Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Asset Retirement Obligation [Line Items]

Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

PSEG and PSE&G recognize liabilities for the expected cost of retiring long-lived assets for which a legal obligation exists to remove or dispose of an asset or some component of an asset at retirement. These AROs are recorded at fair value in the period in which they are incurred and are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the related long-lived assets. PSEG’s subsidiaries, except for PSE&G, accrete the ARO liability to reflect the passage of time with the corresponding expense recorded in O&M. PSE&G, as a rate-regulated entity, recognizes Regulatory Assets or Liabilities as a result of timing differences between the recording of costs and costs recovered through the rate-making process.

PSE&G has conditional AROs primarily for legal obligations related to the removal of treated wood poles and the requirement to seal natural gas pipelines at all sources of gas when the pipelines are no longer in service. PSE&G does not record an ARO for its protected steel and poly-based natural gas lines, as management believes that these categories of gas lines have an indeterminable life.

PSEG’s other ARO liability primarily relates to decommissioning of its nuclear power plants in accordance with NRC requirements. PSEG has an independent external trust that is intended to fund decommissioning of its nuclear facilities upon termination of operation. For additional information, see Note 11. Trust Investments. PSEG also identified conditional AROs primarily related to PSEG’s fossil generation units, including liabilities for removal of asbestos, stored hazardous liquid material and underground storage tanks from industrial power sites, and demolition of certain plants, and the restoration of the sites at which they reside, when the plants are no longer in service. To estimate the fair value of its other AROs, PSEG uses a probability weighted, discounted cash flow model which, on a unit by unit basis, considers multiple outcome scenarios that include significant estimates and assumptions, and are based on third-party decommissioning cost estimates, cost escalation rates, inflation rates and discount rates.

Updated nuclear cost studies are obtained triennially unless new information necessitates more frequent updates. The most recent cost study was done in 2021. When assumptions are revised to calculate fair values of existing AROs, generally, the ARO balance and corresponding long-lived asset are adjusted which impact the amount of accretion and depreciation expense recognized in future periods. For PSE&G, Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities result when accretion and amortization are adjusted to match rates established by regulators resulting in the regulatory deferral of any gain or loss.

The changes to the ARO liabilities for PSEG and PSE&G during 2020 and 2021 are presented in the following table:

	PSEG		PSE&G		Other
	Millions
ARO Liability as of January 1, 2020	$	1,087	$	303	$	784
Liabilities Settled	(9)		(7)		(2)
Accretion Expense	42		—		42
Accretion Expense Deferred and Recovered in Rate Base (A)	17		17		—
Revision to Present Values of Estimated Cash Flows	75		1		74
ARO Liability as of December 31, 2020	$	1,212	$	314	$	898
Liabilities Settled	(15)		(14)		(1)
Adjustments (B)	(37)		—		(37)
Accretion Expense	44		—		44
Accretion Expense Deferred and Recovered in Rate Base (A)	16		16		—
Revision to Present Values of Estimated Cash Flows	353		47		306
ARO Liability as of December 31, 2021	$	1,573	$	363	$	1,210

(A)Not reflected as expense in Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(B)Represents amounts related to the sale of the solar plants and the fossil generating assets classified as Held for Sale.

During 2021, PSE&G recorded an increase to its ARO liabilities primarily due to the impact of increases in labor rates and other costs, partially offset by decreases from changes in inflation and discount rate assumptions. Those changes had no impact on PSE&G’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

In April 2021, the BPU awarded ZECs to PSEG Power’s Salem 1, Salem 2 and Hope Creek nuclear plants for an additional three years through May 2025. Concurrent with the BPU’s decision, PSEG reassessed the Asset Retirement Cost (ARC) and

ARO assumptions related to the Salem and Hope Creek units. This resulted in an increase to the ARC asset and ARO liability of $51 million, primarily due to lower discount rates and higher inflation. See Note 4. Early Plant Retirements/Asset Dispositions and Impairments for additional information on ZECs.

In December 2021, PSEG recorded an additional increase to its ARO liabilities primarily due to changes in decommissioning assumptions related to its nuclear units of $255 million. The changes in the decommissioning assumptions relate to the inclusion of certain spent fuel costs and previously assumed levels of reimbursement by the federal government as prescribed under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. These changes had an immaterial impact on PSEG’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. In addition, PSEG reviewed its probabilities of early retirement on its nuclear units and concluded that no adjustments were necessary as of December 31, 2021.

In early 2020, the NRC approved Peach Bottom’s second license extension for both units. Concurrent with the license extensions, PSEG extended the useful life of the asset to match the 80-year life expectation and reassessed the related ARC and ARO assumptions. This resulted in an increase to the ARC asset and ARO liability of $74 million, primarily due to lower discount rates offset by a longer discounting period as a result of the Peach Bottom units’ longer expected useful life.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company

Asset Retirement Obligation [Line Items]

Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

PSEG and PSE&G recognize liabilities for the expected cost of retiring long-lived assets for which a legal obligation exists to remove or dispose of an asset or some component of an asset at retirement. These AROs are recorded at fair value in the period in which they are incurred and are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the related long-lived assets. PSEG’s subsidiaries, except for PSE&G, accrete the ARO liability to reflect the passage of time with the corresponding expense recorded in O&M. PSE&G, as a rate-regulated entity, recognizes Regulatory Assets or Liabilities as a result of timing differences between the recording of costs and costs recovered through the rate-making process.

PSE&G has conditional AROs primarily for legal obligations related to the removal of treated wood poles and the requirement to seal natural gas pipelines at all sources of gas when the pipelines are no longer in service. PSE&G does not record an ARO for its protected steel and poly-based natural gas lines, as management believes that these categories of gas lines have an indeterminable life.

PSEG’s other ARO liability primarily relates to decommissioning of its nuclear power plants in accordance with NRC requirements. PSEG has an independent external trust that is intended to fund decommissioning of its nuclear facilities upon termination of operation. For additional information, see Note 11. Trust Investments. PSEG also identified conditional AROs primarily related to PSEG’s fossil generation units, including liabilities for removal of asbestos, stored hazardous liquid material and underground storage tanks from industrial power sites, and demolition of certain plants, and the restoration of the sites at which they reside, when the plants are no longer in service. To estimate the fair value of its other AROs, PSEG uses a probability weighted, discounted cash flow model which, on a unit by unit basis, considers multiple outcome scenarios that include significant estimates and assumptions, and are based on third-party decommissioning cost estimates, cost escalation rates, inflation rates and discount rates.

Updated nuclear cost studies are obtained triennially unless new information necessitates more frequent updates. The most recent cost study was done in 2021. When assumptions are revised to calculate fair values of existing AROs, generally, the ARO balance and corresponding long-lived asset are adjusted which impact the amount of accretion and depreciation expense recognized in future periods. For PSE&G, Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities result when accretion and amortization are adjusted to match rates established by regulators resulting in the regulatory deferral of any gain or loss.

The changes to the ARO liabilities for PSEG and PSE&G during 2020 and 2021 are presented in the following table:

	PSEG		PSE&G		Other
	Millions
ARO Liability as of January 1, 2020	$	1,087	$	303	$	784
Liabilities Settled	(9)		(7)		(2)
Accretion Expense	42		—		42
Accretion Expense Deferred and Recovered in Rate Base (A)	17		17		—
Revision to Present Values of Estimated Cash Flows	75		1		74
ARO Liability as of December 31, 2020	$	1,212	$	314	$	898
Liabilities Settled	(15)		(14)		(1)
Adjustments (B)	(37)		—		(37)
Accretion Expense	44		—		44
Accretion Expense Deferred and Recovered in Rate Base (A)	16		16		—
Revision to Present Values of Estimated Cash Flows	353		47		306
ARO Liability as of December 31, 2021	$	1,573	$	363	$	1,210

(A)Not reflected as expense in Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(B)Represents amounts related to the sale of the solar plants and the fossil generating assets classified as Held for Sale.

During 2021, PSE&G recorded an increase to its ARO liabilities primarily due to the impact of increases in labor rates and other costs, partially offset by decreases from changes in inflation and discount rate assumptions. Those changes had no impact on PSE&G’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

In April 2021, the BPU awarded ZECs to PSEG Power’s Salem 1, Salem 2 and Hope Creek nuclear plants for an additional three years through May 2025. Concurrent with the BPU’s decision, PSEG reassessed the Asset Retirement Cost (ARC) and

ARO assumptions related to the Salem and Hope Creek units. This resulted in an increase to the ARC asset and ARO liability of $51 million, primarily due to lower discount rates and higher inflation. See Note 4. Early Plant Retirements/Asset Dispositions and Impairments for additional information on ZECs.

In December 2021, PSEG recorded an additional increase to its ARO liabilities primarily due to changes in decommissioning assumptions related to its nuclear units of $255 million. The changes in the decommissioning assumptions relate to the inclusion of certain spent fuel costs and previously assumed levels of reimbursement by the federal government as prescribed under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. These changes had an immaterial impact on PSEG’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. In addition, PSEG reviewed its probabilities of early retirement on its nuclear units and concluded that no adjustments were necessary as of December 31, 2021.

In early 2020, the NRC approved Peach Bottom’s second license extension for both units. Concurrent with the license extensions, PSEG extended the useful life of the asset to match the 80-year life expectation and reassessed the related ARC and ARO assumptions. This resulted in an increase to the ARC asset and ARO liability of $74 million, primarily due to lower discount rates offset by a longer discounting period as a result of the Peach Bottom units’ longer expected useful life.