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Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract] 
Unrecorded unconditional purchase obligations [Table Text Block]

Future obligations for power purchases from OVEC are unconditional demand payments, comprised of annual minimum debt service payments, as well as contractually required reimbursement of plant operating, maintenance and other expenses as follows:

   LG&E KU Total
           
2012  $ 19 $9 $ 28
2013    20  9   29
2014    20  9   29
2015    21  9   30
2016    21  9   30
Thereafter    628  279   907
   $ 729 $ 324 $ 1,053
           

In addition, LG&E and KU had total energy purchases under the OVEC power purchase agreement for the three and nine months ended September 30, as follows:

(PPL, LKE, LG&E and KU)           
        2011
    Successor
      Three Months Nine Months
             
 LG&E      $ 6 $ 18
 KU        3   8
 Total      $ 9 $ 26
             
(LKE, LG&E and KU)           
        2010
        Predecessor
        Three Months Nine Months
             
 LG&E      $ 5 $ 15
 KU        2   7
 Total      $ 7 $ 22
             
Guarantees

The table below details guarantees provided as of September 30, 2011.

  Exposure at  Expiration
  September 30, 2011 (a) Date
PPL      
Indemnifications for sale of PPL Gas Utilities $ 300(b)  
Indemnifications related to the WPD Midlands acquisition   (c)  
WPD indemnifications for entities in liquidation and sales of assets   287(d) 2013 - 2018
WPD guarantee of pension and other obligations of unconsolidated entities   66(e) 2015
Tax indemnification related to unconsolidated WPD affiliates   8(f) 2012
       
PPL Energy Supply (g)      
Letters of credit issued on behalf of affiliates   20(h) 2011 - 2014
Retrospective premiums under nuclear insurance programs   44(i)  
Nuclear claims assessment under The Price-Anderson Act Amendments under The Energy Policy Act of 2005   235(j)  
Indemnifications for sales of assets   338(k) 2012 - 2025
Indemnification to operators of jointly owned facilities   6(l)  
Guarantee of a portion of a divested unconsolidated entity's debt   22(m) 2018
       
LKE (n)      
Indemnification of lease termination and other divestitures   301(o) 2021 - 2023
       
LG&E and KU (p)      
LG&E and KU guarantee of shortfall related to OVEC   (q) 2040

(a)       Represents the estimated maximum potential amount of future payments that could be required to be made under the guarantee.

(b)       PPL has provided indemnification to the purchaser of PPL Gas Utilities and Penn Fuel Propane, LLC for damages arising out of any breach of the representations, warranties and covenants under the related transaction agreement and for damages arising out of certain other matters, including certain pre-closing unknown environmental liabilities relating to former manufactured gas plant properties or off-site disposal sites, if any, outside of Pennsylvania. The indemnification provisions for most representations and warranties, including tax and environmental matters, are capped at $45 million, in the aggregate, and are triggered (i) only if the individual claim exceeds $50,000, and (ii) only if, and only to the extent that, in the aggregate, total claims exceed $4.5 million. The indemnification provisions for most representations and warranties expired on September 30, 2009 without any claims having been made. Certain representations and warranties, including those having to do with transaction authorization and title, survive indefinitely, are capped at the purchase price and are not subject to the above threshold or deductible. The indemnification provision for the tax matters representations survives for the duration of the applicable statute of limitations, and the indemnification provision for the environmental matters representations survives for a period of three years after the transaction closing. The indemnification provision for the environmental matters representations expired on September 30, 2011 without any claims having been made. The indemnification for covenants survives until the applicable covenant is performed and is not subject to any cap.

(c)       WPD Midlands Holdings Limited (formerly Central Networks Limited) had agreed prior to the acquisition to indemnify certain former directors of a Turkish entity in which WPD Midlands Holdings Limited previously owned an interest for any liabilities that may arise as a result of an investigation by Turkish tax authorities, and PPL WEM has received a cross-indemnity from E.ON AG with respect to these indemnification obligations. Additionally, PPL subsidiaries agreed to provide indemnifications to subsidiaries of E.ON AG for certain liabilities relating to properties and assets owned by affiliates of E.ON AG that were or are to be transferred to WPD Midlands in connection with the acquisition. The maximum exposure and expiration of these indemnifications cannot be estimated because the maximum potential liability is not capped by and there is no expiration date in the transaction documents.

(d)       In connection with the liquidation of wholly owned subsidiaries that have been deconsolidated upon turning the entities over to the liquidators, certain affiliates of PPL Global have agreed to indemnify the liquidators, directors and/or the entities themselves for any liabilities or expenses arising during the liquidation process, including liabilities and expenses of the entities placed into liquidation. In some cases, the indemnifications are limited to a maximum amount that is based on distributions made from the subsidiary to its parent either prior or subsequent to being placed into liquidation. In other cases, the maximum amount of the indemnifications is not explicitly stated in the agreements. The indemnifications generally expire two to seven years subsequent to the date of dissolution of the entities. The exposure noted only includes those cases in which the agreements provide for a specific limit on the amount of the indemnification, and the expiration date was based on an estimate of the dissolution date of the entities.

 

       In connection with their sales of various businesses, WPD and its affiliates have provided the purchasers with indemnifications that are standard for such transactions, including indemnifications for certain pre-existing liabilities and environmental and tax matters. In addition, in connection with certain of these sales, WPD and its affiliates have agreed to continue their obligations under existing third-party guarantees, either for a set period of time following the transactions or upon the condition that the purchasers make reasonable efforts to terminate the guarantees. Finally, WPD and its affiliates remain secondarily responsible for lease payments under certain leases that they have assigned to third parties.

(e)       As a result of the privatization of the utility industry in the U.K., certain electric associations' roles and responsibilities were discontinued or modified. As a result, certain obligations, primarily pension-related, associated with these organizations have been guaranteed by the participating members. Costs are allocated to the members based on predetermined percentages as outlined in specific agreements. However, if a member becomes insolvent, costs can be reallocated to and are guaranteed by the remaining members. At September 30, 2011, WPD has recorded an estimated discounted liability based on its current allocated percentage of the total expected costs for which the expected payment/performance is probable. Neither the expiration date nor the maximum amount of potential payments for certain obligations is explicitly stated in the related agreements. Therefore, they have been estimated based on the types of obligations.

(f)       Two WPD unconsolidated affiliates were refinanced during 2005. Under the terms of the refinancing, WPD has indemnified the lender against certain tax and other liabilities.

(g)       Other than the letters of credit, all guarantees of PPL Energy Supply, on a consolidated basis, also apply to PPL on a consolidated basis for financial reporting purposes.

(h)       Standby letter of credit arrangements under PPL Energy Supply's credit facilities for the purposes of protecting various third parties against nonperformance by PPL. This is not a guarantee by PPL on a consolidated basis.

(i)       PPL Susquehanna is contingently obligated to pay this amount related to potential retrospective premiums that could be assessed under its nuclear insurance programs. See "Nuclear Insurance" above for additional information.

(j)       This is the maximum amount PPL Susquehanna could be assessed for each incident at any of the nuclear reactors covered by this Act. See "Nuclear Insurance" above for additional information.

(k)       PPL Energy Supply's maximum exposure with respect to certain indemnifications and the expiration of the indemnifications cannot be estimated because, in the case of certain indemnification provisions, the maximum potential liability is not capped by the transaction documents and the expiration date is based on the applicable statute of limitations. The exposure and expiration dates noted are only for those cases in which the agreements provide for specific limits.

 

       A subsidiary of PPL Energy Supply has agreed to provide indemnification to the purchaser of the Long Island generation business for damages arising out of any breach of the representations, warranties and covenants under the related transaction agreement and for damages arising out of certain other matters, including liabilities relating to certain renewable energy facilities which were previously owned by one of the PPL subsidiaries sold in the transaction but which were unrelated to the Long Island generation business. The indemnification provisions are subject to certain customary limitations, including thresholds for allowable claims, caps on aggregate liability, and time limitations for claims arising out of breaches of most representations and warranties. The indemnification provisions for most representations and warranties expired in the third quarter of 2011.

 

       A subsidiary of PPL Energy Supply has agreed to provide indemnification to the purchasers of the Maine hydroelectric facilities for damages arising out of any breach of the representations, warranties and covenants under the respective transaction agreements and for damages arising out of certain other matters, including liabilities of the PPL Energy Supply subsidiary relating to the pre-closing ownership or operation of those hydroelectric facilities. The indemnification obligations are subject to certain customary limitations, including thresholds for allowable claims, caps on aggregate liability, and time limitations for claims arising out of breaches of representations and warranties. The indemnification provisions for certain representations and warranties expired in the second quarter of 2011.

 

       Subsidiaries of PPL Energy Supply have agreed to provide indemnification to the purchasers of certain non-core generation facilities sold in March 2011 (see Note 8 for additional information) for damages arising out of any breach of the representations, warranties and covenants under the related transaction agreements and for damages arising out of certain other matters relating to the facilities that were the subject of the transaction, including certain reduced capacity payments (if any) at one of the facilities in the event specified PJM rule changes are proposed and become effective. The indemnification provisions are subject to certain customary limitations, including thresholds for allowable claims, caps on aggregate liability, and time limitations for claims arising out of breaches of most representations and warranties.

(l)       In December 2007, a subsidiary of PPL Energy Supply executed revised owners agreements for two jointly owned facilities, the Keystone and Conemaugh generating stations. The agreements require that in the event of any default by an owner, the other owners fund contributions for the operation of the generating stations, based upon their ownership percentages. The maximum obligation among all owners, for each station, is currently $20 million. The non-defaulting owners, who make up the defaulting owner's obligations, are entitled to the generation entitlement of the defaulting owner, based upon their ownership percentage. The agreements do not have an expiration date.

(m)       A PPL Energy Supply subsidiary owned a one-third equity interest in Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation (Safe Harbor) that was sold in March 2011. Beginning in 2008, PPL Energy Supply guaranteed one-third of any amounts payable with respect to certain senior notes issued by Safe Harbor. Under the terms of the sale agreement, PPL Energy Supply continues to guarantee the portion of Safe Harbor's debt, but received a cross-indemnity from the purchaser in the event PPL Energy Supply is required to make a payment under the guarantee. Exposure noted reflects principal only. See Note 8 for additional information on the sale of this interest.

(n)       All guarantees of LKE, on a consolidated basis, also apply to PPL on a consolidated basis for financial reporting purposes.

(o)       LKE provides certain indemnifications, the most significant of which relate to the termination of the WKE lease in July 2009. These guarantees cover the due and punctual payment, performance and discharge by each party of its respective present and future obligations. The most comprehensive of these guarantees is the LKE guarantee covering operational, regulatory and environmental commitments and indemnifications made by WKE under the WKE Transaction Termination Agreement. This guarantee has a term of 12 years ending July 2021, and a cumulative maximum exposure of $200 million. Certain items such as non-excluded government fines and penalties fall outside the cumulative cap. Another guarantee with a maximum exposure of $100 million covering other indemnifications expires in 2023. Certain matters are currently under discussion among the parties, including one matter currently in arbitration and a further matter for which LKE is contesting the applicability of the indemnification requirement. The matter in arbitration may be ruled upon during early 2012, which ruling may result in increases or decreases to the liability estimate LKE has currently recorded. The ultimate outcome of both matters cannot be predicted at this time. Additionally, LKE has indemnified various third parties related to historical obligations for other divested subsidiaries and affiliates. The indemnifications vary by entity and the maximum amount limits range from being capped at the sale price to no specified maximum; however, LKE is not aware of formal claims under such indemnities made by any party at this time. LKE could be required to perform on these indemnifications in the event of covered losses or liabilities being claimed by an indemnified party. No additional material loss is anticipated by reason of such indemnification.

(p)       All guarantees of LG&E and KU also apply to LKE on a consolidated basis for financial reporting purposes.

(q)       As described in the "Energy Purchase Commitments" section of this footnote, pursuant to a power purchase agreement with OVEC, LG&E and KU are obligated to pay a demand charge which includes, among other charges, decommissioning costs, postretirement and post employment benefits. The demand charge is expected to cover the full cost of these items over the term of the contract. However, in the event there is a shortfall in covering these costs, LG&E and KU are obligated to pay their share of the excess.