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Organization
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Organization

(1) ORGANIZATION

Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI or Pepco Holdings), a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2001, is a holding company that, through the following regulated public utility subsidiaries, is engaged primarily in the transmission, distribution and default supply of electricity and, to the lesser extent, the distribution and supply of natural gas (Power Delivery):

 

   

Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco), which was incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1896 and became a domestic Virginia corporation in 1949,

 

   

Delmarva Power & Light Company (DPL), which was incorporated in Delaware in 1909 and became a domestic Virginia corporation in 1979, and

 

   

Atlantic City Electric Company (ACE), which was incorporated in New Jersey in 1924.

Each of PHI, Pepco, DPL and ACE is also a Reporting Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Together, Pepco, DPL and ACE constitute the Power Delivery segment, for financial reporting purposes.

Through Pepco Energy Services, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, Pepco Energy Services), PHI provides energy savings performance contracting services, primarily to commercial, industrial and government customers. Pepco Energy Services is in the process of winding down its competitive electricity and natural gas retail supply business. Pepco Energy Services constitutes a separate segment for financial reporting purposes.

PHI Service Company, a subsidiary service company of PHI, provides a variety of support services, including legal, accounting, treasury, tax, purchasing and information technology services to PHI and its operating subsidiaries. These services are provided pursuant to a service agreement among PHI, PHI Service Company and the participating operating subsidiaries. The expenses of PHI Service Company are charged to PHI and the participating operating subsidiaries in accordance with cost allocation methodologies set forth in the service agreement.

Power Delivery

Each of Pepco, DPL and ACE is a regulated public utility in the jurisdictions that comprise its service territory. Each utility owns and operates a network of wires, substations and other equipment that is classified as transmission facilities, distribution facilities or common facilities (which are used for both transmission and distribution). Transmission facilities are high-voltage systems that carry wholesale electricity into, or across, the utility's service territory. Distribution facilities are low-voltage systems that carry electricity to end-use customers in the utility's service territory.

Each utility is responsible for the distribution of electricity, and in the case of DPL, natural gas, in its service territory for which it is paid tariff rates established by the applicable local public service commissions. Each utility also supplies electricity at regulated rates to retail customers in its service territory who do not elect to purchase electricity from a competitive energy supplier. The regulatory term for this supply service is Standard Offer Service in Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland, and Basic Generation Service in New Jersey. In these Notes to the consolidated financial statements, these supply service obligations are referred to generally as Default Electricity Supply.

 

Pepco Energy Services

Pepco Energy Services is engaged in the following businesses:

 

   

providing energy efficiency services principally to federal, state and local government customers, and designing, constructing and operating combined heat and power and central energy plants,

 

   

providing high voltage electric construction and maintenance services to customers throughout the United States and low voltage electric construction and maintenance services and streetlight construction and asset management services to utilities, municipalities and other customers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and

 

   

providing retail customers electricity and natural gas under its remaining contractual obligations.

Pepco Energy Services also owns and operates two oil-fired generation facilities that are scheduled for deactivation in May 2012.

In December 2009, PHI announced the wind-down of the retail energy supply component of the Pepco Energy Services business. Pepco Energy Services is implementing this wind-down by not entering into any new supply contracts while continuing to perform under its existing supply contracts through their respective expiration dates, the last of which is June 1, 2014. The retail energy supply business has historically generated a substantial portion of the operating revenues and net income of the Pepco Energy Services segment. Operating revenues related to the retail energy supply business for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 were $160 million and $305 million, respectively, while operating income for the same periods was $15 million and $12 million, respectively.

In connection with the operation of the retail energy supply business, Pepco Energy Services provided letters of credit of $1 million and posted cash collateral of $92 million as of March 31, 2012. These collateral requirements, which are based on existing wholesale energy purchase and sale contracts and current market prices, will decrease as the contracts expire, with the collateral expected to be fully released by June 1, 2014. The energy services business will not be affected by the wind-down of the retail energy supply business.

Other Business Operations

Through its subsidiary Potomac Capital Investment Corporation (PCI), PHI maintains a portfolio of cross-border energy lease investments. This activity constitutes a third operating segment for financial reporting purposes, which is designated as "Other Non-Regulated." For a discussion of PHI's cross-border energy lease investments, see Note (8), "Leasing Activities," and Note (15), "Commitments and Contingencies – PHI's Cross-Border Energy Lease Investments."

Discontinued Operations

In April 2010, the Board of Directors approved a plan for the disposition of PHI's competitive wholesale power generation, marketing and supply business, which had been conducted through subsidiaries of Conectiv Energy Holding Company (collectively Conectiv Energy). On July 1, 2010, PHI completed the sale of Conectiv Energy's wholesale power generation business to Calpine Corporation (Calpine) for $1.64 billion. The disposition of all of Conectiv Energy's remaining assets and businesses, consisting of its load service supply contracts, energy hedging portfolio, certain tolling agreements and other assets not included in the Calpine sale, is complete. The former operations of Conectiv Energy have been accounted for as a discontinued operation and no longer constitute a separate segment for financial reporting purposes.

Potomac Electric Power Co [Member]
 
Organization

(1) ORGANIZATION

Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) is engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity in the District of Columbia and major portions of Prince George's County and Montgomery County in suburban Maryland. Pepco also provides Default Electricity Supply, which is the supply of electricity at regulated rates to retail customers in its service territories who do not elect to purchase electricity from a competitive supplier. Default Electricity Supply is known as Standard Offer Service in both the District of Columbia and Maryland. Pepco is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (Pepco Holdings or PHI).

Delmarva Power & Light Co/De [Member]
 
Organization

(1) ORGANIZATION

Delmarva Power & Light Company (DPL) is engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity in Delaware and portions of Maryland and provides natural gas distribution service in northern Delaware. Additionally, DPL provides Default Electricity Supply, which is the supply of electricity at regulated rates to retail customers in its service territories who do not elect to purchase electricity from a competitive supplier. Default Electricity Supply is known as Standard Offer Service in both Delaware and Maryland. DPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Conectiv, LLC, which is wholly owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. (Pepco Holdings or PHI).

Atlantic City Electric Co [Member]
 
Organization

(1) ORGANIZATION

Atlantic City Electric Company (ACE) is engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity in southern New Jersey. ACE also provides Default Electricity Supply, which is the supply of electricity at regulated rates to retail customers in its service territory who do not elect to purchase electricity from a competitive energy supplier. Default Electricity Supply is known as Basic Generation Service in New Jersey. ACE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Conectiv, LLC (Conectiv), which is wholly owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. (Pepco Holdings or PHI).