PACIFICORP /OR/ - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
[X]
Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934
For
the
quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
or
[ ]
Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934
For
the
transition period from ______ to _______
Commission
|
Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter
|
IRS
Employer
|
||
File
Number
|
State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization
|
Identification No.
|
||
1-5152
|
PacifiCorp
|
93-0246090
|
||
(An
Oregon Corporation)
|
||||
825
N.E. Multnomah Street
|
||||
Portland,
Oregon 97232
|
||||
503-813-5000
|
||||
N/A
|
||||
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes T No ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See the definition of
“accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
Non-accelerated
filer T
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ¨ No T
As
of
October 31, 2007, all 357,060,915 outstanding shares of PacifiCorp’s common
stock were indirectly owned by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
3
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16
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31
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31
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PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
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32
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32
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32
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32
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32
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32
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32
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33
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34
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2
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial
Statements.
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the
Board of Directors and Shareholders of PacifiCorp:
We
have
reviewed the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of PacifiCorp and its
subsidiaries (“PacifiCorp”) as of September 30, 2007, and the related
consolidated statements of income for the three-month and nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, and the related consolidated statements
of cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006.
These interim financial statements are the responsibility of PacifiCorp’s
management.
We
conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial
information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making
inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It
is
substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the
standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States),
the
objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial
statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an
opinion.
Based
on
our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be
made
to such consolidated interim financial statements for them to be in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
We
have
previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet
of
PacifiCorp and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2006, and the related
consolidated statements of income, common shareholder’s equity and comprehensive
income, and of cash flows for the nine-month period then ended (not presented
herein); and in our report dated February 27, 2007, we expressed an
unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements, which included
an explanatory paragraph related to the adoption of Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit
Pension and Other Postretirement Plans – an amendment of FASB Statements
No. 87, 88, 106, and 132(R). In our opinion, the information set forth
in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2006, is
fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated
balance
sheet from which it has been derived.
/s/
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Portland,
Oregon
November 2,
2007
3
PACIFICORP
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)
(Amounts
in millions)
Three-Month
Periods
|
Nine-Month
Periods
|
|||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ |
1,137
|
$ |
1,097
|
$ |
3,190
|
$ |
3,187
|
||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Energy
costs
|
487
|
567
|
1,327
|
1,451
|
||||||||||||
Operations
and maintenance
|
230
|
253
|
747
|
787
|
||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
125
|
118
|
368
|
347
|
||||||||||||
Taxes,
other than income taxes
|
26
|
27
|
77
|
77
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
868
|
965
|
2,519
|
2,662
|
||||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
269
|
132
|
671
|
525
|
||||||||||||
Interest
and other expense (income):
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
76
|
72
|
230
|
210
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(3 | ) | (3 | ) | (10 | ) | (7 | ) | ||||||||
Allowance
for borrowed funds
|
(8 | ) | (6 | ) | (24 | ) | (16 | ) | ||||||||
Allowance
for equity funds
|
(11 | ) | (6 | ) | (28 | ) | (18 | ) | ||||||||
Other
|
2
|
(1 | ) |
-
|
(3 | ) | ||||||||||
Total
|
56
|
56
|
168
|
166
|
||||||||||||
Income
before income tax expense
|
213
|
76
|
503
|
359
|
||||||||||||
Income
tax expense
|
78
|
17
|
164
|
110
|
||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
135
|
$ |
59
|
$ |
339
|
$ |
249
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
4
PACIFICORP
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(Amounts
in millions)
As
of
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
56
|
$ |
59
|
||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
406
|
342
|
||||||
Unbilled
revenue
|
182
|
178
|
||||||
Amounts
due from affiliates
|
15
|
53
|
||||||
Inventories
at average costs:
|
||||||||
Materials
and supplies
|
162
|
140
|
||||||
Fuel
|
127
|
104
|
||||||
Derivative
contracts
|
140
|
151
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
75
|
28
|
||||||
Other
|
124
|
57
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
1,287
|
1,112
|
||||||
Property,
plant and equipment
|
16,866
|
15,843
|
||||||
Accumulated
depreciation and amortization
|
(6,081 | ) | (5,842 | ) | ||||
10,785
|
10,001
|
|||||||
Construction
work-in-progress
|
787
|
809
|
||||||
Total
property, plant and equipment, net
|
11,572
|
10,810
|
||||||
Other
assets:
|
||||||||
Regulatory
assets
|
1,318
|
1,397
|
||||||
Derivative
contracts
|
178
|
235
|
||||||
Deferred
charges and other
|
282
|
298
|
||||||
Total
other assets
|
1,778
|
1,930
|
||||||
Total
assets
|
$ |
14,637
|
$ |
13,852
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
5
PACIFICORP
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) (continued)
(Amounts
in millions)
As
of
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ |
401
|
$ |
385
|
||||
Amounts
due to affiliates
|
2
|
1
|
||||||
Accrued
employee expenses
|
118
|
85
|
||||||
Taxes
payable, other than income taxes
|
63
|
30
|
||||||
Interest
payable
|
78
|
57
|
||||||
Derivative
contracts
|
160
|
110
|
||||||
Long-term
debt and capital lease obligations, currently maturing
|
413
|
127
|
||||||
Preferred
stock subject to mandatory redemption, currently maturing
|
-
|
38
|
||||||
Short-term
debt
|
206
|
397
|
||||||
Other
|
136
|
135
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
1,577
|
1,365
|
||||||
Deferred
credits:
|
||||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
1,665
|
1,641
|
||||||
Investment
tax credits
|
56
|
62
|
||||||
Regulatory
liabilities
|
794
|
822
|
||||||
Derivative
contracts
|
459
|
504
|
||||||
Pension
and other post employment liabilities
|
513
|
691
|
||||||
Other
|
427
|
374
|
||||||
Total
deferred credits
|
3,914
|
4,094
|
||||||
Long-term
debt and capital lease obligations, net of current
maturities
|
4,166
|
3,967
|
||||||
Total
liabilities
|
9,657
|
9,426
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies (Note 5)
|
||||||||
Shareholders’
equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock
|
41
|
41
|
||||||
Common
equity:
|
||||||||
Common
shareholder’s capital - 750 shares authorized, no par value,
357 shares issued and outstanding
|
3,804
|
3,600
|
||||||
Retained
earnings
|
1,139
|
789
|
||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss, net
|
(4 | ) | (4 | ) | ||||
Total
common equity
|
4,939
|
4,385
|
||||||
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
4,980
|
4,426
|
||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
$ |
14,637
|
$ |
13,852
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
6
PACIFICORP
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
(Amounts
in millions)
Nine-Month
Periods
|
||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
339
|
$ |
249
|
||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net
|
(4 | ) |
45
|
|||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
368
|
347
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes and investment tax credits, net
|
17
|
(32 | ) | |||||
Regulatory
asset/liability establishment and amortization
|
(37 | ) |
22
|
|||||
Other
|
11
|
33
|
||||||
Changes
in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable, net and other assets
|
(76 | ) | (67 | ) | ||||
Inventories
|
(45 | ) | (38 | ) | ||||
Amounts
due to/from affiliates - MEHC, net
|
39
|
-
|
||||||
Accounts
payable and other liabilities
|
38
|
117
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
650
|
676
|
||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(1,136 | ) | (1,113 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from sale of assets
|
9
|
-
|
||||||
Proceeds
from available-for-sale securities
|
22
|
78
|
||||||
Purchases
of available-for-sale securities
|
(19 | ) | (80 | ) | ||||
Other
|
12
|
(7 | ) | |||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(1,112 | ) | (1,122 | ) | ||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Changes
in short-term debt
|
(191 | ) | (135 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from long-term debt, net of issuance costs
|
599
|
346
|
||||||
Proceeds
from equity contributions
|
200
|
255
|
||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(2 | ) | (18 | ) | ||||
Repayments
and redemptions on long-term debt, preferred stock subject to mandatory
redemption and capital lease obligations
|
(153 | ) | (108 | ) | ||||
Other
|
6
|
10
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
459
|
350
|
||||||
Change
in cash and cash equivalents
|
(3 | ) | (96 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
59
|
164
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ |
56
|
$ |
68
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
7
PACIFICORP
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(1) General
PacifiCorp
(which includes PacifiCorp and its subsidiaries) is a United States electric
utility company serving retail customers in portions of the states of Utah,
Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and California. PacifiCorp generates
electricity and also engages in electricity sales and purchases on a wholesale
basis. The subsidiaries of PacifiCorp support its electric utility operations
by
providing coal mining facilities and services and environmental remediation.
PacifiCorp is an indirect subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company
(“MEHC”), a holding company based in Des Moines, Iowa, owning subsidiaries that
are principally engaged in energy businesses. MEHC is a consolidated subsidiary
of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire Hathaway”).
The
accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared
in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of
America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) rules and regulations for Form 10-Q and
Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of
the disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Management
believes the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements include all adjustments
(consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for
fair
presentation of the financial statements as of September 30, 2007, and for
the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006. A
portion of PacifiCorp’s business is of a seasonal nature and, therefore, results
of operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30,
2007, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the
full
year.
The
accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts
of
PacifiCorp and its subsidiaries in which it holds a controlling financial
interest. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been
eliminated.
The
preparation of the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity
with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect
the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period.
Actual results may differ from the estimates used in preparing the unaudited
Consolidated Financial Statements. Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements included in PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on
Form 10-K for the nine-month period ended December 31, 2006, describes
the most significant accounting estimates and policies used in the preparation
of the Consolidated Financial Statements. There have been no significant
changes
in PacifiCorp’s assumptions regarding significant accounting policies during the
first nine months of 2007, except as described in Note 2.
(2) New
Accounting Pronouncements
In
July 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued
FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes –
an interpretation of FASB Statement
No. 109” (“FIN 48”). PacifiCorp adopted the
provisions of FIN 48 effective January 1, 2007. Under FIN 48, tax
benefits are recognized only for tax positions that are more likely than
not to
be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is
measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely
to be
realized upon ultimate settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits are tax benefits
claimed in PacifiCorp’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and
measurements standards.
As
of
January 1, 2007, PacifiCorp had an asset of $22 million for uncertain
tax positions. PacifiCorp recognized a net increase in the asset of
$22 million as a cumulative effect of adopting FIN 48, which was
offset by increases in beginning retained earnings of $13 million and
deferred income tax liabilities of $9 million in the Consolidated Balance
Sheet. The $22 million as of January 1, 2007, was included in other
deferred credits in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
8
Included
in the asset of $22 million is $14 million of net uncertain tax
positions that, if recognized, would have an impact on the effective tax
rate.
The remaining amounts relate to tax positions for which ultimate deductibility
is highly certain but for which there is uncertainty as to the timing of
such
deductibility. Recognition of these tax positions, other than applicable
interest and penalties, would not affect PacifiCorp’s effective tax rate.
PacifiCorp recognizes interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain
tax
positions in income tax expense. As of January 1, 2007, PacifiCorp had
$7 million accrued for the receipt of interest, which is included in the
asset for uncertain tax positions.
Prior
to
2006, PacifiCorp filed income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction
and
various state jurisdictions. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has closed
examination of PacifiCorp’s income tax returns through its tax year ended
March 31, 2000. In addition, open tax years related to a number of state
jurisdictions remain subject to examination. As a result of the sale of
PacifiCorp to MEHC on March 21, 2006, Berkshire Hathaway commenced
including PacifiCorp in its U.S. federal income tax returns.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
(“SFAS”) No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities - including an amendment to
SFAS No. 115” (“SFAS No. 159”).
SFAS No. 159 permits entities to elect to measure many financial
instruments and certain other items at fair value. Upon adoption of
SFAS No. 159, an entity may elect the fair value option for eligible
items that exist at the adoption date. Subsequent to the initial adoption,
the
election of the fair value option should only be made at initial recognition
of
the asset or liability or upon a remeasurement event that gives rise to
new-basis accounting. The decision about whether to elect the fair value
option
is applied on an instrument-by-instrument basis, is irrevocable and is applied
only to an entire instrument and not only to specified risks, cash flows
or
portions of that instrument. SFAS No. 159 does not affect any existing
accounting standards that require certain assets and liabilities to be carried
at fair value nor does it eliminate disclosure requirements included in other
accounting standards. SFAS No. 159 is effective for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2007. PacifiCorp does not anticipate electing
the fair value option for any existing eligible items. However, PacifiCorp
will
continue to evaluate items on a case-by-case basis for consideration of the
fair
value option.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value
Measurements” (“SFAS No. 157”). SFAS No. 157
defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and
expands
disclosures about fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 does not
impose fair value measurements on items not already accounted for at fair
value;
rather, it applies, with certain exceptions, to other accounting pronouncements
that either require or permit fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 is
effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim
periods within those fiscal years. PacifiCorp is currently evaluating the
impact
of adopting SFAS No. 157 on its consolidated financial position and
results of operations.
(3) Recent
Debt Transactions
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp entered into a new unsecured revolving credit
facility with total bank commitments of $700 million. The facility will
support PacifiCorp's commercial paper program and terminates on October 23,
2012. Terms and conditions, including borrowing rates, are substantially
similar
to PacifiCorp's existing revolving credit facility.
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp issued $600 million of its 6.25% First
Mortgage Bonds due October 15, 2037. The proceeds will be used to
repay short-term debt and for general corporate purposes.
In
June 2007, PacifiCorp redeemed $38 million of outstanding preferred
stock subject to mandatory redemption, representing the remaining outstanding
shares of PacifiCorp’s $7.48 No Par Serial Preferred Stock
series.
In
March 2007, PacifiCorp issued $600 million of its 5.75% First Mortgage
Bonds due April 1, 2037. The proceeds were used to repay short-term debt
and for general corporate purposes.
9
(4) Risk
Management and Hedging Activities
PacifiCorp
is exposed to the impact of market fluctuations in commodity prices, principally
natural gas and electricity. Interest rate risk exists on variable rate debt,
commercial paper and future debt issuances. PacifiCorp employs established
policies and procedures to manage its risks associated with these market
fluctuations using various commodity and financial derivative instruments,
including forward contracts, swaps and options. The risk management process
established by PacifiCorp is designed to identify, assess, monitor, report,
manage and mitigate each of the various types of risk involved in its business.
PacifiCorp’s portfolio of energy derivatives is substantially used for
non-trading purposes. As of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006,
PacifiCorp had no financial derivatives in effect relating to interest rate
exposure.
The
following table summarizes the various derivative mark-to-market positions
included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30,
2007 (in millions):
Accumulated
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Regulatory
|
Other
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Derivative
Net Assets (Liabilities)
|
Net
Assets
|
Comprehensive
|
||||||||||||||||||
Assets
|
Liabilities
|
Net
|
(Liabilities)
|
(Income)
Loss (1)
|
||||||||||||||||
Commodity
|
$ |
314
|
$ | (619 | ) | $ | (305 | ) | $ |
311
|
$ | (3 | ) | |||||||
Foreign
currency
|
4
|
-
|
4
|
(4 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
318
|
$ | (619 | ) | $ | (301 | ) | $ |
307
|
$ | (3 | ) | |||||||
Current
|
$ |
140
|
$ | (160 | ) | $ | (20 | ) | ||||||||||||
Non-current
|
178
|
(459 | ) | (281 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
318
|
$ | (619 | ) | $ | (301 | ) |
(1)
|
Before
income taxes.
|
The
following table summarizes the various derivative mark-to-market positions
included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31,
2006 (in millions):
Accumulated
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Regulatory
|
Other
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Derivative
Net Assets (Liabilities)
|
Net
Assets
|
Comprehensive
|
||||||||||||||||||
Assets
|
Liabilities
|
Net
|
(Liabilities)
|
(Income)
Loss (1)
|
||||||||||||||||
Commodity
|
$ |
383
|
$ | (614 | ) | $ | (231 | ) | $ |
233
|
$ | (3 | ) | |||||||
Foreign
currency
|
3
|
-
|
3
|
(3 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
386
|
$ | (614 | ) | $ | (228 | ) | $ |
230
|
$ | (3 | ) | |||||||
Current
|
$ |
151
|
$ | (110 | ) | $ |
41
|
|||||||||||||
Non-current
|
235
|
(504 | ) | (269 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
386
|
$ | (614 | ) | $ | (228 | ) |
(1)
|
Before
income taxes.
|
10
The
following table summarizes the amount of the pre-tax unrealized gains and
losses
included within the Consolidated Statements of Income associated with changes
in
the fair value of PacifiCorp’s derivative contracts that are not included in
rates (in millions):
Three-Month
Periods
|
Nine-Month
Periods
|
|||||||||||||||
Ended
September 30,
|
Ended
September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ | (3 | ) | $ |
81
|
$ |
22
|
$ |
333
|
|||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Energy
costs
|
9
|
(146 | ) | (18 | ) | (376 | ) | |||||||||
Operations
and maintenance
|
-
|
(1 | ) |
-
|
(2 | ) | ||||||||||
Total
unrealized gain (loss) on derivative contracts
|
$ |
6
|
$ | (66 | ) | $ |
4
|
$ | (45 | ) |
(5) Commitments
and Contingencies
Environmental
Matters
PacifiCorp
is subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws and
regulations, including the Clean Air Act, related air quality standards
promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and various state air
quality laws; the Endangered Species Act; the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act, relating to environmental cleanups;
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and similar state laws relating
to
the storage and handling of hazardous materials; and the Clean Water Act,
and
similar state laws relating to water quality. These laws have the potential
to
impact PacifiCorp’s current and future operations. Current and future Clean Air
Act and associated requirements will impact the operations of PacifiCorp’s
generating facilities and will require PacifiCorp to reduce sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides and mercury emissions from current levels through the
installation of additional or improved emission controls, the purchase of
additional emission allowances, or some combination thereof. PacifiCorp is
also
subject to various state renewables portfolio standards. The cost of complying
with applicable environmental laws, regulations and rules is expected to
be
material to PacifiCorp’s generation facilities. Additionally, the adoption of
stringent limits on greenhouse emissions could significantly impact PacifiCorp’s
fossil-fueled facilities, and, therefore, its financial results. PacifiCorp
believes it is in material compliance with current environmental
requirements.
Accrued
Environmental Costs
PacifiCorp
is fully or partly responsible for environmental remediation at various
contaminated sites, including sites that are or were part of PacifiCorp’s
operations and sites owned by third parties. PacifiCorp accrues environmental
remediation expenses when the expense is believed to be probable and can
be
reasonably estimated. The quantification of environmental exposures is based
on
many factors, including changing laws and regulations, advancements in
environmental technologies, the quality of available site-specific information,
site investigation results, expected remediation or settlement timelines,
PacifiCorp’s proportionate responsibility, contractual indemnities and coverage
provided by insurance policies. The liability recorded as of September 30,
2007 and December 31, 2006 was $23 million and $40 million,
respectively, and is included in other liabilities and other deferred credits
on
the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Environmental remediation
liabilities that separately result from the normal operation of long-lived
assets and that are associated with the retirement of those assets are
separately accounted for as asset retirement obligations.
11
Hydroelectric
Relicensing
PacifiCorp’s
hydroelectric portfolio consists of 48 plants with an aggregate plant net
owned capacity of 1,158 megawatts (“MW”). The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (the “FERC”) regulates 98% of the net capacity of this portfolio
through 18 individual licenses. Several of PacifiCorp’s hydroelectric projects
are in some stage of relicensing with the FERC. Hydroelectric relicensing
and
the related environmental compliance requirements and litigation are subject
to
uncertainties. PacifiCorp expects that future costs relating to these matters
may be significant and will consist primarily of additional relicensing costs,
operations and maintenance expense, and capital expenditures. Electricity
generation reductions may result from the additional environmental requirements.
PacifiCorp had incurred $86 million and $79 million in costs at
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, respectively, for ongoing
hydroelectric relicensing, which are reflected in construction work-in-progress
on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
In
February 2004, PacifiCorp filed with the FERC a final application for a new
license to operate the 169-MW nameplate-rated Klamath hydroelectric project
in
anticipation of the March 2006 expiration of the existing license.
PacifiCorp is currently operating under an annual license issued by the FERC
and
expects to continue to operate under annual licenses until the new operating
license is issued. In January 2007, as part of the relicensing process, the
United States Departments of Interior and Commerce filed modified terms and
conditions consistent with the March 2006 filings, which proposed that
PacifiCorp construct upstream and downstream fish passage facilities at the
Klamath hydroelectric project’s four mainstem dams. PacifiCorp is prepared to
meet and implement the federal agencies’ terms and conditions as part of the
project’s relicensing. However, PacifiCorp expects to continue in settlement
discussions with various parties in the Klamath Basin area who have intervened
with the FERC licensing proceeding to try to achieve a mutually acceptable
outcome for the project.
Also,
as
part of the relicensing process, the FERC is required to perform an
environmental review. The FERC did not issue its final environmental impact
statement in the summer of 2007 as scheduled, and it has provided no new
issuance date. Other federal agencies are also working to complete their
endangered species analyses by December 1, 2007. PacifiCorp will need
to obtain water quality certifications from Oregon and California prior to
the
FERC issuing a final license. PacifiCorp currently has applications pending
before each state.
In
the
relicensing of the Klamath hydroelectric project, PacifiCorp had incurred
$46 million and $42 million in costs at September 30, 2007 and
December 31, 2006, respectively, which are reflected in construction
work-in-progress in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. While the
costs of implementing new license provisions cannot be determined until such
time as a new license is issued, such costs could be material.
Legal
Matters
PacifiCorp
is party to a variety of legal actions arising out of the normal course of
business. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. PacifiCorp
does not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material
effect on its consolidated financial results. PacifiCorp is also involved
in
other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or
seek
to impose fines and penalties in substantial amounts and are described
below.
In
February 2007, the Sierra Club and the Wyoming Outdoor Council filed a
complaint against PacifiCorp in the federal district court in Cheyenne, Wyoming,
alleging violations of Wyoming state opacity standards at PacifiCorp’s
Jim Bridger plant in Wyoming. Under Wyoming state requirements, which are
part of the Jim Bridger plant’s Title V permit and are enforceable by
private citizens under the federal Clean Air Act, a potential source of
pollutants such as a coal-fired generating facility must meet minimum standards
for opacity, which is a measurement of light that is obscured in the flue
of a
generating facility. The complaint alleges thousands of violations of asserted
six-minute compliance periods and seeks an injunction ordering the
Jim Bridger plant’s compliance with opacity limits, civil penalties of
$32,500 per day per violation, and the plaintiffs’ costs of litigation. The
court granted a motion to bifurcate the trial into separate liability and
remedy
phases. A five-day trial on the liability phase is scheduled to begin on
April 21, 2008. The remedy-phase trial has not yet been set. PacifiCorp
believes it has a number of defenses to the claims. PacifiCorp intends to
vigorously oppose the lawsuit but cannot predict its outcome at this time.
PacifiCorp has already committed to invest at least $812 million in
pollution control equipment at its generating facilities, including the Jim
Bridger plant. This commitment is expected to significantly reduce system-wide
emissions, including emissions at the Jim Bridger plant.
12
FERC
Issues
California
Refund
Case
On
June 21, 2007, the FERC approved PacifiCorp’s settlement and release of
claims agreement (“Settlement”) with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern
California Edison Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, the People of
the State of California, ex rel. Edmund G. Brown Jr., Attorney General, the
California Electricity Oversight Board, and the California Public Utilities
Commission (collectively, the “California Parties”), certain of which purchased
energy in the California Independent System Operator (“ISO”) and the California
Power Exchange (“PX”) markets during past periods of high energy prices in 2000
and 2001. The Settlement, which was executed by PacifiCorp on April 11,
2007, settles claims brought by the California Parties against PacifiCorp
for
refunds and remedies in numerous related proceedings (together, the “FERC
Proceedings”), as well as certain potential civil claims, arising from events
and transactions in Western United States energy markets during the period
January 1, 2000 through June 20, 2001 (the “Refund Period”).
Under the Settlement, PacifiCorp made cash payments to escrows controlled
by the
California Parties in the amount of $16 million in April 2007, and
upon FERC approval of the agreement in June 2007, PacifiCorp allowed the PX
to release an additional $12 million to such escrows, which represented
PacifiCorp’s estimated unpaid receivable from the transactions in the PX and ISO
markets during the Refund Period, plus interest. The monies held in escrow
are
for distribution to buyers from the ISO and PX markets that purchased power
during the Refund Period. The agreement provides for the release of claims
by
the California Parties (as well as additional parties that join in the
Settlement) against PacifiCorp for refunds, disgorgement of profits, or other
monetary or non-monetary remedies in the FERC Proceedings, and provides a
mutual
release of claims for civil damages and equitable relief.
Northwest
Refund Case
In
June 2003, the FERC terminated its proceeding relating to the possibility
of requiring refunds for wholesale spot-market bilateral sales in the Pacific
Northwest between December 2000 and June 2001. The FERC concluded that
ordering refunds would not be an appropriate resolution of the matter. In
November 2003, the FERC issued its final order denying rehearing. Several
market participants filed petitions in the United States Ninth Circuit Court
of
Appeals (the “Ninth Circuit”) for review of the FERC’s final order. On
August 24, 2007, the Ninth Circuit issued its order on this appeal,
concluding that the FERC failed to adequately explain how it considered or
examined new evidence showing intentional market manipulation in California
and
its potential ties to the Pacific Northwest and that the FERC should not
have
excluded from the Pacific Northwest refund proceeding purchases of energy
made
by the California Energy Resources Scheduling (“CERS”) division in the Pacific
Northwest spot market. The Ninth Circuit remanded the case to the FERC to
(i) address the new market manipulation evidence in detail and account for
it in any future orders regarding the award or denial of refunds in the
proceedings, (ii) include sales to CERS in its analysis, and
(iii) further consider its refund decision in light of related, intervening
opinions of the court. The Ninth Circuit offered no opinion on the FERC’s
findings based on the record established by the administrative law judge
and did
not rule on the merits of the FERC’s November 2003 decision to deny
refunds. Due to the remand, PacifiCorp cannot predict the impact of this
ruling
at this time.
13
(6) Employee
Benefit Plans
In
December 2006, non-bargaining employees were notified that PacifiCorp would
switch from a traditional final average pay formula for the PacifiCorp
Retirement Plan to a cash balance formula effective June 1, 2007. As a
result of the change, benefits under the traditional final average pay formula
were frozen as of May 31, 2007, and PacifiCorp’s pension liability and
regulatory assets each decreased by $111 million.
The
components of net periodic benefit cost for PacifiCorp’s pension and other
postretirement benefit plans were as follows (in millions):
Three-Month
Periods
|
Nine-Month
Periods
|
|||||||||||||||
Ended
September 30,
|
Ended
September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Pension:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ |
7
|
$ |
8
|
$ |
21
|
$ |
23
|
||||||||
Interest
cost
|
17
|
19
|
55
|
57
|
||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(18 | ) | (18 | ) | (52 | ) | (55 | ) | ||||||||
Net
amortization and other costs
|
6
|
7
|
20
|
25
|
||||||||||||
Net
periodic benefit cost
|
$ |
12
|
$ |
16
|
$ |
44
|
$ |
50
|
Other
postretirement:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ |
1
|
$ |
2
|
$ |
5
|
$ |
6
|
||||||||
Interest
cost
|
8
|
8
|
25
|
24
|
||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(7 | ) | (6 | ) | (20 | ) | (19 | ) | ||||||||
Net
amortization and other costs
|
6
|
5
|
15
|
15
|
||||||||||||
Net
periodic benefit cost
|
$ |
8
|
$ |
9
|
$ |
25
|
$ |
26
|
Excluded
from the tables above are contributions to certain multi-employer and joint
trust union plans of $3 million for each of the three-month periods ended
September 30, 2007 and 2006, and $9 million and $7 million
for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
Employer
Contributions
Employer
contributions to the pension and other postretirement plans are expected
to be
$88 million and $34 million, respectively, in 2007. As of
September 30, 2007, $85 million and $21 million of contributions
had been made to the pension and other postretirement plans,
respectively.
Severance
PacifiCorp
has reviewed its organization and workforce requirements. As a result,
PacifiCorp incurred severance expense of $- million and $15 million
during the three-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively; and $7 million and $35 million during the nine-month
periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
14
(7) Comprehensive
Income and Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Loss
The
components of comprehensive income are as follows (in millions):
Three-Month
Periods
|
Nine-Month
Periods
|
|||||||||||||||
Ended
September 30,
|
Ended
September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
135
|
$ |
59
|
$ |
339
|
$ |
249
|
||||||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss):
|
||||||||||||||||
Unrecognized
amounts on retirement benefits, net of tax of $-; $-; $-; and
$-
|
(1 | ) |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Fair
value adjustment on cash flow hedges, net of tax of $(1); $14;
$-; and
$11
|
(1 | ) |
22
|
-
|
18
|
|||||||||||
Minimum
pension liability, net of tax of $-; $-; $-; and $3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
gains (losses) on marketable securities, net of tax of $-; $1;
$-; and
$-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
(1 | ) | |||||||||||
Total
other comprehensive income (loss)
|
(2 | ) |
24
|
-
|
22
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$ |
133
|
$ |
83
|
$ |
339
|
$ |
271
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss is included in shareholders’ equity in the Consolidated
Balance Sheets and consists of the following components, net of tax (in
millions):
As
of
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Unrecognized
amounts on retirement benefits, net of tax of $(4) and
$(4)
|
$ | (6 | ) | $ | (6 | ) | ||
Fair
value adjustment on cash flow hedges, net of tax of $1 and
$1
|
2
|
2
|
||||||
Total
accumulated other comprehensive loss, net
|
$ | (4 | ) | $ | (4 | ) |
15
Item
2. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations.
The
following is management’s discussion and analysis of certain significant factors
that have affected the financial condition and results of operations of
PacifiCorp and its subsidiaries (collectively, “PacifiCorp”) during the periods
included herein. Explanations include management’s best estimate of the impact
of weather, customer growth and other factors. This discussion should be
read in
conjunction with PacifiCorp’s historical unaudited Consolidated Financial
Statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in Item 1. PacifiCorp’s
actual results in the future could differ significantly from the historical
results.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This
report contains statements that do not directly or exclusively relate to
historical facts. These statements are “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of
forward-looking words, such as “may,” “could,” “project,” “believe,”
“anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “forecast,”
“intend,” and similar terms. These statements are based on PacifiCorp’s current
intentions, assumptions, expectations and beliefs and are subject to risks,
uncertainties and other important factors. Many of these factors are outside
PacifiCorp’s control and could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by PacifiCorp’s forward-looking statements. These
factors include, among others:
|
·
|
The
outcome of general rate cases and other proceedings conducted by
regulatory commissions or other governmental and legal
bodies;
|
|
·
|
Changes
in prices and availability for both purchases and sales of wholesale
electricity and purchases of coal, natural gas and other fuel sources
that
could have a significant impact on generation capacity and energy
costs;
|
|
·
|
Changes
in regulatory requirements or other legislation, including limits
on the
ability of public utilities to recover income tax expense in rates
such as
Oregon Senate Bill 408;
|
|
·
|
Changes
in economic, industry or weather conditions, as well as demographic
trends, that could affect customer growth and electricity usage
or
supply;
|
|
·
|
A
high degree of variance between actual and forecasted load and
prices that
could impact the hedging strategy and costs to balance electricity
load
and supply;
|
|
·
|
Hydroelectric
conditions, as well as the cost, feasibility and eventual outcome
of
hydroelectric relicensing proceedings, that could have a significant
impact on electric capacity and cost and on PacifiCorp’s ability to
generate electricity;
|
|
·
|
Performance
of PacifiCorp’s generation facilities, including unscheduled outages or
repairs;
|
|
·
|
Changes
in, and compliance with, environmental and endangered species laws,
regulations, decisions and policies that could increase operating
and
capital improvement costs, reduce plant output and/or delay plant
construction;
|
|
·
|
The
impact of new accounting pronouncements or changes in current accounting
estimates and assumptions on financial position and results of
operations;
|
|
·
|
The
impact of increases in healthcare costs, changes in interest rates
and
investment performance on pension and other post-retirement benefits
expense, as well as the impact of changes in legislation on funding
requirements;
|
|
·
|
Availability,
terms and deployment of capital;
|
|
·
|
Financial
condition and creditworthiness of significant customers and
suppliers;
|
16
|
·
|
The
impact of derivative instruments used to mitigate or manage volume
and
price risk and interest rate risk and changes in the commodity
prices,
interest rates and other conditions that affect the value of the
derivatives;
|
|
·
|
Changes
in PacifiCorp’s credit ratings;
|
|
·
|
Timely
and appropriate completion of PacifiCorp’s resource procurement process;
unanticipated construction delays, changes in costs, receipt of
required
permits and authorizations, ability to fund capital projects and
other
factors that could affect future generation plants and infrastructure
additions;
|
|
·
|
Other
risks or unforeseen events, including wars, the effects of terrorism,
embargos and other catastrophic events;
and
|
|
·
|
Other
business or investment considerations that may be disclosed from
time to
time in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) filings or
in other publicly disseminated written
documents.
|
Further
details of the potential risks and uncertainties affecting PacifiCorp are
described in PacifiCorp’s filings with the SEC, including Item 1A. and
other discussions contained in this Form 10-Q. PacifiCorp undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing
review
of factors should not be construed as exclusive.
Results
of Operations
Overview
PacifiCorp’s
net income increased $90 million during the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2007, to $339 million compared to $249 million for
the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006, primarily due to higher
retail revenues and higher net wholesale sales and purchases, partially offset
by higher fuel costs.
Retail
revenues increased due to higher retail prices approved by regulators, as
well
as continued growth in the number of retail customers and usage. Net margin
on
wholesale activities increased primarily due to higher average prices on
wholesale sales and lower purchased electricity volumes. PacifiCorp’s financial
results were further improved by higher output at PacifiCorp’s thermal and wind
plants serving the higher retail load. These improvements were partially
offset
by higher prices of coal, natural gas and purchased electricity, as well
as
lower hydroelectric generation.
Output
from PacifiCorp’s thermal plants for the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2007, increased by 3,135,182 megawatt-hours (“MWh”), or
9%, compared to the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006, primarily
due to the Currant Creek plant becoming fully operational at the end of
March 2006. Output from PacifiCorp’s wind plants increased by
261,137 MWh, or 314%, during the nine-month period ended September 30,
2007, compared to the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006, primarily
due to the Leaning Juniper plant being placed into service in
September 2006 and the Marengo plant being placed into service in
August 2007. Output from PacifiCorp’s hydroelectric facilities decreased by
621,155 MWh, or 18%, during the nine-month period ended September 30,
2007, compared to the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006, primarily
due to drier than normal conditions in the current period.
17
Three-Month
Periods Ended September 30, 2007 and 2006
Revenues
(dollars in millions)
Three-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Retail
|
$ |
904
|
$ |
803
|
$ |
101
|
13 | % | ||||||||
Wholesale
sales and other
|
233
|
294
|
(61 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||||||
Total
revenues
|
$ |
1,137
|
$ |
1,097
|
$ |
40
|
4
|
|||||||||
Retail
energy sales (gigawatt - hours)
|
14,188
|
13,704
|
484
|
4
|
||||||||||||
Wholesale
energy sales (gigawatt - hours)
|
3,129
|
3,401
|
(272 | ) | (8 | ) | ||||||||||
Average
retail customers (in thousands)
|
1,688
|
1,655
|
33
|
2
|
Retail
revenues increased $101 million, or 13%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$60 million
of increases from higher retail prices approved by
regulators;
|
|
·
|
$28 million
of increases due to higher average customer usage resulting primarily
from
warmer weather; and
|
|
·
|
$14 million
of increases due to growth in the number of
customers.
|
Wholesale
sales and other revenues decreased $61 million, or 21%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$84 million
of decreases due to changes in the fair value of derivative contracts;
partially offset by,
|
|
·
|
$20 million
of increases in wholesale electric sales primarily due to higher
average
prices, partially offset by lower
volumes.
|
Operating
Expenses (in millions)
Three-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Energy
costs
|
$ |
487
|
$ |
567
|
$ |
80
|
14 | % | ||||||||
Operations
and maintenance
|
230
|
253
|
23
|
9
|
||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
125
|
118
|
(7 | ) | (6 | ) | ||||||||||
Taxes,
other than income taxes
|
26
|
27
|
1
|
4
|
||||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
$ |
868
|
$ |
965
|
$ |
97
|
10
|
18
Energy
costs decreased $80 million, or 14%, primarily due to:
|
·
|
$155 million
of decreases due to changes in the fair value of derivative
contracts;
|
|
·
|
$15 million
of decreases primarily due to the deferral of incurred power costs
in
accordance with established adjustment mechanisms;
and
|
|
·
|
$3 million
of decreases due to the prior period loss on the streamflow weather
derivative contract; partially offset
by,
|
|
·
|
$54 million
of increases due to higher volumes of natural gas consumed at higher
average prices;
|
|
·
|
$18 million
of increases in the cost of coal primarily due to higher average
prices;
and
|
|
·
|
$17 million
of increases in purchased electricity due to higher average prices,
partially offset by lower volumes.
|
Operations
and maintenance expense decreased $23 million, or 9%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$15 million
of decreases in employee severance
costs;
|
|
·
|
$5 million
of decreases in employee expenses, primarily due to reduced workforce;
and
|
|
·
|
$5 million
of decreases primarily due to asset write-offs in the prior year;
partially offset by,
|
|
·
|
$3 million
of increases in maintenance costs and related contracts, primarily
associated with generation plant
overhauls.
|
Depreciation
and amortization expense increased
$7 million, or 6%, primarily due to higher plant in service.
Interest
and Other Expense (Income) (in millions)
Three-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
$ |
76
|
$ |
72
|
$ | (4 | ) | (6 | )% | |||||||
Interest
income
|
(3 | ) | (3 | ) |
-
|
-
|
||||||||||
Allowance
for borrowed funds
|
(8 | ) | (6 | ) |
2
|
33
|
||||||||||
Allowance
for equity funds
|
(11 | ) | (6 | ) |
5
|
83
|
||||||||||
Other
|
2
|
(1 | ) | (3 | ) | (300 | ) | |||||||||
Total
|
$ |
56
|
$ |
56
|
$ |
-
|
-
|
Interest
expense increased $4 million, or 6%, primarily due to higher average
debt balances during the three-month period ended September 30,
2007.
Allowance
for borrowed and equity funds increased $7 million, primarily due to
higher average qualified construction work-in-progress balances during the
three-month period ended September 30, 2007.
19
Income
Tax Expense
Income
tax expense for the three-month period ended September 30, 2007,
increased $61 million to $78 million from the comparable period in
2006, primarily due to higher pre-tax earnings and income tax accruals for
uncertain tax positions in the current period, compared to prior period benefits
attributed to the resolution of certain matters previously outstanding with
the
Internal Revenue Service. The effective tax rates were 37% and 22% for the
three-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
Nine-Month
Periods Ended September 30, 2007 and 2006
Revenues
(dollars in millions)
Nine-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Retail
|
$ |
2,455
|
$ |
2,212
|
$ |
243
|
11 | % | ||||||||
Wholesale
sales and other
|
735
|
975
|
(240 | ) | (25 | ) | ||||||||||
Total
revenues
|
$ |
3,190
|
$ |
3,187
|
$ |
3
|
-
|
|||||||||
Retail
energy sales (gigawatt - hours)
|
40,054
|
38,637
|
1,417
|
4
|
||||||||||||
Wholesale
energy sales (gigawatt - hours)
|
10,117
|
10,083
|
34
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Average
retail customers (in thousands)
|
1,680
|
1,645
|
35
|
2
|
Retail
revenues increased $243 million, or 11%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$145 million
of increases from higher retail prices approved by
regulators;
|
|
·
|
$61 million
of increases due to higher average customer usage, primarily as
a result
of more extreme weather conditions and an earlier start to the
irrigation
season in the current period as compared to the prior period;
and
|
|
·
|
$38 million
of increases due to growth in the number of
customers.
|
Wholesale
sales and other revenues decreased $240 million, or 25%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$311 million
of decreases due to changes in the fair value of derivative contracts;
and
|
|
·
|
$7 million
of decreases resulting from higher sales of sulfur dioxide emission
allowances in the prior period; partially offset
by,
|
|
·
|
$80 million
of increases substantially due to higher margins on non-physically
settled
system-balancing transactions and higher average prices on wholesale
electric sales.
|
20
Operating
Expenses (in millions)
Nine-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Energy
costs
|
$ |
1,327
|
$ |
1,451
|
$ |
124
|
9 | % | ||||||||
Operations
and maintenance
|
747
|
787
|
40
|
5
|
||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
368
|
347
|
(21 | ) | (6 | ) | ||||||||||
Taxes,
other than income taxes
|
77
|
77
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
$ |
2,519
|
$ |
2,662
|
$ |
143
|
5
|
Energy
costs decreased $124 million, or 9%, primarily due to:
|
·
|
$358 million
of decreases due to changes in the fair value of derivative
contracts;
|
|
·
|
$27 million
of decreases primarily due to the deferral of incurred power costs
in
accordance with established adjustment mechanisms;
and
|
|
·
|
$12 million
of decreases due to the prior period loss on the streamflow weather
derivative contract; partially offset
by,
|
|
·
|
$150 million
of increases due to higher volumes of natural gas consumed at higher
average prices;
|
|
·
|
$62 million
of increases in the cost of coal substantially due to higher average
prices; and
|
|
·
|
$54 million
of increases in purchased electricity primarily due to higher average
prices, partially offset by lower
volumes.
|
Operations
and maintenance expense decreased $40 million, or 5%, primarily due
to:
|
·
|
$28 million
of decreases in employee severance
costs;
|
|
·
|
$18 million
of decreases in employee expenses, primarily due to reduced
workforce;
|
|
·
|
$8 million
of decreases due to changes in environmental accruals;
and
|
|
·
|
$4 million
of decreases due to the initial assessment of penalties related
to
compliance with the FERC standards of conduct for transmission
in the
prior period; partially offset by,
|
|
·
|
$22 million
of increases in maintenance costs and related contracts, primarily
associated with generation plant
overhauls.
|
Depreciation
and amortization expense increased
$21 million, or 6%, primarily due to higher plant in
service.
21
Interest
and Other Expense (Income) (in millions)
Nine-Month
Periods
|
||||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Favorable/(Unfavorable)
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
|||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
$ |
230
|
$ |
210
|
$ | (20 | ) | (10 | )% | |||||||
Interest
income
|
(10 | ) | (7 | ) |
3
|
43
|
||||||||||
Allowance
for borrowed funds
|
(24 | ) | (16 | ) |
8
|
50
|
||||||||||
Allowance
for equity funds
|
(28 | ) | (18 | ) |
10
|
56
|
||||||||||
Other
|
-
|
(3 | ) | (3 | ) | (100 | ) | |||||||||
Total
|
$ |
168
|
$ |
166
|
$ | (2 | ) | (1 | ) |
Interest
expense increased $20 million, or 10%, primarily due to higher average
debt balances during the nine-month period ended September 30,
2007.
Allowance
for borrowed and equity funds increased $18 million, primarily due to
higher average qualified construction work-in-progress balances during the
nine-month period ended September 30, 2007.
Income
Tax Expense
Income
tax expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007,
increased $54 million to $164 million from the comparable period in
2006, primarily due to higher pre-tax earnings. The effective tax rates were
33%
and 31% for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Sources
and Uses of Cash
PacifiCorp
depends on both internal and external sources of liquidity to provide working
capital and to fund capital requirements. Short-term cash requirements not
met
by cash provided by operating activities are generally satisfied with proceeds
from short-term borrowings. Long-term cash needs are met through long-term
debt
issuances and through cash capital contributions from PacifiCorp’s direct parent
company, PPW Holdings LLC (“PPW”). PacifiCorp expects it will need
additional periodic equity contributions from its parent over the next several
years. Issuance of long-term securities is influenced by levels of short-term
debt, cash from operations, capital expenditures, market conditions, regulatory
approvals and other considerations.
Operating
Activities
Net
cash
flows provided by operating activities decreased $26 million to
$650 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007,
compared to $676 million for the nine-month period ended September 30,
2006, primarily due to the timing of payments and cash collections and higher
fuel costs, partially offset by higher retail revenues and higher net wholesale
sales and purchases.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash
used in investing activities decreased $10 million to $1,112 million
for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007, compared to
$1,122 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006.
Capital expenditures totaled $1,136 million for the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2007, compared to $1,113 million for the nine-month
period ended September 30, 2006. Capital spending increased primarily due
to wind generation investments. Additional increases resulted from the
construction and installation of emission control equipment and various capital
projects related to transmission, distribution and other generation facilities.
PacifiCorp spent approximately $89 million and $73 million, excluding
non-cash allowance for equity funds used during construction, on emission
control environmental projects during the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively. These increases were partially
offset by decreases in expenditures, as compared to the previous period,
for the
construction of the Currant Creek plant, which commenced full combined-cycle
operation in March 2006, and decreases in expenditures for the construction
of the 534-megawatt (“MW”) Lake Side plant, which commenced full combined-cycle
operation in September 2007.
22
Financing
Activities
Short-Term
Debt
PacifiCorp’s
short-term debt decreased by $191 million during the nine-month period
ended September 30, 2007, primarily due to the proceeds from the issuance
of long-term debt and the capital contributions received during the period,
partially offset by capital expenditures and maturities of long-term securities
in excess of net cash provided by operating activities.
Regulatory
authorities limit PacifiCorp to $1.5 billion of short-term debt, of which
an aggregate principal amount of $206 million of commercial paper was
outstanding at September 30, 2007, with a weighted-average interest rate of
5.3%.
Revolving
Credit and Other Financing Agreements
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp entered into a new unsecured revolving credit
facility with total bank commitments of $700 million. The facility
will support PacifiCorp's commercial paper program and terminates on
October 23, 2012. Terms and conditions, including borrowing rates, are
substantially similar to PacifiCorp's existing revolving credit facility.
Under PacifiCorp’s existing unsecured revolving credit facility, total bank
commitments of $800 million are available through July 2011 and
$760 million for the subsequent year ending July 2012. The credit
facility supports PacifiCorp’s commercial paper program and includes a
variable-rate borrowing option based on the London Interbank Offered Rate
(LIBOR) plus 0.195%, which varies based on PacifiCorp’s credit ratings for
its senior unsecured long-term debt securities. As of September 30, 2007,
there were no borrowings outstanding under this credit facility.
At
September 30, 2007, PacifiCorp had $518 million of standby letters of
credit and standby bond purchase agreements available to provide credit
enhancement and liquidity support for variable-rate pollution-control revenue
bond obligations. In addition, PacifiCorp had approximately $21 million of
standby letters of credit available to provide credit support for certain
transactions as requested by third parties. These committed bank arrangements
were all fully available at September 30, 2007 and expire periodically
through May 2012.
PacifiCorp’s
revolving credit and other financing agreements contain customary covenants
and
default provisions, including a covenant not to exceed a specified
debt-to-capitalization ratio of 0.65 to 1. At September 30, 2007,
PacifiCorp was in compliance with the covenants of its revolving credit and
other financing agreements.
Long-Term
Debt
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp issued $600 million of its 6.25% First
Mortgage Bonds due October 15, 2037. The proceeds will be used to repay
short-term debt and for general corporate purposes.
In
March 2007, PacifiCorp issued $600 million of its 5.75% First
Mortgage Bonds due April 1, 2037, and used the proceeds to repay short-term
debt and for general corporate purposes.
During
the nine-month period ending September 30, 2007, PacifiCorp made scheduled
long-term debt repayments of $114 million.
23
As
a
result of the October and March 2007 long-term debt issuances, PacifiCorp
has $300 million available under currently effective SEC shelf registration
statements covering future first mortgage bond and unsecured debt issuances.
PacifiCorp currently has available state regulatory authority from the Oregon
Public Utility Commission (“OPUC”) and the Idaho Public Utility Commission
(“IPUC”) to issue up to an additional $300 million of long-term debt. An
additional filing would be required with the Washington Utilities and
Transportation Commission (“WUTC”) prior to any future issuances. In
May 2007, PacifiCorp was granted an exemption from obtaining prior written
approval from the Utah Public Service Commission (“UPSC”) for additional
long-term debt issuances. The exemption generally remains in effect as long
as
PacifiCorp’s senior secured debt maintains investment grade
ratings.
Common
Shareholder’s Capital
During
the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007, PacifiCorp received capital
contributions from PPW of $200 million.
Preferred
Stock Redemptions
In
June 2007, PacifiCorp redeemed $38 million of outstanding preferred
stock subject to mandatory redemption, representing all remaining outstanding
shares of PacifiCorp’s $7.48 No Par Serial Preferred Stock
series.
Future
Uses of Cash
Dividends
PacifiCorp
does not currently anticipate that it will declare or pay dividends on common
stock during the remainder of the year ending
December 31, 2007.
Capital
Expenditure Program
Estimated
capital expenditures, which exclude non-cash allowances for equity funds
used
during construction, for the year ending December 31, 2007, are expected to
be approximately $1,644 million, which includes $797 million for
ongoing operations projects, including new connections related to customer
growth, $737 million for generation development and the related
transmission projects, and $110 million for emission control equipment to
address current and anticipated air quality regulations.
The
capital expenditures estimate for generation development projects for the
year
ending December 31, 2007, includes the 140-MW Marengo I wind plant
that was placed into service in August 2007. The estimate also includes
construction costs for the development of additional wind generation projects
that are expected to increase PacifiCorp’s renewable generation portfolio by
362 MW. These wind generation projects are expected to be placed into
service through December 31, 2008. PacifiCorp continues to pursue
additional cost-effective wind-powered generation.
The
estimated capital expenditures for generation development projects also includes
costs to complete the 534-MW Lake Side plant, which was placed into service
in
September 2007, as well as upgrades of other generation plant equipment.
Total costs for the Lake Side plant are expected to be approximately
$347 million, including non-cash allowance for equity funds used during
construction. As of September 30, 2007, $339 million, including
$17 million in non-cash allowance for equity funds used during
construction, had been incurred.
In
funding its capital expenditure program, PacifiCorp expects to obtain funds
required for construction and other purposes from sources similar to those
used
in the past, including cash provided by operating activities, the issuance
of
new long-term debt and cash capital contributions from PPW. The availability
of
capital will influence actual expenditures.
The
capital expenditure estimates are subject to a high degree of variability
based
on several factors, including, among others highlighted in “Forward-Looking
Statements” above, future decisions arising from PacifiCorp’s Integrated
Resource Plan process, changes in regulations, laws and market conditions,
as
well as the outcomes of rate-making proceedings. Additionally, capital
expenditure needs are regularly reviewed by management and may change
significantly as a result of such reviews.
24
Integrated
Resource Plans
As
required by state regulators, PacifiCorp uses Integrated Resource Plans (“IRP”)
to develop a long-term view of prudent future actions required to help ensure
that PacifiCorp continues to provide reliable and cost-effective electric
service to its customers. The IRP process identifies the amount and timing
of
PacifiCorp’s expected future resource needs and an associated optimal future
resource mix that accounts for planning uncertainty, risks, reliability impacts
and other factors. The IRP is a coordinated effort with stakeholders in each
of
the six states where PacifiCorp operates. Each state commission that has
IRP
adequacy rules judges whether the IRP reasonably meets its standards and
guidelines at the time the IRP is filed. PacifiCorp requests “acknowledgement”
of its IRP filing from the UPSC, the OPUC, the IPUC and the WUTC pursuant
to
those states’ IRP adequacy rules. The IRP can be used as evidence by parties in
rate-making or other regulatory proceedings. PacifiCorp files its IRP on
a
biennial basis. Additionally, PacifiCorp is required to file draft requests
for
proposals with the UPSC and the OPUC prior to issuance to the
market.
In
May 2007, PacifiCorp released its 2007 IRP. The 2007 IRP
identified a need for approximately 3,171 MW of additional resources by
summer 2016, to be met with a combination of thermal generation, combined
heat and power and load control programs. PacifiCorp also plans to procure
economic renewable resources, implement energy conservation programs and
to use
wholesale electricity transactions to make up for the remaining difference
between retail load obligations and available resources. PacifiCorp is currently
seeking acknowledgement of its 2007 IRP from state regulators and expects
the acknowledgement process to be complete in 2008.
Transmission
Investment
In
May 2007, PacifiCorp announced plans to build in excess of
1,200 miles of new transmission lines originating in Wyoming and connecting
into Utah, Idaho, Oregon and the desert Southwest. The estimated $4 billion
investment plan includes projects that will address customers’ increasing
electric energy use, improve system reliability and deliver wind and other
renewable generation resources to more customers throughout PacifiCorp’s
six-state service area and the western region. These transmission lines are
expected to be placed into service beginning 2010 through 2014.
Credit
Ratings
PacifiCorp’s
credit ratings at September 30, 2007, were as follows:
Moody’s
|
Standard
& Poor’s
|
|
Issuer/Corporate
|
Baa1
|
A-
|
Senior
secured debt
|
A3
|
A-
|
Senior
unsecured debt
|
Baa1
|
BBB+
|
Preferred
stock
|
Baa3
|
BBB
|
Commercial
paper
|
P-2
|
A-1
|
Outlook
|
Stable
|
Stable
|
In
conjunction with its risk management activities, PacifiCorp must meet credit
quality standards as required by counterparties. In accordance with industry
practice, contractual agreements that govern PacifiCorp’s energy management
activities either specifically provide bilateral rights to demand cash or
other
security if credit exposures on a net basis exceed certain ratings-dependent
threshold levels, or provide the right for counterparties to demand “adequate
assurances” in the event of a material adverse change in PacifiCorp’s
creditworthiness. If one or more of PacifiCorp’s credit ratings decline below
investment grade, PacifiCorp would be required to post cash collateral, letters
of credit or other similar credit support to facilitate ongoing wholesale
energy
management activities. At September 30, 2007, PacifiCorp’s credit ratings
from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s were investment grade; however, if the
ratings fell more than one rating below investment grade, PacifiCorp’s estimated
potential collateral requirements would total approximately $419 million.
PacifiCorp’s potential collateral requirements could fluctuate considerably due
to seasonality, market prices and their volatility, a loss of key PacifiCorp
generating facilities or other related factors.
For
a
further discussion of PacifiCorp’s credit ratings and their effect on
PacifiCorp’s business, refer to Item 7 of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on
Form 10-K for the nine-month period ended December 31,
2006.
25
Contractual
Obligations and Commercial Commitments
Subsequent
to December 31, 2006, there were no material changes outside the normal
course of business in the contractual obligations and commercial commitments
from the information provided in Item 7 of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report
on Form 10-K for the nine-month period ended December 31, 2006, other
than PacifiCorp’s March 2007 issuance of $600 million of its
5.75% First Mortgage Bonds due April 1, 2037 and October 2007
issuance of $600 million of its 6.25% First Mortgage Bonds due
October 15, 2037.
Regulatory
Matters
In
addition to the discussion contained herein regarding updates to regulatory
matters based upon material changes that occurred subsequent to
December 31, 2006, refer to Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements included in Item 1 for additional regulatory matter
updates.
Federal
Regulatory Matters
The
Bonneville Power Administration Residential Exchange Program
The
Northwest Power Act, through the Residential Exchange Program, provides access
to the benefits of low-cost federal hydroelectricity to the residential and
small-farm customers of the region’s investor-owned utilities. The program is
administered by the Bonneville Power Administration (the “BPA”) in
accordance with federal law. Pursuant to agreements between the BPA and
PacifiCorp, benefits from the BPA are passed through to PacifiCorp’s Oregon,
Washington and Idaho residential and small-farm customers in the form of
electricity bill credits. In October 2000, PacifiCorp entered into a
settlement agreement with the BPA that provided Residential Exchange Program
benefits to PacifiCorp’s customers from October 2001 through
September 2006. In May 2001, PacifiCorp entered into a load reduction
agreement with the BPA which eliminated the BPA’s obligation to deliver power to
PacifiCorp from October 2001 through September 2006 in exchange for
cash payments. This agreement also contained a “reduction of risk discount”
provision which provided that the BPA would reduce the cash payments to
PacifiCorp if by December 1, 2001, PacifiCorp and other utilities were able
to negotiate and enter into settlement agreements with the publicly owned
utilities and other of the BPA’s preference customers dismissing certain
lawsuits. If these parties did not reach settlement by the specified date,
the
clause would expire and the BPA would make cash payments to PacifiCorp based
on
the original rate for the October 2002 through September 2006 period.
Settlement was not reached and the clause expired obligating the BPA to make
the
full cash payment to PacifiCorp. In May 2004, PacifiCorp, the BPA and other
parties executed an additional agreement which modified both the
October 2000 and May 2001 agreements that provides for a guaranteed
range of benefits to customers from October 2006 through
September 2011.
Several
publicly owned utilities, cooperatives and the BPA’s direct-service industry
customers filed lawsuits against the BPA with the United States Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals (the “Ninth Circuit”) seeking review of certain aspects of the
BPA’s Residential Exchange Program, as well as challenging the level of benefits
previously paid to investor-owned utility customers. In May 2007, the
Ninth Circuit issued two decisions. The first decision sets aside the
October 2000 Residential Exchange Program settlement agreement as being
inconsistent with the BPA’s settlement authority. The second decision holds,
among other things, that the BPA acted contrary to law when it allocated
to its
preference customers, which include public utilities, cooperatives and federal
agencies, part of the costs of the October 2000 settlement the BPA reached
with its investor-owned utility customers. As a result of the ruling, in
May 2007, the BPA notified the Pacific Northwest’s six utilities, including
PacifiCorp, that it was immediately suspending payments. This has resulted
in
increases to PacifiCorp’s residential and small farm customers’ electric bills
in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Because the benefit payments from the BPA
are
passed through to PacifiCorp’s customers, the outcome of this matter is not
expected to have a significant effect on PacifiCorp’s consolidated financial
results. In October 2007, the Ninth Circuit issued one published decision
and three unpublished decisions. The published decision remanded the
May 2004 agreements modifying the October 2000 and May 2001
agreements to the BPA for further action consistent with the Ninth Circuit’s
May 2007 decisions. The other three unpublished decisions dismiss cases in
which the publicly owned utilities sought review of the BPA’s decision to
implement the reduction of risk discount provision and make the full cash
payment to PacifiCorp.
26
Hydroelectric
Decommissioning
Powerdale
Hydroelectric Project – (Hood River, Oregon)
In
June 2003, PacifiCorp entered into a settlement agreement to remove the
6-MW nameplate-rated Powerdale plant rather than pursue a new license, based
on
an analysis of the costs and benefits of relicensing versus decommissioning.
Removal of the Powerdale plant and associated project features, which is
subject
to the FERC and other regulatory approvals, is projected to cost $6 million
excluding inflation. Removal of the plant is scheduled to commence in 2010.
However, in November 2006, flooding damaged the Powerdale plant and
rendered its generating capabilities inoperable. In February 2007, the FERC
granted PacifiCorp’s request to cease generation at the project until
decommissioning activities begin. Also in February 2007, PacifiCorp
submitted a request to the FERC to allow it to defer the remaining net book
value and any additional removal costs of this project as a regulatory asset.
In
May 2007, the FERC issued an order which approved PacifiCorp’s proposed
accounting entries, thereby allowing PacifiCorp to reclassify the net book
value
and the estimated removal costs to a regulatory asset. PacifiCorp has filed
with
its state commissions to recover these costs.
State
Regulatory Actions
The
following discussion provides a state-by-state update based upon significant
changes that occurred subsequent to December 31, 2006.
Utah
In
June 2007, the second phase of PacifiCorp’s general rate case filed in
March 2006 became effective, adjusting the rate increase from
$85 million to $115 million. Under the terms of the stipulation in the
case, PacifiCorp has agreed not to file another rate case before
December 11, 2007, with new rates to become effective no earlier than
August 2008.
Oregon
In
July 2007, as part of PacifiCorp’s annual compliance filing with the OPUC
to update forecasted net power costs, PacifiCorp requested an increase of
approximately $30 million, or an average price increase of 3%, to take
effect January 1, 2008. The annual filing, called the transition adjustment
mechanism (“TAM”), will be adjusted for new contracts through October 2007
and for other changes to forecasted net power costs, such as coal and natural
gas prices, through November 2007. The OPUC issued an order on
October 17, 2007, which is expected to reduce the requested increase by
approximately $9 million. The final net power cost increase under the TAM
will
be determined in November 2007, after PacifiCorp’s annual filing is updated
for the changes to forecasted net power costs.
In
August 2007, PacifiCorp filed a renewable cost adjustment clause that will
allow for timely recovery of the costs to implement Oregon’s Renewable Portfolio
Standard (“RPS”) between rate cases. The RPS requires the OPUC to approve an
automatic adjustment clause for timely recovery of these costs by
January 1, 2008.
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp filed its first tax report under Oregon Senate
Bill 408 (“SB 408”), which was enacted in September 2005. The
filing indicates that in 2006, PacifiCorp paid $33 million more in federal,
state and local taxes than was reflected in rates to its retail customers.
SB 408 requires that PacifiCorp and other large regulated, investor-owned
utilities that provide electric or natural gas service to Oregon customers
file
an annual tax report with the OPUC. The filing will be subject to a 180-day
procedural schedule with rates potentially effective
June 2008.
27
Wyoming
In
June 2007, PacifiCorp filed a general rate case with the Wyoming Public
Service Commission (“WPSC”) requesting an increase of $36 million annually,
or an average price increase of 8%. In addition, PacifiCorp requested approval
of a new renewable resource mechanism and a marginal cost pricing tariff
to
better reflect the cost of adding new generation. PacifiCorp expects the
new
rates to become effective by May 2008.
Washington
In
October 2006, PacifiCorp filed a general rate case with the WUTC for an
annual increase of $23 million, or 10%. As part of the filing, PacifiCorp
proposed a Washington-only cost-allocation methodology, which is based on
PacifiCorp’s western resources. The rate case included a five-year pilot period
on the proposed allocation methodology and a power cost adjustment mechanism
(“PCAM”). On June 21, 2007, the WUTC issued an order approving a rate
increase of $14 million, or an average price increase of 6%, effective
June 27, 2007, and accepted PacifiCorp’s proposed allocation methodology
for a five-year pilot period. The WUTC found that PacifiCorp demonstrated
the
need for a PCAM, but it did not approve the design of the proposal in this
case.
The order authorized PacifiCorp to file a revised PCAM proposal, with or
without
a request to file power cost-only rate cases, outside the context of a general
rate case within 12 months of the order.
Idaho
In
June 2007, PacifiCorp filed a general rate case with the IPUC for an annual
increase of $18 million, or an average price increase of 10%, with a
request for an effective date of January 1, 2008. A hearing on the general
rate case has been scheduled for November 6, 2007.
California
In
August 2007, PacifiCorp filed an energy cost adjustment clause application
with the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) to update actual and
forecasted net variable power costs, requesting a rate increase of
$6 million, or 8% overall, with an effective date of January 1,
2008.
In
October 2007, PacifiCorp filed two advice letter filings requesting
authority to implement components of the post test-year adjustment
mechanism. The
combined requested increase would total $2 million, or 2%, and would be
effective January 1, 2008.
Depreciation
Rate Changes
In
August 2007, PacifiCorp filed applications with the respective regulatory
commissions in Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington and Idaho to change the
rates
of depreciation, based on a new depreciation study. PacifiCorp expects that
the
state regulatory commissions will make the results of the new depreciation
study
effective beginning January 1, 2008.
28
Environmental
Matters
In
addition to the discussion contained herein, refer to Note 5 of Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 1 of this report and
Item 1 of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on Form 10-K for the
nine-month period ended December 31, 2006, for additional information
regarding certain environmental matters affecting PacifiCorp’s
operations.
Renewable
Portfolio Standards
The
RPS
requirements described below could significantly impact PacifiCorp’s financial
results. Resources that meet the qualifying electricity requirements under
the
RPS vary from state-to-state. Each state’s RPS require some form of compliance
reporting and PacifiCorp can be subject to penalties in the event of
non-compliance.
In
November 2006, Washington voters approved a ballot initiative establishing
a RPS requirement for qualifying electric utilities, including PacifiCorp.
The
requirements are 3% of retail sales in 2012 through 2015, 9% of retail sales
in
2016 through 2019 and 15% of retail sales in 2020. The WUTC has undertaken
a
rulemaking proceeding to implement the initiative. PacifiCorp expects to
be able
to recover its costs of complying with the RPS, either through rate cases
or an
adjustment mechanism.
In
June 2007, the Oregon Renewable Energy Act (the “Act”) was adopted,
providing a comprehensive renewable energy policy for Oregon. Subject to
certain
exemptions and cost limitations established in the Act, PacifiCorp and
other
qualifying electric utilities must meet minimum qualifying electricity
requirements for electricity sold to retail customers of at least 5% in
2011
through 2014, 15% in 2015 through 2019, 20% in 2020 through 2024, and 25%
in
2025 and subsequent years. The Act requires the OPUC to establish an automatic
adjustment clause or other timely mechanism to allow the electric utility
to
recover prudently incurred costs of its investments in renewable energy
facilities and associated transmission costs. The OPUC and the Oregon Department
of Energy have undertaken rulemaking proceedings to implement the initiative.
PacifiCorp expects to be able to recover its costs of complying with the
RPS
through the automatic adjustment mechanism.
California
law requires electric utilities to increase their procurement of renewable
resources by at least 1% of their annual retail electricity sales per year
so
that 20% of their annual electricity sales are procured from renewable resources
by no later than December 31, 2010. However, PacifiCorp and other small
multi-jurisdictional utilities (“SMJU”) are currently awaiting further guidance
from the CPUC on the treatment of SMJUs in the California RPS program.
PacifiCorp has filed comments requesting SMJU rules for flexible compliance
with
annual targets. PacifiCorp expects rules governing the treatment of SMJUs
and
any specific flexible compliance mechanisms to be released by CPUC staff
for
public review in 2007. Absent further direction from the CPUC on treatment
of
SMJUs, PacifiCorp cannot predict the impact of the California RPS on its
financial results.
Climate Change
As
a
result of increased attention to climate change in the United States, numerous
bills have been introduced in the current session of the United States Congress
that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Congressional
leadership has made climate change legislation a priority, and many
congressional observers expect to see the passage of climate change legislation
within the next several years. In addition, nongovernmental organizations
have
become more active in initiating citizen suits under existing environmental
and
other laws. In April 2007, a United States Supreme Court decision concluded
that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has the authority under the
Clean Air Act to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.
In
addition, pending cases that address the potential public nuisance from
greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generators and the EPA’s failure to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing coal-fired plants
are
expected to become active. Furthermore, while debate continues at the national
level over the direction of domestic climate policy, several states have
developed state-specific laws or regional legislative initiatives to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, including Oregon, Washington, California and several
Northeastern states, and individual state actions to regulate greenhouse
gas
emissions are likely to increase. The impact of any pending judicial proceedings
and any pending or enacted federal and state climate change legislation and
regulation cannot be determined at this time; however, adoption of stringent
limits on greenhouse gas emissions could significantly impact PacifiCorp’s
current and future fossil-fueled facilities, and, therefore, its financial
results.
29
In
February 2007, the governors of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and
Washington signed the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative (the “Western
Climate Initiative”) that directed their respective states to develop a regional
target for reducing greenhouse gases by August 2007. Utah joined the
Western Climate Initiative in May 2007. The states in the Western Climate
Initiative recently announced a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
by
15% below 2005 levels by 2020, with Utah establishing its reduction goal
by
August 2008. By August 2008, they are expected to devise a
market-based program, such as a load-based cap-and-trade program for the
electric sector, to reach the regional target. The Western Climate Initiative
participants also have agreed to participate in a multi-state registry to
track
and manage greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
The
Washington and Oregon governors enacted legislation in May 2007 and
August 2007, respectively, establishing economy-wide goals for the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in their respective states. Washington’s
goals seek to, (i) by 2020, reduce emissions to 1990 levels;
(ii) by 2035, reduce emissions to 25% below 1990 levels; and
(iii) by 2050, reduce emissions to 50% below 1990 levels, or 70% below
Washington’s forecasted emissions in 2050. Oregon’s goals seek to, (i) by
2010, cease the growth of Oregon greenhouse gas emissions; (ii) by 2020,
reduce greenhouse gas levels to 10% below 1990 levels; and (iii) by
2050, reduce greenhouse gas levels to at least 75% below 1990 levels. Each
state’s legislation also calls for state government-developed policy
recommendations in the future to assist in the monitoring and achievement
of
these goals. The impact of the enacted legislation on PacifiCorp cannot
be
determined at this time.
New
Accounting Pronouncements
For
a
discussion of new accounting pronouncements affecting PacifiCorp, refer to
Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in
Item 1.
Critical
Accounting Policies
Certain
accounting policies require management to make estimates and judgments
concerning transactions that will be settled in the future. Amounts recognized
in the financial statements from such estimates are necessarily based on
numerous assumptions involving varying and potentially significant degrees
of
judgment and uncertainty. Accordingly, the amounts currently reflected in
the
financial statements will likely increase or decrease in the future as
additional information becomes available. Estimates are used for, but not
limited to, the accounting for the effects of certain types of regulation,
derivatives, pension and postretirement obligations, income taxes and revenue
recognition - unbilled revenue.
For
additional discussion of PacifiCorp’s critical accounting policies, see
Item 7 of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on Form 10-K for the
nine-month period ended December 31, 2006. PacifiCorp’s critical accounting
policies have not changed materially since December 31, 2006, other than
the adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 48,
“Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – an interpretation of FASB
Statement No. 109.”
30
Item
3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
For
quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk affecting PacifiCorp,
see Item 7A of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on Form 10-K for the
nine-month period ended December 31, 2006. PacifiCorp’s exposure to market
risk has not changed materially since December 31, 2006, except as
described below.
Commodity
Price Risk
PacifiCorp
measures the market risk in its electricity and natural gas portfolio daily,
utilizing a historical Value-at-Risk ("VaR") approach and other measurements
of
net position. VaR represents an estimate of possible changes at a given level
of
confidence in fair value that would be measured on its portfolio assuming
hypothetical movements in forward market prices and is not necessarily
indicative of actual results that may occur. One of the key assumptions utilized
in the VaR computations is expected retail load levels. In May 2007,
PacifiCorp completed its periodic update of its estimated long-term retail
load
levels, which affected the VaR computation. The updated estimate indicates
an
increase in PacifiCorp’s long-term retail loads due to higher levels of
industrial activity, primarily in the natural resource development and
manufacturing industries, in several states. The increase also reflects
accelerated expected growth rates in the number of retail customers and usage
in
Oregon and Utah.
As
of
September 30, 2007, PacifiCorp’s estimated potential one-day unfavorable
impact on fair value of the electricity and natural gas commodity portfolio
over
the next 48 months was $8 million, as measured by the VaR computations
described above, compared to $16 million as of December 31, 2006. The
minimum, average and maximum daily VaR (one-day holding periods) are as follows
(in millions):
Three-Month
Period
|
Nine-Month
Period
|
|||||||
Ended September 30, 2007
|
Ended September 30, 2007
|
|||||||
Minimum
VaR (measured)
|
$ |
8
|
$ |
8
|
||||
Average
VaR (calculated)
|
9
|
13
|
||||||
Maximum
VaR (measured)
|
11
|
20
|
PacifiCorp maintained compliance with its VaR limit procedures during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007. Changes in markets inconsistent with historical trends or assumptions used could cause actual results to exceed predicted limits.
Item
4. Controls
and Procedures.
An
evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation
of
PacifiCorp’s management, including the chief executive officer and chief
financial officer, regarding the effectiveness of the design and operation
of
PacifiCorp’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Rule 13a-15(e) promulgated under the Securities and Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended) as of September 30, 2007. Based on that
evaluation, PacifiCorp’s management, including the chief executive officer and
chief financial officer, concluded that PacifiCorp’s disclosure controls and
procedures were effective. There have been no changes during the quarter
covered
by this report in PacifiCorp’s internal control over financial reporting that
has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,
PacifiCorp’s internal control over financial reporting.
31
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
For
a
description of certain legal proceedings affecting PacifiCorp, refer to
Item 3 of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on Form 10-K for the
nine-month period ended December 31, 2006. Material developments to these
proceedings during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007, are
included in Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included
in Item 1.
Item
1A. Risk
Factors.
There
has
been no material change to PacifiCorp’s risk factors from those disclosed in
Item 1A of PacifiCorp’s Transition Report on Form 10-K for the
nine-month period ended December 31, 2006.
Item
2. Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Not
applicable.
Item
3. Defaults
Upon Senior Securities.
Not
applicable.
Item
4. Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not
applicable.
Item
5. Other
Information.
Not
applicable.
Item
6. Exhibits.
The
exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of this
Quarterly Report.
32
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
PACIFICORP
|
|
(Registrant)
|
|
Date:
November 2, 2007
|
/s/
David J. Mendez
|
David
J. Mendez
|
|
Senior
Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer
|
33
Exhibit
No.
|
Description
|
15
|
Letter
Re: Unaudited Interim Financial Information.
|
31.1
|
Chief
Executive Officer’s Certificate Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
31.2
|
Chief
Financial Officer’s Certificate Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
32.1
|
Chief
Executive Officer’s Certificate Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
32.2
|
Chief
Financial Officer’s Certificate Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
99
|
$700,000,000
Credit Agreement dated as of October 23, 2007 among PacifiCorp, The
Banks Party thereto, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, as Syndication
Agent,
and Union Bank of California, N.A., as Administrative
Agent.
|
34