XML 193 R23.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.3.a.u2
Acquisitions, Dispositions, and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Acquisitions And Dispositions ACQUISITIONS, DISPOSITIONS, AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, and Entergy New Orleans)

Acquisitions

Choctaw Generating Station

In October 2019, Entergy Mississippi purchased the Choctaw Generating Station, an 810 MW natural gas fired combined-cycle turbine plant located near French Camp, Mississippi, from a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.  The purchase price for the Choctaw Generating Station was approximately $305 million.

Dispositions

Pilgrim

In July 2018, Entergy entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Holtec International to sell to a Holtec subsidiary 100% of the equity interests in Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, the owner of the Pilgrim plant. In August 2019 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Holtec. The transaction closed in August 2019 for a purchase price of $1,000 (subject to adjustments for net liabilities and other amounts). The sale included the transfer of the Pilgrim nuclear decommissioning trust and obligation for spent fuel management and plant decommissioning. The transaction resulted in a loss of $190 million ($156 million net-of-tax) in the third quarter 2019. The disposition-date fair value of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund was approximately $1,030 million and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $837 million. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

Willow Glen

In December 2018, Entergy Louisiana sold the Willow Glen Power Station, a non-operating gas plant. Entergy Louisiana sold Willow Glen for approximately $12 million in cash and the transfer of the obligation to decommission the plant. Entergy Louisiana recognized a regulatory liability of $5.7 million for return of removal costs previously collected in rates. Entergy Louisiana realized a pre-tax gain of $14.8 million on the sale. Entergy Louisiana recorded a $31.9 million regulatory liability to recognize the obligation to refund excess customer collections for decommissioning Willow Glen.

Vermont Yankee

In November 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the membership interests in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC to a subsidiary of NorthStar. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee was the owner of the Vermont Yankee plant. The sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to NorthStar included the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the asset retirement obligation for the spent fuel management and decommissioning of the plant.

In March 2018, Entergy and NorthStar entered into a settlement agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding with State of Vermont agencies and other interested parties that set forth the terms on which the agencies and parties support the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s approval of the transaction. The agreements provide additional financial assurance for decommissioning, spent fuel management and site restoration, and detail the site restoration standards. In October 2018 the NRC issued an order approving the application to transfer Vermont Yankee’s license to NorthStar for decommissioning. In December 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order approving the transaction consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding’s terms. On January 11, 2019, Entergy and NorthStar closed the transaction.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee had an outstanding credit facility that was used to pay for dry fuel storage costs. This credit facility was guaranteed by Entergy Corporation. A subsidiary of Entergy assumed the obligations under the credit facility. At the closing of the sale transaction, NorthStar caused Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, renamed NorthStar Vermont Yankee, to issue a $139 million promissory note to the Entergy subsidiary that assumed the credit facility obligations. The amount of the note included the balance outstanding on the credit facility, as well as borrowing fees and costs incurred by Entergy in connection with the credit facility.

With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held for sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in an increase in the asset retirement obligation and $173 million of asset impairment and related other charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the asset retirement obligation. Upon closing of the transaction in January 2019, the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust, along with the decommissioning obligation for the plant, was transferred to NorthStar. The assets and liabilities associated with the sale of Vermont Yankee were classified as held for sale on the Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the value of the decommissioning trust was $532 million. As of December 31, 2018, the asset retirement cost asset was $127 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the asset retirement cost obligation was $568 million, classified within other non-current liabilities.

The Vermont Yankee spent fuel disposal contract was assigned to NorthStar as part of the transaction. The Vermont Yankee transaction resulted in Entergy generating a net deferred tax asset in January 2019.  The deferred tax asset could not be fully realized by Entergy in the first quarter of 2019; accordingly, Entergy accrued a net tax expense of $29 million on the disposition of Vermont Yankee. The transaction also resulted in other charges of $5.4 million ($4.2 million net-of-tax) in the first quarter 2019.

FitzPatrick

In August 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell the FitzPatrick plant, an 838 MW nuclear power plant that was owned by Entergy in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In March 2017 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Exelon. The transaction closed in March 2017 for a purchase price of $110 million, which included a $10 million non-refundable signing fee paid in August 2016, in addition to the assumption by Exelon of certain liabilities related to the FitzPatrick plant, resulting in a pre-tax gain on the sale of $16 million. At the transaction close, Exelon paid an additional $8 million for the proration of certain expenses prepaid by Entergy. The disposition-date fair value of the decommissioning trust fund was $805 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $727 million, classified within other non-current liabilities. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

As part of the transaction, Entergy entered into a reimbursement agreement with Exelon pursuant to which Exelon reimbursed Entergy for specified out-of-pocket costs associated with Entergy’s operation of FitzPatrick prior to closing of the sale. In the first quarter 2017, Entergy billed Exelon for reimbursement of $98 million of other operation and maintenance expenses, $7 million in lost operating revenues, and $3 million in taxes other than income taxes, partially offset by a $10 million defueling credit to Exelon.

As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, as a result of the sale of FitzPatrick on March 31, 2017, Entergy redetermined the plant’s tax basis, resulting in a $44 million income tax benefit in the first quarter 2017.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

2017, 2018, and 2019 Impairments

Entergy continues to execute its strategy to shut down and sell all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet, with planned shutdowns of Indian Point 2 by April 30, 2020, Indian Point 3 by April 30, 2021, and Palisades by May 31, 2022. The remaining three Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ nuclear plants, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee, and Pilgrim, have been sold. The FitzPatrick plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2016, and subsequently sold to Exelon in March 2017. The Vermont Yankee plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2018, and subsequently sold to NorthStar on January 11, 2019. The Pilgrim plant was sold to Holtec International on August 26, 2019.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities incurred $100 million in 2019, $532 million in 2018, and $538 million in 2017 of impairment charges related to nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, expenditures for capital assets, and asset retirement obligation revisions. These costs were charged to expense as incurred as a result of the impaired fair value of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants’ long-lived assets due to the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with management’s strategy to exit the Entergy Wholesale Commodities merchant power business. Entergy expects to continue to incur costs associated with nuclear fuel-related spending, expenditures for capital assets and, except for Palisades, expects to continue to charge these costs to expense as incurred because Entergy expects the value of the plants to continue to be impaired.

With respect to Palisades, Entergy and Consumers Energy had agreed to amend the existing PPA so that it would terminate early, on May 31, 2018. In September 2017, however, Entergy and Consumers Energy agreed to terminate the PPA amendment agreement. Entergy continues to operate Palisades under the current PPA with Consumers Energy, instead of shutting down in the fall of 2018 as previously planned. Entergy intends to shut down the Palisades plant permanently no later than May 31, 2022. As a result of the change in expected operating life of the Palisades plant, the expected probability-weighted undiscounted net cash flows as of September 30, 2017 exceeded the carrying value of the plant and related assets. Accordingly, nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, and expenditures for capital assets incurred at Palisades after September 30, 2017 are no longer charged to expense as incurred, but recorded as assets and depreciated or amortized, subject to the typical periodic impairment reviews prescribed in the accounting rules.

The impairments and other related charges are recorded as a separate line item in Entergy’s consolidated statements of operations and are included within the results of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In addition to the impairments and other related charges, Entergy expects to incur additional charges through mid-2022 associated with these strategic transactions. See Note 13 to the financial statements for further discussion of these additional charges.

2018 Pilgrim Impairment

The Pilgrim plant ceased operations on May 31, 2019, at the end of its current fuel cycle. Entergy Nuclear Generation Company filed its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the NRC in the fourth quarter 2018 for the Pilgrim plant. As part of the development of the PSDAR, Entergy obtained a revised decommissioning cost study in the third quarter 2018. The revised estimate resulted in a $117.5 million increase in the decommissioning cost liability and a corresponding impairment charge in the third quarter 2018. As discussed above in Dispositions, on August 26, 2019, Entergy sold the Pilgrim plant to a Holtec International subsidiary.

2018 Vermont Yankee Impairment

As discussed above in Dispositions, on January 11, 2019, Entergy sold the Vermont Yankee plant to NorthStar. With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held-
for- sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction, and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in $173 million of asset impairment and related charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the revision of the asset retirement obligation.
Entergy Arkansas [Member]  
Acquisitions And Dispositions ACQUISITIONS, DISPOSITIONS, AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, and Entergy New Orleans)

Acquisitions

Choctaw Generating Station

In October 2019, Entergy Mississippi purchased the Choctaw Generating Station, an 810 MW natural gas fired combined-cycle turbine plant located near French Camp, Mississippi, from a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.  The purchase price for the Choctaw Generating Station was approximately $305 million.

Dispositions

Pilgrim

In July 2018, Entergy entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Holtec International to sell to a Holtec subsidiary 100% of the equity interests in Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, the owner of the Pilgrim plant. In August 2019 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Holtec. The transaction closed in August 2019 for a purchase price of $1,000 (subject to adjustments for net liabilities and other amounts). The sale included the transfer of the Pilgrim nuclear decommissioning trust and obligation for spent fuel management and plant decommissioning. The transaction resulted in a loss of $190 million ($156 million net-of-tax) in the third quarter 2019. The disposition-date fair value of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund was approximately $1,030 million and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $837 million. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

Willow Glen

In December 2018, Entergy Louisiana sold the Willow Glen Power Station, a non-operating gas plant. Entergy Louisiana sold Willow Glen for approximately $12 million in cash and the transfer of the obligation to decommission the plant. Entergy Louisiana recognized a regulatory liability of $5.7 million for return of removal costs previously collected in rates. Entergy Louisiana realized a pre-tax gain of $14.8 million on the sale. Entergy Louisiana recorded a $31.9 million regulatory liability to recognize the obligation to refund excess customer collections for decommissioning Willow Glen.

Vermont Yankee

In November 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the membership interests in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC to a subsidiary of NorthStar. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee was the owner of the Vermont Yankee plant. The sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to NorthStar included the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the asset retirement obligation for the spent fuel management and decommissioning of the plant.

In March 2018, Entergy and NorthStar entered into a settlement agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding with State of Vermont agencies and other interested parties that set forth the terms on which the agencies and parties support the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s approval of the transaction. The agreements provide additional financial assurance for decommissioning, spent fuel management and site restoration, and detail the site restoration standards. In October 2018 the NRC issued an order approving the application to transfer Vermont Yankee’s license to NorthStar for decommissioning. In December 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order approving the transaction consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding’s terms. On January 11, 2019, Entergy and NorthStar closed the transaction.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee had an outstanding credit facility that was used to pay for dry fuel storage costs. This credit facility was guaranteed by Entergy Corporation. A subsidiary of Entergy assumed the obligations under the credit facility. At the closing of the sale transaction, NorthStar caused Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, renamed NorthStar Vermont Yankee, to issue a $139 million promissory note to the Entergy subsidiary that assumed the credit facility obligations. The amount of the note included the balance outstanding on the credit facility, as well as borrowing fees and costs incurred by Entergy in connection with the credit facility.

With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held for sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in an increase in the asset retirement obligation and $173 million of asset impairment and related other charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the asset retirement obligation. Upon closing of the transaction in January 2019, the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust, along with the decommissioning obligation for the plant, was transferred to NorthStar. The assets and liabilities associated with the sale of Vermont Yankee were classified as held for sale on the Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the value of the decommissioning trust was $532 million. As of December 31, 2018, the asset retirement cost asset was $127 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the asset retirement cost obligation was $568 million, classified within other non-current liabilities.

The Vermont Yankee spent fuel disposal contract was assigned to NorthStar as part of the transaction. The Vermont Yankee transaction resulted in Entergy generating a net deferred tax asset in January 2019.  The deferred tax asset could not be fully realized by Entergy in the first quarter of 2019; accordingly, Entergy accrued a net tax expense of $29 million on the disposition of Vermont Yankee. The transaction also resulted in other charges of $5.4 million ($4.2 million net-of-tax) in the first quarter 2019.

FitzPatrick

In August 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell the FitzPatrick plant, an 838 MW nuclear power plant that was owned by Entergy in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In March 2017 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Exelon. The transaction closed in March 2017 for a purchase price of $110 million, which included a $10 million non-refundable signing fee paid in August 2016, in addition to the assumption by Exelon of certain liabilities related to the FitzPatrick plant, resulting in a pre-tax gain on the sale of $16 million. At the transaction close, Exelon paid an additional $8 million for the proration of certain expenses prepaid by Entergy. The disposition-date fair value of the decommissioning trust fund was $805 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $727 million, classified within other non-current liabilities. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

As part of the transaction, Entergy entered into a reimbursement agreement with Exelon pursuant to which Exelon reimbursed Entergy for specified out-of-pocket costs associated with Entergy’s operation of FitzPatrick prior to closing of the sale. In the first quarter 2017, Entergy billed Exelon for reimbursement of $98 million of other operation and maintenance expenses, $7 million in lost operating revenues, and $3 million in taxes other than income taxes, partially offset by a $10 million defueling credit to Exelon.

As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, as a result of the sale of FitzPatrick on March 31, 2017, Entergy redetermined the plant’s tax basis, resulting in a $44 million income tax benefit in the first quarter 2017.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

2017, 2018, and 2019 Impairments

Entergy continues to execute its strategy to shut down and sell all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet, with planned shutdowns of Indian Point 2 by April 30, 2020, Indian Point 3 by April 30, 2021, and Palisades by May 31, 2022. The remaining three Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ nuclear plants, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee, and Pilgrim, have been sold. The FitzPatrick plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2016, and subsequently sold to Exelon in March 2017. The Vermont Yankee plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2018, and subsequently sold to NorthStar on January 11, 2019. The Pilgrim plant was sold to Holtec International on August 26, 2019.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities incurred $100 million in 2019, $532 million in 2018, and $538 million in 2017 of impairment charges related to nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, expenditures for capital assets, and asset retirement obligation revisions. These costs were charged to expense as incurred as a result of the impaired fair value of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants’ long-lived assets due to the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with management’s strategy to exit the Entergy Wholesale Commodities merchant power business. Entergy expects to continue to incur costs associated with nuclear fuel-related spending, expenditures for capital assets and, except for Palisades, expects to continue to charge these costs to expense as incurred because Entergy expects the value of the plants to continue to be impaired.

With respect to Palisades, Entergy and Consumers Energy had agreed to amend the existing PPA so that it would terminate early, on May 31, 2018. In September 2017, however, Entergy and Consumers Energy agreed to terminate the PPA amendment agreement. Entergy continues to operate Palisades under the current PPA with Consumers Energy, instead of shutting down in the fall of 2018 as previously planned. Entergy intends to shut down the Palisades plant permanently no later than May 31, 2022. As a result of the change in expected operating life of the Palisades plant, the expected probability-weighted undiscounted net cash flows as of September 30, 2017 exceeded the carrying value of the plant and related assets. Accordingly, nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, and expenditures for capital assets incurred at Palisades after September 30, 2017 are no longer charged to expense as incurred, but recorded as assets and depreciated or amortized, subject to the typical periodic impairment reviews prescribed in the accounting rules.

The impairments and other related charges are recorded as a separate line item in Entergy’s consolidated statements of operations and are included within the results of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In addition to the impairments and other related charges, Entergy expects to incur additional charges through mid-2022 associated with these strategic transactions. See Note 13 to the financial statements for further discussion of these additional charges.

2018 Pilgrim Impairment

The Pilgrim plant ceased operations on May 31, 2019, at the end of its current fuel cycle. Entergy Nuclear Generation Company filed its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the NRC in the fourth quarter 2018 for the Pilgrim plant. As part of the development of the PSDAR, Entergy obtained a revised decommissioning cost study in the third quarter 2018. The revised estimate resulted in a $117.5 million increase in the decommissioning cost liability and a corresponding impairment charge in the third quarter 2018. As discussed above in Dispositions, on August 26, 2019, Entergy sold the Pilgrim plant to a Holtec International subsidiary.

2018 Vermont Yankee Impairment

As discussed above in Dispositions, on January 11, 2019, Entergy sold the Vermont Yankee plant to NorthStar. With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held-
for- sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction, and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in $173 million of asset impairment and related charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the revision of the asset retirement obligation.
Entergy Louisiana [Member]  
Acquisitions And Dispositions ACQUISITIONS, DISPOSITIONS, AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, and Entergy New Orleans)

Acquisitions

Choctaw Generating Station

In October 2019, Entergy Mississippi purchased the Choctaw Generating Station, an 810 MW natural gas fired combined-cycle turbine plant located near French Camp, Mississippi, from a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.  The purchase price for the Choctaw Generating Station was approximately $305 million.

Dispositions

Pilgrim

In July 2018, Entergy entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Holtec International to sell to a Holtec subsidiary 100% of the equity interests in Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, the owner of the Pilgrim plant. In August 2019 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Holtec. The transaction closed in August 2019 for a purchase price of $1,000 (subject to adjustments for net liabilities and other amounts). The sale included the transfer of the Pilgrim nuclear decommissioning trust and obligation for spent fuel management and plant decommissioning. The transaction resulted in a loss of $190 million ($156 million net-of-tax) in the third quarter 2019. The disposition-date fair value of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund was approximately $1,030 million and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $837 million. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

Willow Glen

In December 2018, Entergy Louisiana sold the Willow Glen Power Station, a non-operating gas plant. Entergy Louisiana sold Willow Glen for approximately $12 million in cash and the transfer of the obligation to decommission the plant. Entergy Louisiana recognized a regulatory liability of $5.7 million for return of removal costs previously collected in rates. Entergy Louisiana realized a pre-tax gain of $14.8 million on the sale. Entergy Louisiana recorded a $31.9 million regulatory liability to recognize the obligation to refund excess customer collections for decommissioning Willow Glen.

Vermont Yankee

In November 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the membership interests in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC to a subsidiary of NorthStar. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee was the owner of the Vermont Yankee plant. The sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to NorthStar included the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the asset retirement obligation for the spent fuel management and decommissioning of the plant.

In March 2018, Entergy and NorthStar entered into a settlement agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding with State of Vermont agencies and other interested parties that set forth the terms on which the agencies and parties support the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s approval of the transaction. The agreements provide additional financial assurance for decommissioning, spent fuel management and site restoration, and detail the site restoration standards. In October 2018 the NRC issued an order approving the application to transfer Vermont Yankee’s license to NorthStar for decommissioning. In December 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order approving the transaction consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding’s terms. On January 11, 2019, Entergy and NorthStar closed the transaction.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee had an outstanding credit facility that was used to pay for dry fuel storage costs. This credit facility was guaranteed by Entergy Corporation. A subsidiary of Entergy assumed the obligations under the credit facility. At the closing of the sale transaction, NorthStar caused Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, renamed NorthStar Vermont Yankee, to issue a $139 million promissory note to the Entergy subsidiary that assumed the credit facility obligations. The amount of the note included the balance outstanding on the credit facility, as well as borrowing fees and costs incurred by Entergy in connection with the credit facility.

With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held for sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in an increase in the asset retirement obligation and $173 million of asset impairment and related other charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the asset retirement obligation. Upon closing of the transaction in January 2019, the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust, along with the decommissioning obligation for the plant, was transferred to NorthStar. The assets and liabilities associated with the sale of Vermont Yankee were classified as held for sale on the Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the value of the decommissioning trust was $532 million. As of December 31, 2018, the asset retirement cost asset was $127 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the asset retirement cost obligation was $568 million, classified within other non-current liabilities.

The Vermont Yankee spent fuel disposal contract was assigned to NorthStar as part of the transaction. The Vermont Yankee transaction resulted in Entergy generating a net deferred tax asset in January 2019.  The deferred tax asset could not be fully realized by Entergy in the first quarter of 2019; accordingly, Entergy accrued a net tax expense of $29 million on the disposition of Vermont Yankee. The transaction also resulted in other charges of $5.4 million ($4.2 million net-of-tax) in the first quarter 2019.

FitzPatrick

In August 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell the FitzPatrick plant, an 838 MW nuclear power plant that was owned by Entergy in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In March 2017 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Exelon. The transaction closed in March 2017 for a purchase price of $110 million, which included a $10 million non-refundable signing fee paid in August 2016, in addition to the assumption by Exelon of certain liabilities related to the FitzPatrick plant, resulting in a pre-tax gain on the sale of $16 million. At the transaction close, Exelon paid an additional $8 million for the proration of certain expenses prepaid by Entergy. The disposition-date fair value of the decommissioning trust fund was $805 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $727 million, classified within other non-current liabilities. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

As part of the transaction, Entergy entered into a reimbursement agreement with Exelon pursuant to which Exelon reimbursed Entergy for specified out-of-pocket costs associated with Entergy’s operation of FitzPatrick prior to closing of the sale. In the first quarter 2017, Entergy billed Exelon for reimbursement of $98 million of other operation and maintenance expenses, $7 million in lost operating revenues, and $3 million in taxes other than income taxes, partially offset by a $10 million defueling credit to Exelon.

As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, as a result of the sale of FitzPatrick on March 31, 2017, Entergy redetermined the plant’s tax basis, resulting in a $44 million income tax benefit in the first quarter 2017.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

2017, 2018, and 2019 Impairments

Entergy continues to execute its strategy to shut down and sell all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet, with planned shutdowns of Indian Point 2 by April 30, 2020, Indian Point 3 by April 30, 2021, and Palisades by May 31, 2022. The remaining three Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ nuclear plants, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee, and Pilgrim, have been sold. The FitzPatrick plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2016, and subsequently sold to Exelon in March 2017. The Vermont Yankee plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2018, and subsequently sold to NorthStar on January 11, 2019. The Pilgrim plant was sold to Holtec International on August 26, 2019.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities incurred $100 million in 2019, $532 million in 2018, and $538 million in 2017 of impairment charges related to nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, expenditures for capital assets, and asset retirement obligation revisions. These costs were charged to expense as incurred as a result of the impaired fair value of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants’ long-lived assets due to the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with management’s strategy to exit the Entergy Wholesale Commodities merchant power business. Entergy expects to continue to incur costs associated with nuclear fuel-related spending, expenditures for capital assets and, except for Palisades, expects to continue to charge these costs to expense as incurred because Entergy expects the value of the plants to continue to be impaired.

With respect to Palisades, Entergy and Consumers Energy had agreed to amend the existing PPA so that it would terminate early, on May 31, 2018. In September 2017, however, Entergy and Consumers Energy agreed to terminate the PPA amendment agreement. Entergy continues to operate Palisades under the current PPA with Consumers Energy, instead of shutting down in the fall of 2018 as previously planned. Entergy intends to shut down the Palisades plant permanently no later than May 31, 2022. As a result of the change in expected operating life of the Palisades plant, the expected probability-weighted undiscounted net cash flows as of September 30, 2017 exceeded the carrying value of the plant and related assets. Accordingly, nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, and expenditures for capital assets incurred at Palisades after September 30, 2017 are no longer charged to expense as incurred, but recorded as assets and depreciated or amortized, subject to the typical periodic impairment reviews prescribed in the accounting rules.

The impairments and other related charges are recorded as a separate line item in Entergy’s consolidated statements of operations and are included within the results of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In addition to the impairments and other related charges, Entergy expects to incur additional charges through mid-2022 associated with these strategic transactions. See Note 13 to the financial statements for further discussion of these additional charges.

2018 Pilgrim Impairment

The Pilgrim plant ceased operations on May 31, 2019, at the end of its current fuel cycle. Entergy Nuclear Generation Company filed its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the NRC in the fourth quarter 2018 for the Pilgrim plant. As part of the development of the PSDAR, Entergy obtained a revised decommissioning cost study in the third quarter 2018. The revised estimate resulted in a $117.5 million increase in the decommissioning cost liability and a corresponding impairment charge in the third quarter 2018. As discussed above in Dispositions, on August 26, 2019, Entergy sold the Pilgrim plant to a Holtec International subsidiary.

2018 Vermont Yankee Impairment

As discussed above in Dispositions, on January 11, 2019, Entergy sold the Vermont Yankee plant to NorthStar. With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held-
for- sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction, and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in $173 million of asset impairment and related charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the revision of the asset retirement obligation.
Entergy Mississippi [Member]  
Acquisitions And Dispositions ACQUISITIONS, DISPOSITIONS, AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, and Entergy New Orleans)

Acquisitions

Choctaw Generating Station

In October 2019, Entergy Mississippi purchased the Choctaw Generating Station, an 810 MW natural gas fired combined-cycle turbine plant located near French Camp, Mississippi, from a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.  The purchase price for the Choctaw Generating Station was approximately $305 million.

Dispositions

Pilgrim

In July 2018, Entergy entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Holtec International to sell to a Holtec subsidiary 100% of the equity interests in Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, the owner of the Pilgrim plant. In August 2019 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Holtec. The transaction closed in August 2019 for a purchase price of $1,000 (subject to adjustments for net liabilities and other amounts). The sale included the transfer of the Pilgrim nuclear decommissioning trust and obligation for spent fuel management and plant decommissioning. The transaction resulted in a loss of $190 million ($156 million net-of-tax) in the third quarter 2019. The disposition-date fair value of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund was approximately $1,030 million and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $837 million. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

Willow Glen

In December 2018, Entergy Louisiana sold the Willow Glen Power Station, a non-operating gas plant. Entergy Louisiana sold Willow Glen for approximately $12 million in cash and the transfer of the obligation to decommission the plant. Entergy Louisiana recognized a regulatory liability of $5.7 million for return of removal costs previously collected in rates. Entergy Louisiana realized a pre-tax gain of $14.8 million on the sale. Entergy Louisiana recorded a $31.9 million regulatory liability to recognize the obligation to refund excess customer collections for decommissioning Willow Glen.

Vermont Yankee

In November 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the membership interests in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC to a subsidiary of NorthStar. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee was the owner of the Vermont Yankee plant. The sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to NorthStar included the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the asset retirement obligation for the spent fuel management and decommissioning of the plant.

In March 2018, Entergy and NorthStar entered into a settlement agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding with State of Vermont agencies and other interested parties that set forth the terms on which the agencies and parties support the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s approval of the transaction. The agreements provide additional financial assurance for decommissioning, spent fuel management and site restoration, and detail the site restoration standards. In October 2018 the NRC issued an order approving the application to transfer Vermont Yankee’s license to NorthStar for decommissioning. In December 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order approving the transaction consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding’s terms. On January 11, 2019, Entergy and NorthStar closed the transaction.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee had an outstanding credit facility that was used to pay for dry fuel storage costs. This credit facility was guaranteed by Entergy Corporation. A subsidiary of Entergy assumed the obligations under the credit facility. At the closing of the sale transaction, NorthStar caused Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, renamed NorthStar Vermont Yankee, to issue a $139 million promissory note to the Entergy subsidiary that assumed the credit facility obligations. The amount of the note included the balance outstanding on the credit facility, as well as borrowing fees and costs incurred by Entergy in connection with the credit facility.

With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held for sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in an increase in the asset retirement obligation and $173 million of asset impairment and related other charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the asset retirement obligation. Upon closing of the transaction in January 2019, the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust, along with the decommissioning obligation for the plant, was transferred to NorthStar. The assets and liabilities associated with the sale of Vermont Yankee were classified as held for sale on the Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the value of the decommissioning trust was $532 million. As of December 31, 2018, the asset retirement cost asset was $127 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the asset retirement cost obligation was $568 million, classified within other non-current liabilities.

The Vermont Yankee spent fuel disposal contract was assigned to NorthStar as part of the transaction. The Vermont Yankee transaction resulted in Entergy generating a net deferred tax asset in January 2019.  The deferred tax asset could not be fully realized by Entergy in the first quarter of 2019; accordingly, Entergy accrued a net tax expense of $29 million on the disposition of Vermont Yankee. The transaction also resulted in other charges of $5.4 million ($4.2 million net-of-tax) in the first quarter 2019.

FitzPatrick

In August 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell the FitzPatrick plant, an 838 MW nuclear power plant that was owned by Entergy in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In March 2017 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Exelon. The transaction closed in March 2017 for a purchase price of $110 million, which included a $10 million non-refundable signing fee paid in August 2016, in addition to the assumption by Exelon of certain liabilities related to the FitzPatrick plant, resulting in a pre-tax gain on the sale of $16 million. At the transaction close, Exelon paid an additional $8 million for the proration of certain expenses prepaid by Entergy. The disposition-date fair value of the decommissioning trust fund was $805 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $727 million, classified within other non-current liabilities. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

As part of the transaction, Entergy entered into a reimbursement agreement with Exelon pursuant to which Exelon reimbursed Entergy for specified out-of-pocket costs associated with Entergy’s operation of FitzPatrick prior to closing of the sale. In the first quarter 2017, Entergy billed Exelon for reimbursement of $98 million of other operation and maintenance expenses, $7 million in lost operating revenues, and $3 million in taxes other than income taxes, partially offset by a $10 million defueling credit to Exelon.

As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, as a result of the sale of FitzPatrick on March 31, 2017, Entergy redetermined the plant’s tax basis, resulting in a $44 million income tax benefit in the first quarter 2017.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

2017, 2018, and 2019 Impairments

Entergy continues to execute its strategy to shut down and sell all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet, with planned shutdowns of Indian Point 2 by April 30, 2020, Indian Point 3 by April 30, 2021, and Palisades by May 31, 2022. The remaining three Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ nuclear plants, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee, and Pilgrim, have been sold. The FitzPatrick plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2016, and subsequently sold to Exelon in March 2017. The Vermont Yankee plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2018, and subsequently sold to NorthStar on January 11, 2019. The Pilgrim plant was sold to Holtec International on August 26, 2019.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities incurred $100 million in 2019, $532 million in 2018, and $538 million in 2017 of impairment charges related to nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, expenditures for capital assets, and asset retirement obligation revisions. These costs were charged to expense as incurred as a result of the impaired fair value of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants’ long-lived assets due to the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with management’s strategy to exit the Entergy Wholesale Commodities merchant power business. Entergy expects to continue to incur costs associated with nuclear fuel-related spending, expenditures for capital assets and, except for Palisades, expects to continue to charge these costs to expense as incurred because Entergy expects the value of the plants to continue to be impaired.

With respect to Palisades, Entergy and Consumers Energy had agreed to amend the existing PPA so that it would terminate early, on May 31, 2018. In September 2017, however, Entergy and Consumers Energy agreed to terminate the PPA amendment agreement. Entergy continues to operate Palisades under the current PPA with Consumers Energy, instead of shutting down in the fall of 2018 as previously planned. Entergy intends to shut down the Palisades plant permanently no later than May 31, 2022. As a result of the change in expected operating life of the Palisades plant, the expected probability-weighted undiscounted net cash flows as of September 30, 2017 exceeded the carrying value of the plant and related assets. Accordingly, nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, and expenditures for capital assets incurred at Palisades after September 30, 2017 are no longer charged to expense as incurred, but recorded as assets and depreciated or amortized, subject to the typical periodic impairment reviews prescribed in the accounting rules.

The impairments and other related charges are recorded as a separate line item in Entergy’s consolidated statements of operations and are included within the results of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In addition to the impairments and other related charges, Entergy expects to incur additional charges through mid-2022 associated with these strategic transactions. See Note 13 to the financial statements for further discussion of these additional charges.

2018 Pilgrim Impairment

The Pilgrim plant ceased operations on May 31, 2019, at the end of its current fuel cycle. Entergy Nuclear Generation Company filed its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the NRC in the fourth quarter 2018 for the Pilgrim plant. As part of the development of the PSDAR, Entergy obtained a revised decommissioning cost study in the third quarter 2018. The revised estimate resulted in a $117.5 million increase in the decommissioning cost liability and a corresponding impairment charge in the third quarter 2018. As discussed above in Dispositions, on August 26, 2019, Entergy sold the Pilgrim plant to a Holtec International subsidiary.

2018 Vermont Yankee Impairment

As discussed above in Dispositions, on January 11, 2019, Entergy sold the Vermont Yankee plant to NorthStar. With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held-
for- sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction, and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in $173 million of asset impairment and related charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the revision of the asset retirement obligation.
Entergy New Orleans [Member]  
Acquisitions And Dispositions ACQUISITIONS, DISPOSITIONS, AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, and Entergy New Orleans)

Acquisitions

Choctaw Generating Station

In October 2019, Entergy Mississippi purchased the Choctaw Generating Station, an 810 MW natural gas fired combined-cycle turbine plant located near French Camp, Mississippi, from a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.  The purchase price for the Choctaw Generating Station was approximately $305 million.

Dispositions

Pilgrim

In July 2018, Entergy entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Holtec International to sell to a Holtec subsidiary 100% of the equity interests in Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, the owner of the Pilgrim plant. In August 2019 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Holtec. The transaction closed in August 2019 for a purchase price of $1,000 (subject to adjustments for net liabilities and other amounts). The sale included the transfer of the Pilgrim nuclear decommissioning trust and obligation for spent fuel management and plant decommissioning. The transaction resulted in a loss of $190 million ($156 million net-of-tax) in the third quarter 2019. The disposition-date fair value of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund was approximately $1,030 million and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $837 million. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

Willow Glen

In December 2018, Entergy Louisiana sold the Willow Glen Power Station, a non-operating gas plant. Entergy Louisiana sold Willow Glen for approximately $12 million in cash and the transfer of the obligation to decommission the plant. Entergy Louisiana recognized a regulatory liability of $5.7 million for return of removal costs previously collected in rates. Entergy Louisiana realized a pre-tax gain of $14.8 million on the sale. Entergy Louisiana recorded a $31.9 million regulatory liability to recognize the obligation to refund excess customer collections for decommissioning Willow Glen.

Vermont Yankee

In November 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the membership interests in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC to a subsidiary of NorthStar. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee was the owner of the Vermont Yankee plant. The sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to NorthStar included the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the asset retirement obligation for the spent fuel management and decommissioning of the plant.

In March 2018, Entergy and NorthStar entered into a settlement agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding with State of Vermont agencies and other interested parties that set forth the terms on which the agencies and parties support the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s approval of the transaction. The agreements provide additional financial assurance for decommissioning, spent fuel management and site restoration, and detail the site restoration standards. In October 2018 the NRC issued an order approving the application to transfer Vermont Yankee’s license to NorthStar for decommissioning. In December 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order approving the transaction consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding’s terms. On January 11, 2019, Entergy and NorthStar closed the transaction.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee had an outstanding credit facility that was used to pay for dry fuel storage costs. This credit facility was guaranteed by Entergy Corporation. A subsidiary of Entergy assumed the obligations under the credit facility. At the closing of the sale transaction, NorthStar caused Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, renamed NorthStar Vermont Yankee, to issue a $139 million promissory note to the Entergy subsidiary that assumed the credit facility obligations. The amount of the note included the balance outstanding on the credit facility, as well as borrowing fees and costs incurred by Entergy in connection with the credit facility.

With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held for sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in an increase in the asset retirement obligation and $173 million of asset impairment and related other charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the asset retirement obligation. Upon closing of the transaction in January 2019, the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust, along with the decommissioning obligation for the plant, was transferred to NorthStar. The assets and liabilities associated with the sale of Vermont Yankee were classified as held for sale on the Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the value of the decommissioning trust was $532 million. As of December 31, 2018, the asset retirement cost asset was $127 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the asset retirement cost obligation was $568 million, classified within other non-current liabilities.

The Vermont Yankee spent fuel disposal contract was assigned to NorthStar as part of the transaction. The Vermont Yankee transaction resulted in Entergy generating a net deferred tax asset in January 2019.  The deferred tax asset could not be fully realized by Entergy in the first quarter of 2019; accordingly, Entergy accrued a net tax expense of $29 million on the disposition of Vermont Yankee. The transaction also resulted in other charges of $5.4 million ($4.2 million net-of-tax) in the first quarter 2019.

FitzPatrick

In August 2016, Entergy entered into an agreement to sell the FitzPatrick plant, an 838 MW nuclear power plant that was owned by Entergy in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In March 2017 the NRC approved the sale of the plant to Exelon. The transaction closed in March 2017 for a purchase price of $110 million, which included a $10 million non-refundable signing fee paid in August 2016, in addition to the assumption by Exelon of certain liabilities related to the FitzPatrick plant, resulting in a pre-tax gain on the sale of $16 million. At the transaction close, Exelon paid an additional $8 million for the proration of certain expenses prepaid by Entergy. The disposition-date fair value of the decommissioning trust fund was $805 million, classified within other deferred debits, and the disposition-date fair value of the asset retirement obligation was $727 million, classified within other non-current liabilities. The transaction also included property, plant, and equipment with a net book value of zero, materials and supplies, and prepaid assets.

As part of the transaction, Entergy entered into a reimbursement agreement with Exelon pursuant to which Exelon reimbursed Entergy for specified out-of-pocket costs associated with Entergy’s operation of FitzPatrick prior to closing of the sale. In the first quarter 2017, Entergy billed Exelon for reimbursement of $98 million of other operation and maintenance expenses, $7 million in lost operating revenues, and $3 million in taxes other than income taxes, partially offset by a $10 million defueling credit to Exelon.

As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, as a result of the sale of FitzPatrick on March 31, 2017, Entergy redetermined the plant’s tax basis, resulting in a $44 million income tax benefit in the first quarter 2017.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

2017, 2018, and 2019 Impairments

Entergy continues to execute its strategy to shut down and sell all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet, with planned shutdowns of Indian Point 2 by April 30, 2020, Indian Point 3 by April 30, 2021, and Palisades by May 31, 2022. The remaining three Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ nuclear plants, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee, and Pilgrim, have been sold. The FitzPatrick plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2016, and subsequently sold to Exelon in March 2017. The Vermont Yankee plant was classified as held-for-sale at December 31, 2018, and subsequently sold to NorthStar on January 11, 2019. The Pilgrim plant was sold to Holtec International on August 26, 2019.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities incurred $100 million in 2019, $532 million in 2018, and $538 million in 2017 of impairment charges related to nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, expenditures for capital assets, and asset retirement obligation revisions. These costs were charged to expense as incurred as a result of the impaired fair value of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants’ long-lived assets due to the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with management’s strategy to exit the Entergy Wholesale Commodities merchant power business. Entergy expects to continue to incur costs associated with nuclear fuel-related spending, expenditures for capital assets and, except for Palisades, expects to continue to charge these costs to expense as incurred because Entergy expects the value of the plants to continue to be impaired.

With respect to Palisades, Entergy and Consumers Energy had agreed to amend the existing PPA so that it would terminate early, on May 31, 2018. In September 2017, however, Entergy and Consumers Energy agreed to terminate the PPA amendment agreement. Entergy continues to operate Palisades under the current PPA with Consumers Energy, instead of shutting down in the fall of 2018 as previously planned. Entergy intends to shut down the Palisades plant permanently no later than May 31, 2022. As a result of the change in expected operating life of the Palisades plant, the expected probability-weighted undiscounted net cash flows as of September 30, 2017 exceeded the carrying value of the plant and related assets. Accordingly, nuclear fuel spending, nuclear refueling outage spending, and expenditures for capital assets incurred at Palisades after September 30, 2017 are no longer charged to expense as incurred, but recorded as assets and depreciated or amortized, subject to the typical periodic impairment reviews prescribed in the accounting rules.

The impairments and other related charges are recorded as a separate line item in Entergy’s consolidated statements of operations and are included within the results of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. In addition to the impairments and other related charges, Entergy expects to incur additional charges through mid-2022 associated with these strategic transactions. See Note 13 to the financial statements for further discussion of these additional charges.

2018 Pilgrim Impairment

The Pilgrim plant ceased operations on May 31, 2019, at the end of its current fuel cycle. Entergy Nuclear Generation Company filed its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the NRC in the fourth quarter 2018 for the Pilgrim plant. As part of the development of the PSDAR, Entergy obtained a revised decommissioning cost study in the third quarter 2018. The revised estimate resulted in a $117.5 million increase in the decommissioning cost liability and a corresponding impairment charge in the third quarter 2018. As discussed above in Dispositions, on August 26, 2019, Entergy sold the Pilgrim plant to a Holtec International subsidiary.

2018 Vermont Yankee Impairment

As discussed above in Dispositions, on January 11, 2019, Entergy sold the Vermont Yankee plant to NorthStar. With the receipt of the NRC and Vermont Public Utility Commission approvals and the resolution among the parties of the significant conditions of the sale, Entergy concluded that as of December 31, 2018 Vermont Yankee was in held-
for- sale status. Entergy accordingly evaluated the Vermont Yankee asset retirement obligation in light of the terms of the sale transaction, and evaluated the remaining values of the Vermont Yankee assets. These evaluations resulted in $173 million of asset impairment and related charges in the fourth quarter 2018. See Note 9 to the financial statements for additional discussion of the revision of the asset retirement obligation.