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Variable Interest Entities (Exelon, Generation, PHI, and ACE)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Variable Interest Entity [Abstract]  
Variable Interest Entity Disclosure Variable Interest Entities (Exelon, Generation, PHI, and ACE)At December 31, 2020 and 2019, Exelon, Generation, PHI, and ACE collectively consolidated several VIEs or VIE groups for which the applicable Registrant was the primary beneficiary (see Consolidated VIEs below) and had significant interests in several other VIEs for which the applicable Registrant does not have the power to direct the entities’ activities and, accordingly, was not the primary beneficiary (see Unconsolidated VIEs below). Consolidated and unconsolidated VIEs are aggregated to the extent that the entities have similar risk profiles.
Consolidated VIEs
The table below shows the carrying amounts and classification of the consolidated VIEs’ assets and liabilities included in the consolidated financial statements of Exelon, Generation, PHI, and ACE as of December 31, 2020 and 2019. The assets, except as noted in the footnotes to the table below, can only be used to settle obligations of the VIEs. The liabilities, except as noted in the footnotes to the table below, are such that creditors, or beneficiaries, do not have recourse to the general credit of Exelon, Generation, PHI, and ACE.
December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
ExelonGeneration
PHI(a)
ACEExelonGeneration
PHI(a)
ACE
Cash and cash equivalents$98 $98 $— $— $163 $163 $— $— 
Restricted cash and cash equivalents47 44 88 85 
Accounts receivable
Customer148 148 — — 151 151 — — 
Other36 36 — — 39 39 — — 
Unamortized energy contract assets22 22 — — 23 23 — — 
Inventories, net
Materials and supplies244 244 — — 227 227 — — 
Assets held for sale(b)
101 101 — — — — — — 
Other current assets674 669 — 32 31 — 
Total current assets1,370 1,362 723 719 
Property, plant and equipment, net 5,803 5,803 — — 6,022 6,022 — — 
Nuclear decommissioning trust funds3,007 3,007 — — 2,741 2,741 — — 
Unamortized energy contract assets249 249 — — 250 250 — — 
Other noncurrent assets52 42 10 10 89 73 16 14 
Total noncurrent assets9,111 9,101 10 10 9,102 9,086 16 14 
Total assets(c)
$10,481 $10,463 $18 $13 $9,825 $9,805 $20 $17 
Long-term debt due within one year$94 $68 $26 $21 $544 $523 $21 $20 
Accounts payable81 81 — — 106 106 — — 
Accrued expenses70 70 — — 70 70 — — 
Unamortized energy contract liabilities— — — — 
Liabilities held for sale(b)
16 16 — — — — — — 
Other current liabilities— — — — 
Total current liabilities270 244 26 21 731 710 21 20 
Long-term debt889 889 — — 527 504 23 21 
Asset retirement obligations2,318 2,318 — — 2,128 2,128 — — 
Unamortized energy contract liabilities— — — — — — 
Other noncurrent liabilities129 129 — — 89 89 — — 
Total noncurrent liabilities3,336 3,336 — — 2,745 2,722 23 21 
Total liabilities(d)
$3,606 $3,580 $26 $21 $3,476 $3,432 $44 $41 
__________
(a)Includes certain purchase accounting adjustments from the PHI merger not pushed down to ACE.
(b)Generation entered into an agreement for the sale of a significant portion of Generation's solar business. As a result of this transaction, in the fourth quarter of 2020, Exelon and Generation reclassified the consolidated VIEs' solar assets and
liabilities as held for sale. Refer to Note 2 — Mergers, Acquisitions, and Dispositions for additional information on the sale of the solar business.
(c)Exelon's and Generation's balances include unrestricted assets for current unamortized energy contract assets of $22 million and $23 million, Property, plant, and equipment of $1 million and $20 million, non-current unamortized energy contract assets of $249 million and $250 million, and Assets held for sale of $9 million and $0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(d)Exelon's and Generation's balances include liabilities with recourse of $8 million and $3 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, Exelon's and Generation's consolidated VIEs consist of:
Consolidated VIE or VIE groups:Reason entity is a VIE:Reason Generation is primary beneficiary:
CENG - A joint venture between Generation and EDF. Generation has a 50.01% equity ownership in CENG. See additional discussion below.
Disproportionate relationship between equity interest and operational control as a result of the NOSA described further below.Generation conducts the operational activities.
EGRP - A collection of wind and solar project entities. Generation has a 51% equity ownership in EGRP. See additional discussion below.
Similar structure to a limited partnership and the limited partners do not have kick out rights with respect to the general partner.Generation conducts the operational activities.
Bluestem Wind Energy Holdings, LLC - A Tax Equity structure which is consolidated by EGRP. Generation is a minority interest holder.Similar structure to a limited partnership and the limited partners do not have kick out rights with respect to the general partner.Generation conducts the operational activities.
Antelope Valley - A solar generating facility, which is 100% owned by Generation. Antelope Valley sells all of its output to PG&E through a PPA.
The PPA contract absorbs variability through a performance guarantee.Generation conducts all activities.
Equity investment in distributed energy company - Generation has a 31% equity ownership. This distributed energy company has an interest in an unconsolidated VIE. (See Unconsolidated VIEs disclosure below).

Generation fully impaired this investment in the third quarter of 2019. Refer to Note 12 Asset Impairments for additional information.
Similar structure to a limited partnership and the limited partners do not have kick out rights with respect to the general partner.Generation conducts the operational activities.
NER - A bankruptcy remote, special purpose entity which is 100% owned by Generation, which purchases certain of Generation’s customer accounts receivable arising from the sale of retail electricity.

NER’s assets will be available first and foremost to satisfy the claims of the creditors of NER. Refer to Note 6 Accounts Receivable for additional information on the sale of receivables.
Equity capitalization is insufficient to support its operations.Generation conducts all activities.
CENG - On April 1, 2014, Generation, CENG, and subsidiaries of CENG executed the NOSA pursuant to which Generation conducts all activities associated with the operations of the CENG fleet and provides corporate and administrative services to CENG and the CENG fleet for the remaining life of the CENG nuclear plants as if they were a part of the Generation nuclear fleet, subject to the CENG member rights of EDF.
EDF has the option to sell its 49.99% equity interest in CENG to Generation. On November 20, 2019, Generation received notice of EDF's intention to exercise the put option to sell its interest in CENG to Generation and the put automatically exercised on January 19, 2020. Refer to Note 2 — Mergers, Acquisitions, and Dispositions for additional information.
Exelon and Generation, where indicated, provide the following support to CENG:
Generation executed an Indemnity Agreement pursuant to which Generation agreed to indemnify EDF against third-party claims that may arise from any future nuclear incident (as defined in the Price-Anderson Act) in connection with the CENG nuclear plants or their operations. Exelon guarantees Generation’s obligations under this Indemnity Agreement. See Note 19 — Commitments and Contingencies for more details,
Generation and EDF share in the $688 million of contingent payment obligations for the payment of contingent retrospective premium adjustments for the nuclear liability insurance, and
Exelon has executed an agreement to provide up to $245 million to support the operations of CENG as well as a $165 million guarantee of CENG’s cash pooling agreement with its subsidiaries.
EGRP - EGRP is a collection of wind and solar project entities and some of these project entities are VIEs that are consolidated by EGRP. Generation owns a number of limited liability companies that build, own, and operate solar and wind power facilities some of which are owned by EGRP. While Generation or EGRP owns 100% of the solar entities and 100% of the majority of the wind entities, it has been determined that certain of the solar and wind entities are VIEs because the entities require additional subordinated financial support in the form of a parental guarantee of debt, loans from the customers in order to obtain the necessary funds for construction of the solar facilities, or the customers absorb price variability from the entities through the fixed price power and/or REC purchase agreements. Generation is the primary beneficiary of these solar and wind entities that qualify as VIEs because Generation controls the design, construction, and operation of the facilities. There is limited recourse to Generation related to certain solar and wind entities.
In 2017, Generation’s interests in EGRP were contributed to and are pledged for the EGR IV non-recourse debt project financing structure. Refer to Note 17 — Debt and Credit Agreements for additional information.
As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, Exelon's, PHI's and ACE's consolidated VIE consists of:
Consolidated VIEs:Reason entity is a VIE:Reason ACE is the primary beneficiary:
ACE Funding - A special purpose entity formed by ACE for the purpose of securitizing authorized portions of ACE’s recoverable stranded costs through the issuance and sale of Transition Bonds. Proceeds from the sale of each series of Transition Bonds by ATF were transferred to ACE in exchange for the transfer by ACE to ATF of the right to collect a non-bypassable Transition Bond Charge from ACE customers pursuant to bondable stranded costs rate orders issued by the NJBPU in an amount sufficient to fund the principal and interest payments on Transition Bonds and related taxes, expenses, and fees.ACE’s equity investment is a variable interest as, by design, it absorbs any initial variability of ATF. The bondholders also have a variable interest for the investment made to purchase the Transition Bonds.ACE controls the servicing activities.
Unconsolidated VIEs
Exelon’s and Generation’s variable interests in unconsolidated VIEs generally include equity investments and energy purchase and sale contracts. For the equity investments, the carrying amount of the investments is reflected in Exelon’s and Generation’s Consolidated Balance Sheets in Investments. For the energy purchase and sale contracts (commercial agreements), the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in Exelon’s and Generation’s Consolidated Balance Sheets that relate to their involvement with the VIEs are predominately related to working capital accounts and generally represent the amounts owed by, or owed to, Exelon and Generation for the deliveries associated with the current billing cycles under the commercial agreements.
As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, Exelon and Generation had significant unconsolidated variable interests in several VIEs for which Exelon or Generation, as applicable, was not the primary beneficiary. These interests include certain equity method investments and certain commercial agreements.
The following table presents summary information about Exelon's and Generation’s significant unconsolidated VIE entities:
December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Commercial
Agreement
VIEs
Equity
Investment
VIEs
Total
Commercial
Agreement
VIEs
Equity
Investment
VIEs
Total
Total assets(a)
$777 $401 $1,178 $636 $443 $1,079 
Total liabilities(a)
61 223 284 33 227 260 
Exelon's ownership interest in VIE(a)
— 157 157 — 191 191 
Other ownership interests in VIE(a)
716 21 737 604 25 629 
__________
(a)These items represent amounts on the unconsolidated VIE balance sheets, not in Exelon’s or Generation’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. These items are included to provide information regarding the relative size of the unconsolidated VIEs. Exelon and Generation do not have any exposure to loss as they do not have a carrying amount in the equity investment VIEs as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.
As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, Exelon's and Generation's unconsolidated VIEs consist of:
Unconsolidated VIE groups:Reason entity is a VIE:Reason Generation is not the primary beneficiary:
Equity investments in distributed energy companies -

1) Generation has a 90% equity ownership in a distributed energy company.
2) Generation, via a consolidated VIE, has a 90% equity ownership in another distributed energy company (See Consolidated VIEs disclosure above).

Generation fully impaired this investment in the third quarter of 2019. Refer to Note 12 Asset Impairments for additional information.
Similar structures to a limited partnership and the limited partners do not have kick out rights with respect to the general partner.Generation does not conduct the operational activities.
Energy Purchase and Sale agreements - Generation has several energy purchase and sale agreements with generating facilities.PPA contracts that absorb variability through fixed pricing.Generation does not conduct the operational activities.