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Segment Information
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Information
SEGMENT INFORMATION

We primarily operate in one reportable business segment, which is NW Natural's local gas distribution business and is referred to as the NGD segment. During the second quarter of 2018, we moved forward with long-term strategic plans, which include a shift away from the California gas storage business, by entering into a Purchase and Sale Agreement that provides for the sale of all of the membership interests in Gill Ranch, subject to various regulatory approvals and closing conditions. As such, we reevaluated reportable segments and concluded that the remaining gas storage activities no longer meet the requirements of a reportable segment. Interstate Storage Services and asset management activities at the Mist gas storage facility, are now reported as other under NW Natural. NW Natural and NW Holdings also have investments and business activities not specifically related to the NGD, which are aggregated and reported as other and described below for each entity.

Natural Gas Distribution
NW Natural's local gas distribution segment is a regulated utility principally engaged in the purchase, sale, and delivery of natural gas and related services to customers in Oregon and southwest Washington. In addition to NW Natural's local gas distribution business, the NGD segment also includes the portion of the Mist underground storage facility used to serve NGD customers, the North Mist gas storage expansion in Oregon, and NWN Gas Reserves, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Corp.

NW Natural
NW Natural's activities in Other include Interstate Storage Services and third-party asset management services for the Mist facility in Oregon, appliance retail center operations, and corporate operating and non-operating revenues and expenses that cannot be allocated to NGD operations.

Earnings from Interstate Storage Services assets are primarily related to firm storage capacity revenues. Earnings from the Mist facility also include revenue, net of amounts shared with NGD customers, from management of NGD assets at Mist and upstream pipeline capacity when not needed to serve NGD customers. Under the Oregon sharing mechanism, NW Natural retains 80% of the pre-tax income from these services when the costs of the capacity were not included in NGD rates, or 10% of the pre-tax income when the costs have been included in these rates. The remaining 20% and 90%, respectively, are recorded in a deferred regulatory account for crediting back to NGD customers.

NW Holdings
NW Holdings' activities in Other include all remaining activities not associated with NW Natural, specifically NWN Water, which consolidates the water operations and is pursuing other investments in the water sector itself and through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, NWN Gas Storage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWN Energy, NWN Energy's equity investment in TWH, which is pursuing development of a cross-Cascades transmission pipeline project (TWP), and other pipeline assets in NNG Financial. For more information on TWP, see Note 13. Other also includes corporate revenues and expenses that cannot be allocated to other operations.

All prior period amounts have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the change in reportable segments and the designation of Gill Ranch as a discontinued operation for NW Holdings, and the designation of subsidiaries previously owned by NW Natural that are now owned by NW Holdings as discontinued operations for NW Natural.

Segment Information Summary
Inter-segment transactions were immaterial for the periods presented. The following table presents summary financial information concerning the reportable segments of continuing operations. See Note 17 for information regarding discontinued operations for NW Holdings and NW Natural.
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
In thousands
 
NGD
 
Other
(NW Natural)
 
NW Natural
 
Other
(NW Holdings)
 
NW Holdings
2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating revenues
 
$
279,041

 
$
5,805

 
$
284,846

 
$
502

 
$
285,348

Depreciation and amortization
 
21,249

 
255

 
21,504

 
68

 
21,572

Income (loss) from operations
 
72,898

 
3,746

 
76,644

 
(599
)
 
76,045

Net income (loss) from continuing operations
 
41,206

 
2,689

 
43,895

 
(477
)
 
43,418

Capital expenditures

48,606

 
52

 
48,658

 
106

 
48,764

Total assets at March 31, 2019(1)
 
3,091,062

 
49,566

 
3,140,628

 
35,857

 
3,176,485

2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating revenues
 
$
257,933

 
$
5,702

 
$
263,635

 
$

 
$
263,635

Depreciation and amortization
 
20,543

 
325

 
20,868

 
7

 
20,875

Income from operations
 
64,756

 
2,982

 
67,738

 
13

 
67,751

Net income (loss) from continuing operations
 
39,883

 
2,131

 
42,014

 
(3
)
 
42,011

Capital expenditures
 
56,894

 
435

 
57,329

 

 
57,329

Total assets at March 31, 2018(1)
 
2,952,294

 
50,850

 
3,003,144

 
13,824

 
3,016,968

Total assets at December 31, 2018(1)
 
3,141,969

 
50,767

 
3,192,736

 
36,657

 
3,229,393


(1)
Total assets for NW Holdings exclude assets related to discontinued operations of $14.6 million, $12.4 million, and $13.3 million as of March 31, 2019, March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2018, respectively. Total assets for NW Natural exclude assets related to discontinued operations of $30.5 million as of March 31, 2018.

Natural Gas Distribution Margin
NGD margin is a financial measure used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM), consisting of NGD operating revenues, reduced by the associated cost of gas, environmental remediation expense, and revenue taxes. The cost of gas purchased for NGD customers is generally a pass-through cost in the amount of revenues billed to regulated NGD customers. Environmental remediation expense represents collections received from customers through the environmental recovery mechanism in Oregon as well as adjustments for the environmental earnings test. This is offset by environmental remediation expense presented in in operating expenses. Revenue taxes are collected from NGD customers and remitted to taxing authorities. The collections from customers are offset by the expense recognition of the obligation to the taxing authority. By subtracting cost of gas, environmental remediation expense, and revenue taxes from NGD operating revenues, NGD margin provides a key metric used by the CODM in assessing the performance of the NGD segment.

The following table presents additional segment information concerning NGD margin:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
In thousands
 
2019
 
2018
NGD margin calculation:
 
 
 
 
NGD operating revenues
 
$
279,041

 
$
257,933

Less: NGD cost of gas
 
105,513

 
108,164

          Environmental remediation expense
 
8,947

 
4,624

Revenue taxes
 
11,926

 
12,429

NGD margin
 
$
152,655

 
$
132,716