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Organization
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
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 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, underground transmission and distribution construction and maintenance services, and steam and chilled water under long-term contracts.

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 service agreements 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 agreements.

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, the distribution and supply of 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 Office Service (SOS) in Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland, and Basic Generation Service (BGS) 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:

 

    Energy savings performance contracting business: designing, constructing and operating energy efficiency projects and distributed generation equipment, including combined heat and power plants, principally for federal, state and local government customers;

 

    Underground transmission and distribution business: providing underground transmission and distribution construction and maintenance services for electric utilities in North America; and

 

    Thermal business: providing steam and chilled water under long-term contracts through systems owned and operated by Pepco Energy Services, primarily to hotels and casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

During 2012, Pepco Energy Services deactivated its Buzzard Point and Benning Road oil-fired generation facilities. Pepco Energy Services placed the facilities into an idle condition termed a “cold closure.” A cold closure requires that the utility service be disconnected so that the facilities are no longer operable and require only essential maintenance until they are completely decommissioned. During the third quarter of 2013, Pepco Energy Services determined that it would be more cost effective to pursue the demolition of the Benning Road generation facility and realization of the scrap metal salvage value of the facility instead of maintaining cold closure status. As a result of this change in intent, Pepco Energy Services reduced its asset retirement obligation related to the facility by $2 million. The demolition of the facility commenced in the fourth quarter of 2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Pepco Energy Services will recognize the salvage proceeds associated with the scrap metals at the facility as realized.

Other Non-Regulated

Between 1990 and 1999, PCI, through various subsidiaries, entered into certain transactions involving investments in aircraft and aircraft equipment, railcars and other assets. In connection with these transactions, PCI recorded deferred tax assets in prior years of $101 million in the aggregate. Following events that took place during the first quarter of 2013, which included (i) court decisions in favor of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with respect to both Consolidated Edison’s cross-border lease transaction and another taxpayer’s structured transactions (see additional discussion at “- Discontinued Operations – Cross-Border Energy Lease Investments” below), (ii) the change in PHI’s tax position with respect to the tax benefits associated with its cross-border energy leases, and (iii) PHI’s decision in March 2013 to begin to pursue the early termination of its remaining cross-border energy lease investments (which represented a substantial portion of the remaining assets within PCI) without the intent to reinvest these proceeds in income-producing assets, management evaluated the likelihood that PCI would be able to realize the $101 million of deferred tax assets in the future. Based on this evaluation, PCI established valuation allowances against these deferred tax assets totaling $101 million in the first quarter of 2013. Further, during the fourth quarter of 2013, in light of additional court decisions in favor of the IRS involving other taxpayers, and after consideration of all relevant factors, management determined that it would abandon the further pursuit of these deferred tax assets, and these assets totaling $101 million were charged off against the previously established valuation allowances.

Discontinued Operations

Cross-Border Energy Lease Investments

Through its subsidiary PCI, PHI held a portfolio of cross-border energy lease investments. During July 2013, PHI completed the termination of its interest in its cross-border energy lease investments. With the completion of the termination of the cross-border energy leases, the cross-border energy lease investments are being accounted for as discontinued operations.

 

As discussed in Note (15), “Commitments and Contingencies – PHI’s Cross-Border Energy Lease Investments,” PHI is involved in ongoing litigation with the IRS concerning certain benefits associated with previously held investments in cross-border energy leases. On January 9, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued an opinion in Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. & Subsidiaries v. United States (to which PHI is not a party) that disallowed tax benefits associated with Consolidated Edison’s cross-border lease transaction. As a result of the court’s ruling in this case, PHI determined in the first quarter of 2013 that its tax position with respect to the benefits associated with its cross-border energy leases no longer met the more-likely-than-not standard of recognition for accounting purposes, and PCI recorded non-cash charges of $323 million (after-tax) in the first quarter of 2013 and $6 million (after-tax) in the second quarter of 2013, consisting of the following components:

 

    A non-cash pre-tax charge of $373 million ($313 million after-tax) to reduce the carrying value of these cross-border energy lease investments under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) guidance on leases (Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 840). This pre-tax charge was originally recorded in the consolidated statements of (loss) income as a reduction in operating revenue and is now reflected in (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes.

 

    A non-cash charge of $16 million after-tax to reflect the anticipated additional net interest expense under FASB guidance for income taxes (ASC 740), related to estimated federal and state income tax obligations for the period over which the tax benefits may be disallowed. This after-tax charge was originally recorded in the consolidated statements of (loss) income as an increase in income tax expense and is now reflected in (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes. The after-tax interest charge for PHI on a consolidated basis was $70 million and this amount was allocated to each member of PHI’s consolidated group as if each member was a separate taxpayer, resulting in the recognition of a $12 million interest benefit for the Power Delivery segment and interest expense of $16 million for PCI and $66 million for Corporate and Other, respectively.

Pepco Energy Services

In December 2009, PHI announced the wind-down of the retail energy supply component of the Pepco Energy Services business which was comprised of the retail electric and natural gas supply businesses. Pepco Energy Services implemented the wind-down by not entering into any new retail electric or natural gas supply contracts while continuing to perform under its existing retail electric and natural gas supply contracts through their respective expiration dates. On March 21, 2013, Pepco Energy Services entered into an agreement whereby a third party assumed all the rights and obligations of the remaining retail natural gas supply customer contracts, and the associated supply obligations, inventory and derivative contracts. The transaction was completed on April 1, 2013. In addition, Pepco Energy Services completed the wind-down of its retail electric supply business in the second quarter of 2013 by terminating its remaining customer supply and wholesale purchase obligations beyond June 30, 2013.

The operations of Pepco Energy Services’ retail electric and natural gas supply businesses have been classified as discontinued operations and are no longer a part of the Pepco Energy Services 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 energy 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 (Conectiv), 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).