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Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit And Short-Term Borrowings
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
Entergy Arkansas [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
Entergy Louisiana [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
Entergy Mississippi [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
Entergy New Orleans [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
Entergy Texas [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.
System Energy [Member]  
Revolving Credit Facilities, Lines Of Credit, Short-Term Borrowings, And Long-Term Debt
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES, LINES OF CREDIT, AND SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy Corporation has in place a credit facility that has a borrowing capacity of $3.5 billion and expires in August 2020.  Entergy Corporation also has the ability to issue letters of credit against 50% of the total borrowing capacity of the credit facility.  The commitment fee is currently 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount.  Commitment fees and interest rates on loans under the credit facility can fluctuate depending on the senior unsecured debt ratings of Entergy Corporation.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.98% on the drawn portion of the facility.  Following is a summary of the borrowings outstanding and capacity available under the facility as of December 31, 2015.
 
Capacity (a)
 
 
Borrowings
 
Letters
of Credit
 
Capacity
Available
(In Millions)
$3,500
 
$835
 
$9
 
$2,656


Entergy Corporation’s facility requires it to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization.  Entergy is in compliance with this covenant.  If Entergy fails to meet this ratio, or if Entergy Corporation or one of the Utility operating companies (except Entergy New Orleans) defaults on other indebtedness or is in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, an acceleration of the facility maturity date may occur.

Entergy Corporation has a commercial paper program with a Board-approved program limit of up to $1.5 billion.  At December 31, 2015, Entergy Corporation had $422 million of commercial paper outstanding.  The weighted-average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.90%.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each had credit facilities available as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Expiration Date
 
Amount of Facility
 
Interest Rate (a)
 
 Amount Drawn
as of
December 31, 2015
Letters of Credit
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
April 2016
 
$20 million (b)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Arkansas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (c)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Louisiana
 
August 2020
 
$350 million (d)
 
1.67%
 
$3.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$10 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$20 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$35 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy Mississippi
 
May 2016
 
$37.5 million (e)
 
1.92%
 
Entergy New Orleans
 
November 2018
 
$25 million
 
2.17%
 
Entergy Texas
 
August 2020
 
$150 million (f)
 
1.92%
 
$1.3 million

(a)
The interest rate is the rate as of December 31, 2015 that would be applied to outstanding borrowings under the facility.
(b)
Borrowings under this Entergy Arkansas credit facility may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Arkansas’s option.
(c)
The credit facility allows Entergy Arkansas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  
(d)
The credit facility allows Entergy Louisiana to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility. 
(e)
Borrowings under the Entergy Mississippi credit facilities may be secured by a security interest in its accounts receivable at Entergy Mississippi’s option. 
(f)
The credit facility allows Entergy Texas to issue letters of credit against 50% of the borrowing capacity of the facility.  

The commitment fees on the credit facilities range from 0.125% to 0.275% of the undrawn commitment amount. Each of the credit facilities requires the Registrant Subsidiary borrower to maintain a debt ratio of 65% or less of its total capitalization. Each Registrant Subsidiary is in compliance with this covenant.

In addition, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas each entered into one or more uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as a means to post collateral to support its obligations related to MISO. Following is a summary of the uncommitted standby letter of credit facilities as of December 31, 2015:
Company
 
Amount of Uncommitted Facility
 
Letter of Credit Fee
 
Letters of Credit Issued as of December 31, 2015
Entergy Arkansas
 
$25 million
 
0.70%
 
$1.0 million
Entergy Louisiana
 
$125 million
 
0.70%
 
$17.1 million
Entergy Mississippi
 
$40 million
 
0.70%
 
$6.0 million
Entergy New Orleans
 
$15 million
 
0.75%
 
$1.4 million
Entergy Texas
 
$50 million
 
0.70%
 
$9.4 million


The short-term borrowings of the Registrant Subsidiaries are limited to amounts authorized by the FERC. The current FERC-authorized limits are effective through October 31, 2017. In addition to borrowings from commercial banks, these companies may also borrow from the Entergy System money pool. The money pool is an inter-company borrowing arrangement designed to reduce the Utility subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings. Borrowings from the money pool and external short-term borrowings combined may not exceed the FERC-authorized limits. The following are the FERC-authorized limits for short-term borrowings and the outstanding short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2015 (aggregating both money pool and external short-term borrowings) for the Registrant Subsidiaries:
 
Authorized
 
Borrowings
 
(In Millions)
Entergy Arkansas
$250
 
$52.7
Entergy Louisiana
$450
 
Entergy Mississippi
$175
 
Entergy New Orleans
$100
 
Entergy Texas
$200
 
$22.1
System Energy
$200
 


Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee Credit Facilities

In January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into a credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $60 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides working capital to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. The commitment fee is currently 0.25% of the undrawn commitment amount.  As of December 31, 2015, $12 million was outstanding on the facility.  The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 2.08% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

         Also in January 2015, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee entered into an uncommitted credit facility guaranteed by Entergy Corporation with a borrowing capacity of $85 million which expires in January 2018.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee does not have the ability to issue letters of credit against this facility. This facility provides an additional funding source to Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee for general business purposes including, without limitation, the decommissioning of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee’s nuclear facilities. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under the facility. The rate as of December 31, 2015 that would most likely apply to outstanding borrowings under the facility was 2.17% on the drawn portion of the facility. 

Variable Interest Entities (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy)

See Note 18 to the financial statements for a discussion of the consolidation of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities (VIE).  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have credit facilities and also issue commercial paper to finance the acquisition and ownership of nuclear fuel as follows as of December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
 
 
Company
 
 
 
 
 
Expiration
Date
 
 
 
 
Amount
of
Facility
 
Weighted
Average
Interest
Rate on
Borrowings
(a)
 
 
Amount
Outstanding
as of
December 31,
2015
 
 
(Dollars in Millions)
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
June 2016
 
$85
 
1.98%
 
$11.7
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
June 2016
 
$100
 
1.38%
 
$0.6
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
June 2016
 
$90
 
1.59%
 
$60.4
System Energy VIE
 
June 2016
 
$125
 
n/a
 
$—

(a)
Includes letter of credit fees and bank fronting fees on commercial paper issuances by the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities for Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy.  The nuclear fuel company variable interest entity for Entergy Louisiana River Bend does not issue commercial paper, but borrows directly on its bank credit facility.

Amounts outstanding on the Entergy Louisiana River Bend variable interest entity’s credit facility, if any, are included in debt on Entergy’s balance sheet and commercial paper outstanding for the other nuclear fuel company variable interest entities is classified as a current liability on the respective balance sheets.  The commitment fees on the credit facilities are 0.10% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Louisiana VIEs and 0.125% of the undrawn commitment amount for the Entergy Arkansas and System Energy VIEs. Each credit facility requires the respective lessee of nuclear fuel (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, or Entergy Corporation as guarantor for System Energy) to maintain a consolidated debt ratio of 70% or less of its total capitalization.

The nuclear fuel company variable interest entities had notes payable that are included in debt on the respective balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 as follows:
Company
 
Description
 
Amount
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.23% Series J due July 2016
 
$55 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
2.62% Series K due December 2017
 
$60 million
Entergy Arkansas VIE
 
3.65% Series L due July 2021
 
$90 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.25% Series Q due July 2017
 
$75 million
Entergy Louisiana River Bend VIE
 
3.38% Series R due August 2020
 
$70 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.30% Series F due March 2016
 
$20 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.25% Series G due July 2017
 
$25 million
Entergy Louisiana Waterford VIE
 
3.92% Series H due February 2021
 
$40 million
System Energy VIE
 
4.02% Series H due February 2017
 
$50 million
System Energy VIE
 
3.78% Series I due October 2018
 
$85 million


In accordance with regulatory treatment, interest on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities, commercial paper, and long-term notes payable is reported in fuel expense.

Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and System Energy each have obtained long-term financing authorizations from the FERC that extend through October 2017 for issuances by its nuclear fuel company variable interest entities.