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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Revenue Recognition Revenue from Contracts with Customers The Utility recognizes revenues when electricity and natural gas services are delivered. The Utility records unbilled revenues for the estimated amount of energy delivered to customers but not yet billed at the end of the period. Unbilled revenues are included in accounts receivable on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Rates charged to customers are based on CPUC and FERC authorized revenue requirements. Revenues can vary significantly from period to period because of seasonality, weather, and customer usage patterns. Regulatory Balancing Account Revenue The CPUC authorizes most of the Utility’s revenues in the Utility’s GRCs, which occur every four years. The Utility's ability to recover revenue requirements authorized by the CPUC in these rate cases is independent or “decoupled” from the volume of the Utility's sales of electricity and natural gas services. The Utility recognizes revenues that have been authorized for rate recovery, are objectively determinable and probable of recovery, and are expected to be collected within 24 months. Generally, electric and natural gas operating revenue is recognized ratably over the year. The Utility records a balancing account asset or liability for differences between customer billings and authorized revenue requirements that are probable of recovery or refund. The Utility also collects additional revenue requirements to recover costs that the CPUC has authorized the Utility to pass on to customers, including costs to purchase electricity and natural gas, and to fund public purpose, demand response, and customer energy efficiency programs. In general, the revenue recognition criteria for pass-through costs billed to customers are met at the time the costs are incurred. The Utility records a regulatory balancing account asset or liability for differences between incurred costs and customer billings or authorized revenue meant to recover those costs, to the extent that these differences are probable of recovery or refund. As a result, these differences have no impact on net income. The following table presents the Utility’s revenues disaggregated by type of customer:
| Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions) | 2022 |  | 2021
Electric |  |  |
Revenue from contracts with customers |  |  |
Residential | $ | 1,494 |  |  | $ | 1,464 |
Commercial | 1,173 |  |  | 1,013 |
Industrial | 350 |  |  | 327 |
Agricultural | 216 |  |  | 152 |
Public street and highway lighting | 18 |  |  | 17 |
Other (1) | (14) |  |  | (64) |
Total revenue from contracts with customers - electric | 3,237 |  |  | 2,909 |
Regulatory balancing accounts (2) | 921 |  |  | 486 |
Total electric operating revenue | $ | 4,158 |  |  | $ | 3,395 |
Natural gas |  |  |
Revenue from contracts with customers |  |  |
Residential | $ | 1,464 |  |  | $ | 1,208 |
Commercial | 344 |  |  | 245 |
Transportation service only | 399 |  |  | 326 |
Other (1) | (180) |  |  | (47) |
Total revenue from contracts with customers - gas | 2,027 |  |  | 1,732 |
Regulatory balancing accounts (2) | (387) |  |  | (411) |
Total natural gas operating revenue | 1,640 |  |  | 1,321 |
Total operating revenues | $ | 5,798 |  |  | $ | 4,716 |
(1) This activity is primarily related to the change in unbilled revenue and amounts subject to refund, partially offset by other miscellaneous revenue items. (2) These amounts represent revenues authorized to be billed or refunded to customers. Variable Interest Entities A VIE is an entity that does not have sufficient equity at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, or whose equity investors lack any characteristics of a controlling financial interest. An enterprise that has a controlling financial interest in a VIE is a primary beneficiary and is required to consolidate the VIE. Consolidated VIEs Receivables Securitization Program The SPV was created in connection with the Receivables Securitization Program and is a bankruptcy remote, limited liability company wholly owned by the Utility, and its assets are not available to creditors of PG&E Corporation or the Utility. Pursuant to the Receivables Securitization Program, the Utility sells certain of its receivables and certain related rights to payment and obligations of the Utility with respect to such receivables, and certain other related rights to the SPV, which, in turn, obtains loans secured by the receivables from financial institutions (the “Lenders”). Amounts received from the Lenders, the pledged receivables and the corresponding debt are included in Accounts receivable, Other noncurrent assets, and Long-term debt, respectively, on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of March 31, 2022, the aggregate principal amount of the loans made by the Lenders cannot exceed $1.0 billion outstanding at any time. On April 20, 2022, the Utility entered into an amendment to the Receivables Securitization Program to, among other things, add an uncommitted incremental facility which, subject to certain conditions precedent, allows the SPV to request an increase in the facility limit by an additional $500 million to an aggregate amount of $1.5 billion. The SPV is considered a VIE because its equity capitalization is insufficient to support its activities. The most significant activities that impact the economic performance of the SPV are decisions made to manage receivables. The Utility is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the SPV as it makes these decisions. No additional financial support was provided to the SPV during the quarter ended March 31, 2022 or is expected to be provided in the future that was not previously contractually required. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the SPV had net accounts receivable of $2.9 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively, and outstanding borrowings of $1.0 billion and $974 million, respectively, under the Receivables Securitization Program. First AB 1054 Securitization PG&E Recovery Funding LLC is a bankruptcy remote, limited liability company wholly owned by the Utility, and its assets are not available to creditors of PG&E Corporation or the Utility. Pursuant to the financing order for the first AB 1054 securitization transaction, the Utility sold its right to receive revenues from the non-bypassable wildfire hardening fixed recovery charge (“Recovery Property”) to PG&E Recovery Funding LLC, which, in turn, issued recovery bonds secured by the Recovery Property. On November 12, 2021, PG&E Recovery Funding LLC issued approximately $860 million of senior secured recovery bonds. The recovery bonds were issued in three tranches: (1) approximately $266 million with an interest rate of 1.46% and is due July 15, 2033, (2) approximately $160 million with an interest rate of 2.28% and is due January 15, 2038, and (3) approximately $434 million with an interest rate of 2.82% and is due July 15, 2048. The recovery bonds are scheduled to pay principal and interest semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year. The final scheduled payment date is July 15, 2046. Amounts owed to bond-holders are included in Long-term debt and Long-term debt, classified as current, on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. PG&E Recovery Funding LLC is considered a VIE because its equity capitalization is insufficient to support its operations. The most significant activities that impact the economic performance of PG&E Recovery Funding LLC are decisions made by the servicer of the Recovery Property. The Utility is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates PG&E Recovery Funding LLC as it acts in this role as servicer. No additional financial support was provided to PG&E Recovery Funding LLC during the quarter ended March 31, 2022 or is expected to be provided in the future that was not previously contractually required. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, PG&E Recovery Funding LLC had outstanding borrowings of $860 million. Non-Consolidated VIEs Some of the counterparties to the Utility’s power purchase agreements are considered VIEs. Each of these VIEs was designed to own a power plant that would generate electricity for sale to the Utility. To determine whether the Utility was the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs as of March 31, 2022, it assessed whether it absorbs any of the VIE’s expected losses or receives any portion of the VIE’s expected residual returns under the terms of the power purchase agreement, analyzed the variability in the VIE’s gross margin, and considered whether it had any decision-making rights associated with the activities that are most significant to the VIE’s performance, such as dispatch rights and operating and maintenance activities. The Utility’s financial obligation is limited to the amount the Utility pays for delivered electricity and capacity. The Utility did not have any decision-making rights associated with any of the activities that are most significant to the economic performance of any of these VIEs. Since the Utility was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs as of March 31, 2022, it did not consolidate any of them. Contributions to the Wildfire Fund Established Pursuant to AB 1054 PG&E Corporation and the Utility account for contributions to the Wildfire Fund similarly to prepaid insurance, with expense being amortized to periods ratably based on an estimated period of coverage. However, AB 1054 did not specify a period of coverage for the Wildfire Fund; therefore, this accounting treatment is subject to significant accounting judgments and estimates. Since the inception of the Wildfire Fund, PG&E Corporation and the Utility have estimated a period of coverage of 15 years. In estimating that initial period of coverage, PG&E Corporation and the Utility started in 2019 with a dataset of 12 years of historical, publicly available fire-loss data for the period from 2007 to 2018 for wildfires caused by electrical equipment to create Monte Carlo simulations of expected loss. For each year after 2019, PG&E Corporation and the Utility added the fire-loss data for the preceding year to the dataset. The number of years of historic fire-loss data and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts by the California electric utility companies are significant assumptions used to estimate the period of coverage. Other assumptions include the estimated costs to settle wildfire claims for participating electric utilities including the Utility, the CPUC’s determinations of whether costs were just and reasonable in cases of electric utility-caused wildfires and amounts required to be reimbursed to the Wildfire Fund, the impacts of climate change, the amount of future insurance coverage held by the electric utilities, the FERC-allocable portion of loss recovery, and the future transmission and distribution equity rate base growth of participating electric utilities. These assumptions create a high degree of uncertainty for the estimated useful life of the Wildfire Fund. PG&E Corporation and the Utility evaluate and, where appropriate, update all assumptions quarterly. Changes in any of the assumptions could materially impact the estimated period of coverage. In the first quarter of 2022, PG&E Corporation and the Utility updated assumptions related to the mitigation effectiveness and historical fire loss dataset to align with the 2022 WMP. These updates did not change the estimated period of coverage, which continues to be 15 years from the inception of the Wildfire Fund. As of March 31, 2022, PG&E Corporation and the Utility recorded $193 million in Other current liabilities, $1.1 billion in Other non-current liabilities, $461 million in Current assets - Wildfire Fund asset, and $5.2 billion in Non-current assets - Wildfire Fund asset in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021, the Utility recorded amortization and accretion expense of $118 million and $119 million, respectively. The amortization of the asset, accretion of the liability, and applicable acceleration of the amortization of the asset is reflected in Wildfire Fund expense in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. As of March 31, 2022, PG&E Corporation and the Utility had recorded $150 million in Other noncurrent assets for Wildfire Fund receivables related to the 2021 Dixie fire. For more information, see Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of the 2021 Form 10-K. Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefits PG&E Corporation and the Utility sponsor a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan and cash balance plan. Both plans are included in “Pension Benefits” below. Post-retirement medical and life insurance plans are included in “Other Benefits” below. The net periodic benefit costs reflected in PG&E Corporation’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:
| Pension Benefits |  | Other Benefits
| Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions) | 2022 |  | 2021 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Service cost for benefits earned (1) | $ | 144 |  |  | $ | 147 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 16 |
Interest cost | 173 |  |  | 161 |  |  | 13 |  |  | 13 |
Expected return on plan assets | (297) |  |  | (261) |  |  | (32) |  |  | (35) |
Amortization of prior service cost | (1) |  |  | (1) |  |  | 2 |  |  | 4 |
Amortization of net actuarial (gain) loss | — |  |  | 1 |  |  | (10) |  |  | (8) |
Net periodic benefit cost | 19 |  |  | 47 |  |  | (12) |  |  | (10) |
Regulatory account transfer (2) | 64 |  |  | 37 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total | $ | 83 |  |  | $ | 84 |  |  | $ | (12) |  |  | $ | (10) |
(1) A portion of service costs are capitalized pursuant to GAAP. (2) The Utility recorded these amounts to a regulatory account since they are probable of recovery from, or refund to, customers in future rates. Non-service costs are reflected in Other income, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. Service costs are reflected in Operating and maintenance on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. There was no material difference between PG&E Corporation and the Utility for the information disclosed above. Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) The changes, net of income tax, in PG&E Corporation’s accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consisted of the following:
| Pension Benefits |  | Other Benefits |  | Total
(in millions, net of income tax) | Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Beginning balance | $ | (33) |  |  | $ | 18 |  |  | $ | (15) |
Amounts reclassified from other comprehensive income: (1) |  |  |  |  |
Amortization of prior service cost (net of taxes of $0 and $1, respectively) | (1) |  |  | 1 |  |  | — |
Amortization of net actuarial gain (net of taxes of $0 and $3, respectively) | — |  |  | (7) |  |  | (7) |
Regulatory account transfer (net of taxes of $0 and $2, respectively) | 1 |  |  | 6 |  |  | 7 |
Net current period other comprehensive gain (loss) | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Ending balance | $ | (33) |  |  | $ | 18 |  |  | $ | (15) |
(1) These components are included in the computation of net periodic pension and other post-retirement benefit costs. See the “Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefits” table above for additional details.
| Pension Benefits |  | Other Benefits |  | Total
(in millions, net of income tax) | Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
Beginning balance | $ | (39) |  |  | $ | 17 |  |  | $ | (22) |
Amounts reclassified from other comprehensive income: (1) |  |  |  |  |
Amortization of prior service cost (net of taxes of $0 and $1, respectively) | (1) |  |  | 3 |  |  | 2 |
Amortization of net actuarial (gain) loss (net of taxes of $0 and $2, respectively) | 1 |  |  | (6) |  |  | (5) |
Regulatory account transfer (net of taxes of $0 and $1, respectively) | 1 |  |  | 3 |  |  | 4 |
Net current period other comprehensive gain (loss) | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Ending balance | $ | (38) |  |  | $ | 17 |  |  | $ | (21) |
(1) These components are included in the computation of net periodic pension and other post-retirement benefit costs. See the “Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefits” table above for additional details. There was no material difference between PG&E Corporation and the Utility for the information disclosed above. Financial Assets Measured at Amortized Cost – Credit Losses PG&E Corporation and the Utility use the current expected credit loss model to estimate the expected lifetime credit loss on financial assets measured at amortized cost. PG&E Corporation and the Utility evaluate credit risk in their portfolio of financial assets quarterly. As of March 31, 2022, PG&E Corporation and the Utility identified the following significant categories of financial assets. Trade Receivables Trade receivables are represented by customer accounts. PG&E Corporation and the Utility record an allowance for doubtful accounts to recognize an estimate of expected lifetime credit losses. The allowance is determined on a collective basis based on the historical amounts written-off and an assessment of customer collectability. Furthermore, economic conditions are evaluated as part of the estimate of expected lifetime credit losses using an analysis of regional unemployment rates. As of March 31, 2022, expected credit losses of $43 million were recorded in Operating and maintenance expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for credit losses associated with trade and other receivables. The portion of expected credit losses that are deemed probable of recovery are deferred to the RUBA, CPPMA and a FERC regulatory asset. As of March 31, 2022, the RUBA current balancing accounts receivable balance was $104 million, CPPMA long-term regulatory asset balance was $28 million, and FERC long-term regulatory asset balance was not material. Other Receivables and Available-For-Sale Debt Securities Insurance receivables are related to the liability insurance policies PG&E Corporation and the Utility carry. Insurance receivable risk is related to each insurance carrier’s risk of defaulting on their individual policies. Wildfire Fund receivables are the funds available from the statewide fund established under AB 1054 for payment of eligible claims related to the 2021 Dixie fire that exceed $1.0 billion and available insurance coverage. For more information, see Note 10 below. Wildfire Fund receivables risk is related to the Wildfire Fund’s durability, which is a measurement of the claim-paying capacity. Lastly, PG&E Corporation and the Utility are required to determine if the fair value is below the amortized cost basis for its available-for-sale debt securities. An impairment may exist if there is an intent to sell or a requirement to sell before recovery of the amortized basis. If such an impairment exists, then PG&E Corporation and the Utility must determine whether a portion of the impairment is a result of expected credit loss. As of March 31, 2022, expected credit losses for insurance receivables, Wildfire Fund receivables, and available-for-sale debt securities were immaterial. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Debt In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity, which simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. PG&E Corporation and the Utility adopted this ASU on January 1, 2022. There was no material impact on PG&E Corporation’s or the Utility’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the related disclosures resulting from the adoption of this ASU.

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