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Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
Entergy Arkansas [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
Entergy Louisiana [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
Entergy Mississippi [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
Entergy New Orleans [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
Entergy Texas [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.
System Energy [Member]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries.  As required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, all intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.  Entergy’s Registrant Subsidiaries (Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) also include their separate financial statements in this Form 10-K.  Certain previously reported amounts in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current classification, with no effect on results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows. The Registrant Subsidiaries and many other Entergy subsidiaries also maintain accounts in accordance with FERC and other regulatory guidelines.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the preparation of Entergy Corporation’s consolidated financial statements and the separate financial statements of the Registrant Subsidiaries requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Adjustments to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities may be necessary in the future to the extent that future estimates or actual results are different from the estimates used.

Revenues and Fuel Costs

See Note 19 to the financial statements for a discussion of Entergy’s and the Registrant Subsidiaries’ revenues and fuel costs.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment is stated at original cost less regulatory disallowances and impairments.  Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis at rates based on the applicable estimated service lives of the various classes of property.  For the Registrant Subsidiaries, the original cost of plant retired or removed, less salvage, is charged to accumulated depreciation.  Normal maintenance, repairs, and minor replacement costs are charged to operating expenses.  Certain combined-cycle gas turbine generating units are maintained under long-term service agreements with third-party service providers. The costs under these agreements are split between operating expenses and capital additions based upon the nature of the work performed. Substantially all of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ plant is subject to mortgage liens.

Electric plant includes the portion of Grand Gulf that was sold and leased back in a prior period.  For financial reporting purposes, this sale and leaseback arrangement is reported as a financing transaction.
Net property, plant, and equipment for Entergy (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by business segment and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:

2022EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,936 $7,936 $— $— 
Other7,256 7,203 53 — 
Transmission9,590 9,587 — 
Distribution12,363 12,363 — — 
Other2,906 2,901 — 
Construction work in progress1,844 1,843 — 
Nuclear fuel582 582 — — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,477 $42,415 $57 $5 

2021EntergyUtilityEntergy Wholesale CommoditiesParent & Other
 (In Millions)
Production    
Nuclear$7,632 $7,624 $8 $— 
Other7,158 7,105 53 — 
Transmission9,578 9,577 — 
Distribution12,877 12,877 — — 
Other2,910 2,905 — 
Construction work in progress1,512 1,511 — 
Nuclear fuel577 563 14 — 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$42,244 $42,162 $77 $5 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for Entergy approximated 2.8% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.8% in 2020.  Included in these rates are the depreciation rates on average depreciable Utility property of 2.7% in 2022, 2.7% in 2021, and 2.7% in 2020, and the depreciation rates on average depreciable Entergy Wholesale Commodities property of 6.6% in 2022, 7.5% in 2021, and 12.7% in 2020. The depreciation rates for Entergy Wholesale Commodities reflect the significantly reduced remaining estimated operating lives associated with the shut down and sale of all of the remaining plants in Entergy Wholesale Commodities’ merchant nuclear fleet. The decreases in the depreciation rates in 2022 and 2021 for Entergy Wholesale Commodities are due to the shutdown of Palisades in May 2022 and Indian Point 3 in April 2021, respectively.

Entergy amortizes nuclear fuel using a units-of-production method.  Nuclear fuel amortization is included in fuel expense in the income statements. Because the values of their long-lived assets were impaired, and their remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, charged nuclear fuel costs directly to expense when incurred because their undiscounted cash flows were insufficient to recover the carrying amount of these capital additions.

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $208 million as of December 31, 2022 and $200 million as of December 31, 2021.
Construction expenditures included in accounts payable is $459 million as of December 31, 2022 and $723 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net property, plant, and equipment for the Registrant Subsidiaries (including property under lease and associated accumulated amortization) by company and functional category, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, is shown below:
2022Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,858 $4,116 $— $— $— $1,962 
Other916 3,652 988 403 1,244 — 
Transmission2,086 4,055 1,435 131 1,846 34 
Distribution2,981 4,827 2,035 625 1,895 — 
Other508 1,062 357 357 289 17 
Construction work in progress417 737 170 40 339 103 
Nuclear fuel176 213 — — — 193 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,942 $18,662 $4,985 $1,556 $5,613 $2,309 

2021Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
 (In Millions)
Production      
Nuclear$1,775 $3,941 $— $— $— $1,908 
Other931 3,631 882 411 1,250 — 
Transmission2,065 4,237 1,383 114 1,743 35 
Distribution2,801 5,629 1,879 702 1,866 — 
Other534 1,042 342 349 273 24 
Construction work in progress241 848 95 22 184 98 
Nuclear fuel182 209 — — — 171 
Property, plant, and equipment - net$8,529 $19,537 $4,581 $1,598 $5,316 $2,236 

Depreciation rates on average depreciable property for the Registrant Subsidiaries are shown below:
 Entergy ArkansasEntergy LouisianaEntergy MississippiEntergy New OrleansEntergy TexasSystem Energy
20222.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.1%2.0%
20212.7%2.4%3.6%3.2%3.2%1.9%
20202.6%2.4%3.5%3.1%3.1%2.1%

Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Louisiana is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $202.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and $188.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Non-utility property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Mississippi is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2021.  Non-utility
property - at cost (less accumulated depreciation) for Entergy Arkansas is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $93.2 million for Entergy Arkansas, $154.3 million for Entergy Louisiana, $59.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $11.2 million for Entergy New Orleans, $68.9 million for Entergy Texas, and $29 million for System Energy. As of December 31, 2021, construction expenditures included in accounts payable are $35.6 million for Entergy Arkansas, $507.9 million for Entergy Louisiana, $26.5 million for Entergy Mississippi, $73.1 million for Entergy Texas, and $23.4 million for System Energy.

Jointly-Owned Generating Stations

Certain Entergy subsidiaries jointly own electric generating facilities with affiliates or third parties. All parties are required to provide their own financing.  The investments, fuel expenses, and other operation and maintenance expenses associated with these generating stations are recorded by the Entergy subsidiaries to the extent of their respective undivided ownership interests.  As of December 31, 2022, the subsidiaries’ investment and accumulated depreciation in each of these generating stations were as follows:
Generating StationsFuel TypeTotal Megawatt Capability (a)OwnershipInvestmentAccumulated Depreciation
     (In Millions)
Utility business:      
Entergy Arkansas -      
  IndependenceUnit 1Coal821 31.50 %$144 $107 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 15.75 %$43 $31 
  White BluffUnits 1 and 2Coal1,638 57.00 %$592 $397 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas66.67 %$173 $157 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $10 
Entergy Louisiana -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 40.25 %$299 $216 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 22.73 %$22 $10 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 24.15 %$149 $133 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal8.05 %$5 $3 
  Ouachita (b)Common FacilitiesGas33.33 %$91 $78 
  AcadiaCommon FacilitiesGas50.00 %$22 $2 
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas50.00 %$58 $12 
Entergy Mississippi -     
  IndependenceUnits 1 and 2 and Common FacilitiesCoal1,242 25.00 %$292 $185 
Entergy New Orleans -
  Union (c)Common FacilitiesGas25.00 %$29 $9 
Entergy Texas -      
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 29.75 %$211 $122 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 16.80 %$8 $3 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3Coal540 17.85 %$111 $86 
  Big Cajun 2Unit 3 Common FacilitiesCoal5.95 %$4 $1 
  Montgomery County Unit 1Gas90392.44 %$744 $37 
System Energy -      
  Grand Gulf (d)Unit 1Nuclear1,400 90.00 %$5,427 $3,356 
Entergy Wholesale Commodities:      
  IndependenceUnit 2Coal421 14.37 %$79 $57 
  IndependenceCommon FacilitiesCoal 7.18 %$21 $14 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6Coal518 10.90 %$120 $71 
  Roy S. NelsonUnit 6 Common FacilitiesCoal 6.15 %$3 $1 
(a)“Total Megawatt Capability” is the dependable load carrying capability as demonstrated under actual operating conditions based on the primary fuel (assuming no curtailments) that each station was designed to utilize.
(b)Ouachita Units 1 and 2 are owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas and Ouachita Unit 3 is owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the common facilities and not for the generating units.
(c)Union Unit 1 is owned 100% by Entergy New Orleans, Union Unit 2 is owned 100% by Entergy Arkansas, Union Units 3 and 4 are owned 100% by Entergy Louisiana.  The investment and accumulated depreciation numbers above are only for the specified common facilities and not for the generating units.
(d)Includes a leasehold interest held by System Energy.  System Energy’s Grand Gulf lease obligations are discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements.

Nuclear Refueling Outage Costs

Nuclear refueling outage costs are deferred during the outage and amortized over the estimated period to the next outage because these refueling outage expenses are incurred to prepare the units to operate for the next operating cycle without having to be taken off line.

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)

AFUDC represents the approximate net composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction by the Registrant Subsidiaries.  AFUDC increases both the plant balance and earnings and is realized in cash through depreciation provisions included in the rates charged to customers.

Income Taxes

Entergy Corporation and the majority of its subsidiaries file a United States consolidated federal income tax return.  Each tax-paying entity records income taxes as if it were a separate taxpayer and consolidating adjustments are allocated to the tax filing entities in accordance with Entergy’s intercompany income tax allocation agreements.  Deferred income taxes are recorded for temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for certain losses and credits available for carryforward.

Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates in the period in which the tax or rate was enacted. See the “Other Tax Matters - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” section in Note 3 to the financial statements for discussion of the effects of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.

The benefits of investment tax credits are deferred and amortized over the average useful life of the related property, as a reduction of income tax expense, for such credits associated with rate-regulated operations in accordance with ratemaking treatment.
Earnings per Share

The following table presents Entergy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculation included on the consolidated income statements:
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202220212020
 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data)
  $/share $/share $/share
Net income attributable to Entergy Corporation$1,103.2  $1,118.5  $1,388.3  
Basic shares and earnings per average common share204.5 $5.40 200.9 $5.57 200.1 $6.94 
Average dilutive effect of:      
Stock options0.4 (0.01)0.4 (0.01)0.5 (0.02)
Other equity plans0.5 (0.02)0.6 (0.02)0.5 (0.02)
Equity forwards0.1 — — — — — 
Diluted shares and earnings per average common shares205.5 $5.37 201.9 $5.54 201.1 $6.90 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 931,453 options outstanding at December 31, 2022, 1,013,320 options outstanding at December 31, 2021, and 523,999 options outstanding at December 31, 2020 because they were antidilutive. In addition, as discussed further in Note 7 to the financial statements, at December 31, 2021, 1,158,917 shares under then outstanding forward sale agreements were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

Entergy grants stock options, restricted stock, performance units, and restricted stock unit awards to key employees of the Entergy subsidiaries under its Equity Ownership Plans, which are shareholder-approved stock-based compensation plans.  These plans are described more fully in Note 12 to the financial statements.  The cost of the stock-based compensation is charged to income over the vesting period.  Awards under Entergy’s plans generally vest over three years. Entergy accounts for forfeitures of stock-based compensation when they occur. Entergy recognizes all income tax effects related to share-based payments through the income statement.

Accounting for the Effects of Regulation

Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy are rate-regulated entities that are required to reflect the effects of rate regulation in their financial statements, including the recording of regulatory assets and liabilities, as the Utility operating companies and System Energy have rates that meet the following three criteria: (i) are approved by a third-party regulator; (ii) are designed to recover the entities’ cost of providing the regulated services or products; and (iii) can reasonably be assumed will be charged to and collected from customers.  These criteria may also be applied to separable portions of a utility’s business, such as the generation or transmission functions, or to specific classes of customers.

Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery from customers through regulated rates. Regulatory liabilities represent (1) revenue or gains that have been deferred because it is probable such amounts will be returned to customers through future regulated rates or (2) billings in advance of expenditures for approved regulatory programs. To the extent that all or portions of the Utility operating companies or System Energy’s operations cease to be subject to rate regulation, or future recovery
or settlement is no longer probable as a result of changes in regulation or other reasons, the related regulatory assets and liabilities are eliminated from the balance sheet and the impact is recognized on the income statement.

In addition, regulatory accounting requires recognition of an impairment loss if it becomes probable that part of the cost of a recently completed plant asset will be disallowed for rate-making purposes and a reasonable estimate of the amount of the disallowance can be made.

Entergy Louisiana does not apply regulatory accounting standards to the Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend, the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, or its steam business, unless specific cost recovery is provided for in tariff rates.  The Louisiana retail deregulated portion of River Bend is operated under a deregulated asset plan representing a portion (approximately 15%) of River Bend plant costs, generation, revenues, and expenses established under a 1992 LPSC order.  The plan allows Entergy Louisiana to sell the electricity from the deregulated assets to Louisiana retail customers at 4.6 cents per kWh or off-system at higher prices, with certain provisions for sharing incremental revenue above 4.6 cents per kWh between customers and shareholders.

Regulatory Asset or Liability for Income Taxes

Accounting standards for income taxes provide that a regulatory asset or liability be recorded if it is probable that the currently determinable future increase or decrease in regulatory income tax expense will be recovered from or returned to customers through future rates. There are two main sources of Entergy’s regulatory asset or liability for income taxes. There is a regulatory asset related to the ratemaking treatment of the tax effects of book depreciation for the equity component of AFUDC that has been capitalized to property, plant, and equipment but for which there is no corresponding tax basis. Equity-AFUDC is a component of property, plant, and equipment that is included in rate base when the plant is placed in service. There is a regulatory liability related to the adjustment of Entergy’s net deferred income taxes that was required by the enactment in December 2017 of a change in the federal corporate income tax rate, which is discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Entergy considers all unrestricted highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Securitization Recovery Trust Accounts

The funds that Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas hold in their securitization recovery trust accounts are not classified as cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash and cash equivalents because of their nature, uses, and restrictions. These funds are classified as part of other current assets and other investments, depending on the timeframe within which the Registrant Subsidiary expects to use the funds.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects Entergy’s best estimate of losses on the accounts receivable balances.  The allowance is calculated as the historical rate of customer write-offs multiplied by the current accounts receivable balance, taking into account the length of time the receivable balances have been outstanding. Although the rate of customer write-offs has historically experienced minimal variation, management monitors the current condition of individual customer accounts to manage collections and ensure bad debt expense is recorded in a timely manner. Utility operating company customer accounts receivable are written off consistent with approved regulatory requirements. See Note 19 to the financial statements for further details on the allowance for doubtful accounts.
Investments

Entergy records decommissioning trust funds on the balance sheet at their fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on investments in equity securities held by the nuclear decommissioning trust funds are recorded in earnings as they occur rather than in other comprehensive income. Because of the ability of the Registrant Subsidiaries to recover decommissioning costs in rates and in accordance with the regulatory treatment for decommissioning trust funds, the Registrant Subsidiaries have recorded an offsetting amount of unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities in other regulatory liabilities/assets.  For the 30% interest in River Bend formerly owned by Cajun, Entergy Louisiana records an offsetting amount in other deferred credits for the unrealized trust earnings not currently expected to be needed to decommission the plant.  Decommissioning trust funds for the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants did not meet the criteria for regulatory accounting treatment prior to completion of Entergy’s exit from the merchant nuclear power business with the sale of Palisades in June 2022. Accordingly, unrealized gains/(losses) recorded on the equity securities in the trust funds were recognized in earnings. Unrealized gains recorded on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were recognized in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity. Unrealized losses (where cost exceeds fair market value) on the available-for-sale debt securities in the trust funds were also recorded in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity unless the unrealized loss was other than temporary and therefore recorded in earnings.  A portion of Entergy’s decommissioning trust funds were held in a wholly-owned registered investment company, and unrealized gains and losses on both the equity and debt securities held in the registered investment company were recognized in earnings. In December 2020, Entergy liquidated its interest in the registered investment company. The assessment of whether an investment in an available-for-sale debt security has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment is based on whether Entergy has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of its amortized costs.  Further, if Entergy does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the debt security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and it is measured by the present value of cash flows expected to be collected less the amortized cost basis (credit loss).  Entergy estimates the expected credit losses for its available for sale securities based on the current credit rating and remaining life of the securities. To the extent an expected credit loss is realized, the individual security comprising the loss is written off against this allowance. Entergy’s trusts are managed by third parties who operate in accordance with agreements that define investment guidelines and place restrictions on the purchases and sales of investments. See Note 16 to the financial statements for details on the decommissioning trust funds.

Equity Method Investments

Entergy owned investments that were accounted for under the equity method of accounting because Entergy’s ownership level resulted in significant influence, but not control, over the investee and its operations.  Entergy recorded its share of the investee’s comprehensive earnings and losses in income and as an increase or decrease to the investment account. Any cash distributions were charged against the investment account. Entergy discontinues the recognition of losses on equity investments when its share of losses equals or exceeds its carrying amount for an investee plus any advances made or commitments to provide additional financial support. Following the sale of Entergy’s 50% membership interest in RS Cogen, L.L.C., an unconsolidated joint venture which owns the RS Cogen plant, in October 2022, Entergy no longer owns any equity method investments.

Partnerships with Disproportionate Allocation of Earnings and Losses in Relation to an Investor’s Ownership Interest

Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi, as managing members, each control a tax equity partnership with a third party tax equity investor and consolidate the partnerships for financial reporting purposes. For each respective partnership, the limited liability company agreement with the tax equity investor stipulates a disproportionate allocation of tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor with the tax equity investor being allocated a significant portion of the tax attributes, earnings, and cash flows until it receives its target return, at which point the earnings and cash flows will primarily be allocated to
the Registrant Subsidiary. Each Registrant Subsidiary has the option to purchase, at a future date specified in their respective partnership agreement, the tax equity investor’s interests at the then-current fair market value, plus an amount that results in the tax equity investor reaching its target return, if needed.

Because of this disproportionate allocation, each Registrant Subsidiary accounts for its earnings in the partnership using the HLBV method of accounting. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributable to both the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor reflect changes in the amount each would hypothetically receive at the balance sheet date under the respective liquidation provisions of the limited liability company agreement, assuming the net assets of the partnership were liquidated at book value, after consideration of contributions and distributions, between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Once the tax equity investor reaches its target return in the hypothetical liquidation, the remaining proceeds are primarily allocated to the Registrant Subsidiary. This allocation may result in fluctuations of income on a periodic basis that differ significantly from what would otherwise be recognized if the earnings were allocated under the relative ownership percentages between the Registrant Subsidiary and the tax equity investor. Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi have determined these differences are primarily due to timing, and both the APSC and the MPSC have approved that, for purposes of ratemaking, each Registrant Subsidiary reflect its interest in its respective partnership using its relative ownership percentage and disregard the effects of the HLBV method of accounting. Because of this, each Registrant Subsidiary has recorded a regulatory liability for the difference between the earnings allocated to it under the HLBV method of accounting and the earnings that would have been allocated to it under its respective ownership percentage in the partnership.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Commodity Derivatives

The accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivatives be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet, either as assets or liabilities, unless they meet various exceptions including the normal purchase/normal sale criteria.  The changes in the fair value of recognized derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and the type of hedge transaction. Due to regulatory treatment, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability is recorded for changes in fair value of recognized derivatives for the Registrant Subsidiaries.

Contracts for commodities that will be physically delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold in the ordinary course of business, including certain purchases and sales of power and fuel, meet the normal purchase, normal sales criteria and are not recognized on the balance sheet.  Revenues and expenses from these contracts are reported on a gross basis in the appropriate revenue and expense categories as the commodities are received or delivered.

For other contracts for commodities in which Entergy is hedging the variability of cash flows related to a variable-rate asset, liability, or forecasted transactions that qualify as cash flow hedges, the changes in the fair value of such derivative instruments are reported in other comprehensive income.  To qualify for hedge accounting, the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item must be documented to include the risk management objective and strategy and, at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of the hedge in offsetting the changes in the cash flows of the item being hedged.  Gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings in the periods when the underlying transactions actually occur.  Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in current-period earnings on a mark-to-market basis.

Entergy has determined that contracts to purchase uranium do not meet the definition of a derivative under the accounting standards for derivative instruments because they do not provide for net settlement and the uranium markets are not sufficiently liquid to conclude that forward contracts are readily convertible to cash.  If the uranium markets do become sufficiently liquid in the future and Entergy begins to account for uranium purchase contracts as derivative instruments, the fair value of these contracts would be accounted for consistent with Entergy’s other
derivative instruments. See Note 15 to the financial statements for further details on Entergy’s derivative instruments and hedging activities.

Fair Values

The estimated fair values of Entergy’s financial instruments and derivatives are determined using historical prices, bid prices, market quotes, and financial modeling.  Considerable judgment is required in developing the estimates of fair value.  Therefore, estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Entergy could realize in a current market exchange.  Gains or losses realized on financial instruments other than those instruments previously held by the Entergy Wholesale Commodities business are reflected in future rates and therefore do not affect net income.  Entergy considers the carrying amounts of most financial instruments classified as current assets and liabilities to be a reasonable estimate of their fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.  See Note 15 to the financial statements for further discussion of fair value.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Entergy periodically reviews long-lived assets held in all of its business segments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of these assets is uncertain.  Generally, the determination of recoverability is based on the undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from such operations and assets.  Projected net cash flows depend on the expected operating life of the assets, the future operating costs associated with the assets, the efficiency and availability of the assets and generating units, and the future market and price for energy and capacity over the remaining life of the assets. Because the values of the long-lived assets were impaired, and the remaining estimated operating lives significantly reduced, the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants, except for Palisades, were charging additional expenditures for capital assets directly to expense when incurred.  See Note 14 to the financial statements for further discussions of the impairments of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities nuclear plants.

River Bend AFUDC

The River Bend AFUDC gross-up is a regulatory asset that represents the incremental difference imputed by the LPSC between the AFUDC actually recorded by Entergy Louisiana on a net-of-tax basis during the construction of River Bend and what the AFUDC would have been on a pre-tax basis.  The imputed amount was only calculated on that portion of River Bend that the LPSC allowed in rate base and is being amortized through August 2025.

Reacquired Debt

The premiums and costs associated with reacquired debt of Entergy’s Utility operating companies and System Energy (except that portion allocable to the deregulated operations of Entergy Louisiana) are included in regulatory assets and are being amortized over the life of the related new issuances, or over the life of the original debt issuance if the debt is not refinanced, in accordance with ratemaking treatment.

Taxes Imposed on Revenue-Producing Transactions

Governmental authorities assess taxes that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added, and some excise taxes.  Entergy presents these taxes on a net basis, excluding them from revenues, unless required to report them differently by a regulatory authority.
New Accounting Pronouncements

The accounting standard-setting process is ongoing, and the FASB is currently working on several projects that have not yet resulted in final pronouncements. Final pronouncements that result from these projects could have a material effect on Entergy’s future results of operations, financial positions, or cash flows.