenues
$
6,372

(a)
Retail electric revenues include $18 million of leases and a net increase of $117 million from certain cost recovery mechanisms that are not accounted for as revenue under ASC 606. See Note 3 to the financial statements of Southern Company under "Regulatory Matters" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information on cost recovery mechanisms.
(b)
See Note 1 to the financial statements of Southern Company under "Revenues" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information on alternative revenue programs at the natural gas distribution utilities. Alternative revenue program revenues are presented net of any previously recognized program amounts billed to customers during the same accounting period.
(c)
Wholesale energy revenues include $93 million of revenues accounted for as derivatives, primarily related to revenues from short-term sales related to physical energy sales from uncovered capacity in the wholesale electricity market. See Note (I) for additional information on energy-related derivative contracts.
(d)
Wholesale energy and wholesale capacity revenues include $69 million and $30 million, respectively, of PPA contracts accounted for as leases.
(e)
Other natural gas revenues related to Southern Company Gas' energy and risk management activities are presented net of the related costs of those activities and include gross third-party revenues of $1.9 billion, of which $1.1 billion relates to contracts that are accounted for as derivatives. See Note (L) under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information on the components of wholesale gas services operating revenues.
(f)
Other revenues include $90 million of revenues not accounted for under ASC 606.
 
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
Alabama Power
Georgia Power
Gulf
Power
Mississippi Power
 
(in millions)
Operating revenues
 
 
 
 
Retail revenues(a)(b)
 
 
 
 
Residential
$
570

$
744

$
165

$
60

Commercial
371

717

92

62

Industrial
338

316

32

70

Other
6

21

1

2

Total retail electric revenues
$
1,285

$
1,798

$
290

$
194

Wholesale energy revenues(c)
101

40

35

93

Wholesale capacity revenues
24

14

6

4

Other revenues(b)(d)
63

109

17

11

Total operating revenues
$
1,473

$
1,961

$
348

$
302

(a)
Retail revenues at Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power include a net increase or (net reduction) of $47 million, $10 million, $(16) million, and $76 million, respectively, related to certain cost recovery mechanisms that are not accounted for as revenue under ASC 606. See Note 3 to the financial statements of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power under "Retail Regulatory Matters" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information on cost recovery mechanisms.
(b)
Retail revenues and other revenues at Georgia Power include $18 million and $33 million, respectively, of revenues accounted for as leases.
(c)
Wholesale energy revenues at Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power include $5 million, $7 million, $1 million, and $1 million, respectively, accounted for as derivatives primarily related to physical energy sales in the forward and spot markets. See Note (I) for additional information on energy-related derivative contracts.
(d)
Other revenues at Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Gulf Power include $25 million, $26 million, and $2 million, respectively, of revenues not accounted for under ASC 606.
 
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
(in millions)
Southern Power
 
PPA capacity revenues(a)
$
138

PPA energy revenues(a)
254

Non-PPA revenues(b)
115

Other revenues
2

Total operating revenues
$
509

(a)
PPA capacity revenues and PPA energy revenues include $47 million and $76 million, respectively, related to PPAs accounted for as leases. See Note 1 to the financial statements of Southern Power under "Revenues" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information on capacity revenues accounted for as leases.
(b)
Non-PPA revenues include $79 million of revenues from short-term sales related to physical energy sales from uncovered capacity in the wholesale electricity market. See Note 1 to the financial statements of Southern Power under "Revenues" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K and Note (I) for additional information on energy-related derivative contracts.
 
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
(in millions)
Southern Company Gas
 
Operating revenues
 
Natural gas distribution revenues
 
Residential
$
660

Commercial
192

Transportation
277

Industrial
17

Other
78

Alternative revenue programs(a)
(24
)
Total natural gas distribution revenues
$
1,200

Gas marketing services(b)
271

Wholesale gas services(c)
146

Gas midstream operations
22

Total operating revenues
$
1,639

(a)
See Note 1 to the financial statements of Southern Company Gas under "Revenues" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information on alternative revenue programs at the natural gas distribution utilities. Alternative revenue program revenues are presented net of any previously recognized program amounts billed to customers during the same accounting period.
(b)
Gas marketing services includes $3 million and $1 million of revenues accounted for as derivatives and leases, respectively. See Note (I) for additional information on energy-related derivative contracts.
(c)
Wholesale gas services revenues are presented net of the related costs associated with its energy trading and risk management activities. Operating revenues, as presented, include gross third-party revenues of $1.9 billion, of which $1.1 billion relates to contracts that are accounted for as derivatives. See Note (L) under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information on the components of wholesale gas services operating revenues and Note (I) for additional information on energy-related derivative contracts.
Contract Balances
The following table reflects the closing balances of receivables, contract assets, and contract liabilities related to revenues from contracts with customers as of March 31, 2018:
 
Receivables
 
Contract Assets
 
Contract Liabilities
 
(in millions)
Southern Company
$
2,607

 
$
60

 
$
52

Alabama Power
507

 

 
11

Georgia Power
600

 
29

 
5

Gulf Power
129

 

 
1

Mississippi Power
64

 

 

Southern Power
78

 

 
4

Southern Company Gas
948

 

 
15


As of March 31, 2018, Alabama Power had contract liabilities for outstanding performance obligations primarily related to extended service agreements. Georgia Power had contract assets primarily related to fixed retail customer bill programs where the payment is contingent upon Georgia Power's continued performance and the customer's continued participation in the program over the one-year contract term, as well as unregulated service agreements where payment is contingent on project completion. Southern Company Gas' contract liability relates to collections from customers received in advance of the satisfaction of related performance obligations, primarily associated with maintenance and warranty contracts for residential and commercial appliances. Southern Company's unregulated distributed generation business had $31 million and $20 million of contract assets and contract liabilities, respectively, remaining for outstanding performance obligations.
Remaining Performance Obligations
The traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power have long-term contracts with customers in which revenues are recognized as performance obligations are satisfied over the contract term. These contracts primarily relate to PPAs whereby the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power provide electricity and generation capacity to a customer. The revenue recognized for the delivery of electricity is variable; however, certain PPAs include a fixed payment for fixed generation capacity over the term of the contract. Southern Company's unregulated distributed generation business also has partially satisfied performance obligations related to certain fixed price contracts. Revenues from contracts with customers related to these performance obligations remaining at March 31, 2018 are expected to be recognized as follows:
 
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 and
Thereafter
 
(in millions)
Southern Company
$
458

$
403

$
369

$
358

$
345

$
2,161

Alabama Power
16

21

22

26

22

161

Georgia Power
31

41

38

40

30

113

Gulf Power
16

22





Mississippi Power
2

3

3

1



Southern Power
384

350

330

313

312

2,010