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Segment Information
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
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. NW Natural and NW Holdings also have investments and business activities not specifically related to the NGD segment, which are aggregated and reported as other and described below for each entity.

No individual customer accounts for over 10% of NW Holdings' or NW Natural's operating revenues.

Natural Gas Distribution
NW Natural's local gas distribution segment (NGD) 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. The NGD business is responsible for building and maintaining a safe and reliable pipeline distribution system, purchasing sufficient gas supplies from producers and marketers, contracting for firm and interruptible transportation of gas over interstate pipelines to bring gas from the supply basins into its service territory, and re-selling the gas to customers subject to rates, terms, and conditions approved by the OPUC or WUTC. NGD also includes taking customer-owned gas and transporting it from interstate pipeline connections, or city gates, to the customers’ end-use facilities for a fee, which is approved by the OPUC or WUTC. Approximately 88% of NGD customers are located in Oregon and 12% in Washington. On an annual basis, residential and commercial customers typically account for around 60% of total NGD volumes delivered and around 90% of NGD margin. Industrial customers largely account for the remaining volumes and NGD margin. A small amount of the margin is also derived from miscellaneous services, gains or losses from an incentive gas cost sharing mechanism, and other service fees.

Industrial sectors served by the NGD business include: pulp, paper, and other forest products; the manufacture of electronic, electrochemical and electrometallurgical products; the processing of farm and food products; the production of various mineral products; metal fabrication and casting; the production of machine tools, machinery, and textiles; the manufacture of asphalt, concrete, and rubber; printing and publishing; nurseries; and government and educational institutions.

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, NWN Gas Reserves, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Corp, and NW Natural RNG Holding Company, LLC, a holding company established to invest in the development and procurement of regulated renewable natural gas for NW Natural.

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 to 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 and wastewater utility operations and is pursuing other investments in the water sector through itself and wholly-owned subsidiaries; NWN Gas Storage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWN Energy; NWN Energy's equity investment in Trail West Holdings, LLC (TWH) through August 6, 2020; and other pipeline assets in NNG Financial. For more information on the sale of TWH, see Note 13. Other also includes corporate revenues and expenses that cannot be allocated to other operations, including certain business development activities.

Segment Information Summary
Inter-segment transactions were immaterial for the periods presented. The following table presents summary financial information concerning the reportable segment and other for continuing operations. See Note 18 for information regarding discontinued operations for NW Holdings.
In thousandsNGDOther
(NW Natural)		NW NaturalOther
(NW Holdings)		NW Holdings
2021
Operating revenues$816,887 $26,170 $843,057 $17,343 $860,400 
Depreciation and amortization109,475 1,029 110,504 3,030 113,534 
Income (loss) from operations 147,902 17,331 165,233 (2,116)163,117 
Net income (loss) from continuing operations68,988 12,184 81,172 (2,506)78,666 
Capital expenditures275,267 2,970 278,237 15,655 293,892 
Total assets at December 31, 20213,846,112 52,260 3,898,372 166,232 4,064,604 
2020
Operating revenues$741,072 $17,676 $758,748 $14,931 $773,679 
Depreciation and amortization100,591 995 101,586 2,097 103,683 
Income (loss) from operations137,724 9,916 147,640 711 148,351 
Net income (loss) from continuing operations63,555 7,008 70,563 (290)70,273 
Capital expenditures263,777 2,271 266,048 6,968 273,016 
Total assets at December 31, 20203,549,868 49,468 3,599,336 157,043 3,756,379 
2019
Operating revenues$720,528 $19,416 $739,944 $6,428 $746,372 
Depreciation and amortization89,415 990 90,405 1,091 91,496 
Income (loss) from operations135,918 11,428 147,346 (3,872)143,474 
Net income (loss) from continuing operations60,828 8,146 68,974 (3,663)65,311 
Capital expenditures219,880 1,500 221,380 2,091 223,471 
Total assets at December 31, 2019(1)
3,273,835 47,652 3,321,487 91,833 3,413,320 
(1)     Total assets for NW Holdings exclude assets related to discontinued operations of $15.1 million as of December 31, 2019.

Natural Gas Distribution Margin
NGD margin is the primary financial measure used by the 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 environmental recovery mechanisms in Oregon and Washington as well as adjustments for the Oregon environmental earnings test when applicable. This is offset by environmental remediation expense presented 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:
In thousands202120202019
NGD margin calculation:
NGD operating revenues $797,800 $721,950 $708,472 
Other regulated services19,087 19,122 12,056 
Total NGD operating revenues816,887 741,072 720,528 
Less: NGD cost of gas292,538 262,980 255,135 
          Environmental remediation expense9,938 9,691 12,337 
 Revenue taxes34,600 30,291 30,325 
NGD margin$479,811 $438,110 $422,731