PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Defined Benefit Pension Plans and Defined Benefit Postretirement Plans Disclosure [Abstract]

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS:

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, net periodic benefit cost related to the employee and officer pension and other postretirement benefit plans consisted of the following components (in thousands):

	Pension Benefits
	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2014			2013			2014			2013
Service Cost	$	1,285		$	1,332		$	2,570		$	2,710
Interest Cost	2,695			2,387			5,390			4,719
Expected Return on Plan Assets	(3,265		)	(2,968		)	(6,530		)	(5,957		)
Amortizations:
Prior Service Cost	43			62			86			125
Actuarial Loss	1,426			2,332			2,852			4,503
Net Periodic Benefit Cost	2,184			3,145			4,368			6,100
Capitalized Benefit Costs	(854		)	(1,268		)	(1,708		)	(2,435		)
Total Net Periodic Benefit Expense	$	1,330		$	1,877		$	2,660		$	3,665

	Other Postretirement Benefits
	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2014			2013			2014			2013
Service Cost	$	250		$	259		$	500		$	570
Interest Cost	740			665			1,480			1,365
Expected Return on Plan Assets	(687		)	(601		)	(1,374		)	(1,189		)
Amortizations:
Prior Service Cost (Credits)	38			(71		)	76			(142		)
Actuarial Loss	243			410			486			869
Net Periodic Benefit Cost	584			662			1,168			1,473
Capitalized Benefit Costs	(209		)	(248		)	(418		)	(570		)
Total Net Periodic Benefit Expense	$	375		$	414		$	750		$	903

Capitalized benefit costs reflected in the table above relate to SJG’s construction program.

SJI contributed $12.7 million to the pension plans in January 2013. No contributions are expected to be made to the pension plans during 2014. Payments related to the unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan (SERP) are expected to approximate $1.3 million in 2014. SJG also has a regulatory obligation to contribute approximately $3.6 million annually to the other postretirement benefit plans’ trusts, less direct costs incurred.

See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2013, for additional information related to SJI’s pension and other postretirement benefits.