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Contractual Obligations, Commercial Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Entity Information [Line Items]  
Contractual Obligations, Commercial Commitments and Contingencies COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Contingencies

Legal Matters
In the normal course of business, we are subject to various lawsuits, actions, proceedings, claims and other matters asserted under various laws and regulations. We believe the amounts provided in our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, as prescribed by GAAP, are adequate considering the probable and estimable contingencies. However, there can be no assurances that the actual amounts required to satisfy alleged liabilities from various legal proceedings, claims, tax examinations and other matters discussed below, and to comply with applicable laws and regulations, will not exceed the amounts reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. As such, costs, if any, that may be incurred in excess of those amounts provided as of March 31, 2023, cannot be reasonably determined.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to various federal, state, regional and local environmental protection and health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal and transportation of regulated materials, including ash and CCR; the use and discharge of water used in generation boilers and for cooling purposes; the emission and discharge of hazardous and other materials, including GHGs, into the environment; climate change; and the health and safety of our employees. These laws and regulations often require a lengthy and complex process of obtaining and renewing permits and other governmental authorizations from federal, state and local agencies. Violation of these laws, regulations or permits can result in substantial fines, other sanctions, permit revocation and/or facility shutdowns. We cannot assure that we have been or will be at all times in full compliance with such laws, regulations and permits.

Where no accrued liability has been recognized, it is reasonably possible that some matters could be decided unfavorably to the us and could require us to pay damages or make expenditures in amounts that could be material but could not be estimated as of March 31, 2023.

We have taken steps to limit our exposure to environmental claims that could be raised with respect to our previously-owned and operated coal-fired generation units, but we cannot predict whether any such claims will be raised and, if they are, the extent to which they may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Accruals for legal loss and environmental contingencies were not material as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Equity Ownership Interest
AES Ohio has a 4.9% equity ownership interest in OVEC, which is recorded using the cost method of accounting under GAAP. AES Ohio, along with several non-affiliated energy companies party to an OVEC arrangement, receive and pay for OVEC capacity and energy and are responsible for OVEC debt obligations and other fixed costs in proportion to their power participation ratios under the arrangement, which, for AES Ohio, is the same as its equity ownership interest. As of March 31, 2023, AES Ohio could be responsible for the repayment of 4.9%, or $53.2 million, of $1.1 billion OVEC debt obligations if they came due, comprised of both fixed and variable rate securities with maturities from 2026 to 2040. OVEC could also seek additional contributions from AES Ohio to avoid a default in the event that other OVEC members defaulted on their respective OVEC obligations.
Subsidiaries [Member]  
Entity Information [Line Items]  
Contractual Obligations, Commercial Commitments and Contingencies COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Contingencies

Legal Matters
In the normal course of business, we are subject to various lawsuits, actions, proceedings, claims and other matters asserted under various laws and regulations. We believe the amounts provided in our Condensed Financial Statements, as prescribed by GAAP, are adequate considering the probable and estimable contingencies. However, there can be no assurances that the actual amounts required to satisfy alleged liabilities from various legal proceedings, claims, tax examinations and other matters discussed below, and to comply with applicable laws and regulations, will not exceed the amounts reflected in our Condensed Financial Statements. As such, costs, if any, that may be incurred in excess of those amounts provided as of March 31, 2023, cannot be reasonably determined.

Environmental Matters
We are subject to various federal, state, regional and local environmental protection and health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal and transportation of regulated materials, including ash and CCR; the use and discharge of water used in generation boilers and for cooling purposes; the emission and discharge of hazardous and other materials, including GHGs, into the environment; climate change; and the health and safety of our employees. These laws and regulations often require a lengthy and complex process of obtaining and renewing permits and other governmental authorizations from federal, state and local agencies. Violation of these laws, regulations or permits can result in substantial fines, other sanctions, permit revocation and/or facility shutdowns. We cannot assure that we have been or will be at all times in full compliance with such laws, regulations and permits.

Where no accrued liability has been recognized, it is reasonably possible that some matters could be decided unfavorably to the us and could require us to pay damages or make expenditures in amounts that could be material but could not be estimated as of March 31, 2023.

We have taken steps to limit our exposure to environmental claims that could be raised with respect to our previously-owned and operated coal-fired generation units, but we cannot predict whether any such claims will be raised and, if they are, the extent to which they may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Accruals for legal loss and environmental contingencies were not material as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Equity Ownership Interest
AES Ohio has a 4.9% equity ownership interest in OVEC, which is recorded using the cost method of accounting under GAAP. AES Ohio, along with several non-affiliated energy companies party to an OVEC arrangement, receive and pay for OVEC capacity and energy and are responsible for OVEC debt obligations and other fixed costs in proportion to their power participation ratios under the arrangement, which, for AES Ohio, is the same as its equity ownership interest. As of March 31, 2023, AES Ohio could be responsible for the repayment of 4.9%, or
$53.2 million, of $1.1 billion OVEC debt obligations if they came due, comprised of both fixed and variable rate securities with maturities from 2026 to 2040. OVEC could also seek additional contributions from AES Ohio to avoid a default in the event that other OVEC members defaulted on their respective OVEC obligations.