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REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT | REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 WEC Energy Group's regulated utilities deferred for return to ratepayers, through future refunds, bill credits, riders, or reductions in other regulatory assets, the estimated tax benefit of $2,450 million related to the Tax Legislation that was signed into law in December 2017. This tax benefit resulted from the revaluation of deferred taxes in December 2017. The current 2018 tax benefit related to the Tax Legislation, which reduced the corporate federal tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018, is also being deferred for return to ratepayers. We have not received a written order in any of our jurisdictions addressing the refunding of these amounts to date other than the rider approved in Illinois. See Variable Income Tax Adjustment Rider below for more information on this Illinois rider. Our proposed approach for the remaining jurisdictions is outlined below. Wisconsin In April 2018, the PSCW issued a preliminary determination regarding the benefits associated with the Tax Legislation. For our Wisconsin electric utility operations, the PSCW indicated that 80% of the current 2018 and 2019 tax benefits should be used to reduce certain regulatory assets at WE and WPS, with the remaining 20% returned to electric customers in the form of bill credits. For our Wisconsin natural gas utility operations, the PSCW indicated that 100% of current 2018 and 2019 tax benefits should be returned to natural gas customers in the form of bill credits. Regarding the net tax benefit associated with the revaluation of deferred taxes, amortization required in accordance with normalization accounting for our electric utilities should be used to reduce certain regulatory assets, while the timing and method of returning the remaining net tax benefit associated with the revaluation of deferred taxes was not addressed and will be determined in a future rate proceeding. Until we receive the final written order, the specific terms are subject to change. Michigan In February 2018, the MPSC issued an order requiring Michigan utilities to make three filings related to the Tax Legislation. The first of those filings, which was filed in March 2018, prospectively addresses the impact on base rates for the change in tax expense resulting from the federal tax rate reduction from 35% to 21%. For UMERC and MGU, the proposed approach is to provide a volumetric bill credit, subject to reconciliation and true up. The second filing will be due 30 days after the MPSC issues an order on the first filing and is required to address the impact on base rates for the change in tax expense resulting from the federal tax rate reduction from 35% to 21% from January 1, 2018, until the effective date of the initial filing. The third filing, which is due in October 2018, will address the remaining impacts of the Tax Legislation on base rates - most notably the re-measurement of deferred tax balances. UMERC and MGU have not yet made a proposal on the second and third filings. WE, which serves one retail electric customer in Michigan, has reached a settlement with that customer. That settlement has been filed with the MPSC in March 2018 and addresses all base rate impacts of the Tax Legislation. Minnesota MERC is currently in an active rate case for 2018 and expects to address all aspects of the Tax Legislation, including the re-measurement of deferred tax balances, in that rate case. MERC expects that all impacts of the Tax Legislation will be incorporated into base rates when they are approved by the MPUC during the active rate proceeding. Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Wisconsin Gas LLC, and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation 2018 and 2019 Rates During April 2017, WE, WG, and WPS filed an application with the PSCW for approval of a settlement agreement they made with several of their commercial and industrial customers regarding 2018 and 2019 base rates. In September 2017, the PSCW issued an order that approved the settlement agreement, which will freeze base rates through 2019 for electric, gas, and steam customers of WE, WG, and WPS. Based on the PSCW order, the authorized ROE for WE, WG, and WPS remains at 10.2%, 10.3%, and 10.0%, respectively, and the current capital cost structure for all of our Wisconsin utilities will remain unchanged through 2019. Various intervenors had filed requests for rehearing, all of which have been denied. In addition to freezing base rates, the settlement agreement extends and expands the electric real-time market pricing program options for large commercial and industrial customers and mitigates the continued growth of certain escrowed costs at WE during the base rate freeze period by accelerating the recognition of certain tax benefits. WE will flow through the tax benefit of its repair-related deferred tax liabilities in 2018 and 2019, to maintain certain regulatory asset balances at their December 31, 2017 levels. While WE would typically follow the normalization accounting method and utilize the tax benefits of the deferred tax liabilities in rate making as an offset to rate base, benefiting customers over time, the federal tax code does allow for passing these tax repair-related benefits to ratepayers much sooner using the flow through accounting method. The flow through treatment of the repair related deferred tax liabilities offsets the negative income statement impact of holding the regulatory assets level, resulting in no change to net income. The agreement also allows WPS to extend through 2019, the deferral for the revenue requirement of ReACT™ costs above the authorized $275.0 million level, and other deferrals related to WPS's electric real-time market pricing program and network transmission expenses. The total cost of the ReACT™ project, excluding $51 million of AFUDC, is currently estimated to be $342 million. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, WPS also agreed to adopt, beginning in 2018, the earnings sharing mechanism that has been in place for WE and WG since January 2016, and all three utilities agreed to keep the mechanism in place through 2019. Under this earnings sharing mechanism, if WE, WG, or WPS earns above its authorized ROE, 50% of the first 50 basis points of additional utility earnings must be shared with customers. All utility earnings above the first 50 basis points must also be shared with customers. Acquisition of a Wind Energy Generation Facility in Wisconsin In October 2017, WPS, along with two other unaffiliated utilities, entered into an agreement to purchase the Forward Wind Energy Center, which consists of 86 wind turbines located in Wisconsin with a total capacity of 129 MW. The FERC approved the transaction in January 2018, and the PSCW approved the transaction in March 2018. The transaction closed on April 2, 2018. See Note 2, Acquisitions, for more information. Natural Gas Storage Facilities in Michigan In January 2017, we signed an agreement for the acquisition of Bluewater. Bluewater owns natural gas storage facilities in Michigan that are providing approximately one-third of the current storage needs for the natural gas operations of WE, WG, and WPS. As a result of this agreement, WE, WG, and WPS filed a request with the PSCW in February 2017 for a declaratory ruling on various items associated with the storage facilities. In the filing, WE, WG, and WPS requested that the PSCW review and confirm the reasonableness and prudency of their potential long-term storage service agreements and interstate natural gas transportation contracts related to the storage facilities. WE, WG, and WPS also requested approval to amend our Affiliated Interest Agreement to ensure WBS and our other subsidiaries could provide services to the storage facilities. The PSCW granted, subject to various conditions, these declarations and approvals, and we acquired Bluewater on June 30, 2017. In September 2017, WE, WG, and WPS finalized the long-term service agreements for the natural gas storage, which were approved by the PSCW in November 2017. See Note 2, Acquisitions, for more information. The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company and North Shore Gas Company Illinois Proceedings In December 2015, the ICC ordered a series of stakeholder workshops to evaluate PGL's SMP. This ICC action did not impact PGL's ongoing work to modernize and maintain the safety of its natural gas distribution system, but it instead provided the ICC with an opportunity to analyze long-term elements of the program through the stakeholder workshops. The workshops were completed in March 2016. In July 2016, the ICC initiated a proceeding to review, among other things, the planning, reporting, and monitoring of the program, including the target end date for the program, and issued a final order in January 2018. The order did not have a significant impact on PGL's existing SMP design and execution. An appeal related to the final order was filed by the Illinois Attorney General in April 2018. Qualifying Infrastructure Plant Rider In July 2013, Illinois Public Act 98-0057, The Natural Gas Consumer, Safety & Reliability Act, became law. This law provides PGL with a cost recovery mechanism that allows collection, through a surcharge on customer bills, of prudently incurred costs to upgrade Illinois natural gas infrastructure. In September 2013, PGL filed with the ICC requesting the proposed rider, which was approved in January 2014. PGL's QIP rider is subject to an annual reconciliation whereby costs are reviewed for accuracy and prudency. In March 2018, PGL filed its 2017 reconciliation with the ICC, which, along with the 2016 and 2015 reconciliations, are still pending. In February 2018, PGL agreed to a settlement of the 2014 reconciliation, which includes a rate base reduction of $5.4 million and a $4.7 million refund to ratepayers. As of March 31, 2018, there can be no assurance that all costs incurred under PGL's QIP rider during the open reconciliation years will be deemed recoverable by the ICC. Variable Income Tax Adjustment Rider In April 2018, the ICC approved the VITA proposed by PGL and NSG. The VITA recovers or refunds changes in income tax expense resulting from differences in income tax rates and amortization of deferred tax excesses and deficiencies (in accordance with the Tax Legislation) from the amounts used in the Company's last rate case effective January 25, 2018. See Note 10, Income Taxes, for more information. Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation 2018 Minnesota Rate Case In October 2017, MERC initiated a rate proceeding with the MPUC to increase retail natural gas rates $12.6 million (5.05%). MERC's request reflected a 10.3% ROE and a common equity component average of 50.9%. In November 2017, the MPUC approved an interim rate order, effective January 1, 2018, authorizing a retail natural gas rate increase of $9.5 million (3.78%). In March 2018, to reflect changes in MERC's effective tax rate as a result of the enactment of the Tax Legislation, the MPUC approved a $2.5 million reduction in interim retail natural gas rates to $7.0 million (2.81%), effective April 1, 2018. The interim rates reflect a 9.1% ROE and a common equity component average of 50.9%. The interim rate increase is subject to refund pending the final written rate order, which is expected in the first half of 2019. Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corporation Formation of Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corporation In December 2016, both the MPSC and the PSCW approved the operation of UMERC as a stand-alone utility in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and UMERC became operational effective January 1, 2017. This utility holds the electric and natural gas distribution assets, previously held by WE and WPS, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In August 2016, we entered into an agreement with the Tilden Mining Company (Tilden), under which Tilden will purchase electric power from UMERC for its iron ore mine for 20 years, contingent upon UMERC's construction of approximately 180 MW of natural gas-fired generation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In October 2017, the MPSC approved both the agreement with Tilden and UMERC's application for a certificate of necessity to begin construction of the proposed generation. The estimated cost of this project is $266 million ($277 million with AFUDC), 50% of which is expected to be recovered from Tilden, with the remaining 50% expected to be recovered from UMERC's other utility customers. The new units are expected to begin commercial operation by mid-2019. Upon receiving the MPSC's approval, retirement of the PIPP generating units became probable. As a result of a MISO ruling received in April 2018, the PIPP units must be retired no later than May 31, 2019. Tilden will remain a customer of WE until this new generation begins commercial operation.

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