Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Total expense for energy and capacity payments table text block [Table Text Block]

Total expenses under operating lease obligations for NSP-Wisconsin for the year ended Dec. 31:



(Millions of Dollars)	2018		2017		2016
Total expense	$	1.3	$	1.2	$	1.2

Estimated Minimum Purchases Under Fuel Contracts



(Millions of Dollars)	Coal		Natural gas supply		Natural gas storage and transportation
2019	$	6.1	$	9.9	$	13.4
2020	2.3		0.3		11.8
2021	0.6		0.4		11.3
2022	0.7		0.2		9.7
2023	0.7		—		7.9
Thereafter	—		—		24.3
Total ^(a)	$	10.4	$	10.8	$	78.4

Future Commitments Under Operating Leases



(Millions of Dollars)
2019	$	1.0
2020	0.9
2021	0.8
2022	0.8
2023	0.8
Thereafter	3.8
Total	$	8.1

Low-income Housing Limited Partnerships



(Millions of Dollars)	Dec. 31, 2018		Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets	$	0.3	$	0.4
Property, plant and equipment, net	0.9		1.9
Other noncurrent assets	0.1		0.1
Total assets	$	1.3	$	2.4

Current liabilities	$	—	$	1.2
Mortgages and other long-term debt payable	0.5		0.5
Other noncurrent liabilities	—		0.1
Total liabilities	$	0.5	$	1.8

Guarantee Issued and Outstanding

The following table presents the guarantee issued and outstanding for NSP-Wisconsin:

(Millions of Dollars)

Guarantor

Guarantee
Amount

Current
Exposure

Triggering
Event

Guarantee of customer loans for the Farm Rewiring Program^(a)

NSP-Wisconsin

1.0

—

^(b)


^(a)	The term of this guarantee expires in 2020, which is the final scheduled repayment date for the loans. As of Dec. 31, 2018, no claims had been made by the lender.


^(b)	The debtor becomes the subject of bankruptcy or other insolvency proceedings.

Asset Retirement Obligations

NSP-Wisconsin’s AROs were as follows:



	Dec. 31, 2018
(Millions of Dollars)	Jan. 1, 2018		Accretion		Cash Flow Revisions (a)			Dec. 31, 2018 (b)
Electric
Distribution	$	—	$	—	$	4.6		$	4.6
Steam production	3.7		0.1		—			3.8
Miscellaneous	0.4		—		—			0.4
Natural gas
Distribution	10.3		0.4		(1.6		)	9.1
Total liability (c)	$	14.4	$	0.5	$	3.0		$	17.9


^(a)	In 2018, AROs were revised for changes in timing and estimates of cash flows. Changes in gas distribution AROs were mainly related to increased gas line mileage and number of services, which were more than offset by increased discount rates. Changes in electric distribution AROs primarily related to increased labor costs.


^(b)	There were no ARO amounts incurred or settled in 2018.


^(c)	Included in other long-term liabilities balance in the consolidated balance sheet.



	Dec. 31, 2017
(Millions of Dollars)	Jan. 1, 2017		Amounts Incurred (a)		Accretion		Cash Flow Revisions (b)		Dec. 31, 2017 (c)
Electric
Steam production	$	2.7	$	1.0	$	—	$	—	$	3.7
Miscellaneous	0.4		—		—		—		0.4
Natural gas
Distribution	8.3		—		0.3		1.7		10.3
Total liability (d)	$	11.4	$	1.0	$	0.3	$	1.7	$	14.4


^(a)	Amounts incurred related to asbestos at the French Island plant.


^(b)	Changes in gas distribution AROs were primarily related to increased labor costs.


^(c)	There were no ARO amounts settled in 2017.


^(d)	Included in other long-term liabilities balance in the consolidated balance sheet.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

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