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BANKRUPTCY FILING
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Reorganizations [Abstract]  
BANKRUPTCY FILING
BANKRUPTCY FILING

Chapter 11 Proceedings

On January 29, 2019, PG&E Corporation and the Utility filed the Chapter 11 Cases with the Bankruptcy Court. PG&E Corporation and the Utility continue to operate their business as debtors-in-possession under the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and orders of the Bankruptcy Court.

Under the Bankruptcy Code, third-party actions to collect pre-petition indebtedness owed by PG&E Corporation or the Utility, as well as most litigation pending against PG&E Corporation and the Utility (including the third-party matters described in Note 10 below), are subject to an automatic stay. Absent an order of the Bankruptcy Court providing otherwise, substantially all pre-petition liabilities will be administered under a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization to be voted upon by creditors and other stakeholders, and approved by the Bankruptcy Court. However, under the Bankruptcy Code, regulatory or criminal proceedings are generally not subject to an automatic stay, and PG&E Corporation and the Utility expect these proceedings to continue during the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases.

Under the priority scheme established by the Bankruptcy Code, certain post-petition and secured or “priority” pre-petition liabilities need to be satisfied before general unsecured creditors and holders of PG&E Corporation's and the Utility’s equity are entitled to receive any distribution. No assurance can be given as to what values, if any, will be ascribed in the Chapter 11 Cases to the claims and interests of each of these constituencies. Additionally, no assurance can be given as to whether, when or in what form unsecured creditors and holders of PG&E Corporation’s or the Utility’s equity may receive a distribution on such claims or interests.

Under the Bankruptcy Code, PG&E Corporation and the Utility may assume, assume and assign, or reject certain executory contracts and unexpired leases, including, without limitation, leases of real property and equipment, subject to the approval of the Bankruptcy Court and to certain other conditions. Any description of an executory contract or unexpired lease in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, or in the 2018 Form 10-K, including, where applicable, the express termination rights thereunder or a quantification of their obligations, must be read in conjunction with, and is qualified by, any overriding rejection rights PG&E Corporation and the Utility have under the Bankruptcy Code.

Significant Bankruptcy Court Actions

On January 31, 2019, the Bankruptcy Court approved, on an interim basis, certain motions (the “First Day Motions”) authorizing, but not directing, PG&E Corporation and the Utility to, among other things, (a) secure $5.5 billion of debtor-in-possession financing; (b) continue to use PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s cash management system; and (c) pay certain pre-petition claims relating to (i) certain safety, reliability, outage, and nuclear facility suppliers; (ii) shippers, warehousemen, and other lien claimants; (iii) taxes; (iv) employee wages, salaries, and other compensation and benefits; and (v) customer programs, including public purpose programs. The First Day Motions were subsequently approved by the Bankruptcy Court on a final basis at hearings on February 27, 2019, March 12, 2019, March 13, 2019, and March 27, 2019.

Debtor-In-Possession Financing

See Note 5 for further discussion of the DIP Facilities, which provide up to $5.5 billion in financing.

Financial Reporting in Reorganization

Effective on the Petition Date, PG&E Corporation and the Utility began to apply accounting standards applicable to reorganizations, which are applicable to companies under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They require the financial statements for periods subsequent to the Petition Date to distinguish transactions and events that are directly associated with the reorganization from the ongoing operations of the business. Expenses, realized gains and losses, and provisions for losses that are directly associated with reorganization proceedings must be reported separately as reorganization items, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. In addition, the balance sheet must distinguish pre-petition LSTC of PG&E Corporation and the Utility from pre-petition liabilities that are not subject to compromise, post-petition liabilities, and liabilities of the subsidiaries of PG&E Corporation that are not debtors in the Chapter 11 Cases in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. LSTC are pre-petition obligations that are not fully secured and have at least a possibility of not being repaid at the full claim amount. Where there is uncertainty about whether a secured claim will be paid or impaired pursuant to the Chapter 11 Cases, PG&E Corporation and the Utility have classified the entire amount of the claim as LSTC.

Furthermore, the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities are subject to uncertainty. While operating as debtors-in-possession, certain claims against PG&E Corporation and the Utility in existence before the filing of the petitions for relief under the federal bankruptcy laws are stayed while PG&E Corporation and the Utility continue business operations as debtors in possession. These claims are reflected as LSTC in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2019. Additional claims (which could be LSTC) may arise after the Petition Date resulting from rejection of executory contracts, including leases, and from the determination by the Bankruptcy Court (or agreement by parties in interest) of allowed claims for contingencies and other disputed amounts.

PG&E Corporation’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of PG&E Corporation and the Utility and other subsidiaries of PG&E Corporation and the Utility that individually and in aggregate are immaterial. Such other subsidiaries did not file for bankruptcy. 

The Utility’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of the Utility and other subsidiaries of the Utility that individually and in aggregate are immaterial. Such other subsidiaries did not file for bankruptcy. 

Liabilities Subject to Compromise

As a result of the commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases, the payment of pre-petition liabilities is generally subject to compromise pursuant to a plan of reorganization. Generally, actions to enforce or otherwise effect payment of pre-petition liabilities are stayed. Although payment of pre-petition claims generally is not permitted, the Bankruptcy Court granted PG&E Corporation and the Utility authority to pay certain pre-petition claims in designated categories and subject to certain terms and conditions. This relief generally was designed to preserve the value of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s business and assets. Among other things, the Bankruptcy Court authorized, but did not require, PG&E Corporation and the Utility to pay certain pre-petition claims relating to employee wages and benefits, taxes, and certain vendors.

As a result of the Chapter 11 Cases, the payment of pre-petition indebtedness is subject to compromise or other treatment under a plan of reorganization. The determination of how liabilities will ultimately be settled or treated cannot be made until the Bankruptcy Court confirms a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization and such plan becomes effective. Accordingly, the ultimate amount of such liabilities is not determinable at this time. GAAP requires pre-petition liabilities that are subject to compromise to be reported at the amounts expected to be allowed by the Bankruptcy Court, even if they may be settled for different amounts. The amounts currently classified as LSTC are preliminary and may be subject to future adjustments depending on Bankruptcy Court actions, further developments with respect to disputed claims, determinations of the secured status of certain claims, the values of any collateral securing such claims, rejection of executory contracts, continued reconciliation or other events.

The following table presents LSTC as reported in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2019:
(in millions)
PG&E Corporation (1)
 
Utility
 
PG&E Corporation Consolidated
Financing debt (2)
$
650

 
$
21,811

 
$
22,461

Wildfire-related claims (3)

 
14,212

 
14,212

Trade creditors
1

 
1,850

 
1,851

Non-qualified benefit plan
122

 
17

 
139

2001 bankruptcy disputed claims

 
221

 
221

Customer deposits & advances

 
272

 
272

Other
2

 
164

 
166

Total Liabilities Subject to Compromise
$
775

 
$
38,547

 
$
39,322

 
 
 
 
 
 
(1) PG&E Corporation amounts reflected under the column “PG&E Corporation” exclude the accounts of the Utility.
(2) At March 31, 2019, PG&E Corporation and the Utility had $650 million and $21,526 million in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness, respectively. Utility financing debt also includes $285 million of accrued contractual interest to the Petition Date. See Note 5 for details of pre-petition debt reported as LSTC.
(3) See Note 10 for details of pre-petition wildfire-related claims reported as LSTC.

Reorganization Items, Net

Reorganization items, net represent amounts incurred after the Petition Date as a direct result of the Chapter 11 Cases and are comprised of professional fees and financing costs, net of interest income. Reorganization items also include adjustments to reflect the carrying value of LSTC at their estimated allowed claim amounts, as such adjustments are determined.  Cash paid for reorganization items, net was $17 million and $91 million for PG&E Corporation and the Utility, respectively, during the three months ended March 31, 2019. Reorganization items, net as of March 31, 2019 include the following:
 
Post-Petition Period Through March 31, 2019
(in millions)
PG&E Corporation (1)
 
Utility
 
PG&E Corporation Consolidated
Debtor-in-possession financing costs
17

 
97

 
114

Legal and other
$
1

 
$
23

 
$
24

Interest income
(2
)
 
(9
)
 
(11
)
Total reorganization items, net
$
16

 
$
111

 
$
127

 
 
 
 
 
 

(1) PG&E Corporation amounts reflected under the column “PG&E Corporation” exclude the accounts of the Utility.

Contractual Interest on Debt Subject to Compromise

Effective as of the Petition Date, PG&E Corporation and the Utility ceased recording interest expense on outstanding pre-petition debt. Contractual interest expense represents amounts due under the contractual terms of outstanding pre-petition debt. From the Petition Date through March 31, 2019, contractual interest expense of $166 million related to LSTC has not been recorded in the financial statements. Additionally, the portion of authorized revenues from the Petition Date through March 31, 2019 related to interest expense on pre-petition debt has been deferred as a non-current regulatory liability.

Resolution of Remaining 2001 Chapter 11 Disputed Claims

Various electricity suppliers filed claims in the Utility’s 2001 prior proceeding filed under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code seeking payment for energy supplied to the Utility’s customers between May 2000 and June 2001.  While the FERC and judicial proceedings are pending, the Utility pursued settlements with electricity suppliers and entered into a number of settlement agreements with various electricity suppliers to resolve some of these disputed claims and to resolve the Utility’s refund claims against these electricity suppliers. Under these settlement agreements, amounts payable by the parties, in some instances, would be subject to adjustment based on the outcome of the various refund offset and interest issues being considered by the FERC. Generally, any net refunds, claim offsets, or other credits that the Utility receives from electricity suppliers either through settlement or through the conclusion of the various FERC and judicial proceedings are refunded to customers through rates in future periods.

The Utility’s obligations with respect to such claims (all of which arose prior to the initiation of the Utility’s pending Chapter 11 Case on January 29, 2019), including pursuant to any prior settlements relating thereto, are expected to be determined through the proceedings of the Chapter 11 Cases.