Rate and Other Regulatory Matters

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

2. RATE AND OTHER REGULATORY MATTERS

Regulatory Matters Involving Potential Loss Contingencies

As a result of issues generated in the ordinary course of business, DESC is involved in various regulatory matters. Certain regulatory matters may ultimately result in a loss; however, as such matters are in an initial procedural phase, involve uncertainty as to the outcome of pending reviews or orders, and/or involve significant factual issues that need to be resolved, it is not possible for DESC to estimate a range of possible loss. For regulatory matters that DESC cannot estimate, a statement to this effect is made in the description of the matter. Other matters may have progressed sufficiently through the regulatory process such that DESC is able to estimate a range of possible loss. For regulatory matters that DESC is able to reasonably estimate a range of possible losses, an estimated range of possible loss is provided, in excess of the accrued liability (if any) for such matters. Any estimated range is based on currently available information, involves elements of judgment and significant uncertainties and may not represent DESC’s maximum possible loss exposure. The circumstances of such regulatory matters will change from time to time and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. For current matters not specifically reported below, management does not anticipate that the outcome from such matters would have a material effect on DESC’s financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Other Regulatory Matters

Other than the following matters, there have been no significant developments regarding the pending regulatory matters disclosed in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in DESC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Electric – Cost of Fuel

DESC’s retail electric rates include a cost of fuel component approved by the South Carolina Commission which may be adjusted periodically to reflect changes in the price of fuel purchased by DESC. In February 2021, DESC filed a proposal with the South Carolina Commission to increase the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates. DESC’s proposed adjustment would increase annual base fuel component recoveries by $36 million and is designed to recover DESC’s current base fuel costs, net of the existing over-collected balance, over the 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2021. In addition, DESC proposed a decrease to its variable environmental component and an increase to its distributed energy resource components. In April 2021, the South Carolina Commission approved the filing.

Electric – Other

DESC has approval for a DSM rider through which it recovers expenditures related to its DSM programs. In January 2021, DESC filed an application with the South Carolina Commission seeking approval to recover $48 million of costs and net lost revenues associated with these programs, along with an incentive to invest in such programs. In April 2021, the South Carolina Commission approved the filing.

DESC utilizes a pension costs rider approved by the South Carolina Commission which is designed to allow recovery of projected pension costs, including under-collected balances or net of over-collected balances, as applicable. The rider is typically reviewed for adjustment every 12 months with any resulting increase or decrease going into effect beginning with the first billing cycle in May. In February 2021, DESC requested that the South Carolina Commission approve an adjustment to this rider to decrease annual revenue by less than $1 million. In April 2021, the South Carolina Commission approved the filing.

Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities

Rate-regulated utilities recognize in their financial statements certain revenues and expenses in different periods than do other enterprises. As a result, DESC has recorded regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities which are summarized in the following table. Except for NND Project costs and certain other unrecovered plant costs, substantially all regulatory assets are either explicitly excluded from rate base or are effectively excluded from rate base due to their being offset by related liabilities.

	March 31,		December 31,
(millions)	2021		2020
Regulatory assets:
NND Project costs⁽¹⁾	$	138	$	138
Deferred employee benefit plan costs⁽²⁾		9		9
Other unrecovered plant⁽³⁾		14		14
DSM programs⁽⁴⁾		26		29
AROs⁽⁵⁾		2		2
Cost of fuel and purchased gas under-collections⁽⁶⁾		—		1
Other		37		36
Regulatory assets - current		226		229
NND Project costs⁽¹⁾		2,330		2,364
AROs⁽⁵⁾		317		309
Cost of reacquired debt⁽⁷⁾		241		243
Deferred employee benefit plan costs⁽²⁾		156		159
Deferred losses on interest rate derivatives⁽⁸⁾		297		308
Other unrecovered plant⁽³⁾		60		61
DSM programs⁽⁴⁾		46		46
Environmental remediation costs⁽⁹⁾		20		20
Deferred storm damage costs⁽¹⁰⁾		45		45
Deferred transmission operating costs⁽¹¹⁾		69		63
Other⁽¹²⁾		109		108
Regulatory assets - noncurrent		3,690		3,726
Total regulatory assets	$	3,916	$	3,955
Regulatory liabilities:
Monetization of guaranty settlement⁽¹³⁾	$	67	$	67
Income taxes refundable through future rates⁽¹⁴⁾		22		21
Reserve for refunds to electric utility customers⁽¹⁵⁾		127		128
Cost of fuel and purchased gas over-collections⁽⁶⁾		53		58
Other		11		9
Regulatory liabilities - current		280		283
Monetization of guaranty settlement⁽¹³⁾		886		903
Income taxes refundable through future rates⁽¹⁴⁾		916		919
Asset removal costs⁽¹⁶⁾		571		564
Deferred gains on interest rate derivatives⁽⁸⁾		69		69
Reserve for refunds to electric utility customers⁽¹⁵⁾		505		540
Other		15		10
Regulatory liabilities - noncurrent		2,962		3,005
Total regulatory liabilities	$	3,242	$	3,288

(1)	Reflects expenditures associated with the NND Project, which pursuant to the SCANA Merger Approval Order, will be recovered from electric service customers over a 20-year period ending in 2039. See Note 10 for more information.

(2)

Employee benefit plan costs have historically been recovered as they have been recorded under GAAP. Deferred employee benefit plan costs represent amounts of pension and other postretirement benefit costs which were accrued as liabilities and treated as regulatory assets pursuant to FERC guidance, and costs deferred pursuant to specific South Carolina Commission regulatory orders. DESC expects to recover deferred pension costs through utility rates over periods through 2044. DESC expects to recover other deferred benefit costs through utility rates, primarily over average service periods of participating employees up to 11 years.

(3)

Represents the carrying value of coal-fired generating units, including related materials and supplies inventory, retired from service prior to being fully depreciated. DESC is amortizing these amounts through cost of service rates following deprecation amounts that were designed to recover the retired units’ cost over their previous estimated remaining useful lives, which has been estimated to be through 2025. Based on current projections of remaining decommissioning costs, projected recovery is expected to extend to 2028. Unamortized amounts are included in rate base and are earning a current return.

(4)	Represents deferred costs associated with electric demand reduction programs, and such deferred costs are currently being recovered over three years through an approved rate rider.

(5)

Represents deferred depreciation and accretion expense related to legal obligations associated with the future retirement of generation, transmission and distribution properties. The AROs primarily relate to DESC’s electric generating facilities, including Summer, and are expected to be recovered over the related property lives and periods of decommissioning which may range up to approximately 105 years.

(6)	Represents amounts under- or over-collected from customers pursuant to the cost of fuel and purchased gas components approved by the South Carolina Commission.

(7)	Costs of the reacquisition of debt are deferred and amortized as interest expense over the would-be remaining life of the reacquired debt or over the life of the replacement debt if refinanced. The reacquired debt had a weighted-average life of approximately 26 years as of March 31, 2021.

(8)

Represents (i) the changes in fair value and payments made or received upon settlement of certain interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges and (ii) the changes in fair value and payments made or received upon settlement of certain other interest rate derivatives not so designated. The amounts recorded with respect to (i) are expected to be amortized to interest expense over the lives of the underlying debt through 2043.The amounts recorded with respect to (ii) are expected to be similarly amortized to interest expense through 2065.

(9)	Reflects amounts associated with the assessment and clean-up of sites currently or formerly owned by DESC. Such remediation costs are expected to be recovered over periods of up to 15 years. See Note 10 for more information.

(10)	Represents storm restoration costs for which DESC expects to receive future recovery through customer rates.

(11)	Includes deferred depreciation and property taxes associated with certain transmission assets for which DESC expects recovery from customers through future rates. See Note 10 for more information.

(12)	Various other regulatory assets are expected to be recovered through rates over varying periods through 2047.

(13)

Represents proceeds related to the monetization of the Toshiba Settlement. In accordance with the SCANA Merger Approval Order, this balance, net of amounts that may be required to satisfy liens, will be refunded to electric customers over a 20-year period ending in 2039. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in DESC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

(14)

Includes (i) excess deferred income taxes arising from the remeasurement of deferred income taxes in connection with the enactment of the 2017 Tax Reform Act (certain of which are protected under normalization rules and will be amortized over the remaining lives of related property, and certain of which will be amortized to the benefit of customers over prescribed periods as instructed by regulators) and (ii) deferred income taxes arising from investment tax credits, offset by (iii) deferred income taxes that arise from utility operations that have not been included in customer rates (a portion of which relate to depreciation and are expected to be recovered over the remaining lives of the related property which may range up to 85 years). See Note 6 for more information.

(15)

Reflects amounts previously collected from retail electric customers of DESC for the NND Project to be credited to customers over an estimated 11-year period effective February 2019 in connection with the SCANA Merger Approval Order. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in DESC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

(16)	Represents estimated net collections through depreciation rates of amounts to be expended for the removal of assets in the future.

Regulatory assets have been recorded based on the probability of their recovery. All regulatory assets represent incurred costs that may be deferred under GAAP for regulated operations. The South Carolina Commission or FERC has reviewed and approved through specific orders certain of the items shown as regulatory assets. In addition, regulatory assets include, but are not limited to, certain costs which have not been specifically approved for recovery by one of these regulatory agencies, including deferred transmission operating costs that are the subject of regulatory proceedings discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in DESC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. While such costs are not currently being recovered, management believes they would be allowable under existing rate-making concepts embodied in rate orders or applicable state law and expects to recover these costs through rates in future periods.