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Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments [Abstract]  
Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments
7. 
Borrowings and Other Financing Instruments
 
Short-Term Borrowings

Money Pool — Xcel Energy Inc. and its utility subsidiaries have established a money pool arrangement that allows for short-term investments in and borrowings between the utility subsidiaries. Xcel Energy Inc. may make investments in the utility subsidiaries at market-based interest rates; however, the money pool arrangement does not allow the utility subsidiaries to make investments in Xcel Energy Inc. Money pool borrowings for PSCo were as follows:

(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)
 
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2013
   
Twelve Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
 
Borrowing limit
 
$
250
   
$
250
 
Amount outstanding at period end
   
-
     
-
 
Average amount outstanding
   
1
     
0.3
 
Maximum amount outstanding
   
12
     
8
 
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis
   
0.36
%
   
0.33
%
Weighted average interest rate at period end
   
N/A
     
N/A
 

Commercial Paper — PSCo meets its short-term liquidity requirements primarily through the issuance of commercial paper and borrowings under its credit facility. Commercial paper outstanding for PSCo was as follows:
 
(Amounts in Millions, Except Interest Rates)
 
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2013
   
Twelve Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
 
Borrowing limit
 
$
700
   
$
700
 
Amount outstanding at period end
   
-
     
154
 
Average amount outstanding
   
154
     
8
 
Maximum amount outstanding
   
332
     
165
 
Weighted average interest rate, computed on a daily basis
   
0.34
%
 
0.33
%
Weighted average interest rate at period end
   
N/A
     
0.35
 

Letters of Credit PSCo uses letters of credit, generally with terms of one-year, to provide financial guarantees for certain operating obligations. At both March 31, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2012, there were $4.0 million of letters of credit outstanding. The contract amounts of these letters of credit approximate their fair value and are subject to fees determined in the marketplace.

Credit Facility — In order to use its commercial paper program to fulfill short-term funding needs, PSCo must have a revolving credit facility in place at least equal to the amount of its commercial paper borrowing limit and cannot issue commercial paper in an aggregate amount exceeding available capacity under this credit facility. The credit facility provides short-term financing in the form of notes payable to banks, letters of credit and back-up support for commercial paper borrowings.

At March 31, 2013, PSCo had the following committed credit facility available (in millions of dollars):
 
Credit Facility (a)
  
Drawn (b)
  
Available
 
$700.0  $4.0  $696.0 

(a)
Credit facility expires in July 2017.
(b)
Includes outstanding letters of credit.

All credit facility bank borrowings, outstanding letters of credit and outstanding commercial paper reduce the available capacity under the credit facility. PSCo had no direct advances on the credit facility outstanding at March 31, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2012.

Long-Term Borrowings

In March 2013, PSCo issued $250 million of 2.50 percent first mortgage bonds due March 15, 2023, as well as $250 million of 3.95 percent first mortgage bonds due March 15, 2043.