Background and Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Background and Basis of Presentation

Background and Basis of Presentation

General. This combined Form 10-Q is filed separately by three registrants: CenterPoint Energy, Inc., CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. Information contained herein relating to any individual registrant is filed by such registrant solely on its own behalf. Each registrant makes no representation as to information relating exclusively to the other Registrants or the subsidiaries of CenterPoint Energy other than itself or its subsidiaries.

Except as discussed in Note 11 to the Registrants’ Interim Condensed Financial Statements, no registrant has an obligation in respect of any other Registrant’s debt securities, and holders of such debt securities should not consider the financial resources or results of operations of any Registrant other than the obligor in making a decision with respect to such securities.

Included in this combined Form 10-Q are the Interim Condensed Financial Statements of CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric and CERC, which are referred to collectively as the Registrants. The Interim Condensed Financial Statements are unaudited, omit certain financial statement disclosures and should be read with the Registrants’ financial statements included in the Registrants’ combined 2022 Form 10-K. The Combined Notes to Interim Condensed Financial Statements apply to all Registrants and specific references to Houston Electric and CERC herein also pertain to CenterPoint Energy, unless otherwise indicated.

Background. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. is a public utility holding company. On June 30, 2023, CenterPoint Energy completed the sale of its indirect subsidiary, Energy Systems Group, to an unaffiliated third party. For additional information, see Note 3. CenterPoint Energy completed the Restructuring on June 30, 2022, whereby the equity interests in Indiana Gas and VEDO, both subsidiaries it acquired in its acquisition of Vectren on February 1, 2019, were transferred from VUH to CERC Corp. SIGECO was not acquired by CERC and remains a subsidiary of VUH. On January 10, 2022, CERC Corp. completed the sale of its Arkansas and Oklahoma Natural Gas businesses. For additional information, see Note 3.

As of September 30, 2023, CenterPoint Energy’s operating subsidiaries were as follows:

•Houston Electric owns and operates electric transmission and distribution facilities in the Texas gulf coast area that includes the city of Houston;

•CERC Corp. (i) directly owns and operates natural gas distribution systems in Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas, (ii) indirectly, through Indiana Gas and VEDO, owns and operates natural gas distribution systems in Indiana and Ohio, respectively, and (iii) owns and operates permanent pipeline connections through interconnects with various interstate and intrastate pipeline companies through CEIP; and

•SIGECO provides energy delivery services to electric and natural gas customers located in and near Evansville in southwestern Indiana and owns and operates electric generation assets to serve its electric customers and optimizes those assets in the wholesale power market.

As of September 30, 2023, CenterPoint Energy’s reportable segments were Electric, Natural Gas, and Corporate and Other. Houston Electric and CERC each consist of a single reportable segment. For a description of CenterPoint Energy’s reportable segments, see Note 15.

As of September 30, 2023, CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric and SIGECO had VIEs including the Bond Companies and the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary, which are consolidated. The consolidated VIEs are wholly-owned, bankruptcy-remote, special purpose entities that were formed solely for the purpose of securitizing transition property or facilitating the securitization financing of qualified costs in the second quarter of 2023 associated with the completed retirement of SIGECO’s A.B. Brown coal generation facilities. CenterPoint Energy, through SIGECO, has a controlling financial interest in the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary and is the VIE’s primary beneficiary. For further information, see Note 6. Creditors of CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric and SIGECO have no recourse to any assets or revenues of the Bond Companies or the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary, as applicable. The Securitization Bonds issued by these VIEs are payable only from and secured by transition or securitization property, as applicable, and the bondholders have no recourse to the general credit of CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric or SIGECO.

Basis of Presentation. The preparation of the Registrants’ financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.The Interim Condensed Financial Statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the respective periods. Amounts reported in the Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income are not necessarily indicative of amounts expected for a full-year period due to the effects of, among other things, (a) seasonal fluctuations in demand for energy, (b) changes in energy commodity prices, (c) timing of maintenance and other expenditures and (d) acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, assets and other interests.