Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Schedule of Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis [Table Text Block]

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities recognized at fair value are as follows by level within the fair value hierarchy (in millions):



	As of September 30, 2013
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trust: ⁽¹⁾
Money market funds	$	—	$	59	$	—	$	59
Debt securities:
Domestic government	6		9		—		15
Corporate credit	—		8		—		8
Non-qualified benefit plan trust: ⁽²⁾
Equity securities—Domestic	5		3		—		8
Debt securities—Domestic government	1		—		—		1
Assets from price risk management activities ^{(1) (3)}—Natural gas	—		1		—		1
	$	12	$	80	$	—	$	92
Liabilities from price risk management activities: ^{(1) (3)}
Electricity	$	—	$	39	$	39	$	78
Natural gas	—		57		25		82
	$	—	$	96	$	64	$	160


(1)	Activities are subject to regulation, with certain gains and losses deferred pursuant to regulatory accounting and included in Regulatory assets or Regulatory liabilities as appropriate.


(2)	Excludes insurance policies of $25 million, which are recorded at cash surrender value.


(3)	For further information, see Note 4, Price Risk Management.



	As of December 31, 2012
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trust: ⁽¹⁾
Money market funds	$	—	$	15	$	—	$	15
Debt securities:
Domestic government	7		8		—		15
Corporate credit	—		8		—		8
Non-qualified benefit plan trust: ⁽²⁾
Money market funds	—		2		—		2
Equity securities:
Domestic	2		2		—		4
International	1		—		—		1
Debt securities—Domestic government	2		—		—		2
Assets from price risk management activities: ^{(1) (3)}
Electricity	—		1		—		1
Natural gas	—		3		2		5
	$	12	$	39	$	2	$	53
Liabilities — Liabilities from price risk management activities: ^{(1) (3)}
Electricity	$	—	$	72	$	10	$	82
Natural gas	—		110		8		118
	$	—	$	182	$	18	$	200


(1)	Activities are subject to regulation, with certain gains and losses deferred pursuant to regulatory accounting and included in Regulatory assets or Regulatory liabilities as appropriate.


(2)	Excludes insurance policies of $23 million, which are recorded at cash surrender value.


(3)	For further information, see Note 4, Price Risk Management.

Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Table Text Block]

Quantitative information regarding the significant, unobservable inputs used in the measurement of Level 3 assets and liabilities from price risk management activities as of September 30, 2013 is presented below:



						Significant	Price per Unit
	Fair Value				Valuation	Unobservable					Weighted
Commodity Contracts	Assets		Liabilities		Technique	Input	Low		High		Average
	(in millions)
Natural gas financial swaps	$	—	$	25	Discounted cash flow	Natural gas forward price (per Decatherm)	$	3.22	$	4.71	$	3.87
Electricity financial swaps	—		13		Discounted cash flow	Electricity forward price (per MWh)	8.91		48.28		36.23
Electricity physical forward purchase	—		26		Discounted cash flow	Electricity forward price (per MWh)	8.11		50.49		32.67
	$	—	$	64



						Significant	Price per Unit
	Fair Value				Valuation	Unobservable					Weighted
Commodity Contracts	Assets		Liabilities		Technique	Input	Low		High		Average
	(in millions)
Natural gas financial swaps	$	2	$	8	Discounted cash flow	Natural gas forward price (per Decatherm)	$	3.67	$	5.21	$	4.28
Electricity financial swaps	—		10		Discounted cash flow	Electricity forward price (per MWh)	7.12		51.72		41.14
	$	2	$	18

Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

Changes in the fair value of net liabilities from price risk management activities (net of assets from price risk management activities) classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy were as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012			2013		2012
Balance as of the beginning of the period	$	56	$	88		$	16	$	79
Net realized and unrealized losses (gains) ⁽¹⁾	8		(7		)	48		4
Purchases	—		(2		)	—		(2		)
Issuances	—		—			—		(1		)
Transfers out of Level 3 to Level 2	—		—			—		(1		)
Balance as of the end of the period	$	64	$	79		$	64	$	79


(1)	Contains nominal amounts of realized (gains) and losses, net. Both realized and unrealized losses (gains) are recorded in Purchased power and fuel expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income of which the unrealized portion is fully offset by the effects of regulatory accounting until settlement of the underlying transactions.

Transfers into Level 3 occur when significant inputs used to value the Company’s derivative instruments become less observable, such as a delivery location becoming significantly less liquid. During the nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, there were no transfers into Level 3 from Level 2. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the significant inputs become more observable, such as when the time between the valuation date and the delivery term of a transaction becomes shorter. PGE records transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 at the end of the reporting period for all of its financial instruments. Transfers from Level 2 to Level 1 for the Company’s price risk management assets and liabilities do not occur as quoted prices are not available for identical instruments. As such, the Company’s assets and liabilities from price risk management activities mature and settle as Level 2 fair value measurements.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the fair value measurement of assets using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances, separately presenting changes during the period attributable to the following: (1) total gains or losses for the period (realized and unrealized), segregating those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) and gains or losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss), and a description of where those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) are reported in the statement of income (or activities); (2) purchases, sales, issues, and settlements (each type disclosed separately); and (3) transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 (for example, transfers due to changes in the observability of significant inputs), by class of asset.

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- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the application of the fair value option for measurement and reporting of eligible financial assets and liabilities (as defined), as well as certain other eligible items (as defined) included in the statement of financial position, whether such option is elected for a single eligible item or a group of similar eligible items and is in addition to other disclosures concerning fair value which the company may be required to provide. Such disclosure might be expected to include: (1) for items included in the statement of financial position: (a) for each line item in the statement of financial position that includes an item or items for which the fair value option has been elected, provide the aggregate carrying amount of ineligible items included in each line item in the balance sheet, if any; (b) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance (assuming contractual principal amounts and fair value option elected) of: (i) loans and long-term receivables (other than securities otherwise reported at fair value) and (ii) long-term debt instruments; (c) for loans held as assets for which the fair value option has been elected: (i) the aggregate fair value of loans that are 90 days or more past due, (ii) if the policy is to recognize interest income separately from other changes in fair value, the aggregate fair value of loans in nonaccrual status, and (iii) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance for loans that are 90 days or more past due, in nonaccrual status, or both; (2) for items included in the income statement: (a) the amounts of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings and in which line in the income statement those gains and losses are reported whether or not combined with gains and losses from items required to be accounted for at fair value; (b) for loans and other receivables held as assets, the estimated amount of gains or losses included in earnings attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk; (c) for liabilities with fair values that have been significantly affected during the reporting period by changes in the instrument-specific credit risk, the estimated amount of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings that are attributable to changes in the instrument-specific credit risk; and (3) certain other disclosures as required or determined to be provided.

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