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Divestitures (CenterPoint Energy and CERC)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]  
Divestitures (CenterPoint Energy and CERC) Divestitures (CenterPoint Energy and CERC)
Divestiture of Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas Businesses. On April 29, 2021, CenterPoint Energy, through its subsidiary CERC Corp., entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to sell its Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses for $2.15 billion in cash, including recovery of approximately $425 million in natural gas costs, including storm-related incremental natural gas costs associated with the February 2021 Winter Storm Event, subject to certain adjustments set forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement. The assets include approximately 17,000 miles of main pipeline in Arkansas, Oklahoma and certain portions of Bowie County, Texas serving more than half a million customers. The transaction closed on January 10, 2022.

The sale was considered an asset sale for tax purposes, requiring net deferred tax liabilities to be excluded from held for sale balances. The deferred taxes associated with the businesses were recognized as a deferred income tax benefit by CenterPoint Energy and CERC upon closing of the sale in 2022.

Although the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses met the held for sale criteria as of December 31, 2021, their disposals did not represent a strategic shift to CenterPoint Energy and CERC, as both retained significant operations in, and continued to invest in, their natural gas businesses. Therefore, the income and expenses associated with the disposed businesses were not reflected as discontinued operations on CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income, as applicable. Since the depreciation on the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas assets continued to be reflected in revenues through customer rates until the closing of the transaction and will be reflected in the carryover basis of the rate-regulated assets, CenterPoint Energy and CERC continued to record depreciation on those assets through the closing of the
transaction. The Registrants record assets and liabilities held for sale at the lower of their carrying value or their estimated fair value less cost to sell.

CenterPoint Energy and CERC recognized gains of $303 million and $557 million, respectively, net of transaction costs of $59 million, in connection with the closing of the disposition of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses during the three months ended March 31, 2022. As of March 31, 2022, CenterPoint Energy and CERC had a receivable for working capital and other customary adjustments set forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement, and a gain or loss on sale in future periods may be incurred by CenterPoint Energy and CERC for differences between the estimated receivable as of March 31, 2022 and the actual amount of the payment.

As a result of the sale of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses, there were no assets or liabilities classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2022. The assets and liabilities of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses classified as held for sale in CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, as applicable, as of December 31, 2021 included the following:

December 31, 2021
CenterPoint EnergyCERC
(in millions)
Receivables, net$46 $46 
Accrued unbilled revenues48 48 
Natural gas inventory46 46 
Materials and supplies
Property, plant and equipment, net1,314 1,314 
Goodwill (1)
398 144 
Regulatory assets471 471 
Other
Total current assets held for sale$2,338 $2,084 
Short term borrowings (2)
$36 $36 
Accounts payable40 40 
Taxes accrued
Customer deposits12 12 
Regulatory liabilities365 365 
Other102 102 
Total current liabilities held for sale$562 $562 

(1)See Note 9 for further information about the allocation of goodwill to the disposed businesses.
(2)Represents third-party AMAs associated with utility distribution service in Arkansas and Oklahoma. These transactions are accounted for as an inventory financing. For further information, see Note 11.

The pre-tax income for the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses, excluding interest and corporate allocations, included in CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income is as follows:

Three Months Ended March 31,
2022 (1)
 2021
(in millions)
Income from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes$$52 

(1)Reflects January 1, 2022 to January 9, 2022 results only due to of the sale of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses.
Effective on the date of the closing of the disposition of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses, a subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. entered into the Transition Services Agreement, whereby that subsidiary agreed to provide certain transition services such as accounting, customer operations, procurement, and technology functions for a term of up to twelve months. Subject to the conditions in the Transition Services Agreement, Southern Col Midco may terminate these support services with 60 days prior written notice.

CenterPoint Energy’s charges to Southern Col Midco for reimbursement of transition services were $9 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022. Actual transitional services costs incurred are recorded net of amounts charged to Southern Col Midco. CenterPoint Energy had accounts receivable from Southern Col Midco of $7 million as of March 31, 2022 for transition services.

Discontinued Operations (CenterPoint Energy)

Enable Merger. On December 2, 2021, Enable, completed the previously announced Enable Merger pursuant to the Enable Merger Agreement entered into on February 16, 2021. At the closing of the Enable Merger on December 2, 2021, Energy Transfer acquired 100% of Enable’s outstanding common and preferred units, resulting in the exchange of Enable Common Units owned by CenterPoint Energy for Energy Transfer Common Units and the exchange of Enable Series A Preferred Units owned by CenterPoint Energy for Energy Transfer Series G Preferred Units.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, CenterPoint Energy sold all of its remaining Energy Transfer Common Units and Energy Transfer Series G Preferred Units. See Note 10 for further information regarding Energy Transfer equity securities.

Additionally, CenterPoint Energy’s disposal of its interests in Enable represented a strategic shift that will have a major effect on CenterPoint Energy’s operations or financial results, and as such, its equity investment in Enable was classified and presented as held for sale. The equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, net of tax, associated with CenterPoint Energy’s equity investment in Enable was reflected as discontinued operations on CenterPoint Energy’s Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

A summary of discontinued operations presented in CenterPoint Energy’s Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income is as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
Equity Method Investment in Enable
(in millions)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate, net$108 
Income from discontinued operations before income taxes108 
Income tax expense25 
Net income from discontinued operations$83 
CenterPoint Energy has elected not to separately disclose discontinued operations on its respective Condensed Statements of Consolidated Cash Flows. The following table summarizes CenterPoint Energy’s cash flows from discontinued operations and certain supplemental cash flow disclosures, as applicable:

Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
CenterPoint Energy
Equity Method Investment in Enable
(in millions)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate - operating$(108)
Distributions from unconsolidated affiliate - operating39 
Distributions Received from Enable (CenterPoint Energy):

Three Months Ended March 31,
2021
Per UnitCash Distribution
(in millions, except per unit amounts)
Enable Common Units$0.16525 $39 
Enable Series A Preferred Units0.62500 
  Total CenterPoint Energy$48 

Transactions with Enable (CenterPoint Energy and CERC):

Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
(in millions)
Natural gas expenses, includes transportation and storage costs $32 

Summarized Financial Information for Enable (CenterPoint Energy)

As a result of the closing of the Enable Merger in 2021, there were no assets classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2021. Summarized consolidated balance sheet information for Enable on the closing of the Enable Merger is as follows:

December 2,
2021
(in millions)
Current assets$594 
Non-current assets11,227 
Current liabilities1,254 
Non-current liabilities3,281 
Non-controlling interest26 
Preferred equity362 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(1)
Enable partners’ equity6,899 
Reconciliation of Investment in Enable:
CenterPoint Energy’s ownership interest in Enable partners’ equity$3,701 
CenterPoint Energy’s basis difference(2,732)
CenterPoint Energy’s equity method investment in Enable$969 
Summarized unaudited consolidated income information for Enable is as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
(in millions)
Operating revenues$970 
Cost of sales, excluding depreciation and amortization519 
Depreciation and amortization106 
Operating income206 
Net income attributable to Enable Common Units155 
Reconciliation of Equity in Earnings, net:
CenterPoint Energy’s interest$83 
Basis difference amortization (1)
25 
CenterPoint Energy’s equity in earnings, net (2)
$108 
(1)Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate includes CenterPoint Energy’s share of Enable earnings adjusted for the amortization of the basis difference of CenterPoint Energy’s investment in Enable and its underlying equity in net assets of Enable. The basis difference was being amortized through the year 2048 and ceased upon closing of the Enable Merger.
(2)Reported as discontinued operations on CenterPoint Energy’s Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income.