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Acquisitions | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Business Combinations [Abstract] |
ACQUISITIONS | ACQUISITIONS Acquisition of Integrys On June 29, 2015, Wisconsin Energy Corporation acquired 100% of the outstanding common shares of Integrys and changed its name to WEC Energy Group, Inc. Integrys is a provider of regulated natural gas and electricity, as well as nonregulated renewable energy products and services. Integrys also provided CNG products and services prior to the sale of ITF in the first quarter of 2016. Integrys holds a 34% interest in ATC, a for-profit transmission company regulated by the FERC. The acquisition of Integrys has provided increased scale, operating efficiencies, and the potential for long-term cost savings through a combination of lower capital and operating costs. Purchase Price Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Integrys’s shareholders received 1.128 shares of Wisconsin Energy Corporation common stock and $18.58 in cash per share of Integrys common stock. The total consideration transferred was based on the closing price of Wisconsin Energy Corporation common stock on June 29, 2015, and was calculated as follows:
|  | Consideration Paid
(in millions, except per share amounts) |  | Stock |  | Cash |  | Total
Integrys common shares outstanding at June 29, 2015 |  | 79,963,091 |  |  | 79,963,091 |  |  |
Exchange ratio |  | 1.128 |  |  |  |  |
Wisconsin Energy Corporation shares issued for Integrys shares * |  | 90,187,884 |  |  |  |  |
Closing price of Wisconsin Energy Corporation common shares on June 29, 2015 |  | $45.16 |  |  |  |
Fair value of common stock issued |  | $ | 4,072.9 |  |  |  |  | $ | 4,072.9 |
Cash paid per share of Integrys shares outstanding |  |  |  | $18.58 |  |
Fair value of cash paid for Integrys shares * |  |  |  | $ | 1,486.2 |  |  | $ | 1,486.2 |
Consideration attributable to settlement of equity awards, net of tax |  |  |  | $ | 24.0 |  |  | $ | 24.0 |
Total purchase price |  | $ | 4,072.9 |  |  | $ | 1,510.2 |  |  | $ | 5,583.1 |
* | Fractional shares of 10,483 totaling $0.5 million were paid in cash.
All Integrys unvested stock-based compensation awards became fully vested upon the close of the acquisition and were either paid to award recipients in cash, or the value of the awards was deferred into a deferred compensation plan. In addition, all vested but unexercised Integrys stock options were paid in cash. In accordance with accounting guidance for business combinations, the acceleration of the vesting was recorded as an acquisition-related expense. Allocation of Purchase Price The Integrys assets acquired and liabilities assumed were measured at estimated fair value in accordance with the accounting guidance under the Business Combinations Topic in the FASB ASC. Substantially all of Integrys's operations are subject to the rate-setting authority of federal and state regulatory commissions. These operations are accounted for following the accounting guidance under the Regulated Operations Topic of the FASB ASC. The underlying assets and liabilities of ATC are also regulated by the FERC. Integrys's assets and liabilities that are subject to rate-setting provisions provide revenues derived from costs, including a return on investment of assets less liabilities included in rate base. As such, the fair values of these assets and liabilities equal their carrying values. Accordingly, neither the assets and liabilities acquired, nor the pro forma financial information, reflect any adjustments related to these amounts. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed was recognized as goodwill. The goodwill reflects the value paid for the increased scale and efficiencies as a result of the combination. The goodwill recognized is not deductible for income tax purposes, and as such, no deferred taxes have been recorded related to goodwill. See Note 10, Goodwill, for the allocation of goodwill to our reportable segments. During the first six months of 2016, adjustments were made to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, primarily in connection with the sale of ITF and reserves recorded for likely settlements of certain legal and regulatory matters. The table below shows the final allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of the acquisition:
(in millions) |  |
Current assets |  | $ | 1,060.1 |
Property, plant, and equipment, net |  | 7,107.4 |
Goodwill |  | 2,604.3 |
Other long-term assets * |  | 2,830.5 |
Current liabilities |  | (1,320.7 | )
Long-term debt |  | (2,943.6 | )
Other long-term liabilities |  | (3,703.8 | )
Preferred stock of subsidiary |  | (51.1 | )
Total purchase price |  | $ | 5,583.1 |
* | Includes equity method goodwill related to Integrys's investment in ATC. See Note 4, Investment in American Transmission Company, for more information.
In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-16, Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which requires that an acquirer recognize and disclose adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during an acquisition measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. ASU 2015-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption was permitted for any interim and annual financial statements that had not yet been issued. We early adopted ASU 2015-16 in the fourth quarter of 2015. Adoption had no impact on our financial statements. Conditions of Approval The acquisition was subject to the approvals of various government agencies, including the FERC, Federal Communications Commission, PSCW, ICC, MPSC, and MPUC. Approvals were obtained from all agencies subject to several conditions. The PSCW order includes the following conditions:
• | WE and WG are each subject to an earnings sharing mechanism for three years beginning January 1, 2016. Under the earnings sharing mechanisms, if either company earns above its authorized return, 50% of the first 50 basis points of additional utility earnings will be shared with customers. For WE, the additional utility earnings will be used to reduce the company’s transmission escrow. For WG, additional utility earnings will be used to reduce the costs of the Western Gas Lateral that would otherwise be included in rates. All utility earnings above the first 50 basis points will be used to reduce the transmission escrow for WE and reduce the costs of the Western Gas Lateral that would otherwise be included in rates for WG. For the year ended December 31, 2016, WE and WG recorded a combined $24.4 million of expense related to these earnings sharing mechanisms.
• | Any future electric generation projects affecting Wisconsin ratepayers submitted by us or our subsidiaries will first consider the extent to which existing intercompany resources can meet energy and capacity needs. In September 2015, WPS and WE filed a joint integrated resource plan with the PSCW for their combined loads, which indicated that no new generation is currently needed.
The ICC order includes a base rate freeze for PGL and NSG effective for two years after the close of the acquisition. This base rate freeze does not impact PGL's or NSG's ability to adjust rates through various riders or GCRMs. We do not believe that the conditions set forth in the various regulatory orders approving the acquisition will have a material impact on our operations or financial results. Pro Forma Information The following unaudited pro forma financial information reflects the consolidated results and amortization of purchase price adjustments as if the acquisition had taken place on January 1, 2014. The unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations that would have been achieved or our future consolidated results. The pro forma financial information does not reflect any potential cost savings from operating efficiencies resulting from the acquisition and does not include certain acquisition-related costs.
|  | Year Ended December 31
(in millions, except per share amounts) |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Unaudited pro forma financial information |  |  |  |
Operating revenues |  | $ | 7,727.1 |  |  | $ | 9,135.4 |
Net income attributed to common shareholders |  | $ | 873.5 |  |  | $ | 869.9 |
Earnings per share (Basic) |  | $ | 2.77 |  |  | $ | 2.76 |
Earnings per share (Diluted) |  | $ | 2.75 |  |  | $ | 2.74 |
Impact of Acquisition As a result of the acquisition, our ownership of ATC increased to approximately 60%. We have made commitments with respect to our voting rights of the combined ownership of ATC, which are included as enforceable conditions in the FERC and PSCW orders approving the acquisition. Under GAAP, these commitments do not allow for the consolidation of ATC in our financial statements and the 60% ownership is accounted for as an equity method investment subsequent to the close of the acquisition. See Note 4, Investment in American Transmission Company, for more information. In connection with the acquisition, WEC Energy Group and its subsidiaries recorded pre-tax acquisition costs of $3.5 million, $107.6 million, and $12.5 million during 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. These costs consisted of employee-related expenses, professional fees, and other miscellaneous costs. They are primarily recorded in the other operation and maintenance line item on the income statements. Included in the 2015 acquisition costs was $24.9 million of severance expense that resulted from employee reductions related to the post-acquisition integration. Severance expense incurred during 2016 was not significant. The 2015 severance expense was recorded in the following segments:
(in millions) |  | Year ended December 31, 2015
Wisconsin |  | $ | 11.1 |
Illinois |  | 0.9 |
Other states |  | 0.1 |
Corporate and other |  | 12.8 |
Total severance expense |  | $ | 24.9 |
Severance payments of $7.5 million and $16.9 million were made during 2016 and 2015, respectively. The severance accruals on our our balance sheets were not significant at December 31, 2016 and 2015. Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2015 include revenues attributable to Integrys of $1,416.8 million. Included in our net income for the year ended December 31, 2015, is net income attributable to Integrys of $65.9 million. Acquisition of a Natural Gas Storage Facility in Michigan In January 2017, we signed an agreement for the acquisition of a natural gas storage facility in Michigan for $225 million that would provide approximately one-third of the storage needs for our Wisconsin natural gas utilities. In addition, we expect to incur approximately $5 million of acquisition related costs. A request has been filed with the PSCW for a declaratory ruling related to the recovery of this investment. PSCW approval and closing of this transaction are expected to occur by the third quarter of 2017.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for business combinations, including leverage buyout transactions (as applicable), and divestitures. This may include a description of a business combination or divestiture (or series of individually immaterial business combinations or divestitures) completed during the period, including background, timing, and assets and liabilities recognized and reclassified or sold. This element does not include fixed asset sales and plant closings. + References No definition available. + Details
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