ENTERGY MISSISSIPPI, LLC - Annual Report: 2003 (Form 10-K)

(a) In addition to the 3 operating segments presented here, Entergy Consolidated also includes Entergy Corporation (parent company), other business activity, and intercompany eliminations.

In addition to its three primary operating segments, Entergy's Competitive Retail Services business markets and sells electricity, thermal energy and related services in competitive markets, primarily the ERCOT region in Texas, where it has over 60,000 customers. This business is also preparing to operate as Entergy's affiliated competitive retailer when retail open access commences in Entergy Gulf States' service territory in Texas. Competitive Retail Services does not currently have material levels of revenue, net income, or total assets; and Entergy reports this business as part of All Other in its segment disclosures.

Entergy's strategy is to create value by focusing on asset management and strong operational execution, with a particular emphasis on service reliability and excellence in nuclear operations.  Entergy continually evaluates its business position, with a view toward enhancing the company's scale, scope, and skill advantages. It applies a well-developed point of view of the marketplace and strong risk management to manage its asset portfolio and customer relationships. Entergy benchmarks its operational performance against industry and competitor standards on measures such as safety, reliability, customer service, and cost efficiency.

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Entergy's internet address is www.entergy.com. Entergy's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to any of these reports, are available free of charge through Entergy's website as soon as reasonably practicable after filing with the SEC. Financial presentations and news releases are also available through Entergy's website. Additionally, Entergy's Corporate Governance Guidelines, Board Committee Charters for the Corporate Governance, Audit, and Personnel Committees, and Entergy's Codes of Conduct are posted on Entergy's website. This information is also available in print to any investor that requests it.

Part I, Item 1 is continued on page 104.

Management of Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries has prepared and is responsible for the financial statements and related financial information included herein. The financial statements are based on accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Financial information included elsewhere in this report is consistent with the financial statements.

To meet their responsibilities with respect to financial information, management maintains and enforces a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance, on a cost-effective basis, as to the integrity, objectivity, and reliability of the financial records, and as to the protection of assets. This system includes communication through written policies and procedures, an employee Code of Entegrity, and an organizational structure that provides for appropriate division of responsibility and the training of personnel. This system is also tested by a comprehensive internal audit program.

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, composed solely of independent Directors, meets with the independent auditors, internal auditors, management, and internal accountants periodically to discuss internal accounting controls and auditing and financial reporting matters. The Audit Committee appoints the independent auditors annually and reviews with the independent auditors the scope and results of the audit effort. The Audit Committee also meets periodically with the independent auditors and the chief internal auditor without management, providing free access to the Committee.

Independent public accountants regularly evaluate the system of internal accounting controls and perform such tests and other procedures as they deem necessary to reach and express an opinion on the fairness of the financial statements. They also provide the Audit Committee their judgments about the quality of accounting policies and disclosures.

Management believes that these policies and procedures provide reasonable assurance that its operations are carried out with a high standard of business conduct.

Entergy Corporation is an investor-owned public utility holding company that operates primarily through three business segments.

• U.S. Utility generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power, with a small amount of natural gas distribution.
• Non-Utility Nuclear owns and operates five nuclear power plants and sells the electric power produced by those plants to wholesale customers. This business also provides services to other nuclear power plant owners.
• Energy Commodity Services provides energy commodity trading and gas transportation and storage services through Entergy-Koch, LP. Energy Commodity Services also includes Entergy's non-nuclear wholesale assets business, which sells electric power produced by those assets to wholesale customers while it focuses on selling the majority of those assets.

Following are the percentages of Entergy's consolidated revenues and net income generated by these segments and the percentage of total assets held by them:

Earnings applicable to common stock for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001 by operating segment are as follows:

Entergy's income before taxes is discussed according to the business segments listed above. Earnings for 2003 include the $137.1 million net-of-tax cumulative effect of changes in accounting principle that increased earnings in the first quarter of 2003, almost entirely resulting from the implementation of SFAS 143. Earnings were negatively affected in the fourth quarter of 2003 by voluntary severance program expenses of $122.8 million net-of-tax. As part of an initiative to achieve productivity improvements with a goal of reducing costs, primarily in the Non-Utility Nuclear and U.S. Utility businesses, in the second half of 2003 Entergy offered a voluntary severance program to employees in various departments. Approximately 1,100 employees, including 650 employees in nuclear operations from the Non-Utility Nuclear and U.S. Utility businesses, accepted the offers.

Earnings for 2002 were negatively affected by net charges ($238.3 million after-tax) reflecting the effect of Entergy's decision to discontinue additional greenfield power plant development and asset impairments resulting from the deteriorating economics of wholesale power markets principally in the United States and the United Kingdom. The net charges are discussed more fully below in the Energy Commodity Services discussion. See Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion of Entergy's business segments and their financial results in 2003, 2002, and 2001.

Refer to "SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA - FIVE-YEAR COMPARISON OF ENTERGY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES" which accompanies Entergy Corporation's consolidated financial statements in this report for further information with respect to operating statistics.

The decrease in earnings for the U.S. Utility for 2003 from $583 million to $469 million was primarily due to a $107.7 million ($65.6 million net-of-tax) accrual of the loss that would be associated with a final, non-appealable decision disallowing abeyed River Bend plant costs; $99.8 million ($70.1 million net-of-tax) of charges recorded in connection with the voluntary severance program; and the $21.3 million net-of-tax cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle that reduced earnings at Entergy Gulf States in the first quarter of 2003 upon implementation of SFAS 143. See "Critical Accounting Estimates - SFAS 143" below for discussion of the implementation of SFAS 143. Partially offsetting the decrease in earnings were decreased interest charges and increased net revenue.

The increase in earnings for the U.S. Utility for 2002 from $550 million to $583 million was primarily due to an increase in net revenue and a decrease in interest charges, partially offset by increases in depreciation and amortization expenses and other operation and maintenance expenses.

2003 Compared to 2002

Net revenue, which is Entergy's measure of gross margin, consists of operating revenues net of: 1) fuel, fuel-related, and purchased power expenses and 2) other regulatory credits. Following is an analysis of the change in net revenue comparing 2003 to 2002.

Base rates increased net revenue due to base rate increases at Entergy Mississippi and Entergy New Orleans that became effective in January 2003 and June 2003, respectively. Entergy Gulf States implemented base rate decreases in its Louisiana jurisdiction effective June 2002 and January 2003. The January 2003 base rate decrease of $22.1 million has a minimal impact on net income due to a corresponding reduction in nuclear depreciation and decommissioning expenses associated with the change in accounting estimate to reflect an assumed extension of River Bend's useful life.

The fuel price variance is due to a revised estimate made in December 2002 of the fuel cost component of the price applied to unbilled sales and further revision of that estimate in the first quarter of 2003.

The asset retirement obligation variance is due to the implementation of SFAS 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations," adopted in January 2003. See "Critical Accounting Estimates" for more details on SFAS 143. The increase is offset by increased depreciation and decommissioning expenses and has no effect on net income.

The increase in net wholesale revenue is primarily due an increase in sales volume to municipal and cooperative customers.

The March 2002 settlement agreement variance reflects the absence in 2003 of the effect of recording the ice storm settlement approved by the APSC in 2002. This settlement resulted in previously deferred revenues at Entergy Arkansas per the transition cost account mechanism being recorded in net revenue in the second quarter of 2002. The decrease is offset by a corresponding decrease in other operation and maintenance expenses and has a minimal effect on net income.

Gross operating revenues and regulatory credits

Gross operating revenues include an increase in fuel cost recovery revenues of $682 million and $53 million in electric and gas sales, respectively, primarily due to higher fuel rates in 2003 resulting from increases in the market prices of purchased power and natural gas. As such, this revenue increase is offset by increased fuel and purchased power expenses.

Other regulatory credits decreased primarily due to the March 2002 settlement agreement mentioned above, which increased other regulatory credits in 2002 to offset other operation and maintenance expenses of $159.9 million related to the December 2000 ice storms. The decrease was partially offset by the asset retirement obligation mentioned above, which increased other regulatory credits in 2003 to offset the increases in depreciation and decommissioning expenses.

2002 Compared to 2001

Following is an analysis of the change in net revenue comparing 2002 to 2001.

The March 2002 settlement agreement is discussed above and is offset by an increase in other operation and maintenance expenses. The effect on net income in 2002 is a decrease of $2.2 million.

The volume/weather variance is due to increased electricity usage in the service territories. Billed usage increased a total of 2,149 GWh in the residential and commercial sectors.

The fuel price variance is due to an increase in the price applied to unbilled sales partially offset by a revised estimate made in December 2002 to the fuel cost component of that price.

The effect of the System Energy refund resulted from System Energy's application to FERC in May 1995 for a rate increase, which it implemented in December 1995, subject to refund. The request sought changes to System Energy's rate schedule, including increases in the revenue requirement associated with decommissioning costs, the depreciation rate, and the rate of return on common equity. In July 2000, FERC approved a lower rate of return than the rate sought by System Energy. Upon receipt of a final FERC order in July 2001, Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Louisiana recorded entries to spread the impacts of FERC's order to the various revenue, expense, asset, and liability accounts affected, as if the order had been in place since commencement of the case in 1995. The accounting entries necessary to record the effects of the order reduced purchased power expenses in 2001, which resulted in a corresponding increase in net revenue in 2001. The System Energy refund proceeding is discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.

Gross operating revenues

2003 Compared to 2002

Other operation and maintenance expenses decreased primarily due to decreased expenses at Entergy Arkansas. The March 2002 settlement agreement that became final in the second quarter of 2002, allowing Entergy Arkansas to recover a large majority of 2000 and 2001 ice storm repair expenses through the previously-collected transition cost account amounts, increased Entergy Arkansas' expenses by $159.9 million in 2002. This increase in expenses in 2002 was offset by a regulatory credit resulting in no effect on net income. The decrease was partially offset by an increase of $99.8 million in benefit costs as a result of voluntary severance program accruals in 2003.

Decommissioning expense increased primarily due to the implementation of SFAS 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations." The increase in decommissioning expense is offset by increases in other regulatory credits and interest and dividend income and has an insignificant effect on net income.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased primarily due to an increase in plant in service. The increase was also due to the implementation of SFAS 143. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense due to SFAS 143 implementation is offset by increases in other regulatory credits and interest and dividend income and has an insignificant effect on net income.

Other income decreased primarily due to a decrease in "miscellaneous - net" as a result of a $107.7 million accrual in the second quarter 2003 for the loss that would be associated with a final, non-appealable decision disallowing abeyed River Bend plant costs. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for more details regarding the River Bend abeyed plant costs. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in interest and dividend income as a result of the implementation of SFAS 143.

Interest charges decreased primarily due to a decrease of $28.5 million in interest on long-term debt due to the redemption and refinancing of long-term debt. Refer to Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for detail of long-term debt outstanding as of December 31, 2003 and 2002.

2002 Compared to 2001

In addition to the effect of the March 2002 settlement agreement at Entergy Arkansas, the increase in other operation and maintenance expenses was primarily due to:

• an increase of $51.2 million in benefit costs;
• increased expenses of $24.5 million at Entergy Arkansas due to the reversal in 2001 of ice storm costs previously charged to expense in December 2000;
• an increase of $14.6 million in fossil plant expenses due to maintenance outages and turbine inspection costs at various plants;
• an increase of $10.9 million to reflect the current estimate of the liability for the future disposal of low-level radioactive waste materials; and
• lower nuclear insurance refunds of $6.7 million.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased primarily due to the effects in 2001 of the final FERC order addressing System Energy's 1995 rate filing.

Other income decreased primarily due to:

• interest recognized in 2001 on Grand Gulf 1's decommissioning trust funds resulting from the final order addressing System Energy's rate proceeding;
• interest recognized in 2001 at Entergy Mississippi and Entergy New Orleans on the deferred System Energy costs related to its 1995 rate filing that were not being recovered through rates; and
• lower interest earned on declining deferred fuel balances.

The decrease was partially offset by an increase in "miscellaneous - net" of $26.7 million due to the cessation of amortization of goodwill in January 2002 upon implementation of SFAS 142 and settlement of liability insurance coverage at Entergy Gulf States.

Interest and other charges decreased primarily due to:

• a decrease of $31.9 million in interest on long-term debt primarily due to the retirement of long-term debt in late 2001 and early 2002; and
• a decrease of $76.0 million in other interest expense primarily due to interest recorded on System Energy's provision for rate refund in 2001 resulting from the effects of the final FERC order addressing System Energy's 1995 rate filing. The refund was made in December 2001.

Following are key performance measures for Non-Utility Nuclear:

The increase in earnings for Non-Utility Nuclear from $200.5 million to $300.8 million was primarily due to the $154.5 million net-of-tax cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle recognized in the first quarter of 2003 upon implementation of SFAS 143. See "Critical Accounting Estimates - SFAS 143" below for discussion of the implementation of SFAS 143. Income before the cumulative effect of accounting change decreased by $54.2 million. The decrease was primarily due to $83.0 million ($50.6 million net-of-tax) of charges recorded in connection with the voluntary severance program. Except for the effect of the voluntary severance program, operation and maintenance expenses in 2003 per MWh of generation were in line with 2002 operation and maintenance expenses.

The increase in earnings for Non-Utility Nuclear from $127.9 million to $200.5 million was primarily due to the acquisitions of Indian Point 2, which was purchased in September 2001, and Vermont Yankee, which was purchased in July 2002. Also contributing to the increase in earnings was higher pricing under certain purchase power contracts.

Energy Commodity Services

Earnings for Energy Commodity Services in 2003 were primarily driven by Entergy's investment in Entergy-Koch. Following are key performance measures for Entergy-Koch's operations for 2003, 2002, and 2001:

Entergy accounts for its 50% share in Entergy-Koch under the equity method of accounting. Earnings from Entergy-Koch are reported as equity in earnings of unconsolidated equity affiliates in the financial statements. Certain terms of the partnership arrangement allocated income from various sources, and the taxes on that income, on a significantly disproportionate basis through 2003. Losses and distributions from operations are allocated to the partners equally. Substantially all of Entergy-Koch's profits were allocated to Entergy in 2003, 2002, and 2001. Effective January 1, 2004, a revaluation of Entergy-Koch's assets for legal capital account purposes occurred, and future profit allocations changed after the revaluation. The profit allocations other than for weather trading and international trading became equal. Profit allocations for weather trading and international trading remain disproportionate to the ownership interests. The weather trading and international trading allocations are unequal only within a specified range, such that the overall earnings allocation should not materially differ from 50/50. Earnings allocated under the terms of the partnership agreement constitute equity, not subject to reallocation, for the partners.

The decrease in earnings for Energy Commodity Services in 2002 from $105.9 million to a $145.8 million loss was primarily due to the charges to reflect the effect of Entergy's decision to discontinue additional greenfield power plant development and to reflect asset impairments resulting from the deteriorating economics of wholesale power markets principally in the United States and the United Kingdom. Entergy recorded net charges of $428.5 million ($238.3 million net-of-tax) to operating expenses. The net charges consist of the following:

• The power development business obtained contracts in October 1999 to acquire 36 turbines from General Electric. Entergy's rights and obligations under the contracts for 22 of the turbines were sold to an independent special-purpose entity in May 2001. $178.0 million of the charges, including an offsetting net-of-tax benefit of $18.5 million related to the subsequent sale of four turbines to a third party, is a provision for the net costs resulting from cancellation or sale of the turbines subject to purchase commitments with the special-purpose entity;
• $204.4 million of the charges results from the write-off of Entergy Power Development Corporation's equity investment in the Damhead Creek project and the impairment of the values of its Warren Power power plant and its Crete and RS Cogen projects. This portion of the charges reflects Entergy's estimate of the effects of reduced spark spreads in the United States and the United Kingdom. Damhead Creek was sold in December 2002, resulting in net income of $31.4 million;
• $39.1 million of the charges relates to the restructuring of the non-nuclear wholesale assets business, which is comprised of $22.5 million of impairments of administrative fixed assets, $10.7 million of estimated sublease losses, and $5.9 million of employee-related costs;
• $32.7 million of the charges results from the write-off of capitalized project development costs for projects that will not be completed; and
• a gain of $25.7 million ($15.9 million net-of-tax) realized on the sale in August 2002 of an interest in projects under development in Spain.

Revenues and fuel and purchased power expenses decreased for Energy Commodity Services by $1,075.8 million and $876.9 million, respectively, in 2002 primarily due to:

• a decrease of $542.9 million in revenues and $539.6 million in fuel and purchased power expenses resulting from the sale of Highland Energy in the fourth quarter of 2001;
• a decrease of $161.7 million in revenues resulting from the sale of the Saltend plant in August 2001; and
• a decrease of $139.1 million in revenues and $133.5 million in purchased power expenses due to the contribution of substantially all of Entergy's power marketing and trading business to Entergy-Koch in February 2001. Earnings from Entergy-Koch are reported as equity in earnings of unconsolidated equity affiliates in the financial statements. The net income effect of the lower revenues was more than offset by the income from Entergy's investment in Entergy-Koch. The income from Entergy's investment in Entergy-Koch was $31.9 million higher in 2002 primarily as a result of earnings at Entergy-Koch Trading (EKT) and higher earnings at Gulf South Pipeline due to more favorable transportation contract pricing. Although the gain/loss days ratio reported above declined in 2002, EKT made relatively more money on the gain days than the loss days, and thus had an increase in earnings for the year.

The loss from Parent & Other decreased in 2003 from $38.6 million to $23.4 million primarily due to lower income tax expense.

The loss from Parent & Other decreased in 2002 from $57.9 million to $38.6 million primarily due to:

• a decrease in income tax expense of $12.1 million resulting from the allocation of intercompany tax benefits; and
• a decrease in interest charges of $6.0 million.

This section discusses Entergy's capital structure, capital spending plans and other uses of capital, sources of capital, and the cash flow activity presented in the cash flow statement.

Entergy's capitalization is balanced between equity and debt, as shown in the following table. The reduction in the percentage for 2003 is the result of reduced debt outstanding in the U.S. Utility and Non-Utility Nuclear businesses, and an increase in shareholders' equity, primarily due to increased retained earnings. The reduction in the percentage for 2002 is primarily the result of the sale of Damhead Creek in December 2002. Debt outstanding on the Damhead Creek facility was $458 million as of December 31, 2001.

Net debt consists of gross debt less cash and cash equivalents. Gross debt consists of notes payable, capital lease obligations, preferred stock with sinking fund, and long-term debt, including the currently maturing portion. Net capital consists of net debt, common shareholders' equity, and preferred stock without sinking fund. The preferred stock with sinking fund is included in gross debt pursuant to SFAS 150, which Entergy implemented in the third quarter of 2003. The 2002 and 2001 ratios do not reflect that type of security as debt, but do include it in net capital, which is how Entergy presented those securities prior to implementation of SFAS 150. Entergy uses the net debt to net capital ratio in analyzing its financial condition and believes it provides useful information to its investors and creditors in evaluating Entergy's financial condition.

Long-term debt, including the currently maturing portion, makes up over 90% of Entergy's total debt outstanding. Following are Entergy's long-term debt principal maturities as of December 31, 2003 and 2002 by operating segment. A significant factor in the change from 2002 to 2003 is over $2 billion of debt refinancing or retirement activity in the U.S. Utility business in 2003. The figures below include principal payments on the Entergy Louisiana and System Energy sale-leaseback transactions, which are included in long-term debt on the balance sheet.

Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements provides more detail concerning long-term debt.

Capital lease obligations, including nuclear fuel leases, are a minimal part of Entergy's overall capital structure, and are discussed further in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements. Following are Entergy's payment obligations under those leases:

Notes payable, which include borrowings outstanding on credit facilities with original maturities of less than one year, were less than $1 million as of December 31, 2003. Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, and Entergy Mississippi each have 364-day credit facilities available as follows:

In addition to the obligations listed above that are reflected on the balance sheet, Entergy has a minimal amount of operating leases and guarantees in support of unconsolidated obligations that are not reflected as liabilities on the balance sheet. These items are not on the balance sheet in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Following are Entergy's payment obligations as of December 31, 2003 on non-cancelable operating leases with a term over one year: