10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012

or

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 001-03140

Northern States Power Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Wisconsin	39-0508315
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
1414 West Hamilton Avenue
Eau Claire, Wisconsin	54701
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(715) 737-2625

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  x Yes  o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 and Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  x Yes  o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer o	Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer x	Smaller reporting company o
(Do not check if smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  o Yes  x No

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

Class	Outstanding at Oct. 29, 2012
Common Stock, $100 par value	933,000 shares

Northern States Power Company (a Wisconsin corporation) meets the conditions set forth in General Instruction H (1)(a) and (b) of Form 10-Q and is therefore filing this Form 10-Q with the reduced disclosure format specified in General Instruction H (2) to such Form 10-Q.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item l    —	Financial Statements (Unaudited)	3
Item 2   —	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	18
Item 4   —	Controls and Procedures	21
PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1    —	Legal Proceedings	21
Item 1A —	Risk Factors	22
Item 4    —	Mine Safety Disclosures	22
Item 5    —	Other Information	22
Item 6    —	Exhibits	22
SIGNATURES		23

Certifications Pursuant to Section 302	1
Certifications Pursuant to Section 906	1
Statement Pursuant to Private Litigation	1

This Form 10-Q is filed by Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin corporation (NSP-Wisconsin).  NSP-Wisconsin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc.  Xcel Energy Inc. wholly owns the following subsidiaries: Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota corporation (NSP-Minnesota); Southwestern Public Service Company, a New Mexico corporation (SPS); Public Service Company of Colorado, a Colorado corporation (PSCo); and NSP-Wisconsin.  NSP-Minnesota, NSP-Wisconsin, PSCo and SPS are also referred to collectively as utility subsidiaries.  Additional information on Xcel Energy Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, Xcel Energy) is available on various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1 — ­FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NSP-WISCONSIN AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)

(amounts in thousands)

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012			2011			2012			2011
Operating revenues
Electric	$	214,426		$	210,810		$	575,532		$	573,870
Natural gas		11,742			13,312			68,064			86,675
Other		307			346			851			881
Total operating revenues		226,475			224,468			644,447			661,426
Operating expenses
Electric fuel and purchased power		111,088			109,877			316,982			315,542
Cost of natural gas sold and transported		5,656			7,472			39,658			56,817
Operating and maintenance expenses		41,726			41,619			122,718			121,516
Conservation program expenses		3,714			3,232			10,836			9,715
Depreciation and amortization		17,338			17,311			51,440			50,956
Taxes (other than income taxes)		6,218			5,925			18,816			17,836
Total operating expenses		185,740			185,436			560,450			572,382
Operating income		40,735			39,032			83,997			89,044
Other (expense) income, net		(85	)		133			375			147
Allowance for funds used during construction — equity		(385	)		289			1,379			700
Interest charges and financing costs
Interest charges — includes other financing costs of $375, $452, $1,185 and $1,261, respectively		5,944			6,017			18,003			18,102
Allowance for funds used during construction — debt		(995	)		(40	)		(1,220	)		(117	)
Total interest charges and financing costs		4,949			5,977			16,783			17,985
Income before income taxes		35,316			33,477			68,968			71,906
Income taxes		13,116			13,504			26,148			28,812
Net income	$	22,200		$	19,973		$	42,820		$	43,094

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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NSP-WISCONSIN AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

(amounts in thousands)

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30				Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012		2011		2012		2011
Net income	$	22,200	$	19,973	$	42,820	$	43,094
Other comprehensive income
Derivative instruments:
Reclassification of losses to net income, net of tax of $12, $13, $37 and $38, respectively		20		19		58		57
Other comprehensive income		20		19		58		57
Comprehensive income	$	22,220	$	19,992	$	42,878	$	43,151

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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NSP-WISCONSIN AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

(amounts in thousands)

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012			2011
Operating activities
Net income	$	42,820		$	43,094
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		52,291			51,948
Deferred income taxes		19,604			29,000
Amortization of investment tax credits		(469	)		(460	)
Allowance for equity funds used during construction		(1,379	)		(700	)
Net derivative losses		95			95
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(11,303	)		1,950
Accrued unbilled revenues		9,496			16,108
Inventories		3,924			(1,209	)
Other current assets		6,142			5,697
Accounts payable		(7,307	)		(11,844	)
Net regulatory assets and liabilities		6,150			(3,386	)
Other current liabilities		9,701			(472	)
Pension and other employee benefit obligations		(11,002	)		(6,973	)
Change in other noncurrent assets		(119	)		265
Change in other noncurrent liabilities		(500	)		(2,155	)
Net cash provided by operating activities		118,144			120,958
Investing activities
Utility capital/construction expenditures		(106,553	)		(92,687	)
Allowance for equity funds used during construction		1,379			700
Other, net		1,096			(52	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(104,078	)		(92,039	)
Financing activities
Proceeds from short-term borrowings, net		33,000			28,000
Proceeds from notes payable to affiliate		50			111,300
Repayments of notes payable to affiliate		-			(148,300	)
Repayments of long-term debt		(48	)		(44	)
Capital contributions from parent		2,162			-
Dividends paid to parent		(49,306	)		(24,840	)
Net cash used in financing activities		(14,142	)		(33,884	)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents		(76	)		(4,965	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		1,571			6,445
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	1,495		$	1,480
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized)	$	(16,925	)	$	(17,637	)
Cash received for income taxes, net		1,971			1,843
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing transactions:
Property, plant and equipment additions in accounts payable	$	8,866		$	1,323

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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NSP-WISCONSIN AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,495		$	1,571
Accounts receivable, net		49,454			51,838
Accrued unbilled revenues		39,172			48,668
Inventories		21,779			25,703
Regulatory assets		10,698			14,133
Prepaid taxes		16,074			21,841
Deferred income taxes		8,855			-
Prepayments and other		2,660			2,991
Total current assets		150,187			166,745
Property, plant and equipment, net		1,264,084			1,207,698
Other assets
Regulatory assets		228,334			229,910
Other investments		3,052			4,148
Other		2,964			2,970
Total other assets		234,350			237,028
Total assets	$	1,648,621		$	1,611,471
Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt	$	1,256		$	1,286
Short-term debt		99,000			66,000
Notes payable to affiliates		550			500
Accounts payable		24,258			30,897
Accounts payable to affiliates		22,056			23,285
Dividends payable to parent		8,005			8,107
Regulatory liabilities		6,673			16,609
Environmental liabilities		31,650			30,699
Accrued interest		5,565			6,521
Taxes accrued		8,656			1,238
Derivative instruments		-			2,514
Other		10,917			10,155
Total current liabilities		218,586			197,811
Deferred credits and other liabilities
Deferred income taxes		263,853			234,222
Deferred investment tax credits		8,930			8,499
Regulatory liabilities		121,976			119,187
Environmental liabilities		78,800			79,399
Customer advances		15,736			15,765
Pension and employee benefit obligations		49,222			60,328
Other		6,382			7,024
Total deferred credits and other liabilities		544,899			524,424
Commitments and contingencies
Capitalization
Long-term debt		368,147			368,083
Common stock — 1,000,000 shares authorized of $100 par value; 933,000 shares outstanding at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, respectively		93,300			93,300
Additional paid in capital		189,233			187,071
Retained earnings		234,912			241,296
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(456	)		(514	)
Total common stockholder’s equity		516,989			521,153
Total liabilities and equity	$	1,648,621		$	1,611,471

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

6

NSP-WISCONSIN AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (UNAUDITED)

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), the financial position of NSP-Wisconsin and its subsidiaries as of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011; the results of its operations, including the components of net income and comprehensive income, for the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011; and its cash flows for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.  All adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature, except as otherwise disclosed.  Management has also evaluated the impact of events occurring after Sept. 30, 2012 up to the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.  These statements contain all necessary adjustments and disclosures resulting from that evaluation.  The Dec. 31, 2011 balance sheet information has been derived from the audited 2011 consolidated financial statements included in the NSP-Wisconsin Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011.  These notes to the consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.  Certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP on an annual basis have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.  For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the NSP-Wisconsin Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on Feb. 27, 2012.  Due to the seasonality of NSP-Wisconsin’s electric and natural gas sales, interim results are not necessarily an appropriate base from which to project annual results.

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The significant accounting policies set forth in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in the NSP-Wisconsin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of accounting policies and are incorporated herein by reference.

2. Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted

Fair Value Measurement — In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs (Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-04), which provides clarifications regarding existing fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements, and also specific new guidance for items such as measurement of instruments classified within stockholders’ equity.  These requirements were effective for interim and annual periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2011.  NSP-Wisconsin implemented the accounting and disclosure guidance effective Jan. 1, 2012, and the implementation did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.  For required fair value measurement disclosures, see Note 8.

Comprehensive Income — In June 2011, the FASB issued Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income (ASU No. 2011-05), which requires the presentation of the components of net income, the components of other comprehensive income (OCI) and total comprehensive income in either a single continuous financial statement of comprehensive income or in two separate, but consecutive financial statements of net income and comprehensive income.  These updates do not affect the items reported in OCI or the guidance for reclassifying such items to net income.  These requirements were effective for interim and annual periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2011.  NSP-Wisconsin implemented the financial statement presentation guidance effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Recently Issued

Balance Sheet Offsetting — In December 2011, the FASB issued Balance Sheet (Topic 210) — Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (ASU No. 2011-11), which requires disclosures regarding netting arrangements in agreements underlying derivatives, certain financial instruments and related collateral amounts, and the extent to which an entity’s financial statement presentation policies related to netting arrangements impact amounts recorded to the financial statements.  These disclosure requirements do not affect the presentation of amounts in the consolidated balance sheets, and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual reporting periods.  NSP-Wisconsin does not expect the implementation of this disclosure guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

7

3. Selected Balance Sheet Data

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Accounts receivable, net (a)
Accounts receivable	$	53,444			$	56,604
Less allowance for bad debts		(3,990	)			(4,766	)
	$	49,454			$	51,838

(a) Accounts receivable, net includes $256 due from affiliates as of Sept. 30, 2012.

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Inventories
Materials and supplies	$	6,369	$	5,838
Fuel		6,960		9,335
Natural gas		8,450		10,530
	$	21,779	$	25,703

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Property, plant and equipment, net
Electric plant	$	1,744,066		$	1,684,537
Natural gas plant		219,630			213,665
Common and other property		110,494			113,597
Construction work in progress		74,910			54,627
Total property, plant and equipment		2,149,100			2,066,426
Less accumulated depreciation		(885,016	)		(858,728	)
	$	1,264,084		$	1,207,698

4. Income Taxes

Except to the extent noted below, the circumstances set forth in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in NSP-Wisconsin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of other income tax matters, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Federal Audit — NSP-Wisconsin is a member of the Xcel Energy affiliated group that files a consolidated federal income tax return. The statute of limitations applicable to Xcel Energy’s 2008 federal income tax return expired in September 2012.  The statute of limitations applicable to Xcel Energy’s 2009 federal income tax return expires in September 2013.  In the third quarter of 2012, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commenced an examination of tax years 2010 and 2011.

State Audits — NSP-Wisconsin is a member of the Xcel Energy affiliated group that files consolidated state income tax returns. As of Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin’s earliest open tax year that is subject to examination by state taxing authorities under applicable statutes of limitations is 2008.  As of Sept. 30, 2012, there were no state income tax audits in progress.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits — The unrecognized tax benefit balance includes permanent tax positions, which if recognized would affect the annual effective tax rate (ETR).  In addition, the unrecognized tax benefit balance includes temporary tax positions for which the ultimate deductibility is highly certain but for which there is uncertainty about the timing of such deductibility.  A change in the period of deductibility would not affect the ETR but would accelerate the payment of cash to the taxing authority to an earlier period.

A reconciliation of the amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Unrecognized tax benefit — Permanent tax positions	$	0.1	$	-
Unrecognized tax benefit — Temporary tax positions		1.2		1.5
Total unrecognized tax benefit	$	1.3	$	1.5

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The unrecognized tax benefit balance was reduced by the tax benefits associated with net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards.  The amounts of tax benefits associated with NOL carryforwards are as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
NOL carryforwards	$	(0.9	)	$	(1.1	)

It is reasonably possible that NSP-Wisconsin’s amount of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change in the next 12 months as the IRS audit progresses and state audits resume.  At this time, due to the uncertain nature of the audit process, an overall range of possible change cannot be reasonably estimated.

The payable for interest related to unrecognized tax benefits is largely offset by the interest benefit associated with NOL carryforwards.  The payables for interest related to unrecognized tax benefits at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011 were not material.  No amounts were accrued for penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as of Sept. 30, 2012 or Dec. 31, 2011.

5.  Rate Matters

Except to the extent noted below, the circumstances set forth in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements included in NSP-Wisconsin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of other rate matters, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Pending Regulatory Proceedings — Public Service Commission of Wisconsin(PSCW)

2012 Electric and Gas Rate Case— In June 2012, NSP-Wisconsin filed a request with the PSCW to increase rates for electric and natural gas service effective Jan. 1, 2013.  NSP-Wisconsin requested an overall increase in annual electric rates of $39.1 million, or 6.7 percent, and an increase in natural gas rates of $5.3 million, or 4.9 percent.

The electric rate filing was based on a 2013 forecast test year, a return on equity (ROE) of 10.40 percent, an equity ratio of 52.50 percent and an average 2013 electric rate base of approximately $788.6 million.  The natural gas rate request was solely due to a proposal to recover the initial costs associated with the environmental cleanup of the Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund Site (the Ashland site) in Ashland, Wis.

On Oct. 19, 2012, the PSCW Staff and intervenors filed their direct testimony.  The PSCW Staff recommended an electric rate increase of $32.9 million, or 5.6 percent, based on a 10.40 percent ROE and a 52.50 percent equity ratio.  The major adjustments recommended by the PSCW Staff were a $2.2 million reduction in employee compensation expense primarily related to disallowance of the annual incentive program, and a net $2.9 million reduction in electric fuel expense and fixed production charges.  The PSCW Staff testimony acknowledged the unique issues before the PSCW related to the Ashland site cleanup and presented several alternatives for consideration by the PSCW.

Rebuttal testimony is expected to be filed on Oct. 31, 2012, and the hearing is expected to be held on Nov. 7, 2012.  A PSCW decision is anticipated in December 2012.

6. Commitments and Contingencies

Except as noted below and in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q the circumstances set forth in Notes 9 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements in NSP-Wisconsin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of commitments and contingent liabilities and are incorporated herein by reference.  The following include commitments, contingencies and unresolved contingencies that are material to NSP-Wisconsin’s financial position.

Guarantees — NSP-Wisconsin provides a guarantee for payment of customer loans related to NSP-Wisconsin’s farm rewiring program.  NSP-Wisconsin’s exposure under the guarantee is based upon the net liability under the agreement.  The guarantee issued by NSP-Wisconsin limits the exposure of NSP-Wisconsin to a maximum amount stated in the guarantee.  The guarantee contains no recourse provisions and requires no collateral.

9

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

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Guarantee issued and outstanding	$	1.0	$	1.0
Current exposure under the guarantee		0.4		0.5

Environmental Contingencies

MGP Sites

Ashland MGP Site — NSP-Wisconsin has been named a potentially responsible party (PRP) for contamination at a site in Ashland, Wis.  The Ashland site includes property owned by NSP-Wisconsin, which was a site previously operated by a predecessor company as a MGP facility (the Upper Bluff), and two other properties: an adjacent city lakeshore park area (Kreher Park), on which an unaffiliated third party previously operated a sawmill and conducted creosote treating operations; and an area of Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay adjoining the park (the Sediments).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its Record of Decision (ROD) in September 2010, which documents the remedy that the EPA has selected for the cleanup of the Ashland site.  In April 2011, the EPA issued special notice letters identifying several entities, including NSP-Wisconsin, as PRPs, for future remediation at the site.  The special notice letters requested that those PRPs participate in negotiations with the EPA regarding how the PRPs intended to conduct or pay for the remediation.  As a result of those settlement negotiations, the EPA agreed to segment the Ashland site into separate areas.  The first area (Phase I Project Area) includes soil and groundwater in Kreher Park and the Upper Bluff.  The second area includes the Sediments.

In October 2012, a settlement among the EPA, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the Bad River and Red Cliff Bands of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and NSP-Wisconsin was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.  This settlement resolves claims against NSP-Wisconsin for its alleged responsibility for the remediation of the Phase I Project Area.  Under the terms of the settlement, NSP-Wisconsin agreed to perform the remediation of the Phase I Project Area, but does not admit any liability with respect to the Ashland site.  The settlement reflects a cost estimate for the clean up of the Phase I Project Area of $40 million.  The settlement also resolves claims by the federal, state and tribal trustees against NSP-Wisconsin for alleged natural resource damages at the Ashland site, including both the Phase I Project Area and the Sediments.  As part of the settlement, NSP-Wisconsin will convey approximately 1,390 acres of land to the State of Wisconsin and tribes so that they may manage and preserve the natural resource benefits associated with those properties.  Assuming final access agreements are obtained, fieldwork at the Ashland site will commence as early as November 2012.

Negotiations between the EPA and NSP-Wisconsin regarding who will pay or perform the cleanup of the Sediments are ongoing.  The EPA’s ROD for the Ashland site estimates that the cost of the preferred remediation related to the Sediments is between $63.3 million and $77.1 million, with a potential deviation in such estimated costs of up to 50 percent higher to 30 percent lower.

In August 2012, NSP-Wisconsin also filed litigation against other PRPs for their share of the cleanup costs for the Ashland site.  Answers to the NSP-Wisconsin complaint were due from other parties on Oct. 22, 2012.  The U.S. District Court has not yet issued a scheduling order for litigation.

At each of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, NSP-Wisconsin had recorded a liability of $104.3 million for the Ashland site based upon potential remediation and design costs together with estimated outside legal and consultant costs; of which $26.6 million was considered a current liability.  NSP-Wisconsin’s potential liability, the actual cost of remediation and the time frame over which the amounts may be paid are subject to change until after negotiations or litigation with the EPA and other PRPs are fully resolved.  NSP-Wisconsin also continues to work to identify and access state and federal funds to apply to the ultimate remediation cost of the entire site.  Unresolved issues or factors that could result in higher or lower NSP-Wisconsin remediation costs for the Ashland site include, but are not limited to, the cleanup approach implemented for the Sediments, which party implements the cleanup, the timing of when the cleanup is implemented, the contributions, if any, by other PRPs and whether federal or state funding may be directed to help offset remediation costs at the Ashland site.

10

NSP-Wisconsin has deferred, as a regulatory asset, the estimated site remediation costs less insurance and rate recoveries, based on an expectation that the PSCW will continue to allow NSP-Wisconsin to recover payments for environmental remediation from its customers.  The PSCW has consistently authorized in NSP-Wisconsin rates recovery of all remediation costs incurred at the Ashland site, and has authorized recovery of MGP remediation costs by other Wisconsin utilities.  External MGP remediation costs are subject to deferral in the Wisconsin retail jurisdiction and are reviewed for prudence as part of the Wisconsin retail rate case process.  Under an existing PSCW policy with respect to recovery of remediation costs for MGPs, utilities have recovered remediation costs in natural gas rates, amortized over a four- to six-year period.  The PSCW has not allowed utilities to recover their carrying costs on unamortized regulatory assets for MGP remediation.  In a recent rate case decision, the PSCW recognized the potential magnitude of the future liability for, and circumstances of, the cleanup at the Ashland site and indicated it may consider alternatives to its established MGP site cleanup cost accounting and cost recovery guidelines for the Ashland site in a future proceeding.  Pursuant to the PSCW decision, NSP-Wisconsin proposed an alternative long-term plan to recover costs related to the Ashland site in the rate case application filed on June 1, 2012.  As compared to the current cost recovery policy, NSP-Wisconsin’s alternative proposal mitigates the rate impact to natural gas customers and allows for partial recovery of carrying costs.  NSP-Wisconsin expects a decision on the alternative cost recovery plan by the end of 2012.

Other MGP Sites — NSP-Wisconsin is currently involved in investigating and/or remediating several other MGP sites where hazardous or other regulated materials may have been deposited.  NSP-Wisconsin has identified three sites where former MGP activities have or may have resulted in actual site contamination and are under current investigation and/or remediation.  At some or all of these MGP sites, there are other parties that may have responsibility for some portion of any remediation that may be conducted.  NSP-Wisconsin anticipates that the majority of the remediation at these sites will continue through at least 2014.  For these sites, NSP-Wisconsin had accrued $3.6 million and $3.3 million at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, respectively.  There may be insurance recovery and/or recovery from other PRPs that will offset any costs actually incurred at these sites.  NSP-Wisconsin anticipates that any amounts actually spent will be fully recovered from customers.

Environmental Requirements

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) New Source Performance Standard Proposal (NSPS) and Emission Guideline for Existing Sources — In April 2012, the EPA proposed a GHG NSPS for newly constructed power plants.  The proposal requires that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates be equal to those achieved by a natural gas combined-cycle plant, even if the plant is coal-fired.  The EPA also proposed that NSPS not apply to modified or reconstructed existing power plants and that installation of control equipment on existing plants would not constitute a “modification” to those plants under the NSPS program.  Xcel Energy submitted comments on the proposed GHG NSPS in June 2012.  It is not possible to evaluate the impact of this regulation until its final requirements are known.

The EPA also plans to propose GHG regulations applicable to emissions from existing power plants under the Clean Air Act (CAA).  It is not known when the EPA will propose new standards for existing sources.

Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) — In July 2011, the EPA issued the CSAPR intended to address long range transport of particulate matter (PM) and ozone by requiring reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from utilities located in the eastern half of the United States, including Wisconsin.  The CSAPR would have set more stringent requirements than the proposed Clean Air Transport Rule.  The rule also would have created an emissions trading program.

In August 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) vacated the CSAPR and remanded it back to the EPA.  The D.C. Circuit also stated that the EPA must continue administering the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) pending adoption of a valid replacement.  In October 2012, the EPA, as well as state and local governments and environmental advocates, petitioned the D.C. Circuit to rehear the CSAPR appeal.  It is not yet known whether the court will grant rehearing of the case, or how the EPA might approach a replacement rule.  Therefore, it is not known what requirements may be imposed in the future.

If the EPA continues administering the CAIR while the CSAPR is pending, NSP-Wisconsin expects to comply with the CAIR primarily through the purchase of emissions allowances.  Based on current CAIR allowance prices, the cost of CAIR compliance is not expected to have a material impact on results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Electric Generating Unit (EGU) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule — The final EGU MATS rule became effective April 2012.  The EGU MATS rule sets emission limits for acid gases, mercury and other hazardous air pollutants and requires coal-fired utility facilities greater than 25 megawatts to demonstrate compliance within three to four years of the effective date.  NSP-Wisconsin expects to comply with the EGU MATS rule through a combination of mercury and other emission control projects.  NSP-Wisconsin believes these costs will be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms and does not expect a material impact on results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

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Revisions to National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM — In June 2012, the EPA proposed to lower the primary (health-based) NAAQS for annual average fine PM and to retain the current daily standard for fine PM.  In areas in which NSP-Wisconsin operates power plants, current monitored air concentrations are below the range of the proposed annual primary standard.  The EPA also proposed to add a secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS to improve visibility, primarily in urban areas.  NSP-Wisconsin expects the proposed visibility standard would likely be met where NSP-Wisconsin operates power plants based on currently available information.  A final rule is expected in December 2012 and the EPA is expected to designate non-compliant locations by December 2014.  If such areas are identified, states would then study the sources of the nonattainment and make emission reduction plans to attain the standards.  It is not possible to evaluate the impact of this regulation further until its final requirements are known.

Legal Contingencies

NSP-Wisconsin is involved in various litigation matters that are being defended and handled in the ordinary course of business.  The assessment of whether a loss is probable or a reasonable possibility, and whether the loss or a range of loss is estimable, often involves a series of complex judgments about future events.  Management maintains accruals for such losses that are probable of being incurred and subject to reasonable estimation.  Management is sometimes unable to estimate an amount or range of a reasonably possible loss, in certain situations, including but not limited to where (1) the damages sought are indeterminate, (2) the proceedings are in the early stages, or (3) the matters involve novel or unsettled legal theories.  In such cases, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the timing or ultimate resolution of such matters, including a possible eventual loss.  For current proceedings not specifically reported herein, management does not anticipate that the ultimate liabilities, if any, arising from such current proceedings would have a material effect on NSP-Wisconsin’s financial statements.

Environmental Litigation

Native Village of Kivalina vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. — In February 2008, the City and Native Village of Kivalina, Alaska, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Xcel Energy Inc., the parent company of NSP-Wisconsin, and 23 other utility, oil, gas and coal companies.  Plaintiffs claim that defendants’ emission of CO2 and other GHGs contribute to global warming, which is harming their village.  Xcel Energy Inc. believes the claims asserted in this lawsuit are without merit and joined with other utility defendants in filing a motion to dismiss in June 2008.  In October 2009, the U.S. District Court dismissed the lawsuit on constitutional grounds.  In November 2009, plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit).  In October 2012 the Ninth Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court’s dismissal.  On Oct.14, 2012, plaintiffs filed a petition for rehearing en banc.  It is uncertain when the Ninth Circuit will respond to this petition.  The amount of damages claimed by plaintiffs is unknown, but likely includes the cost of relocating the village of Kivalina.  Plaintiffs’ alleged relocation is estimated to cost between $95 million to $400 million.  Although Xcel Energy Inc. believes the likelihood of loss is remote based primarily on existing case law, it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of reasonably possible loss in the event of an adverse outcome of this matter.  No accrual has been recorded for this matter.

Comer vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. — In May 2011, less than a year after their initial lawsuit was dismissed, plaintiffs in this purported class action lawsuit filed a second lawsuit against more than 85 utility, oil, chemical and coal companies in the U.S. District Court in Mississippi.  The complaint alleges defendants’ CO2emissions intensified the strength of Hurricane Katrina and increased the damage plaintiffs purportedly sustained to their property.  Plaintiffs base their claims on public and private nuisance, trespass and negligence.  Among the defendants named in the complaint are Xcel Energy Inc. and NSP-Wisconsin.  The amount of damages claimed by plaintiffs is unknown.  The defendants, including Xcel Energy Inc., believe this lawsuit is without merit and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.  In March 2012, the U.S. District Court granted this motion for dismissal.  In April 2012, plaintiffs appealed this decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Although Xcel Energy Inc. believes the likelihood of loss is remote based primarily on existing case law, it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of reasonably possible loss in the event of an adverse outcome of this matter.  No accrual has been recorded for this matter.

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7. Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments

Commercial Paper — NSP-Wisconsin meets its short-term liquidity requirements primarily through the issuance of commercial paper and borrowings under its credit facility.  The following table presents commercial paper outstanding for NSP-Wisconsin:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012			Twelve Months Ended Dec. 31, 2011
Borrowing limit	$	150		$	150
Amount outstandingat period end		99			66
Average amount outstanding		88			24
Maximum amount outstanding		116			70
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis		0.38	%		0.37	%
Weighted average interest rate at period end		0.38			0.46

Letters of Credit— NSP-Wisconsin may use letters of credit, generally with terms of one-year, to provide financial guarantees for certain operating obligations.  At Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, there were no letters of credit outstanding.

Credit Facility — In order to use its commercial paper program to fulfill short-term funding needs, NSP-Wisconsin must have a revolving credit facility in place at least equal to the amount of its commercial paper borrowing limit and cannot issue commercial paper in an aggregate amount exceeding available capacity under this credit facility.  The line of credit provides short-term financing in the form of notes payable to banks, letters of credit and back-up support for commercial paper borrowings.

At Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin had the following committed credit facility available (in millions of dollars):

Credit Facility		Drawn (a)		Available
$	150.0	$	99.0	$	51.0

(a) Includes outstanding commercial paper.

All credit facility bank borrowings, outstanding letters of credit and outstanding commercial paper reduce the available capacity under the credit facility.  NSP-Wisconsin had no direct advances on the credit facility outstanding at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011.

Amended Credit Agreement — In July 2012, NSP-Wisconsin entered into an amended five-year credit agreement with a syndicate of banks, replacing the previous four-year credit agreement.  The amended credit agreement has substantially the same terms and conditions as the prior credit agreement with an improvement in pricing and an extension of maturity from March 2015 to July 2017.  The Eurodollar borrowing margin on the line of credit was reduced from a range of 100 to 200 basis points per year, to a range of 87.5 to 175 basis points per year based on applicable long-term credit ratings.  The commitment fees, calculated on the unused portion of the line of credit, were reduced from a range of 10 to 35 basis points per year, to a range of 7.5 to 27.5 basis points per year, also based on applicable long-term credit ratings.

NSP-Wisconsin has the right to request an extension of the revolving termination date for an additional one-year period, subject to majority bank group approval.

Other Short-Term Borrowings — The following table presents the notes payable of Clearwater Investments, Inc., a NSP-Wisconsin subsidiary, to Xcel Energy Inc.:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Notes payable to affiliates	$	0.6		$	0.5
Weighted average interest rate		0.33	%		0.46	%

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8. Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities

Fair Value Measurements

The accounting guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures provides a single definition of fair value and requires certain disclosures about assets and liabilities measured at fair value.  A hierarchical framework for disclosing the observability of the inputs utilized in measuring assets and liabilities at fair value is established by this guidance. The three levels in the hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 — Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.  The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 1 are highly liquid and actively traded instruments with quoted prices.

Level 2 — Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets, but are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date.  The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 2 are typically either comparable to actively traded securities or contracts or priced with discounted cash flow or option pricing models using highly observable inputs.

Level 3 — Significant inputs to pricing have little or no observability as of the reporting date.  The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 3 are those valued with models requiring significant management judgment or estimation.

Specific valuation methods include the following:

Cash equivalents— The fair values of cash equivalents are generally based on cost plus accrued interest; money market funds are measured using quoted net asset values.

Interest rate derivatives — The fair values of interest rate derivatives are based on broker quotes that utilize current market interest rate forecasts.

Commodity derivatives — The methods used to measure the fair value of commodity derivative forwards and options utilize forward prices and volatilities, as well as pricing adjustments for specific delivery locations, and are generally assigned a Level 2.  When contractual settlements extend to periods beyond those readily observable on active exchanges or quoted by brokers, the significance of the use of less observable forecasts of long-term forward prices and volatilities on a valuation is evaluated, and may result in Level 3 classification.

NSP-Wisconsin continuously monitors the creditworthiness of the counterparties to its interest rate and commodity derivative contracts prior to settlement, and assesses each counterparty’s ability to perform on the transactions set forth in the contracts.  Given this assessment, as well as an assessment of the impact of NSP-Wisconsin’s own credit risk when determining the fair value of derivative liabilities, the impact of considering credit risk was immaterial to the fair value of commodity derivatives presented in the consolidated balance sheets.

Derivative Instruments Fair Value Measurements

NSP-Wisconsin enters into derivative instruments, including forward contracts, futures, swaps and options, to reduce risk in connection with changes in interest rates and utility commodity prices.

Interest Rate Derivatives — NSP-Wisconsin enters into various instruments that effectively fix the interest payments on certain floating rate debt obligations or effectively fix the yield or price on a specified benchmark interest rate for an anticipated debt issuance for a specific period.  These derivative instruments are generally designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes.

At Sept. 30, 2012, accumulated other comprehensive loss related to interest rate derivatives included $0.1 million of net losses expected to be reclassified into earnings during the next 12 months as the related hedged interest rate transactions impact earnings.  There were immaterial pre-tax losses related to interest rate derivatives reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings during the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011 and $0.1 million of net pre-tax losses reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

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Financial Impact of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges — The impact of qualifying interest rate cash flow hedges on NSP-Wisconsin’s accumulated other comprehensive loss, included as a component of common stockholder’s equity and in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, is detailed in the following table:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at July 1	$	(476	)	$	(552	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		20			19
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)	$	(533	)

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Jan. 1	$	(514	)		$	(590	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		58				57
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)		$	(533	)

Commodity Derivatives — NSP-Wisconsin may enter into derivative instruments to manage variability of future cash flows from changes in commodity prices in its electric and natural gas operations, including the sale of natural gas or the purchase of natural gas for resale.  At Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin held an immaterial amount of commodity derivatives.

The following table details the gross notional amounts of commodity forwards and options at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011:

(Amounts in Thousands) (a)(b)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
MMBtu of natural gas		328		1,393

(a) Amounts are not reflective of net positions in the underlying commodities.

(b) Notional amounts for options are included on a gross basis, but are weighted for the probability of exercise.

During the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in an immaterial amount of net gains recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities.  During the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in net losses of $0.4 million recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities.  During the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in net losses of $1.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities. The classification as a regulatory asset or liability is based on commission approved regulatory recovery mechanisms.

Natural gas commodity derivatives settlement losses of $2.9 million and $2.0 million were recognized during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and were subject to purchased natural gas cost recovery mechanisms, which result in reclassifications of derivative settlement gains and losses out of income to a regulatory asset or liability, as appropriate.  There were no material settlement gains or losses on commodity derivatives for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

NSP-Wisconsin had no derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges during the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

The following table presents, for each of the hierarchy levels, NSP-Wisconsin’s liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

	Dec. 31, 2011
	Fair Value
							Fair Value
(Thousands of Dollars)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Current derivative liabilities
Natural gas commodity	$	418	$	2,096	$	-	$	2,514

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Fair Value of Long-Term Debt

As of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, other financial instruments for which the carrying amount did not equal fair value were as follows:

	Sept. 30, 2012				Dec. 31, 2011
	Carrying				Carrying
(Thousands of Dollars)	Amount		Fair Value		Amount		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current portion	$	369,403	$	483,430	$	369,369	$	474,356

The fair value of NSP-Wisconsin’s long-term debt is estimated based on recent trades and observable spreads from benchmark interest rates for similar securities.  The fair value estimates are based on information available to management as of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, and given the observability of the inputs to these estimates, the fair values presented for long-term debt have been assigned a Level 2.  These fair value estimates have not been comprehensively revalued for purposes of these consolidated financial statements since those dates and current estimates of fair values may differ significantly.

9. Other (Expense) Income, net

Other (expense) income, net consisted of the following:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011			2012			2011
Interest income	$	18		$	88		$	650		$	254
Other nonoperating income		18			45			57			56
Insurance policy (expense) income		(121	)		3			(332	)		(155	)
Other nonoperating expense		-			(3	)		-			(8	)
Other (expense) income, net	$	(85	)	$	133		$	375		$	147

10. Segment Information

Operating results from the regulated electric utility and regulated natural gas utility are each separately and regularly reviewed by NSP-Wisconsin’s chief operating decision maker.  NSP-Wisconsin evaluates performance based on profit or loss generated from the product or service provided.  These segments are managed separately because the revenue streams are dependent upon regulated rate recovery, which is separately determined for each reportable segment.

NSP-Wisconsin has the following reportable segments: regulated electric utility, regulated natural gas utility and all other.

· NSP-Wisconsin’s regulated electric utility segment generates electricity which is transmitted and distributed in Wisconsin and Michigan.  In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities primarily in Wisconsin.

· NSP-Wisconsin’s regulated natural gas utility segment purchases, transports, stores and distributes natural gas in portions of Wisconsin and Michigan.

· Revenues from operating segments not included above are below the necessary quantitative thresholds and are therefore included in the all other category.  Those primarily include investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits.

Asset and capital expenditure information is not provided for NSP-Wisconsin’s reportable segments because as an integrated electric and natural gas utility, NSP-Wisconsin operates significant assets that are not dedicated to a specific business segment, and reporting assets and capital expenditures by business segment would require arbitrary and potentially misleading allocations which may not necessarily reflect the assets that would be required for the operation of the business segments on a stand-alone basis.

To report income from continuing operations for regulated electric and regulated natural gas utility segments, the majority of costs are directly assigned to each segment.  However, some costs, such as common depreciation, common operating and maintenance (O&M) expenses and interest expense are allocated based on cost causation allocators.  A general allocator is used for certain general and administrative expenses, including office supplies, rent, property insurance and general advertising.

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	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	214,426	$	11,742		$	307	$	-		$	226,475
Intersegment revenues		82		321			-		(403	)		-
Total revenues	$	214,508	$	12,063		$	307	$	(403	)	$	226,475
Net income (loss)	$	21,743	$	(1,461	)	$	1,918	$	-		$	22,200

	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	210,810	$	13,312		$	346	$	-		$	224,468
Intersegment revenues		83		212			-		(295	)		-
Total revenues	$	210,893	$	13,524		$	346	$	(295	)	$	224,468
Net income (loss)	$	21,178	$	(1,835	)	$	630	$	-		$	19,973

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	575,532	$	68,064	$	851	$	-		$	644,447
Intersegment revenues		278		585		-		(863	)		-
Total revenues	$	575,810	$	68,649	$	851	$	(863	)	$	644,447
Net income	$	39,118	$	992	$	2,710	$	-		$	42,820

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	573,870	$	86,675	$	881	$	-		$	661,426
Intersegment revenues		299		1,050		-		(1,349	)		-
Total revenues	$	574,169	$	87,725	$	881	$	(1,349	)	$	661,426
Net income	$	40,698	$	1,757	$	639	$	-		$	43,094

11. Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	1,142			$	1,067			$	5			$	4
Interest cost			1,918				2,007				268				287
Expected return on plan assets			(2,622	)			(2,871	)			(13	)			(19	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				42				42
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			442				473				(4	)			(4	)
Amortization of net loss			1,460				1,019				123				93
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	2,340			$	1,695			$	421			$	403

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	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	3,426			$	3,203			$	15			$	13
Interest cost			5,753				6,023				806				859
Expected return on plan assets			(7,867	)			(8,613	)			(38	)			(56	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				128				128
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			1,328				1,421				(11	)			(11	)
Amortization of net loss			4,382				3,053				365				275
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	7,022			$	5,087			$	1,265			$	1,208

In January 2012, contributions of $190.5 million were made across four of Xcel Energy’s pension plans, of which $12.3 million was attributable to NSP-Wisconsin.  Xcel Energy does not expect additional pension contributions during 2012.

In June 2012, to manage volatility in equity pricing within the pension master trust, Xcel Energy entered into equity collar contracts with a net-zero cost at initiation on a portion of the equity securities.  The equity collar strategy is designed to reduce potential equity losses while limiting gains, resulting in lower equity volatility for the pension plans.  At Sept. 30, 2012, the mark-to-market value of these arrangements was not material to the value of the pension trust assets or NSP-Wisconsin’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position.  These arrangements will expire in December 2012.

Item 2 — MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Discussion of financial condition and liquidity for NSP-Wisconsin is omitted per conditions set forth in general instructions H (1) (a) and (b) of Form 10-Q for wholly owned subsidiaries.  It is replaced with management’s narrative analysis of the results of operations set forth in general instructions H (2) (a) of Form 10-Q for wholly owned subsidiaries (reduced disclosure format).

Financial Review

The following discussion and analysis by management focuses on those factors that had a material effect on NSP-Wisconsin’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows during the periods presented, or are expected to have a material impact in the future.  It should be read in conjunction with the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes to the consolidated financial statements.  Due to the seasonality of NSP-Wisconsin’s electric and natural gas sales, such interim results are not necessarily an appropriate base from which to project annual results.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical statements contained in this report, the matters discussed in the following discussion and analysis are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  Such forward-looking statements are intended to be identified in this document by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “possible,” “potential,” “should” and similar expressions.  Actual results may vary materially.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them to reflect changes that occur after that date.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including inflation rates, monetary fluctuations and their impact on capital expenditures and the ability of NSP-Wisconsin and its subsidiaries to obtain financing on favorable terms; business conditions in the energy industry, including the risk of a slow down in the U.S. economy or delay in growth recovery; trade, fiscal, taxation and environmental policies in areas where NSP-Wisconsin has a financial interest; customer business conditions; actions of credit rating agencies; competitive factors, including the extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets served by NSP-Wisconsin and its subsidiaries; unusual weather; effects of geopolitical events, including war and acts of terrorism; state, federal and foreign legislative and regulatory initiatives that affect cost and investment recovery, have an impact on rates or have an impact on asset operation or ownership or impose environmental compliance conditions; structures that affect the speed and degree to which competition enters the electric and natural gas markets; costs and other effects of legal and administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations and claims; actions by regulatory bodies impacting NSP-Minnesota’s nuclear operations, including those affecting costs, operations or the approval of requests pending before the NRC; financial or regulatory accounting policies imposed by  regulatory bodies; availability or cost of capital; employee workforce factors; the items described under Factors Affecting Results of Operations; and the other risk factors listed from time to time by NSP-Wisconsin in reports filed with the SEC, including “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of NSP-Wisconsin’s Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, and Item 1A and Exhibit 99.01 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012.

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Results of Operations

NSP-Wisconsin’s net income was $42.8 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012, compared with $43.1 million for the same period in 2011.  Net income was positively impacted by rate increases, effective in January 2012, and the impact of warmer summer weather, offset by warmer winter weather.

Electric Revenues and Margin

Electric production expenses tend to vary with the quantity of electricity sold and changes in the unit costs of fuel and purchased power.  The electric fuel and purchased power cost recovery mechanism of the Wisconsin jurisdiction may not allow for complete recovery of all expenses and, therefore, changes in fuel or purchased power costs can impact earnings.  The following table details the electric revenues and margin:

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Millions of Dollars)	2012			2011
Electric revenues	$	576		$	574
Electric fuel and purchased power		(317	)		(316	)
Electric margin	$	259		$	258

The following tables summarize the components of the changes in electric revenues and margin for the nine months ended Sept. 30:

Electric Revenues

(Millions of Dollars)	2012 vs. 2011
Retail rate increases	$	9
Demand revenue		4
Fuel and purchased power cost recovery		3
Retail sales increase (excluding weather impact)		2
Sales mix		(8	)
Firm wholesale		(5	)
Estimated impact of weather		(4	)
Other, net		1
Total increase in electric revenues	$	2

Electric Margin

(Millions of Dollars)	2012 vs. 2011
Retail rate increases	$	9
Demand revenue		4
Retail sales increase (excluding weather impact)		2
Sales mix		(8	)
Estimated impact of weather		(4	)
Firm wholesale		(3	)
Other, net		1
Total increase in electric margin	$	1

Natural Gas Revenues and Margin

The cost of natural gas tends to vary with changing sales requirements and unit cost of natural gas purchases.  However, due to purchased natural gas cost recovery mechanisms for retail customers, fluctuations in the cost of natural gas have little effect on natural gas margin.  The following table details the natural gas revenues and margin:

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Millions of Dollars)	2012			2011
Natural gas revenues	$	68		$	87
Cost of natural gas sold and transported		(40	)		(57	)
Natural gas margin	$	28		$	30

19

The following tables summarize the components of the changes in natural gas revenues and margin for the nine months ended Sept. 30:

Natural Gas Revenues

(Millions of Dollars)	2012 vs. 2011
Purchased natural gas adjustment clause recovery	$	(17	)
Estimated impact of weather		(4	)
Retail rate increase		2
Total decrease in natural gas revenues	$	(19	)

Natural Gas Margin

(Millions of Dollars)	2012 vs. 2011
Estimated impact of weather	$	(4	)
Retail rate increase		2
Total decrease in natural gas margin	$	(2	)

Non-Fuel Operating Expenses and Other Items

Income Taxes — Income tax expense decreased by $2.7 million for the first nine months of 2012, compared with the same period in 2011.  The decrease in income tax expense was primarily due to tax expense from prior year adjustments in 2011 and lower pretax earnings in 2012.  The effective tax rate was 37.9 percent for the first nine months of 2012, compared with 40.1 percent for the same period in 2011.  The higher effective tax rate for the first nine months of 2011 was primarily due to tax expense from the prior year adjustments.  Without this tax expense, the effective tax rate for the first nine months of 2011 would have been 38.4 percent.

Factors Affecting Results of Operations

Public Utility Regulation

CapX2020 Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) — The PSCW issued a CPCN for the Wisconsin portion of the CapX2020 Hampton, Minn. to La Crosse, Wis. 345 kilovolt (KV) project on May 30, 2012.  The Wisconsin portion consists of approximately 50 miles of new transmission line.  The PSCW also approved a route and the cost is estimated at $211 million.  Construction on the Wisconsin portion of the line is anticipated to begin in 2013 and the line is expected to go into service in 2015.

In June 2012, approximately 20 petitions for rehearing were filed with the PSCW by intervenors and interested parties.  The petitions were denied by the PSCW on July 17, 2012.  In August 2012, two intervenors filed a joint petition for judicial review of the PSCW’s order in Dane County Circuit Court, and the PSCW filed a motion to strike the petition.  NSP-Wisconsin, Dairyland Power Cooperative and WPPI Energy filed a notice of appearance and statement of position in the Dane County Circuit Court, but waived their right to brief the issues in the PSCW’s motion.  The PSCW’s motion is currently pending.  The timing of a final court ruling is uncertain.

Summary of Recent Federal Regulatory Developments

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has jurisdiction over rates for electric transmission service in interstate commerce and electricity sold at wholesale, hydro facility licensing, natural gas transportation, accounting practices and certain other activities of NSP-Wisconsin, including enforcement of North American Electric Reliability Corporation mandatory electric reliability standards. State and local agencies have jurisdiction over many of NSP-Wisconsin’s activities, including regulation of retail rates and environmental matters. See additional discussion in the summary of recent federal regulatory developments and public utility regulation sections of the NSP-Wisconsin Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011.  In addition to the matters discussed below, see Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of other regulatory matters.

FERC Order 1000, Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation (Order 1000) —The FERC issued Orders 1000, 1000-A, and 1000-B adopting new requirements for transmission planning, cost allocation, and development to be effective prospectively.  The impacts of the new requirements relating to future transmission development and ownership in Wisconsin are uncertain.  The requirements for transmission planning and cost allocation were addressed by revisions to the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (MISO) Tariff for NSP-Wisconsin as discussed below in MISO Transmission Pricing.

20

La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. Transmission Line Complaint — In February 2012, Xcel Energy Services Inc. and NSP-Wisconsin filed a complaint with the FERC concerning ownership of the proposed La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. 345 KV transmission line.  The complaint stated that MISO had determined that the line is to be owned by NSP-Wisconsin and American Transmission Company LLC (ATC) under the terms of the MISO Transmission Owners Agreement (TOA) and Tariff.  However, ATC asserted a different interpretation of the TOA and Tariff provisions that would effectively deny NSP-Wisconsin the ability to invest $175 million in the proposed multi-value project (MVP).  In July 2012, the FERC granted Xcel Energy Services Inc.’s and NSP-Wisconsin’s complaint, ruling that the responsibilities to construct the La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. transmission line belong equally to both parties, NSP-Wisconsin and ATC.  In August 2012, ATC requested rehearing and that the FERC grant a stay of the ruling.  On Sept. 17, 2012, the FERC granted rehearing for purposes of further consideration but did not grant a stay.  Thus, the July ruling remains in effect pending the FERC’s further ruling on rehearing.

ATC Complaint vs. Xcel Energy Services Inc. re Hampton, Minn. – La Crosse, Wis. Transmission Line — In October 2012, ATC filed a complaint against MISO, Xcel Energy Services Inc., NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin, alleging that, under the legal principles set forth in the July 2012 FERC ruling in the La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. Transmission line complaint against ATC, that the FERC should determine that MISO should have designated the Hampton, Minn. to La Crosse, Wis. CapX2020 345 KV line and the La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. 345 KV line as a single facility under the MISO TOA and Tariff, and ATC thus should have been designated as the owner of the La Crosse, Wis. to Madison, Wis. line portion of the purported single facility.  Xcel Energy believes the ATC complaint is without merit, and filed an answer seeking dismissal of the ATC complaint on Oct. 22, 2012.

MISO Transmission Pricing — The MISO Tariff presently provides for different allocation methods for the costs of new transmission investments: some lower voltage projects are fully allocated to loads near the project vicinity, and other reliability projects are allocated 20 percent regionally and 80 percent to local loads.   If a project qualifies as an MVP, the costs would be fully allocated to all loads in the MISO region.  MVP eligibility is generally obtained for higher voltage (345 KV and higher) projects expected to provide multiple purposes, such as improved reliability, reduced congestion, transmission for renewable energy, and load serving.  Certain parties have appealed the FERC MVP tariff orders to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

In its Order 1000 compliance filing in October 2012, MISO proposed that all future reliability projects be fully allocated to the zone(s) in which the project is located (rather than allocating costs more broadly).  MVP projects would continue to be eligible for regional cost allocation.   The NSP System has certain new transmission facilities for which other customers in MISO contribute to cost recovery.  The NSP System is the integrated electric production and transmission system of NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin, managed by NSP-Minnesota.  Likewise, the NSP System also pays a share of the costs of projects constructed by other transmission owning entities.  The transmission revenues received by the NSP System from MISO, and the transmission charges paid to MISO, associated with projects subject to regional cost allocation could be significant in future periods.

Item 4 — CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

NSP-Wisconsin maintains a set of disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms. In addition, the disclosure controls and procedures ensure that information required to be disclosed is accumulated and communicated to management, including the chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO), allowing timely decisions regarding required disclosure.  As of Sept. 30, 2012, based on an evaluation carried out under the supervision and with the participation of NSP-Wisconsin’s management, including the CEO and CFO, of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and the procedures, the CEO and CFO have concluded that NSP-Wisconsin’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

No change in NSP-Wisconsin’s internal control over financial reporting has occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, NSP-Wisconsin’s internal control over financial reporting.

Part II — OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1 — LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In the normal course of business, various lawsuits and claims have arisen against NSP-Wisconsin.  NSP-Wisconsin has recorded an estimate of the probable cost of settlement or other disposition for such matters.

21

Additional Information

See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion of legal claims and environmental proceedings.  See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for discussion of proceedings involving utility rates and other regulatory matters.

Item 1A — RISK FACTORS

NSP-Wisconsin’s risk factors are documented in Item 1A of Part I of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4 — MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

Item 5 — OTHER INFORMATION

None.

Item 6 — EXHIBITS

* Indicates incorporation by reference

† Furnished, herewith, not filed.  Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, the Interactive Data Files on Exhibit 101 hereto are deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise are not subject to liability under those sections.

3.01* Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of NSP-Wisconsin (Exhibit 3.01 to Form S-4 (file no. 333-112033) dated Jan. 21, 2004).

3.02* By-Laws of NSP-Wisconsin as amended June 3, 2008 (Exhibit 3.02 to Form 10-Q (file no. 001-03140) dated Aug. 4, 2008).

10.01* Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2012 among NSP-Wisconsin, as Borrower, the several lenders from time to time parties thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Bank of America, N.A., and Barclays Bank Plc, as Syndication Agents, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Documentation Agent (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.05 to Xcel Energy Inc.’s Form 8-K, dated July 27, 2012 (file no. 001-03034)).

31.01 Principal Executive Officer’s certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.02 Principal Financial Officer’s certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.01 Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

99.01 Statement pursuant to Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

101 † The following materials from NSP-Wisconsin’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012 are formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language):  (i) the Consolidated Statements of Income, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (iv) the Consolidated Balance Sheets, (v) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, and (vi) document and entity information.

22

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	Northern States Power Company (a Wisconsin corporation)
Oct. 29, 2012
By:	/s/ JEFFREY S. SAVAGE
	Jeffrey S. Savage
	Vice President and Controller
	/s/ TERESA S. MADDEN
	Teresa S. Madden
	Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director

23

EX-31.01

Exhibit 31.01

CERTIFICATION

I, Mark E. Stoering, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of Northern States Power Company (a Wisconsin corporation);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: Oct. 29, 2012
	/s/ MARK E. STOERING
	Mark E. Stoering
	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

1

EX-31.02

Exhibit 31.02

CERTIFICATION

I, Teresa S. Madden, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of Northern States Power Company (a Wisconsin corporation);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: Oct. 29, 2012
	/s/ TERESA S. MADDEN
	Teresa S. Madden
	Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director

2

EX-32.01

Exhibit 32.01

OFFICER CERTIFICATION

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin Corporation (NSP-Wisconsin) on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012, as filed with the SEC on the date hereof (Form 10-Q), each of the undersigned officers of NSP-Wisconsin certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to such officer’s knowledge:

(1) The Form 10-Q fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) The information contained in the Form 10-Q fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of NSP-Wisconsin as of the dates and for the periods expressed in the Form 10-Q.

Date: Oct. 29, 2012
	/s/ MARK E. STOERING
	Mark E. Stoering
	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
	/s/ TERESA S. MADDEN
	Teresa S. Madden
	Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director

The foregoing certification is being furnished solely pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 and is not being filed as part of the Report or as a separate disclosure document.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906, or other document authenticating, acknowledging or otherwise adopting the signature that appears in typed form within the electronic version of this written statement required by Section 906, has been provided to NSP-Wisconsin and will be retained by NSP-Wisconsin and furnished to the SEC or its staff upon request.

1

EX-99.01

Exhibit 99.01

NSP-Wisconsin Cautionary Factors

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements to encourage disclosures without the threat of litigation, providing those statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful, cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected in the statement. Forward-looking statements are made in written documents and oral presentations of NSP-Wisconsin, Xcel Energy Inc. or any of its other subsidiaries. These statements are based on management’s beliefs as well as assumptions and information currently available to management.  Such forward-looking statements are intended to be identified in this document by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “possible,” “potential,” “should” and similar expressions.  In addition to any assumptions and other factors referred to specifically in connection with such forward-looking statements, factors that could cause NSP-Wisconsin’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

· Economic conditions, including inflation rates, monetary fluctuations and their impact on capital expenditures;

· The risk of a significant slowdown in growth or decline in the U.S. economy, the risk of delay in growth recovery in the U.S. economy or the risk of increased cost for insurance premiums, security and other items as a consequence of past or future terrorist attacks;

· Trade, monetary, fiscal, taxation and environmental policies of governments, agencies and similar organizations in geographic areas where NSP-Wisconsin has a financial interest;

· Customer business conditions, including demand for their products or services and supply of labor and materials used in creating their products and services;

· Financial or regulatory accounting principles or policies imposed by the FASB, the SEC, the FERC and similar entities with regulatory oversight;

· Availability or cost of capital such as changes in: interest rates; market perceptions of the utility industry, NSP-Wisconsin, Xcel Energy Inc. or any of its other subsidiaries; or security ratings;

· Factors affecting utility and nonutility operations such as unusual weather conditions; catastrophic weather-related damage; unscheduled generation outages, maintenance or repairs; unanticipated changes to fossil fuel, nuclear fuel or natural gas supply costs or availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments; nuclear or environmental incidents; cyber incidents; or electric transmission or natural gas pipeline constraints;

· Employee workforce factors, including loss or retirement of key executives, collective bargaining agreements with union employees, or work stoppages;

· Increased competition in the utility industry or additional competition in the markets served by NSP-Wisconsin, Xcel Energy Inc. and its other subsidiaries;

· State, federal and foreign legislative and regulatory initiatives that affect cost and investment recovery, have an impact on rate structures and affect the speed and degree to which competition enters the electric and natural gas markets; industry restructuring initiatives; transmission system operation and/or administration initiatives; recovery of investments made under traditional regulation; nature of competitors entering the industry; retail wheeling; a new pricing structure; and former customers entering the generation market;

· Environmental laws and regulations, including legislation and regulations relating to climate change, and the associated cost of  compliance;

· Rate-setting policies or procedures of regulatory entities, including environmental externalities, which are values established by regulators assigning environmental costs to each method of electricity generation when evaluating generation resource options;

· Nuclear regulatory policies and procedures, including operating regulations and spent nuclear fuel storage;

· Social attitudes regarding the utility and power industries;

· Cost and other effects of legal and administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations and claims;

· Technological developments that result in competitive disadvantages and create the potential for impairment of existing assets;

· Risks associated with implementations of new technologies; and

· Other business or investment considerations that may be disclosed from time to time in NSP-Wisconsin’s SEC filings, including “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of NSP-Wisconsin’s form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, or in other publicly disseminated written documents.

NSP-Wisconsin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  The foregoing review of factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

1

XML

Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Pension Benefits [Member]
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost [Abstract]
Service cost		$ 1,142,000	$ 1,067,000	$ 3,426,000	$ 3,203,000
Interest cost		1,918,000	2,007,000	5,753,000	6,023,000
Expected return on plan assets		(2,622,000)	(2,871,000)	(7,867,000)	(8,613,000)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)		442,000	473,000	1,328,000	1,421,000
Amortization of net loss		1,460,000	1,019,000	4,382,000	3,053,000
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		2,340,000	1,695,000	7,022,000	5,087,000
Pension contributions attributable to NSP-Wisconsin	12,300,000
Postretirement Health Care Benefits [Member]
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost [Abstract]
Service cost		5,000	4,000	15,000	13,000
Interest cost		268,000	287,000	806,000	859,000
Expected return on plan assets		(13,000)	(19,000)	(38,000)	(56,000)
Amortization of transition obligation		42,000	42,000	128,000	128,000
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)		(4,000)	(4,000)	(11,000)	(11,000)
Amortization of net loss		123,000	93,000	365,000	275,000
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		421,000	403,000	1,265,000	1,208,000
Xcel Energy Inc. [Member]
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost [Abstract]
Total contributions to Xcel Energy's pension plans during the period	$ 190,500,000
Number of Xcel Energy's pension plans to which contributions were made	4

XML

Commitments and Contingencies, Environmental Contingencies (Details) (USD $)			1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Apr. 30, 2012 Electric Generating Unit (EGU) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule [Member] MW	Sep. 30, 2012 Ashland MGP Site [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Ashland MGP Site [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Ashland MGP Site - Phase I Project Area [Member] acre	Sep. 30, 2012 Ashland MGP Site - Phase I Project Area [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Ashland MGP Site - Sediments [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Other MGP Sites [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other MGP Sites [Member]
Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Sites [Abstract]
Number of properties included in superfund site which NSP-Wisconsin does not own				2
Liability for estimated cost of remediating sites				$ 104,300,000	$ 104,300,000		$ 40,000,000		$ 3,600,000	$ 3,300,000
Number of acres of land to be conveyed to the State of Wisconsin and tribes (in acres)						1,390
Estimated cost of remediating site, low end of range								63,300,000
Estimated cost of remediating site, high end of range								77,100,000
Potential percent of increase to the high end of the range of estimated site remediation costs (in hundredths)								50.00%
Potential percent of decrease to the low end of the range of estimated site remediation costs (in hundredths)								30.00%
Liability for estimated cost of remediating sites, current	$ 31,650,000	$ 30,699,000		$ 26,600,000	$ 26,600,000
Amortization period for recovery of remediation costs in natural gas rates, low end of range (in years)				4Y
Amortization period for recovery of remediation costs in natural gas rates, high end of range (in years)				6Y
Number of identified MGP sites under current investigation and/or remediation									3
Environmental Requirements [Abstract]
Generating capacity (in MW)			25
Number of years before affected facilities must demonstrate compliance, low end of range (in years)			3Y
Number of years before affected facilities must demonstrate compliance, high end of range (in years)			4Y

XML

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities [Abstract]

Financial Impact of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges on Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Financial Impact of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges — The impact of qualifying interest rate cash flow hedges on NSP-Wisconsin's accumulated other comprehensive loss, included as a component of common stockholder's equity and in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, is detailed in the following table:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at July 1	$	(476	)	$	(552	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		20			19
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)	$	(533	)

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Jan. 1	$	(514	)		$	(590	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		58				57
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)		$	(533	)

Gross Notional Amounts of Commodity Forwards and Options

The following table details the gross notional amounts of commodity forwards and options at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011:

(Amounts in Thousands) (a)(b)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
MMBtu of natural gas		328		1,393

(a) Amounts are not reflective of net positions in the underlying commodities.

(b) Notional amounts for options are included on a gross basis, but are weighted for the probability of exercise.

Derivative Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis by Hierarchy Level

The following table presents, for each of the hierarchy levels, NSP-Wisconsin's liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

	Dec. 31, 2011
	Fair Value
							Fair Value
(Thousands of Dollars)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Current derivative liabilities
Natural gas commodity	$	418	$	2,096	$	-	$	2,514

Carrying Amount and Fair Value of Long-term Debt

As of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, other financial instruments for which the carrying amount did not equal fair value were as follows:

	Sept. 30, 2012				Dec. 31, 2011
	Carrying				Carrying
(Thousands of Dollars)	Amount		Fair Value		Amount		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current portion	$	369,403	$	483,430	$	369,369	$	474,356

XML

Other (Expense) Income, net (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]
Other (expense) income, net	$ (85)	$ 133	$ 375	$ 147
Interest Income [Member]
Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]
Other (expense) income, net	18	88	650	254
Other Nonoperating Income [Member]
Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]
Other (expense) income, net	18	45	57	56
Insurance Policy (Expense) Income [Member]
Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]
Other (expense) income, net	(121)	3	(332)	(155)
Other Nonoperating Expense [Member]
Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]
Other (expense) income, net	$ 0	$ (3)	$ 0	$ (8)

XML

Management's Opinion

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Management's Opinion [Abstract]

Management's Opinion

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), the financial position of NSP-Wisconsin and its subsidiaries as of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011; the results of its operations, including the components of net income and comprehensive income, for the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011; and its cash flows for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011. All adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature, except as otherwise disclosed. Management has also evaluated the impact of events occurring after Sept. 30, 2012 up to the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements. These statements contain all necessary adjustments and disclosures resulting from that evaluation. The Dec. 31, 2011 balance sheet information has been derived from the audited 2011 consolidated financial statements included in the NSP-Wisconsin Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011. These notes to the consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP on an annual basis have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the NSP-Wisconsin Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on Feb. 27, 2012. Due to the seasonality of NSP-Wisconsin's electric and natural gas sales, interim results are not necessarily an appropriate base from which to project annual results.

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Selected Balance Sheet Data (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Accounts receivable, net [Abstract]
Accounts receivable	$ 53,444		$ 56,604
Less allowance for bad debts	(3,990)		(4,766)
Accounts receivable, net	49,454	[1]	51,838
Accounts receivable from affiliates	256
Inventories [Abstract]
Inventories	21,779		25,703
Property, plant and equipment, net [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment	2,149,100		2,066,426
Less accumulated depreciation	(885,016)		(858,728)
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,264,084		1,207,698
Electric Plant [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment	1,744,066		1,684,537
Natural Gas Plant [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment	219,630		213,665
Common and Other Property [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment	110,494		113,597
Construction Work in Progress [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment	74,910		54,627
Materials and Supplies [Member]
Inventories [Abstract]
Inventories	6,369		5,838
Fuel [Member]
Inventories [Abstract]
Inventories	6,960		9,335
Natural Gas [Member]
Inventories [Abstract]
Inventories	$ 8,450		$ 10,530

[1] Accounts receivable, net includes $256 due from affiliates as of Sept. 30, 2012.

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Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	1,142			$	1,067			$	5			$	4
Interest cost			1,918				2,007				268				287
Expected return on plan assets			(2,622	)			(2,871	)			(13	)			(19	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				42				42
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			442				473				(4	)			(4	)
Amortization of net loss			1,460				1,019				123				93
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	2,340			$	1,695			$	421			$	403

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	3,426			$	3,203			$	15			$	13
Interest cost			5,753				6,023				806				859
Expected return on plan assets			(7,867	)			(8,613	)			(38	)			(56	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				128				128
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			1,328				1,421				(11	)			(11	)
Amortization of net loss			4,382				3,053				365				275
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	7,022			$	5,087			$	1,265			$	1,208

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Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 State Jurisdiction [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Xcel Energy Inc. [Member] Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Year(s) no longer subject to audit as statute of limitations has expired				2008
Earliest year subject to examination			2008	2009
Year(s) under examination			None	2010 and 2011
Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefit - Permanent tax positions	$ 100,000	$ 0
Unrecognized tax benefit - Temporary tax positions	1,200,000	1,500,000
Total unrecognized tax benefit	1,300,000	1,500,000
NOL carryforwards	(900,000)	(1,100,000)
Amounts accrued for penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits	$ 0	$ 0

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Rate Matters (Details) (Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) [Member], USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Oct. 19, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012
Electric Rate Case [Member]
Rate Matters [Abstract]
Entity's original requested rate increase (decrease) for 2013		$ 39.1
Percentage increase in entity's original requested rate increase for 2013 (in hundredths)		6.70%
Entity's original requested percent return on equity (in hundredths)		10.40%
Entity's original requested equity ratio percent (in hundredths)		52.50%
Entity's rate base in original requested rate increase (decrease)		788.6
Entity's rate increase (decrease) requested by third party/parties	32.9
Entity's percentage increase in rate increase (decrease) requested by third party/parties (in hundredths)	5.60%
Entity's percent return on equity requested by third party/parties (in hundredths)	10.40%
Entity's equity ratio percent requested by third party/parties (in hundredths)	52.50%
Adjustment to entity's requested rate increase related to employee compensation expense requested by third party/parties	(2.2)
Adjustment to entity's requested rate increase related to electric fuel expense and fixed production charges requested by third party/parties	(2.9)
Gas Rate Case [Member]
Rate Matters [Abstract]
Entity's original requested rate increase (decrease) for 2013		$ 5.3
Percentage increase in entity's original requested rate increase for 2013 (in hundredths)		4.90%

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CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Capitalization
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000	1,000,000
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 100	$ 100
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	933,000	933,000

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Commitments and Contingencies, Guarantees (Details) (Payment or Performance Guarantee [Member], Customer Loans for Farm Rewiring Program [Member], USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Payment or Performance Guarantee [Member] | Customer Loans for Farm Rewiring Program [Member]
Guarantee [Abstract]
Guarantee amount	$ 1.0	$ 1.0
Current exposure	$ 0.4	$ 0.5

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Operating revenues
Electric	$ 214,426	$ 210,810	$ 575,532	$ 573,870
Natural gas	11,742	13,312	68,064	86,675
Other	307	346	851	881
Total operating revenues	226,475	224,468	644,447	661,426
Operating expenses
Electric fuel and purchased power	111,088	109,877	316,982	315,542
Cost of natural gas sold and transported	5,656	7,472	39,658	56,817
Operating and maintenance expenses	41,726	41,619	122,718	121,516
Conservation program expenses	3,714	3,232	10,836	9,715
Depreciation and amortization	17,338	17,311	51,440	50,956
Taxes (other than income taxes)	6,218	5,925	18,816	17,836
Total operating expenses	185,740	185,436	560,450	572,382
Operating income	40,735	39,032	83,997	89,044
Other (expense) income, net	(85)	133	375	147
Allowance for funds used during construction - equity	(385)	289	1,379	700
Interest charges and financing costs
Interest charges - includes other financing costs of $375, $452, $1,185 and $1,261, respectively	5,944	6,017	18,003	18,102
Allowance for funds used during construction - debt	(995)	(40)	(1,220)	(117)
Total interest charges and financing costs	4,949	5,977	16,783	17,985
Income before income taxes	35,316	33,477	68,968	71,906
Income taxes	13,116	13,504	26,148	28,812
Net income	$ 22,200	$ 19,973	$ 42,820	$ 43,094

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Operating activities
Net income	$ 42,820	$ 43,094
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	52,291	51,948
Deferred income taxes	19,604	29,000
Amortization of investment tax credits	(469)	(460)
Allowance for equity funds used during construction	(1,379)	(700)
Net derivative losses	95	95
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(11,303)	1,950
Accrued unbilled revenues	9,496	16,108
Inventories	3,924	(1,209)
Other current assets	6,142	5,697
Accounts payable	(7,307)	(11,844)
Net regulatory assets and liabilities	6,150	(3,386)
Other current liabilities	9,701	(472)
Pension and other employee benefit obligations	(11,002)	(6,973)
Change in other noncurrent assets	(119)	265
Change in other noncurrent liabilities	(500)	(2,155)
Net cash provided by operating activities	118,144	120,958
Investing activities
Utility capital/construction expenditures	(106,553)	(92,687)
Allowance for equity funds used during construction	1,379	700
Other, net	1,096	(52)
Net cash used in investing activities	(104,078)	(92,039)
Financing activities
Proceeds from short-term borrowings, net	33,000	28,000
Proceeds from notes payable to affiliate	50	111,300
Repayments of notes payable to affiliate	0	(148,300)
Repayments of long-term debt	(48)	(44)
Capital contributions from parent	2,162	0
Dividends paid to parent	(49,306)	(24,840)
Net cash used in financing activities	(14,142)	(33,884)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(76)	(4,965)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,571	6,445
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	1,495	1,480
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized)	(16,925)	(17,637)
Cash received for income taxes, net	1,971	1,843
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing transactions:
Property, plant and equipment additions in accounts payable	$ 8,866	$ 1,323

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Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Commercial Paper [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Paper [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Clearwater Investments, Inc. [Member] Notes Payable [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Clearwater Investments, Inc. [Member] Notes Payable [Member]
Short-term Debt [Line Items]
Borrowing limit						$ 150,000,000	$ 150,000,000
Amount outstanding at period end			99,000,000		66,000,000	99,000,000	66,000,000
Average amount outstanding						88,000,000	24,000,000
Maximum amount outstanding						116,000,000	70,000,000
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis (in hundredths)						0.38%	0.37%
Weighted average interest rate at period end (in hundredths)						0.38%	0.46%	0.33%	0.46%
Notes payable to affiliates			550,000		500,000			600,000	500,000
Credit Facilities [Abstract]
Credit facility			150,000,000
Drawn			99,000,000	[1]
Available			51,000,000
Credit facility bank borrowings outstanding			0		0
Amended Credit Agreement [Abstract]
Amended term (in years)	5Y
Original term (in years)		4Y
Minimum borrowing margin based on long-term credit ratings (in hundredths)	0.875%	1.00%
Maximum borrowing margin based on long-term credit ratings (in hundredths)	1.75%	2.00%
Minimum commitment fees calculated on unused portion of lines of credit (in hundredths)	0.075%	0.10%
Maximum commitment fees calculated on unused portion of lines of credit (in hundredths)	0.275%	0.35%
Number of additional periods the revolving termination date can be extended, subject to majority bank group approval	1
Term of each additional period the revolving termination date can be extended, subject to majority bank group approval (in years)	1Y
Letters of Credit [Abstract]
Terms of letters of credit (in years)			1Y
Letters of credit outstanding under credit facilities			$ 0		$ 0

[1] Includes outstanding commercial paper.

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Income Taxes (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits

A reconciliation of the amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Unrecognized tax benefit — Permanent tax positions	$	0.1	$	-
Unrecognized tax benefit — Temporary tax positions		1.2		1.5
Total unrecognized tax benefit	$	1.3	$	1.5

Tax Benefits Associated with NOL Carryforwards

The unrecognized tax benefit balance was reduced by the tax benefits associated with net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards. The amounts of tax benefits associated with NOL carryforwards are as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
NOL carryforwards	$	(0.9	)	$	(1.1	)

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Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended										9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Carrying Amount [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Carrying Amount [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Fair Value [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value Measured on a Recurring Basis [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value Measured on a Recurring Basis [Member] Level 1 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value Measured on a Recurring Basis [Member] Level 2 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value Measured on a Recurring Basis [Member] Level 3 [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Cash Flow Hedges [Member] Interest Rate [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Cash Flow Hedges [Member] Interest Rate [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Other Derivative Instruments [Member] Natural Gas Commodity [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Other Derivative Instruments [Member] Natural Gas Commodity [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Other Derivative Instruments [Member] Natural Gas Commodity [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Interest Rate Swap [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Natural Gas Commodity [Member] MMBTU		Dec. 31, 2011 Natural Gas Commodity [Member] MMBTU
Interest Rate Derivatives [Abstract]
Amount of accumulated other comprehensive gains (losses) related to interest rate derivatives expected to be reclassified into earnings within the next twelve months																		$ (100,000)
Gross Notional Amounts of Commodity Forwards and Options [Abstract]
Notional amount																			328,000	[1],[2]	1,393,000	[1],[2]
Impact of Derivative Activity on Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, Regulatory Assets and Liabilities, and Income [Abstract]
Pre-tax (gains) losses reclassified into income during the period from accumulated other comprehensive loss													100,000	100,000
Fair value gains (losses) recognized during the period in regulatory (assets) and liabilities															(1,200,000)	(400,000)	(1,700,000)
Pre-tax (gains) losses reclassified into income during the period from regulatory assets and (liabilities)																2,900,000	2,000,000
Financial Impact of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges on Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at beginning of period	(476,000)	(552,000)	(514,000)	(590,000)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings	20,000	19,000	58,000	57,000
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at end of period	(456,000)	(533,000)	(456,000)	(533,000)
Financial Impact of Qualifying Fair Value Hedges on Earnings [Abstract]
Derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges	0	0	0	0
Other derivative instruments [Abstract]
Natural gas commodity									2,514,000	418,000	2,096,000	0
Financial Liabilities, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Long-term debt, including current portion					$ 369,403,000	$ 369,369,000	$ 483,430,000	$ 474,356,000

[1] Amounts are not reflective of net positions in the underlying commodities.

[2] Notional amounts for options are also included on a gross basis, but are weighted for the probability of exercise.

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Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments [Abstract]

Committed Credit Facility Available

At Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin had the following committed credit facility available (in millions of dollars):

Credit Facility		Drawn (a)		Available
$	150.0	$	99.0	$	51.0

(a) Includes outstanding commercial paper.

Commercial Paper [Member]

Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments [Abstract]

Short-Term Debt

Commercial Paper — NSP-Wisconsin meets its short-term liquidity requirements primarily through the issuance of commercial paper and borrowings under its credit facility.  The following table presents commercial paper outstanding for NSP-Wisconsin:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012			Twelve Months Ended Dec. 31, 2011
Borrowing limit	$	150		$	150
Amount outstandingat period end		99			66
Average amount outstanding		88			24
Maximum amount outstanding		116			70
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis		0.38	%		0.37	%
Weighted average interest rate at period end		0.38			0.46

Notes Payable [Member]

Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments [Abstract]

Short-Term Debt

Other Short-Term Borrowings — The following table presents the notes payable of Clearwater Investments, Inc., a NSP-Wisconsin subsidiary, to Xcel Energy Inc.:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Notes payable to affiliates	$	0.6		$	0.5
Weighted average interest rate		0.33	%		0.46	%

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CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,495		$ 1,571
Accounts receivable, net	49,454	[1]	51,838
Accrued unbilled revenues	39,172		48,668
Inventories	21,779		25,703
Regulatory assets	10,698		14,133
Prepaid taxes	16,074		21,841
Deferred income taxes	8,855		0
Prepayments and other	2,660		2,991
Total current assets	150,187		166,745
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,264,084		1,207,698
Other assets
Regulatory assets	228,334		229,910
Other investments	3,052		4,148
Other	2,964		2,970
Total other assets	234,350		237,028
Total assets	1,648,621		1,611,471
Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt	1,256		1,286
Short-term debt	99,000		66,000
Notes payable to affiliates	550		500
Accounts payable	24,258		30,897
Accounts payable to affiliates	22,056		23,285
Dividends payable to parent	8,005		8,107
Regulatory liabilities	6,673		16,609
Environmental liabilities	31,650		30,699
Accrued interest	5,565		6,521
Taxes accrued	8,656		1,238
Derivative instruments	0		2,514
Other	10,917		10,155
Total current liabilities	218,586		197,811
Deferred credits and other liabilities
Deferred income taxes	263,853		234,222
Deferred investment tax credits	8,930		8,499
Regulatory liabilities	121,976		119,187
Environmental liabilities	78,800		79,399
Customer advances	15,736		15,765
Pension and employee benefit obligations	49,222		60,328
Other	6,382		7,024
Total deferred credits and other liabilities	544,899		524,424
Commitments and contingencies
Capitalization
Long-term debt	368,147		368,083
Common stock - 1,000,000 shares authorized of $100 par value; 933,000 shares outstanding at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, respectively	93,300		93,300
Additional paid in capital	189,233		187,071
Retained earnings	234,912		241,296
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(456)		(514)
Total common stockholder's equity	516,989		521,153
Total liabilities and equity	$ 1,648,621		$ 1,611,471

[1] Accounts receivable, net includes $256 due from affiliates as of Sept. 30, 2012.

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Interest charges and financing costs
Other financing costs	$ 375	$ 452	$ 1,185	$ 1,261

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Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities [Abstract]

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities

8. Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities

Fair Value Measurements

The accounting guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures provides a single definition of fair value and requires certain disclosures about assets and liabilities measured at fair value. A hierarchical framework for disclosing the observability of the inputs utilized in measuring assets and liabilities at fair value is established by this guidance. The three levels in the hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 — Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 1 are highly liquid and actively traded instruments with quoted prices.

Level 2 — Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets, but are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 2 are typically either comparable to actively traded securities or contracts or priced with discounted cash flow or option pricing models using highly observable inputs.

Level 3 — Significant inputs to pricing have little or no observability as of the reporting date. The types of assets and liabilities included in Level 3 are those valued with models requiring significant management judgment or estimation.

Specific valuation methods include the following:

Cash equivalents— The fair values of cash equivalents are generally based on cost plus accrued interest; money market funds are measured using quoted net asset values.

Interest rate derivatives— The fair values of interest rate derivatives are based on broker quotes that utilize current market interest rate forecasts.

Commodity derivatives— The methods used to measure the fair value of commodity derivative forwards and options utilize forward prices and volatilities, as well as pricing adjustments for specific delivery locations, and are generally assigned a Level 2. When contractual settlements extend to periods beyond those readily observable on active exchanges or quoted by brokers, the significance of the use of less observable forecasts of long-term forward prices and volatilities on a valuation is evaluated, and may result in Level 3 classification.

NSP-Wisconsin continuously monitors the creditworthiness of the counterparties to its interest rate and commodity derivative contracts prior to settlement, and assesses each counterparty's ability to perform on the transactions set forth in the contracts. Given this assessment, as well as an assessment of the impact of NSP-Wisconsin's own credit risk when determining the fair value of derivative liabilities, the impact of considering credit risk was immaterial to the fair value of commodity derivatives presented in the consolidated balance sheets.

Derivative Instruments Fair Value Measurements

NSP-Wisconsin enters into derivative instruments, including forward contracts, futures, swaps and options, to reduce risk in connection with changes in interest rates and utility commodity prices.

Interest Rate Derivatives — NSP-Wisconsin enters into various instruments that effectively fix the interest payments on certain floating rate debt obligations or effectively fix the yield or price on a specified benchmark interest rate for an anticipated debt issuance for a specific period. These derivative instruments are generally designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes.

At Sept. 30, 2012, accumulated other comprehensive loss related to interest rate derivatives included $0.1 million of net losses expected to be reclassified into earnings during the next 12 months as the related hedged interest rate transactions impact earnings. There were immaterial pre-tax losses related to interest rate derivatives reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings during the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011 and $0.1 million of net pre-tax losses reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

Financial Impact of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges — The impact of qualifying interest rate cash flow hedges on NSP-Wisconsin's accumulated other comprehensive loss, included as a component of common stockholder's equity and in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, is detailed in the following table:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at July 1	$	(476	)	$	(552	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		20			19
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)	$	(533	)

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Jan. 1	$	(514	)		$	(590	)
After-tax net realized losses on derivative transactions reclassified into earnings		58				57
Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges at Sept. 30	$	(456	)		$	(533	)

Commodity Derivatives — NSP-Wisconsin may enter into derivative instruments to manage variability of future cash flows from changes in commodity prices in its electric and natural gas operations, including the sale of natural gas or the purchase of natural gas for resale. At Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin held an immaterial amount of commodity derivatives.

The following table details the gross notional amounts of commodity forwards and options at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011:

(Amounts in Thousands) (a)(b)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
MMBtu of natural gas		328		1,393

(a) Amounts are not reflective of net positions in the underlying commodities.

(b) Notional amounts for options are included on a gross basis, but are weighted for the probability of exercise.

During the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in an immaterial amount of net gains recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities. During the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in net losses of $0.4 million recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities. During the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011, changes in the fair value of natural gas commodity derivatives resulted in net losses of $1.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, recognized as regulatory assets and liabilities. The classification as a regulatory asset or liability is based on commission approved regulatory recovery mechanisms.

Natural gas commodity derivatives settlement losses of $2.9 million and $2.0 million were recognized during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and were subject to purchased natural gas cost recovery mechanisms, which result in reclassifications of derivative settlement gains and losses out of income to a regulatory asset or liability, as appropriate. There were no material settlement gains or losses on commodity derivatives for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

NSP-Wisconsin had no derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges during the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2012 and 2011.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

The following table presents, for each of the hierarchy levels, NSP-Wisconsin's liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

	Dec. 31, 2011
	Fair Value
							Fair Value
(Thousands of Dollars)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Current derivative liabilities
Natural gas commodity	$	418	$	2,096	$	-	$	2,514

Fair Value of Long-Term Debt

As of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, other financial instruments for which the carrying amount did not equal fair value were as follows:

	Sept. 30, 2012				Dec. 31, 2011
	Carrying				Carrying
(Thousands of Dollars)	Amount		Fair Value		Amount		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current portion	$	369,403	$	483,430	$	369,369	$	474,356

The fair value of NSP-Wisconsin's long-term debt is estimated based on recent trades and observable spreads from benchmark interest rates for similar securities. The fair value estimates are based on information available to management as of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, and given the observability of the inputs to these estimates, the fair values presented for long-term debt have been assigned a Level 2. These fair value estimates have not been comprehensively revalued for purposes of these consolidated financial statements since those dates and current estimates of fair values may differ significantly.

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Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Oct. 29, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	NORTHERN STATES POWER CO /WI/
Entity Central Index Key	0000072909
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		933,000
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012

XML

Other (Expense) Income, net

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]

Other (Expense) Income, net

9. Other (Expense) Income, net

Other (expense) income, net consisted of the following:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011			2012			2011
Interest income	$	18		$	88		$	650		$	254
Other nonoperating income		18			45			57			56
Insurance policy (expense) income		(121	)		3			(332	)		(155	)
Other nonoperating expense		-			(3	)		-			(8	)
Other (expense) income, net	$	(85	)	$	133		$	375		$	147

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Comprehensive income:
Net income	$ 22,200	$ 19,973	$ 42,820	$ 43,094
Derivative instruments:
Reclassification of losses to net income, net of tax of $12, $13, $37 and $38, respectively	20	19	58	57
Other comprehensive income	20	19	58	57
Comprehensive income	$ 22,220	$ 19,992	$ 42,878	$ 43,151

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Selected Balance Sheet Data

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Selected Balance Sheet Data [Abstract]

Selected Balance Sheet Data

3. Selected Balance Sheet Data

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Accounts receivable, net (a)
Accounts receivable	$	53,444			$	56,604
Less allowance for bad debts		(3,990	)			(4,766	)
	$	49,454			$	51,838

(a) Accounts receivable, net includes $256 due from affiliates as of Sept. 30, 2012.

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Inventories
Materials and supplies	$	6,369	$	5,838
Fuel		6,960		9,335
Natural gas		8,450		10,530
	$	21,779	$	25,703

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Property, plant and equipment, net
Electric plant	$	1,744,066		$	1,684,537
Natural gas plant		219,630			213,665
Common and other property		110,494			113,597
Construction work in progress		74,910			54,627
Total property, plant and equipment		2,149,100			2,066,426
Less accumulated depreciation		(885,016	)		(858,728	)
	$	1,264,084		$	1,207,698

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Accounting Pronouncements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]

Accounting Pronouncements

2.  Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted

Fair Value Measurement — In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve  Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs (Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-04), which provides clarifications regarding existing fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements, and also specific new guidance for items such as measurement of instruments classified within stockholders' equity. These requirements were effective for interim and annual periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2011. NSP-Wisconsin implemented the accounting and disclosure guidance effective Jan. 1, 2012, and the implementation did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. For required fair value measurement disclosures, see Note 8.

Comprehensive Income — In June 2011, the FASB issued Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income (ASU No. 2011-05), which requires the presentation of the components of net income, the components of other comprehensive income (OCI) and total comprehensive income in either a single continuous financial statement of comprehensive income or in two separate, but consecutive financial statements of net income and comprehensive income. These updates do not affect the items reported in OCI or the guidance for reclassifying such items to net income. These requirements were effective for interim and annual periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2011. NSP-Wisconsin implemented the financial statement presentation guidance effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Recently Issued

Balance Sheet Offsetting — In December 2011, the FASB issued Balance Sheet (Topic 210) — Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (ASU No. 2011-11), which requires disclosures regarding netting arrangements in agreements underlying derivatives, certain financial instruments and related collateral amounts, and the extent to which an entity's financial statement presentation policies related to netting arrangements impact amounts recorded to the financial statements. These disclosure requirements do not affect the presentation of amounts in the consolidated balance sheets, and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual reporting periods. NSP-Wisconsin does not expect the implementation of this disclosure guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

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Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Guarantee Issued and Outstanding

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

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Guarantee issued and outstanding	$	1.0	$	1.0
Current exposure under the guarantee		0.4		0.5

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Segment Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Segment Information [Abstract]

Segment Information

10. Segment Information

Operating results from the regulated electric utility and regulated natural gas utility are each separately and regularly reviewed by NSP-Wisconsin's chief operating decision maker. NSP-Wisconsin evaluates performance based on profit or loss generated from the product or service provided. These segments are managed separately because the revenue streams are dependent upon regulated rate recovery, which is separately determined for each reportable segment.

NSP-Wisconsin has the following reportable segments: regulated electric utility, regulated natural gas utility and all other.

· NSP-Wisconsin's regulated electric utility segment generates electricity which is transmitted and distributed in Wisconsin and Michigan.  In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities primarily in Wisconsin.

· NSP-Wisconsin's regulated natural gas utility segment purchases, transports, stores and distributes natural gas in portions of Wisconsin and Michigan.

· Revenues from operating segments not included above are below the necessary quantitative thresholds and are therefore included in the all other category.  Those primarily include investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits.

Asset and capital expenditure information is not provided for NSP-Wisconsin's reportable segments because as an integrated electric and natural gas utility, NSP-Wisconsin operates significant assets that are not dedicated to a specific business segment, and reporting assets and capital

expenditures by business segment would require arbitrary and potentially misleading allocations which may not necessarily reflect the assets that would be required for the operation of the business segments on a stand-alone basis.

To report income from continuing operations for regulated electric and regulated natural gas utility segments, the majority of costs are directly assigned to each segment. However, some costs, such as common depreciation, common operating and maintenance (O&M) expenses and interest expense are allocated based on cost causation allocators. A general allocator is used for certain general and administrative expenses, including office supplies, rent, property insurance and general advertising.

	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	214,426	$	11,742		$	307	$	-		$	226,475
Intersegment revenues		82		321			-		(403	)		-
Total revenues	$	214,508	$	12,063		$	307	$	(403	)	$	226,475
Net income (loss)	$	21,743	$	(1,461	)	$	1,918	$	-		$	22,200

	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	210,810	$	13,312		$	346	$	-		$	224,468
Intersegment revenues		83		212			-		(295	)		-
Total revenues	$	210,893	$	13,524		$	346	$	(295	)	$	224,468
Net income (loss)	$	21,178	$	(1,835	)	$	630	$	-		$	19,973

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	575,532	$	68,064	$	851	$	-		$	644,447
Intersegment revenues		278		585		-		(863	)		-
Total revenues	$	575,810	$	68,649	$	851	$	(863	)	$	644,447
Net income	$	39,118	$	992	$	2,710	$	-		$	42,820

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	573,870	$	86,675	$	881	$	-		$	661,426
Intersegment revenues		299		1,050		-		(1,349	)		-
Total revenues	$	574,169	$	87,725	$	881	$	(1,349	)	$	661,426
Net income	$	40,698	$	1,757	$	639	$	-		$	43,094

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Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

6. Commitments and Contingencies

Except as noted below and in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q the circumstances set forth in Notes 9 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements in NSP-Wisconsin's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of commitments and contingent liabilities and are incorporated herein by reference. The following include commitments, contingencies and unresolved contingencies that are material to NSP-Wisconsin's financial position.

Guarantees — NSP-Wisconsin provides a guarantee for payment of customer loans related to NSP-Wisconsin's farm rewiring program. NSP-Wisconsin's exposure under the guarantee is based upon the net liability under the agreement. The guarantee issued by NSP-Wisconsin limits the exposure of NSP-Wisconsin to a maximum amount stated in the guarantee. The guarantee contains no recourse provisions and requires no collateral.

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

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Guarantee issued and outstanding	$	1.0	$	1.0
Current exposure under the guarantee		0.4		0.5

Environmental Contingencies

MGP Sites

Ashland MGP Site — NSP-Wisconsin has been named a potentially responsible party (PRP) for contamination at a site in Ashland, Wis. The Ashland site includes property owned by NSP-Wisconsin, which was a site previously operated by a predecessor company as a MGP facility (the Upper Bluff), and two other properties: an adjacent city lakeshore park area (Kreher Park), on which an unaffiliated third party previously operated a sawmill and conducted creosote treating operations; and an area of Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay adjoining the park (the Sediments).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its Record of Decision (ROD) in September 2010, which documents the remedy that the EPA has selected for the cleanup of the Ashland site. In April 2011, the EPA issued special notice letters identifying several entities, including NSP-Wisconsin, as PRPs, for future remediation at the site. The special notice letters requested that those PRPs participate in negotiations with the EPA regarding how the PRPs intended to conduct or pay for the remediation. As a result of those settlement negotiations, the EPA agreed to segment the Ashland site into separate areas. The first area (Phase I Project Area) includes soil and groundwater in Kreher Park and the Upper Bluff. The second area includes the Sediments.

In October 2012, a settlement among the EPA, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the Bad River and Red Cliff Bands of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and NSP-Wisconsin was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. This settlement resolves claims against NSP-Wisconsin for its alleged responsibility for the remediation of the Phase I Project Area. Under the terms of the settlement, NSP-Wisconsin agreed to perform the remediation of the Phase I Project Area, but does not admit any liability with respect to the Ashland site. The settlement reflects a cost estimate for the clean up of the Phase I Project Area of $40 million. The settlement also resolves claims by the federal, state and tribal trustees against NSP-Wisconsin for alleged natural resource damages at the Ashland site, including both the Phase I Project Area and the Sediments. As part of the settlement, NSP-Wisconsin will convey approximately 1,390 acres of land to the State of Wisconsin and tribes so that they may manage and preserve the natural resource benefits associated with those properties. Assuming final access agreements are obtained, fieldwork at the Ashland site will commence as early as November 2012.

Negotiations between the EPA and NSP-Wisconsin regarding who will pay or perform the cleanup of the Sediments are ongoing. The EPA's ROD for the Ashland site estimates that the cost of the preferred remediation related to the Sediments is between $63.3 million and $77.1 million, with a potential deviation in such estimated costs of up to 50 percent higher to 30 percent lower.

In August 2012, NSP-Wisconsin also filed litigation against other PRPs for their share of the cleanup costs for the Ashland site. Answers to the NSP-Wisconsin complaint were due from other parties on Oct. 22, 2012. The U.S. District Court has not yet issued a scheduling order for litigation.

At each of Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, NSP-Wisconsin had recorded a liability of $104.3 million for the Ashland site based upon potential remediation and design costs together with estimated outside legal and consultant costs; of which $26.6 million was considered a current liability. NSP-Wisconsin's potential liability, the actual cost of remediation and the time frame over which the amounts may be paid are subject to change until after negotiations or litigation with the EPA and other PRPs are fully resolved. NSP-Wisconsin also continues to work to identify and access state and federal funds to apply to the ultimate remediation cost of the entire site. Unresolved issues or factors that could result in higher or lower NSP-Wisconsin remediation costs for the Ashland site include, but are not limited to, the cleanup approach implemented for the Sediments, which party implements the cleanup, the timing of when the cleanup is implemented, the contributions, if any, by other PRPs and whether federal or state funding may be directed to help offset remediation costs at the Ashland site.

NSP-Wisconsin has deferred, as a regulatory asset, the estimated site remediation costs less insurance and rate recoveries, based on an expectation that the PSCW will continue to allow NSP-Wisconsin to recover payments for environmental remediation from its customers. The PSCW has consistently authorized in NSP-Wisconsin rates recovery of all remediation costs incurred at the Ashland site, and has authorized recovery of MGP remediation costs by other Wisconsin utilities. External MGP remediation costs are subject to deferral in the Wisconsin retail jurisdiction and are reviewed for prudence as part of the Wisconsin retail rate case process. Under an existing PSCW policy with respect to recovery of remediation costs for MGPs, utilities have recovered remediation costs in natural gas rates, amortized over a four- to six-year period. The PSCW has not allowed utilities to recover their carrying costs on unamortized regulatory assets for MGP remediation. In a recent rate case decision, the PSCW recognized the potential magnitude of the future liability for, and circumstances of, the cleanup at the Ashland site and indicated it may consider alternatives to its established MGP site cleanup cost accounting and cost recovery guidelines for the Ashland site in a future proceeding. Pursuant to the PSCW decision, NSP-Wisconsin proposed an alternative long-term plan to recover costs related to the Ashland site in the rate case application filed on June 1, 2012. As compared to the current cost recovery policy, NSP-Wisconsin's alternative proposal mitigates the rate impact to natural gas customers and allows for partial recovery of carrying costs. NSP-Wisconsin expects a decision on the alternative cost recovery plan by the end of 2012.

Other MGP Sites— NSP-Wisconsin is currently involved in investigating and/or remediating several other MGP sites where hazardous or other regulated materials may have been deposited. NSP-Wisconsin has identified three sites where former MGP activities have or may have resulted in actual site contamination and are under current investigation and/or remediation. At some or all of these MGP sites, there are other parties that may have responsibility for some portion of any remediation that may be conducted. NSP-Wisconsin anticipates that the majority of the remediation at these sites will continue through at least 2014. For these sites, NSP-Wisconsin had accrued $3.6 million and $3.3 million at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, respectively. There may be insurance recovery and/or recovery from other PRPs that will offset any costs actually incurred at these sites. NSP-Wisconsin anticipates that any amounts actually spent will be fully recovered from customers.

Environmental Requirements

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) New Source Performance Standard Proposal (NSPS) and Emission Guideline for Existing Sources — In April 2012, the EPA proposed a GHG NSPS for newly constructed power plants. The proposal requires that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates be equal to those achieved by a natural gas combined-cycle plant, even if the plant is coal-fired. The EPA also proposed that NSPS not apply to modified or reconstructed existing power plants and that installation of control equipment on existing plants would not constitute a "modification" to those plants under the NSPS program. Xcel Energy submitted comments on the proposed GHG NSPS in June 2012. It is not possible to evaluate the impact of this regulation until its final requirements are known.

The EPA also plans to propose GHG regulations applicable to emissions from existing power plants under the Clean Air Act (CAA). It is not known when the EPA will propose new standards for existing sources.

Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR)— In July 2011, the EPA issued the CSAPR intended to address long range transport of particulate matter (PM) and ozone by requiring reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from utilities located in the eastern half of the United States, including Wisconsin. The CSAPR would have set more stringent requirements than the proposed Clean Air Transport Rule. The rule also would have created an emissions trading program.

In August 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) vacated the CSAPR and remanded it back to the EPA. The D.C. Circuit also stated that the EPA must continue administering the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) pending adoption of a valid replacement. In October 2012, the EPA, as well as state and local governments and environmental advocates, petitioned the D.C. Circuit to rehear the CSAPR appeal. It is not yet known whether the court will grant rehearing of the case, or how the EPA might approach a replacement rule. Therefore, it is not known what requirements may be imposed in the future.

If the EPA continues administering the CAIR while the CSAPR is pending, NSP-Wisconsin expects to comply with the CAIR primarily through the purchase of emissions allowances. Based on current CAIR allowance prices, the cost of CAIR compliance is not expected to have a material impact on results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Electric Generating Unit (EGU) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule — The final EGU MATS rule became effective April 2012. The EGU MATS rule sets emission limits for acid gases, mercury and other hazardous air pollutants and requires coal-fired utility facilities greater than 25 megawatts to demonstrate compliance within three to four years of the effective date. NSP-Wisconsin expects to comply with the EGU MATS rule through a combination of mercury and other emission control projects. NSP-Wisconsin believes these costs will be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms and does not expect a material impact on results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Revisions to National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM — In June 2012, the EPA proposed to lower the primary (health-based) NAAQS for annual average fine PM and to retain the current daily standard for fine PM. In areas in which NSP-Wisconsin operates power plants, current monitored air concentrations are below the range of the proposed annual primary standard. The EPA also proposed to add a secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS to improve visibility, primarily in urban areas. NSP-Wisconsin expects the proposed visibility standard would likely be met where NSP-Wisconsin operates power plants based on currently available information. A final rule is expected in December 2012 and the EPA is expected to designate non-compliant locations by December 2014. If such areas are identified, states would then study the sources of the nonattainment and make emission reduction plans to attain the standards. It is not possible to evaluate the impact of this regulation further until its final requirements are known.

Legal Contingencies

NSP-Wisconsin is involved in various litigation matters that are being defended and handled in the ordinary course of business. The assessment of whether a loss is probable or a reasonable possibility, and whether the loss or a range of loss is estimable, often involves a series of complex judgments about future events. Management maintains accruals for such losses that are probable of being incurred and subject to reasonable estimation. Management is sometimes unable to estimate an amount or range of a reasonably possible loss, in certain situations, including but not limited to where (1) the damages sought are indeterminate, (2) the proceedings are in the early stages, or (3) the matters involve novel or unsettled legal theories. In such cases, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the timing or ultimate resolution of such matters, including a possible eventual loss. For current proceedings not specifically reported herein, management does not anticipate that the ultimate liabilities, if any, arising from such current proceedings would have a material effect on NSP-Wisconsin's financial statements.

Environmental Litigation

Native Village of Kivalina vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. — In February 2008, the City and Native Village of Kivalina, Alaska, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Xcel Energy Inc., the parent company of NSP-Wisconsin, and 23 other utility, oil, gas and coal companies. Plaintiffs claim that defendants' emission of CO2 and other GHGs contribute to global warming, which is harming their village. Xcel Energy Inc. believes the claims asserted in this lawsuit are without merit and joined with other utility defendants in filing a motion to dismiss in June 2008. In October 2009, the U.S. District Court dismissed the lawsuit on constitutional grounds. In November 2009, plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). In October 2012 the Ninth Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court's dismissal. On Oct.14, 2012, plaintiffs filed a petition for rehearing en banc. It is uncertain when the Ninth Circuit will respond to this petition. The amount of damages claimed by plaintiffs is unknown, but likely includes the cost of relocating the village of Kivalina. Plaintiffs' alleged relocation is estimated to cost between $95 million to $400 million. Although Xcel Energy Inc. believes the likelihood of loss is remote based primarily on existing case law, it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of reasonably possible loss in the event of an adverse outcome of this matter. No accrual has been recorded for this matter.

Comer vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. — In May 2011, less than a year after their initial lawsuit was dismissed, plaintiffs in this purported class action lawsuit filed a second lawsuit against more than 85 utility, oil, chemical and coal companies in the U.S. District Court in Mississippi. The complaint alleges defendants' CO2emissions intensified the strength of Hurricane Katrina and increased the damage plaintiffs purportedly sustained to their property. Plaintiffs base their claims on public and private nuisance, trespass and negligence. Among the defendants named in the complaint are Xcel Energy Inc. and NSP-Wisconsin. The amount of damages claimed by plaintiffs is unknown. The defendants, including Xcel Energy Inc., believe this lawsuit is without merit and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. In March 2012, the U.S. District Court granted this motion for dismissal. In April 2012, plaintiffs appealed this decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Although Xcel Energy Inc. believes the likelihood of loss is remote based primarily on existing case law, it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of reasonably possible loss in the event of an adverse outcome of this matter. No accrual has been recorded for this matter.

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Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

4. Income Taxes

Except to the extent noted below, the circumstances set forth in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in NSP-Wisconsin's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of other income tax matters, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Federal Audit — NSP-Wisconsin is a member of the Xcel Energy affiliated group that files a consolidated federal income tax return. The statute of limitations applicable to Xcel Energy's 2008 federal income tax return expired in September 2012. The statute of limitations applicable to Xcel Energy's 2009 federal income tax return expires in September 2013. In the third quarter of 2012, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commenced an examination of tax years 2010 and 2011.

State Audits — NSP-Wisconsin is a member of the Xcel Energy affiliated group that files consolidated state income tax returns. As of Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin's earliest open tax year that is subject to examination by state taxing authorities under applicable statutes of limitations is 2008. As of Sept. 30, 2012, there were no state income tax audits in progress.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits — The unrecognized tax benefit balance includes permanent tax positions, which if recognized would affect the annual effective tax rate (ETR). In addition, the unrecognized tax benefit balance includes temporary tax positions for which the ultimate deductibility is highly certain but for which there is uncertainty about the timing of such deductibility. A change in the period of deductibility would not affect the ETR but would accelerate the payment of cash to the taxing authority to an earlier period.

A reconciliation of the amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Unrecognized tax benefit — Permanent tax positions	$	0.1	$	-
Unrecognized tax benefit — Temporary tax positions		1.2		1.5
Total unrecognized tax benefit	$	1.3	$	1.5

The unrecognized tax benefit balance was reduced by the tax benefits associated with net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards. The amounts of tax benefits associated with NOL carryforwards are as follows:

(Millions of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
NOL carryforwards	$	(0.9	)	$	(1.1	)

It is reasonably possible that NSP-Wisconsin's amount of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change in the next 12 months as the IRS audit progresses and state audits resume. At this time, due to the uncertain nature of the audit process, an overall range of possible change cannot be reasonably estimated.

The payable for interest related to unrecognized tax benefits is largely offset by the interest benefit associated with NOL carryforwards. The payables for interest related to unrecognized tax benefits at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011 were not material. No amounts were accrued for penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as of Sept. 30, 2012 or Dec. 31, 2011.

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Rate Matters

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Rate Matters [Abstract]

Rate Matters

5. Rate Matters

Except to the extent noted below, the circumstances set forth in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements included in NSP-Wisconsin's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of other rate matters, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Pending Regulatory Proceedings — Public Service Commission of Wisconsin(PSCW)

2012 Electric and Gas Rate Case— In June 2012, NSP-Wisconsin filed a request with the PSCW to increase rates for electric and natural gas service effective Jan. 1, 2013. NSP-Wisconsin requested an overall increase in annual electric rates of $39.1 million, or 6.7 percent, and an increase in natural gas rates of $5.3 million, or 4.9 percent.

The electric rate filing was based on a 2013 forecast test year, a return on equity (ROE) of 10.40 percent, an equity ratio of 52.50 percent and an average 2013 electric rate base of approximately $788.6 million. The natural gas rate request was solely due to a proposal to recover the initial costs associated with the environmental cleanup of the Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund Site (the Ashland site) in Ashland, Wis.

On Oct. 19, 2012, the PSCW Staff and intervenors filed their direct testimony. The PSCW Staff recommended an electric rate increase of $32.9 million, or 5.6 percent, based on a 10.40 percent ROE and a 52.50 percent equity ratio. The major adjustments recommended by the PSCW Staff were a $2.2 million reduction in employee compensation expense primarily related to disallowance of the annual incentive program, and a net $2.9 million reduction in electric fuel expense and fixed production charges. The PSCW Staff testimony acknowledged the unique issues before the PSCW related to the Ashland site cleanup and presented several alternatives for consideration by the PSCW.

Rebuttal testimony is expected to be filed on Oct. 31, 2012, and the hearing is expected to be held on Nov. 7, 2012. A PSCW decision is anticipated in December 2012.

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Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments [Abstract]

Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments

7. Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments

Commercial Paper — NSP-Wisconsin meets its short-term liquidity requirements primarily through the issuance of commercial paper and borrowings under its credit facility.  The following table presents commercial paper outstanding for NSP-Wisconsin:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012			Twelve Months Ended Dec. 31, 2011
Borrowing limit	$	150		$	150
Amount outstandingat period end		99			66
Average amount outstanding		88			24
Maximum amount outstanding		116			70
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis		0.38	%		0.37	%
Weighted average interest rate at period end		0.38			0.46

Letters of Credit— NSP-Wisconsin may use letters of credit, generally with terms of one-year, to provide financial guarantees for certain operating obligations. At Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011, there were no letters of credit outstanding.

Credit Facility — In order to use its commercial paper program to fulfill short-term funding needs, NSP-Wisconsin must have a revolving credit facility in place at least equal to the amount of its commercial paper borrowing limit and cannot issue commercial paper in an aggregate amount exceeding available capacity under this credit facility. The line of credit provides short-term financing in the form of notes payable to banks, letters of credit and back-up support for commercial paper borrowings.

At Sept. 30, 2012, NSP-Wisconsin had the following committed credit facility available (in millions of dollars):

Credit Facility		Drawn (a)		Available
$	150.0	$	99.0	$	51.0

(a) Includes outstanding commercial paper.

All credit facility bank borrowings, outstanding letters of credit and outstanding commercial paper reduce the available capacity under the credit facility. NSP-Wisconsin had no direct advances on the credit facility outstanding at Sept. 30, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011.

Amended Credit Agreement — In July 2012, NSP-Wisconsin entered into an amended five-year credit agreement with a syndicate of banks, replacing the previous four-year credit agreement. The amended credit agreement has substantially the same terms and conditions as the prior credit agreement with an improvement in pricing and an extension of maturity from March 2015 to July 2017. The Eurodollar borrowing margin on the line of credit was reduced from a range of 100 to 200 basis points per year, to a range of 87.5 to 175 basis points per year based on applicable long-term credit ratings. The commitment fees, calculated on the unused portion of the line of credit, were reduced from a range of 10 to 35 basis points per year, to a range of 7.5 to 27.5 basis points per year, also based on applicable long-term credit ratings.

NSP-Wisconsin has the right to request an extension of the revolving termination date for an additional one-year period, subject to majority bank group approval.

Other Short-Term Borrowings — The following table presents the notes payable of Clearwater Investments, Inc., a NSP-Wisconsin subsidiary, to Xcel Energy Inc.:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Notes payable to affiliates	$	0.6		$	0.5
Weighted average interest rate		0.33	%		0.46	%

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Commitments and Contingencies, Legal Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2012 Native Village of Kivalina vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. [Member]	Feb. 29, 2008 Native Village of Kivalina vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Comer vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. [Member]	May 31, 2011 Comer vs. Xcel Energy Inc. et al. [Member]
Legal Contingencies [Abstract]
Number of other entities against which the native village of Kivalina has filed a lawsuit		23
Estimated cost of relocating the village of Kivalina, low end of range	$ 95,000,000
Estimated cost of relocating the village of Kivalina, high end of range	400,000,000
Accrual for legal contingency	$ 0		$ 0
Minimum number of utility, oil, chemical and coal companies against which a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi				85

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Selected Balance Sheet Data (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Selected Balance Sheet Data [Abstract]

Accounts Receivable, Net

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Accounts receivable, net (a)
Accounts receivable	$	53,444			$	56,604
Less allowance for bad debts		(3,990	)			(4,766	)
	$	49,454			$	51,838

(a) Accounts receivable, net includes $256 due from affiliates as of Sept. 30, 2012.

Inventories

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Inventories
Materials and supplies	$	6,369	$	5,838
Fuel		6,960		9,335
Natural gas		8,450		10,530
	$	21,779	$	25,703

Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

(Thousands of Dollars)	Sept. 30, 2012			Dec. 31, 2011
Property, plant and equipment, net
Electric plant	$	1,744,066		$	1,684,537
Natural gas plant		219,630			213,665
Common and other property		110,494			113,597
Construction work in progress		74,910			54,627
Total property, plant and equipment		2,149,100			2,066,426
Less accumulated depreciation		(885,016	)		(858,728	)
	$	1,264,084		$	1,207,698

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Other (Expense) Income, net (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Other (Expense) Income, net [Abstract]

Other (Expense) Income, net

Other (expense) income, net consisted of the following:

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
(Thousands of Dollars)	2012			2011			2012			2011
Interest income	$	18		$	88		$	650		$	254
Other nonoperating income		18			45			57			56
Insurance policy (expense) income		(121	)		3			(332	)		(155	)
Other nonoperating expense		-			(3	)		-			(8	)
Other (expense) income, net	$	(85	)	$	133		$	375		$	147

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Derivative instruments:
Reclassification of losses to net income, tax	$ 12	$ 13	$ 37	$ 38

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1.  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The significant accounting policies set forth in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in the NSP-Wisconsin's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of accounting policies and are incorporated herein by reference.

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Segment Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Segment Information [Abstract]

Results from Continuing Operations by Reportable Segment

To report income from continuing operations for regulated electric and regulated natural gas utility segments, the majority of costs are directly assigned to each segment. However, some costs, such as common depreciation, common operating and maintenance (O&M) expenses and interest expense are allocated based on cost causation allocators. A general allocator is used for certain general and administrative expenses, including office supplies, rent, property insurance and general advertising.

	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	214,426	$	11,742		$	307	$	-		$	226,475
Intersegment revenues		82		321			-		(403	)		-
Total revenues	$	214,508	$	12,063		$	307	$	(403	)	$	226,475
Net income (loss)	$	21,743	$	(1,461	)	$	1,918	$	-		$	22,200

	Regulated		Regulated			All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas			Other		Eliminations			Total
Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	210,810	$	13,312		$	346	$	-		$	224,468
Intersegment revenues		83		212			-		(295	)		-
Total revenues	$	210,893	$	13,524		$	346	$	(295	)	$	224,468
Net income (loss)	$	21,178	$	(1,835	)	$	630	$	-		$	19,973

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2012
Operating revenues from external customers	$	575,532	$	68,064	$	851	$	-		$	644,447
Intersegment revenues		278		585		-		(863	)		-
Total revenues	$	575,810	$	68,649	$	851	$	(863	)	$	644,447
Net income	$	39,118	$	992	$	2,710	$	-		$	42,820

	Regulated		Regulated		All		Reconciling			Consolidated
(Thousands of Dollars)	Electric		Natural Gas		Other		Eliminations			Total
Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2011
Operating revenues from external customers	$	573,870	$	86,675	$	881	$	-		$	661,426
Intersegment revenues		299		1,050		-		(1,349	)		-
Total revenues	$	574,169	$	87,725	$	881	$	(1,349	)	$	661,426
Net income	$	40,698	$	1,757	$	639	$	-		$	43,094

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Segment Information (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues from external customers	$ 226,475	$ 224,468	$ 644,447	$ 661,426
Intersegment revenues	0	0	0	0
Total operating revenues	226,475	224,468	644,447	661,426
Net income (loss)	22,200	19,973	42,820	43,094
Regulated Electric [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues from external customers	214,426	210,810	575,532	573,870
Intersegment revenues	82	83	278	299
Total operating revenues	214,508	210,893	575,810	574,169
Net income (loss)	21,743	21,178	39,118	40,698
Regulated Natural Gas [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues from external customers	11,742	13,312	68,064	86,675
Intersegment revenues	321	212	585	1,050
Total operating revenues	12,063	13,524	68,649	87,725
Net income (loss)	(1,461)	(1,835)	992	1,757
All Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues from external customers	307	346	851	881
Intersegment revenues	0	0	0	0
Total operating revenues	307	346	851	881
Net income (loss)	1,918	630	2,710	639
Reconciling Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues from external customers	0	0	0	0
Intersegment revenues	(403)	(295)	(863)	(1,349)
Total operating revenues	(403)	(295)	(863)	(1,349)
Net income (loss)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

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Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]

Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

11.  Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

	Three Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	1,142			$	1,067			$	5			$	4
Interest cost			1,918				2,007				268				287
Expected return on plan assets			(2,622	)			(2,871	)			(13	)			(19	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				42				42
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			442				473				(4	)			(4	)
Amortization of net loss			1,460				1,019				123				93
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	2,340			$	1,695			$	421			$	403

	Nine Months Ended Sept. 30
	2012				2011				2012				2011
									Postretirement Health
(Thousands of Dollars)		Pension Benefits							Care Benefits
Service cost		$	3,426			$	3,203			$	15			$	13
Interest cost			5,753				6,023				806				859
Expected return on plan assets			(7,867	)			(8,613	)			(38	)			(56	)
Amortization of transition obligation			-				-				128				128
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)			1,328				1,421				(11	)			(11	)
Amortization of net loss			4,382				3,053				365				275
Net benefit cost recognized for financial reporting		$	7,022			$	5,087			$	1,265			$	1,208

In January 2012, contributions of $190.5 million were made across four of Xcel Energy's pension plans, of which $12.3 million was attributable to NSP-Wisconsin. Xcel Energy does not expect additional pension contributions during 2012.

In June 2012, to manage volatility in equity pricing within the pension master trust, Xcel Energy entered into equity collar contracts with a net-zero cost at initiation on a portion of the equity securities. The equity collar strategy is designed to reduce potential equity losses while limiting gains, resulting in lower equity volatility for the pension plans. At Sept. 30, 2012, the mark-to-market value of these arrangements was not material to the value of the pension trust assets or NSP-Wisconsin's results of operations, cash flows or financial position. These arrangements will expire in December 2012.