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Regulatory Assets And Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Regulatory Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]

PSE&G prepares its financial statements in accordance with GAAP for regulated utilities as described in Note 1. Organization, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. PSE&G has deferred certain costs based on rate orders issued by the BPU or FERC or based on PSE&G’s experience with prior rate proceedings. Most of PSE&G’s Regulatory Assets and Liabilities as of December 31, 2023 are supported by written orders, either explicitly or implicitly through the BPU’s treatment of various cost items. These costs will be recovered and amortized over various future periods.

Regulatory Assets and other investments and costs incurred under our various infrastructure filings and clause mechanisms are subject to prudence reviews and can be disallowed in the future by regulatory authorities. To the extent that collection of any infrastructure or clause mechanism revenue, Regulatory Assets or payments of Regulatory Liabilities is no longer probable, the amounts would be charged or credited to income.

PSE&G had the following Regulatory Assets and Liabilities:



	As of December 31,
	2023		2022
	Millions
Regulatory Assets
Current
New Jersey Clean Energy Program	$	145	$	145
Conservation Incentive Program (CIP)	103		51
Electric Energy Costs—Basic Generation Service (BGS)	19		54
Societal Benefits Clause (SBC)	6		20
Tax Adjustment Credit (TAC)	—		52

2018 Distribution Base Rate Case Regulatory Assets (BRC)	—		47



Total Current Regulatory Assets	273		369
Noncurrent
Pension and OPEB Costs	$	1,427	$	1,405
Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Assets	1,343		1,168
Green Program Recovery Charges (GPRC)	827		447
Asset Retirement Obligations (ARO)	210		200
Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Remediation Costs	199		206
Cost of Removal	172		156
Clean Energy Future-Energy Cloud (CEF-EC) (Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI))	153		80
SBC (Electric Bad Debt)	149		145
COVID-19 Deferral	131		137
CIP	129		72
Remediation Adjustment Charge (RAC) (Other SBC)	110		134
Deferred Storm Costs	109		109
Other	198		145
Total Noncurrent Regulatory Assets	5,157		4,404
Total Regulatory Assets	$	5,430	$	4,773



	As of December 31,
	2023		2022
	Millions
Regulatory Liabilities
Current
Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Liabilities	$	170	$	302

Gas Costs—Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS)	97		35
Formula Rate True-up	22		1
GPRC	20		24

TAC	18		—
Other	22		22
Total Current Regulatory Liabilities	349		384
Noncurrent
Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Liabilities	$	2,075	$	2,196
Formula Rate True-up	—		31

Other	—		13
Total Noncurrent Regulatory Liabilities	2,075		2,240
Total Regulatory Liabilities	$	2,424	$	2,624

All Regulatory Assets and Liabilities are excluded from PSE&G’s rate base unless otherwise noted. The Regulatory Assets and Liabilities in the table above are defined as follows:

•ARO: These costs represent the differences between rate-regulated cost of removal accounting and asset retirement accounting under GAAP. These costs will be recovered in future rates as assets are retired.

•BRC: Represents deferred costs, primarily comprised of storm costs incurred in the cleanup of major storms from 2010 through 2018, which are being amortized over five years pursuant to the 2018 Distribution Base Rate Case Settlement. These costs were fully recovered as of December 31, 2023.

•CEF-EC (AMI Initiative): In January 2021, the BPU approved PSE&G’s CEF-EC filing to provide its electric customers with smart meters. All of the capital and operating costs of the program are included for recovery in PSE&G’s recently filed distribution base rate case. From the start of the program until the commencement of new base rates, the return on and of the capital portion of the program is included for recovery in those rates, as well as operating and stranded costs associated with the accelerated retirement of the existing non-AMI electric meters which PSE&G expects to conclude by the end of 2024.

•CIP: The CIP reduces the impact on electric and gas distribution revenues from changes in sales volumes and demand for most customers. The CIP provides for a true-up of current period revenue as compared to revenue established in PSE&G’s most recent distribution base rate proceeding. Recovery under the CIP is subject to certain limitations, including an actual versus allowed return on equity test and ceilings on customer rate increases.

•Cost of Removal: PSE&G accrues and collects in rates for the cost of removing, dismantling and disposing of its electric distribution, electric transmission and gas distribution upon retirement. The Regulatory Asset or Liability for non-legally required cost of removal represents the difference between amounts collected in rates and costs actually incurred.

•COVID-19 Deferral: These amounts represent incremental costs related to COVID-19 as authorized for deferral in an order issued by the BPU to all New Jersey regulated utilities in July 2020. The BPU authorized such utilities to create a COVID-19-related Regulatory Asset by deferring on their books and records the prudently incurred incremental costs related to COVID-19 during the Regulatory Asset period as defined by the BPU. Deferred costs are to be offset by any federal or state assistance that the utility may receive as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities must file quarterly reports of the costs incurred and offsets. As directed by the BPU, in July 2023, PSE&G filed a petition documenting its prudently incurred incremental COVID-19 costs. Rate recovery, including any prudency determinations and the appropriate period of recovery, will be addressed through that filing which is currently pending.

•Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Assets: These amounts relate to deferred income taxes arising from utility operations that have not been included in customer rates relating to depreciation, ITCs and other flow-through items, including the flowback to customers of accumulated deferred income taxes related to tax repair deductions. As part of its distribution base rate case settlement with the BPU and the establishment of the TAC mechanism in 2018, PSE&G agreed to a ten-year flowback to customers of its accumulated deferred income taxes from previously realized tax repair deductions which resulted in the recognition of a $581 million Regulatory Asset and Regulatory Liability as of September 30, 2018. In addition, PSE&G agreed to the current flowback of tax benefits from ongoing tax repair deductions as realized which results in the recording of a Regulatory Asset upon flowback. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, PSE&G had provided $80 million, $35 million and $22 million, respectively, in current tax repair flowbacks to customers. The recovery and amortization of the tax repair-related Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Assets is being recovered through the TAC regulatory mechanism.

•Deferred Income Tax Regulatory Liabilities: These liabilities primarily relate to amounts due to customers for excess deferred income taxes as a result of the reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate provided in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Act), and accumulated deferred income taxes from previously realized distribution-related tax repair deductions. As part of its settlement with its regulators, PSE&G agreed to refund the excess deferred income taxes as follows:

•Unprotected distribution-related excess deferred income taxes are being refunded to customers over five years through PSE&G’s TAC mechanism as approved in its 2018 distribution base rate proceeding. As of December 31, 2023, the balance remaining to be flowed back to customers was approximately $20 million with the remaining flowback period through 2024.

•Protected distribution-related excess deferred income taxes are being refunded to customers over the remaining useful lives of distribution property, plant and equipment through PSE&G’s TAC mechanism. As of December 31, 2023, the balance remaining to be flowed back to customers was approximately $862 million.

•Previously realized distribution-related tax repair deductions are being refunded to customers over ten years through PSE&G’s TAC mechanism. As of December 31, 2023, the balance remaining to be flowed back to customers was approximately $387 million through 2028.

•Protected transmission-related excess deferred income taxes are being refunded to customers over the remaining useful life of transmission property, plant and equipment through PSE&G’s transmission formula rate mechanism. As of December 31, 2023, the balance remaining to be flowed back to customers was approximately $931 million.

•Deferred Storm Costs: Incremental costs incurred in the restoration and related costs from major storms from 2019 through 2022 for which PSE&G is seeking recovery in its current distribution base rate proceeding.

•Electric Energy Costs—BGS: These costs represent the over or under recovered amounts associated with BGS, as approved by the BPU. Pursuant to BPU requirements, PSE&G serves as the supplier of last resort for electric customers within its service territory that are not served by another supplier. Pricing for those services are set by the BPU as a pass-through, resulting in no margin for PSE&G’s operations. Over or under recovered balances with interest are returned or recovered through monthly filings.

•Formula Rate True-Up: PSE&G’s transmission revenues are earned under a FERC-approved annual formula rate mechanism which provides for an annual filing of an estimated revenue requirement with rates effective January 1 of each year and a true-up to that estimate based on actual revenue requirements.

•Gas Costs—BGSS: These costs represent the over or under recovered amounts associated with BGSS, as approved by the BPU. Pursuant to BPU requirements, PSE&G serves as the supplier of last resort for gas customers within its service territory that are not served by another supplier. Pricing for those services are set by the BPU as a pass-through, resulting in no margin for PSE&G’s operations. Over or under collected balances are returned or recovered through an annual filing. Interest is accrued only on over recovered balances.

•GPRC: PSE&G files an annual GPRC petition with the BPU for recovery of amounts associated with the BPU Board-approved energy efficiency (EE) and solar (renewable) energy (RE) programs that include a return on and of investments and capital assets, as well as recovery for deferred expenses and incremental costs. The GPRC

investment program component is recovered over the lives of the underlying investments and capital assets which range from five to twenty years.

The approved GPRC components receiving recovery for the return on and of investments include: Carbon Abatement, Energy Efficiency Economic Stimulus Program (EEE), EEE Extension Program, EEE Extension II Program, Solar Generation Investment Program (Solar 4 All®), Solar 4 All® Extension, Solar 4 All® Extension II, Solar Loan II Program, Solar Loan III Program, EE 2017 Program and Clean Energy Future–Energy Efficiency (CEF-EE).

In addition, the GPRC components receiving cost recovery for deferred expenses include: the Transition Renewable Energy Certificate Program, Community Solar Energy Program and the Successor Solar Incentive Program.

The Regulatory Asset balances represent the deferred investment and related undercollected balances with a Regulatory Liability recorded for any overrecovered balance. Interest is accrued monthly on any over-or under- recovered balances. Amortization of deferred investment and expenses are recorded in O&M expense. The capital asset portion of GPRC investments primarily in company-owned solar facilities is included in Property, Plant and Equipment, with depreciation recorded in Depreciation and Amortization Expense.

•MGP Remediation Costs: Represents the low end of the range for the remaining environmental investigation and remediation program cleanup costs for MGPs that are probable of recovery in future rates. Once these costs are incurred, they are recovered through the RAC in the SBC over a seven year period with interest.

•New Jersey Clean Energy Program: The BPU approved future funding requirements for EE and RE Programs. The BPU funding requirements are recovered through the SBC.

•Pension and OPEB Costs: PSE&G records the unrecognized costs for defined benefit pension and other OPEB plans on the balance sheet as Regulatory Assets pursuant to the adoption of accounting guidance for employers’ defined benefit pension and OPEB plans, and relevant BPU orders. These costs represent net actuarial gains or losses and prior service costs which have not been expensed. These costs are amortized and recovered in future rates.

•RAC (Other SBC): Costs incurred to clean up MGPs which are recovered over seven years with interest through an annual filing.

•SBC: The SBC, as authorized by the BPU and the New Jersey Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act, includes costs related to PSE&G’s electric and gas business as follows: (1) the Universal Service Fund; (2) EE & RE Programs; (3) Electric bad debt expense; and (4) the RAC for incurred MGP remediation expenditures. Over or under recovered balances with interest are to be returned or recovered through an annual filing.

•TAC: This represents the over or under collected electric and gas balances associated with the return of excess accumulated deferred income taxes and the flowback of previously realized and current tax repair deductions under a mechanism approved by the BPU in PSE&G’s 2018 Distribution Base Rate Case Settlement. Over or under collected electric and gas balances are returned or recovered through an annual filing. PSE&G includes a return component on the flowback of the excess accumulated deferred income taxes and the previously realized tax repairs. Interest is accrued monthly on any over or under recovered balances.

Significant 2023 regulatory orders received and currently pending rate filings with the BPU or FERC by PSE&G are as follows:

•Electric and Gas Distribution Base Rate Filing—In December 2023, PSE&G filed a distribution base rate case as required as a condition of approval of previous PSE&G programs. This distribution base rate case requests an overall revenue increase of approximately $826 million which includes the recovery of approximately $3 billion in capital investments made by PSE&G to strengthen and modernize its electric and gas infrastructure since its last distribution base rate case in 2018. PSE&G anticipates this base rate case will be finalized later in 2024.

•BGSS—In January and February 2023, PSE&G filed with the BPU two self-implementing BGSS rate reductions of 15 cents and 3 cents per therm, effective February 1, 2023 and March 1, 2023, respectively. These reductions resulted in a new BGSS rate of approximately 47 cents per therm effective March 1, 2023. In April 2023, the BPU gave final approval to PSE&G’s BGSS rate of 47 cents per therm.

In September 2023, the BPU approved on a provisional basis PSE&G’s June 2023 request to decrease its BGSS rate to approximately 40 cents per therm, effective October 1, 2023.

The BGSS rate has decreased a total of 25 cents from approximately 65 cents per therm as of January 1, 2023 to 40 cents per therm as of October 1, 2023.

•CIP—In February 2023, the BPU gave final approval for PSE&G to recover approximately $52 million of deficient electric revenues that resulted from the 12-month period ended May 31, 2022, with approximately $18 million approved for recovery for the first year starting on the effective date of June 15, 2022 and the remaining $34 million to be recovered starting in June 2023.

In April 2023, the BPU gave final approval for PSE&G to recover approximately $53 million of deficient gas revenues that resulted from the 12-month period ended September 30, 2022, over one year effective October 1, 2022.

In September 2023, the BPU provisionally approved PSE&G’s gas CIP petition to recover $110 million of deficient gas revenues comprised of approximately $99 million for the most recent gas CIP annual period ended September 30, 2023, and an additional $11 million carryover underrecovery from the prior CIP period. The revenue deficiency is the result of lower revenues as compared to a baseline established in PSE&G’s most recent distribution base rate proceeding. New rates were effective October 1, 2023 and PSE&G expects to recover the full $110 million deficiency over a 12-month period.

In December 2023, the BPU gave final approval for PSE&G’s updated electric CIP petition to recover approximately $75 million of deficient electric revenues over two years that resulted from the 12-month period ended May 31, 2023, with new rates effective June 1, 2023.

In February 2024, PSE&G filed its annual electric CIP petition seeking BPU approval to recover estimated deficient electric revenues of approximately $99 million based on the 12-month period ending May 31, 2024 with new rates proposed to be effective June 1, 2024. This matter is pending.

•COVID-19 Deferral—In May and June 2023, the BPU issued two Orders to all public utilities in New Jersey that stipulated a filing deadline for recovery of COVID-19 Regulatory Asset balances, and set forth certain filing requirements primarily related to recovery proposals to be included by each utility in their COVID-19 filings.

In July 2023, PSE&G filed a petition with the BPU in compliance with those Orders requesting recovery of its prudently incurred incremental costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This matter is pending.

As of December 31, 2023, PSE&G has deferred approximately $131 million as a Regulatory Asset for its net incremental costs, including $68 million for incremental gas bad debt expense associated with customer accounts receivable. PSE&G expects its COVID-19 Regulatory Asset balance is probable of recovery under the BPU orders.

•Energy Strong II—In April 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s updated filing for annual electric and gas revenue increases of $16 million and $4 million, respectively, effective May 1, 2023. These increases represent the return on and of Energy Strong II investments placed in service through January 2023.

In October 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s updated filing for an annual increase in electric revenues of approximately $9 million associated with capitalized electric investment costs of the Energy Strong II program, with new rates effective November 1, 2023. This increase represents the return on and of actual investments through July 31, 2023.

In February 2024, PSE&G filed an updated petition seeking BPU approval to recover an annualized increase in electric revenue requirement of $13 million associated with capitalized investment costs of the Energy Strong II Program, with rates to be effective May 1, 2024. The requested electric revenue increase represents the return of and on actual Energy Strong II investments placed in service through December 31, 2023. This matter is pending.

•Gas System Modernization Program II (GSMP II)—In May 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s updated GSMP II cost recovery filing to recover an annual gas revenue increase of approximately $11 million effective June 1, 2023. This increase represents the return on and of GSMP II investments placed in service through February 2023.

•GPRC—In May 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s 2022 updated GPRC filing for annual electric and gas revenue increases of $87 million and $5 million, respectively, with new rates effective June 1, 2023.

Additionally in May 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s petition to increase its CEF-EE sub program investment (a component of GPRC) by $280 million and approved a nine-month extension to make investments.

In February 2024, PSE&G updated its 2023 GPRC cost recovery petition requesting BPU approval for recovery of increases of $49 million and $15 million in annual electric and gas revenues, respectively. This matter is pending.

•Infrastructure Advancement Program (IAP)—In February 2024, PSE&G filed an updated IAP cost recovery petition seeking BPU approval to recover in electric base rates an annual revenue increase of $5 million effective May 1, 2024. This increase represents the return of and on investment for IAP electric investments in service through January 31, 2024. This matter is pending.

•Pension—In February 2023, the BPU approved an accounting order authorizing PSE&G to modify its method for calculating the amortization of the net actuarial gain or loss component of pension expense for ratemaking purposes. This methodology change for ratemaking purposes is effective for the calendar year ending December 31, 2023 and forward. As of December 31, 2023, PSE&G has deferred $55 million as a Regulatory Asset under this methodology.

•RAC—In January 2023, PSE&G filed its RAC 30 petition with the BPU seeking recovery of approximately $44 million of net MGP expenditures incurred from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022. This matter is pending.

•SBC—In January 2023, PSE&G filed a petition to increase its annual electric and gas rates by approximately $52 million and $32 million, respectively, in order to recover electric and gas costs incurred or expected to be incurred through February 2024 under its EE and RE and Social Programs. The increase to electric rates includes the impact of increased bad debt expense as a result of the negative economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting impact of moratoriums on collections. This matter is pending.

•TAC—In July 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s updated 2022 TAC filing to increase annual electric revenues by approximately $17 million and decrease annual gas revenues by approximately $42 million, with new rates effective August 1, 2023.

In February 2024, the BPU approved PSE&G’s 2023 TAC filing to increase annual electric and gas revenues by approximately $61 million and $40 million, respectively, with new rates effective March 1, 2024.

•Transmission Formula Rates—In June 2023, PSE&G filed with FERC its 2022 true-up adjustment pertaining to its transmission formula rates in effect for calendar year 2022, as established by its 2022 annual forecast filing. The June 2023 true-up filing resulted in an approximate $21 million decrease in the 2022 annual revenue requirement from the revenue requirement numbers contained in the forecast filing. PSE&G had previously recognized the majority of the lower revenue requirement in its 2022 Consolidated Statement of Operations.

In October 2023, PSE&G filed its Annual Transmission Formula Rate Update with FERC, which will result in a $58 million increase in annual transmission revenue effective January 1, 2024, subject to true-up.

•ZEC Program—In January 2023, the BPU approved PSE&G’s petition to set the ZEC refund component of the tariff rate to zero effective February 1, 2023 as overcollections for the ZEC Energy Year ended May 31, 2022 totaling $1.3 million, including interest, were refunded to customers in 2022 through January 2023.

In August 2023, the BPU approved the final ZEC price of $9.88 per megawatt hour (MWh) for the energy year ended May 31, 2023. As a result, PSE&G purchased approximately $165 million in ZECs including interest, from the eligible nuclear plants selected by the BPU with the final payment made in August 2023. As total customer collections equaled the required ZEC payments, there were no overcollected revenues from customers for the Energy Year ended May 31, 2023

Public Service Electric and Gas Company