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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The Company's consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The ASC, established by the FASB, is the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP to be applied by nongovernmental entities. In addition, the rules and interpretative releases of the SEC under authority of federal securities laws are also sources of authoritative U.S. GAAP for SEC registrants.
The consolidated financial statements include NRG's accounts and operations and those of its subsidiaries in which the Company has a controlling interest. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The usual condition for a controlling financial interest is ownership of a majority of the voting interests of an entity. However, a controlling financial interest may also exist through arrangements that do not involve controlling voting interests. As such, NRG applies the guidance of ASC 810, Consolidations, or ASC 810, to determine when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or not controlled through its voting interests, referred to as a VIE, should be consolidated.
Net Income/(Loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc.
The following table reflects the net income/(loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc. after removing the net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest:
 Year Ended December 31,
(In millions)202020192018
Income from continuing operations, net of income tax$510 $4,117 $465 
Income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax— 321 (197)
Net income attributable to NRG Energy, Inc. stockholders
$510 $4,438 $268 

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase.
Funds Deposited by Counterparties
Funds deposited by counterparties consist of cash held by the Company as a result of collateral posting obligations from its counterparties. Some amounts are segregated into separate accounts that are not contractually restricted but, based on the Company's intention, are not available for the payment of general corporate obligations. Depending on market fluctuations and the settlement of the underlying contracts, the Company will refund this collateral to the hedge counterparties pursuant to the terms and conditions of the underlying trades. Since collateral requirements fluctuate daily and the Company cannot predict if
any collateral will be held for more than twelve months, the funds deposited by counterparties are classified as a current asset on the Company's balance sheet, with an offsetting liability for this cash collateral received within current liabilities.
Credit Losses
On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, or ASU No. 2016-13, using the modified retrospective approach. Following the adoption of the new standard, the Company’s process of estimating expected credit losses remains materially consistent with its historical practice. Information prior to January 1, 2020, which was previously referred to as the allowance and provision for bad debt, has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for that period.
Retail trade receivables are reported on the balance sheet net of the allowance for credit losses. The Company accrues an allowance for current expected credit losses based on (i) estimates of uncollectible revenues by analyzing accounts receivable aging and current and reasonable forecasts of expected economic factors including, but not limited to, unemployment rates and weather-related events, (ii) historical collections and delinquencies, and (iii) counterparty credit ratings for commercial and industrial customers. The Company writes off customer contract receivable balances against the allowance for credit losses when it is determined a receivable is uncollectible.
The following table represents the activity in the allowance for credit losses for the year ended December 31, 2020:
(In millions)Year Ended December 31, 2020
Beginning balance$43 
Provision for credit losses108 
Write-offs(101)
Recoveries collected17 
Ending balance$67 

Restricted Cash
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and funds deposited by counterparties reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the statements of cash flows.
 Year Ended December 31,
(In millions)202020192018
Cash and cash equivalents$3,905 $345 $563 
Funds deposited by counterparties19 32 33 
Restricted cash17 
Cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties and restricted cash shown in the statements of cash flows
$3,930 $385 $613 
Restricted cash consists primarily of funds held within the Company's projects that are restricted in their use.
Inventory
Inventory is valued at the lower of weighted average cost or market, and consists principally of fuel oil, coal and raw materials used to generate electricity or steam. The Company removes these inventories as they are used in the production of electricity or steam. Spare parts inventory is valued at weighted average cost. The Company removes these inventories when they are used for repairs, maintenance or capital projects. The Company expects to recover the fuel oil, coal, raw materials, and spare parts costs in the ordinary course of business. Finished goods inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value with cost being determined on a first-in first-out basis. The Company removes these inventories as they are sold to customers. Sales of inventory are classified as an operating activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost or, in the case of business acquisitions, fair value; however, impairment adjustments are recorded whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying values may not be recoverable. NRG also classifies nuclear fuel related to the Company's 44% ownership interest in STP as part of the Company's property, plant, and equipment. Significant additions or improvements extending asset lives are capitalized as incurred, while repairs and maintenance that do not improve or extend the life of the respective asset are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation, other than nuclear fuel, is computed using the straight-line method, while nuclear fuel is amortized based on units
of production over the estimated useful lives. Certain assets and their related accumulated depreciation amounts are adjusted for asset retirements and disposals with the resulting gain or loss included in cost of operations in the consolidated statements of operations.
Asset Impairments
Long-lived assets that are held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate carrying values may not be recoverable. Such reviews are performed in accordance with ASC 360. An impairment loss is indicated if the total future estimated undiscounted cash flows expected from an asset are less than its carrying value. An impairment charge is measured by the difference between an asset's carrying amount and fair value with the difference recorded in operating costs and expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Fair values are determined by a variety of valuation methods, including third-party appraisals, sales prices of similar assets, and present value techniques.
Investments accounted for by the equity method are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 323, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures, or ASC 323, which requires that a loss in value of an investment that is an other-than-temporary decline should be recognized. The Company identifies and measures losses in the value of equity method investments based upon a comparison of fair value to carrying value. For further discussion of these matters, refer to Note 11, Asset Impairments.
Development Costs and Capitalized Interest
Development costs include project development costs, which are expensed in the preliminary stages of a project and capitalized when the project is deemed to be commercially viable. Commercial viability is determined by one or a series of actions including, among others, Board of Director approval pursuant to a formal project plan that subjects the Company to significant future obligations that can only be discharged by the use of a Company asset. When a project is available for operations, capitalized interest and capitalized project development costs are reclassified to property, plant and equipment and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the project's related assets. Capitalized costs are charged to expense if a project is abandoned or management otherwise determines the costs to be unrecoverable.
Interest incurred on funds borrowed to finance capital projects is capitalized until the project under construction is ready for its intended use. The amount of interest capitalized for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, was $2 million, $3 million and $7 million, respectively.
Debt Issuance Costs
Debt issuance costs are capitalized and amortized as interest expense on a basis which approximates the effective interest method over the term of the related debt. Debt issuance costs are presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt, or as an asset if the issuance costs relate to revolving debt agreements or certain other financing arrangements.
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets represent contractual rights held by the Company. The Company recognizes specifically identifiable intangible assets including customer contracts, customer relationships, energy supply contracts, marketing partnerships, trade names, emission allowances, and fuel contracts when specific rights and contracts are acquired. These intangible assets are amortized based on expected volumes, expected delivery, expected discounted future net cash flows, straight line or units of production basis. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had accumulated amortization related to its intangible assets of $1.4 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively.
Emission allowances held-for-sale, which are included in other non-current assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheet, are not amortized; they are carried at the lower of cost or fair value and reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 360.
Goodwill
In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other, or ASC 350, the Company recognizes goodwill for the excess cost of an acquired entity over the net value assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed. NRG performs goodwill impairment tests annually, during the fourth quarter, and when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.
The Company first assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The more-likely-than-not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent. If it is not more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, there is no goodwill impairment.
In the absence of sufficient qualitative factors indicating that it is more-likely-than-not that no impairment occurred, the Company performs a quantitative assessment by determining the fair value of the reporting unit and comparing the fair value to its book value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its book value, goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered impaired. If the book value exceeds fair value, the Company recognizes an impairment loss equal to the difference between book value and fair value.
For further discussion of goodwill and goodwill impairment losses recognized refer to Note 12, Goodwill and Other Intangibles.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the liability method in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, or ASC 740, which requires that the Company use the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes and provide deferred income taxes for all significant temporary differences.
The Company has two categories of income tax expense or benefit — current and deferred, as follows:
Current income tax expense or benefit consists solely of current taxes payable less applicable tax credits, and
Deferred income tax expense or benefit is the change in the net deferred income tax asset or liability, excluding amounts charged or credited to accumulated other comprehensive income
The Company reports some of its revenues and expenses differently for financial statement purposes than for income tax return purposes, resulting in temporary and permanent differences between the Company's financial statements and income tax returns. The tax effects of such temporary differences are recorded as either deferred income tax assets or deferred income tax liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company measures its deferred income tax assets and deferred income tax liabilities using income tax rates that are expected to be in effect when the deferred tax is realized.
The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740, which applies to all tax positions related to income taxes. Under ASC 740, tax benefits are recognized when it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination by the authorities. The benefit recognized from a position is the amount of benefit that has surpassed the more-likely-than-not threshold, as it is more than 50% likely to be realized upon settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain tax benefits as a component of income tax expense.
In accordance with ASC 805 and as discussed further in Note 21, Income Taxes, changes to existing net deferred tax assets or valuation allowances or changes to uncertain tax benefits, are recorded to income tax (benefit)/expense.
Contract Amortization
Assets and liabilities recognized through acquisitions related to the sale of electric capacity and energy in future periods for which the fair value has been determined to be significantly less or more than market are amortized to cost of operations over the term of each underlying contract based on actual generation and/or contracted volumes.
Lease Revenue
Certain of the Company’s revenues are obtained through leases of rooftop residential solar systems, which are accounted for as operating leases in accordance with ASC 842, Leases. Pursuant to the lease agreements, the customers’ monthly payments are pre-determined fixed monthly amounts and may include an annual fixed percentage escalation to reflect the impact of utility rate increases over the lease term, which is 20 years. The Company records operating lease revenue on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease term. Certain customers made initial down payments that are being amortized over the life of the lease. The difference between the payments received and the revenue recognized is recorded as deferred revenue.
Lessor Accounting
Certain of the Company's revenues are obtained through PPAs or other contractual agreements. Many of these agreements are accounted for as operating leases under ASC 842.
Certain of these leases have no minimum lease payments and all of the rent is recorded as contingent rent on an actual basis when the electricity is delivered. Judgment is required by management in determining the economic life of each generating facility, in evaluating whether certain lease provisions constitute minimum payments or represent contingent rent and other factors in determining whether a contract contains a lease and whether the lease is an operating lease or finance lease. Contingent rental income under ASC 840 was $104 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Gross Receipts and Sales Taxes
In connection with its retail sales, the Company records gross receipts taxes on a gross basis in revenues and cost of operations in its consolidated statements of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company's revenues and cost of operations included gross receipts taxes of $107 million, $109 million and $99 million,
respectively. Additionally, the Company records sales taxes collected from its taxable retail customers and remitted to the various governmental entities on a net basis; thus, there is no impact on the Company's consolidated statement of operations.
Purchased Energy and Other Cost of Sales for Customer Operations
The cost of energy for electricity sales and services to retail customers is included in cost of operations and is based on actual and estimated supply volumes for the applicable reporting period. A portion of the cost of energy, $98 million, $103 million and $105 million as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, was accrued and consisted of estimated transmission and distribution charges not yet billed by the transmission and distribution utilities. In estimating supply volumes, the Company considers the effects of historical customer volumes, weather factors and usage by customer class. Transmission and distribution delivery fees are estimated using the same method used for electricity sales and services to retail customers. In addition, ISO fees are estimated based on historical trends, estimated supply volumes and initial ERCOT ISO settlements. Volume estimates are then multiplied by the supply rate and recorded as cost of operations in the applicable reporting period.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for derivative financial instruments under ASC 815, which requires the Company to record all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value unless they qualify for a NPNS exception. Changes in the fair value of non-hedge derivatives are immediately recognized in earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivatives accounted for as cash flow hedges, if elected for hedge accounting, are deferred and recorded as a component of accumulated OCI until the hedged transactions occur and are recognized in earnings.
The Company's primary derivative instruments are power purchase or sales contracts, fuels purchase contracts, and other energy related commodities used to mitigate variability in earnings due to fluctuations in market prices and interest rates. On an ongoing basis, the Company assesses the effectiveness of all derivatives that are designated as hedges for accounting purposes in order to determine that each derivative continues to be highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. Internal analyses that measure the statistical correlation between the derivative and the associated hedged item determine the effectiveness of such a contract designated as a hedge. If it is determined that the derivative instrument is not highly effective as a hedge, hedge accounting will be discontinued prospectively. In this case, the gain or loss previously deferred in accumulated OCI would be frozen until the underlying hedged instrument is delivered unless the transactions being hedged are no longer probable of occurring in which case the amount in OCI would be immediately reclassified into earnings. If the derivative instrument is terminated, the effective portion of this derivative deferred in accumulated OCI will be frozen until the underlying hedged item is delivered. The Company had no cash flow hedges as of December 31, 2020.
Revenues and expenses on contracts that qualify for the NPNS exception are recognized when the underlying physical transaction is delivered. While these contracts are considered derivative financial instruments under ASC 815, they are not recorded at fair value, but on an accrual basis of accounting. If it is determined that a transaction designated as NPNS no longer meets the scope exception, the fair value of the related contract is recorded on the balance sheet and immediately recognized through earnings.
NRG's trading activities are subject to limits in accordance with the Company's Risk Management Policy. These contracts are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value and changes in the fair value of these derivative financial instruments are recognized in earnings.
Foreign Currency Translation and Transaction Gains and Losses
The local currencies are generally the functional currency of NRG's foreign operations. Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities are translated at end-of-period rates of exchange. Revenues, expenses, and cash flows are translated at the weighted-average rates of exchange for the period. The resulting currency translation adjustments are not included in the Company's consolidated statements of operations for the period, but are accumulated and reported as a separate component of stockholders' equity until sale or complete or substantially complete liquidation of the net investment in the foreign entity takes place. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses are reported within other income/(expense) in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, amounts recognized as foreign currency transaction gains/(losses) were immaterial. The Company's cumulative translation adjustment balances as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $(2) million, $(13) million and $(13) million, respectively.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of trust funds, accounts receivable, notes receivable, derivatives, and investments in debt securities. Trust funds are held in accounts managed by experienced investment advisors. Certain accounts receivable, notes receivable, and derivative instruments are concentrated within entities engaged in the energy industry. These industry concentrations may impact the Company's overall exposure to credit risk, either positively or negatively, in that the customers may be similarly affected by changes in economic, industry or other conditions. Receivables and other contractual arrangements are subject to collateral requirements under the
terms of enabling agreements. However, the Company believes that the credit risk posed by industry concentration is offset by the diversification and creditworthiness of its customer base. See Note 5, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, for a further discussion of derivative concentrations.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments. See Note 5, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, for a further discussion of fair value of financial instruments.
Asset Retirement Obligations
The Company accounts for AROs in accordance with ASC 410-20, Asset Retirement Obligations, or ASC 410-20. Retirement obligations associated with long-lived assets included within the scope of ASC 410-20 are those for which a legal obligation exists under enacted laws, statutes, and written or oral contracts, including obligations arising under the doctrine of promissory estoppel, and for which the timing and/or method of settlement may be conditional on a future event. ASC 410-20 requires an entity to recognize the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred and a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made.
Upon initial recognition of a liability for an ARO, the Company capitalizes the asset retirement cost by increasing the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset by the same amount. Over time, the liability is accreted to its future value, while the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the related asset. See Note 15, Asset Retirement Obligations, for a further discussion of AROs.
Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits
The Company offers pension benefits through a defined benefit pension plan. In addition, the Company provides postretirement health and welfare benefits for certain groups of employees. The Company accounts for pension and other postretirement benefits in accordance with ASC 715, Compensation — Retirement Benefits, or ASC 715. The Company recognizes the funded status of the Company's defined benefit plans in the statement of financial position and records an offset for gains and losses as well as all prior service costs that have not been included as part of the Company's net periodic benefit cost to other comprehensive income. The determination of the Company's obligation and expenses for pension benefits is dependent on the selection of certain assumptions. These assumptions determined by management include the discount rate, the expected rate of return on plan assets and the rate of future compensation increases. The Company's actuarial consultants assist in determining assumptions for such items as retirement age. The assumptions used may differ materially from actual results, which may result in a significant impact to the amount of pension obligation or expense recorded by the Company.
The Company measures the fair value of its pension assets in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, or ASC 820.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, or ASC 718. The fair value of the Company's performance stock units is estimated on the date of grant using a Monte Carlo valuation model. NRG uses the Company's common stock price on the date of grant as the fair value of the Company's deferred stock units. The fair value of the Company's restricted stock units is derived from the closing price of NRG's common stock at the grant date. Forfeiture rates are estimated based on an analysis of the Company's historical forfeitures, employment turnover, and expected future behavior. The Company recognizes compensation expense for both graded and cliff vesting awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.
Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method
The Company has investments in various domestic energy projects, as well as one Australian project. The equity method of accounting is applied to such investments in affiliates, which include joint ventures and partnerships, because the ownership structure prevents the Company from exercising a controlling influence over the operating and financial policies of the projects. Under this method, equity in pre-tax income or losses of domestic partnerships and, generally, in the net income or losses of its Australian project, are reflected as equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates. Distributions from equity method investments that represent earnings on the Company's investment are included within cash flows from operating activities and distributions from equity method investments that represent a return of the Company's investment are included within cash flows from investing activities.
Tax Equity Arrangements
The Company’s redeemable noncontrolling interest in subsidiaries represented third-party interests in the net assets under certain tax equity arrangements, which were consolidated by the Company, that had been entered into to finance the cost of solar energy systems under operating leases. The Company determined that the provisions in the contractual agreements of
these structures represented substantive profit sharing arrangements. Further, the Company had determined that the appropriate methodology for calculating the redeemable noncontrolling interest that reflected the substantive profit sharing arrangements was a balance sheet approach that utilized the HLBV method. Under the HLBV method, the amounts reported as redeemable noncontrolling interests represented the amounts the investors that were party to the tax equity arrangements would hypothetically receive at each balance sheet date under the liquidation provisions of the contractual agreements, assuming the net assets of the funding structures were liquidated at their recorded amounts. The investors’ interests in the results of operations of the funding structures were determined as redeemable noncontrolling interests at the start and end of each reporting period, after taking into account any capital transactions between the structures and the funds’ investors. The calculations utilized to apply the HLBV method included estimated calculations of taxable income or losses for each reporting period. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company repurchased its partners' equity interest as further described in Note 18, Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities. The Company has no remaining tax equity arrangements as of December 31, 2020.
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest
To the extent that the third-party has the right to redeem their interests for cash or other assets, the Company had included the noncontrolling interest attributable to the third party as a component of temporary equity in the mezzanine section of the consolidated balance sheet. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company repurchased its partners' equity interest. The following table reflects the changes in the Company's redeemable noncontrolling interest balance for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.
(In millions)
Balance as of December 31, 2017$78 
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interest(3)
Contributions from redeemable noncontrolling interest26 
Non-cash adjustments to redeemable noncontrolling interest(8)
Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest - continuing operations
Net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest - discontinued operations(27)
Sale of NRG Yield and the Renewables Platform (a)(48)
Balance as of December 31, 201819 
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interest(2)
Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest - continuing operations
Balance as of December 31, 201920 
Repurchase of redeemable noncontrolling interest(20)
Balance as of December 31, 2020$ 
(a) See Note 4, Acquisitions, Discontinued Operations and Dispositions, for further information regarding the sale of NRG Yield and its Renewables Platform
Sale-Leaseback Arrangements
NRG is party to sale-leaseback arrangements that provide for the sale of certain assets to a third party and simultaneously leases back the same asset to the Company. If the seller-lessee transfers control of the underlying assets to the buyer-lessor, the arrangement is accounted for under ASC 842-40, Sale-Leaseback Transactions. These arrangements are classified as operating leases on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. See Note 10, Leases, for further discussion.
Marketing and Advertising Costs
The Company expenses its marketing and advertising costs as incurred and includes them within selling, general and administrative expenses. The costs of tangible assets used in advertising campaigns are recorded as fixed assets or deferred advertising costs and amortized as advertising costs over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or the advertising campaign. The Company has several long-term sponsorship arrangements. Payments related to these arrangements are deferred and expensed over the term of the arrangement. Advertising expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $74 million, $66 million and $73 million, respectively.
Reorganization Costs
Reorganization costs include costs incurred by the Company related to the Transformation Plan implementation and primarily reflect severance and contract modifications. There were no reorganization costs for the year ended December 31, 2020. Reorganization costs for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $23 million and $90 million, respectively.
Business Combinations
The Company accounts for its business combinations in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, or ASC 805, which requires an acquirer to recognize and measure in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree at fair value at the acquisition date. The Company also recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired or a gain from a bargain purchase in the business combination. In addition, transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
In recording transactions and balances resulting from business operations, the Company uses estimates based on the best information available. Estimates are used for such items as plant depreciable lives, tax provisions, uncollectible accounts, actuarially determined benefit costs, the valuation of energy commodity contracts, environmental liabilities, legal costs incurred in connection with recorded loss contingencies, and assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations, among others. In addition, estimates are used to test long-lived assets and goodwill for impairment and to determine the fair value of impaired assets. As better information becomes available or actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates are revised. Consequently, operating results can be affected by revisions to prior accounting estimates.
Reclassifications
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for comparative purposes. The reclassifications did not affect results from operations, net assets or cash flows.
Recent Accounting Developments - Guidance Adopted in 2020
ASU 2020-09 — In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-09, Debt (Topic 470) - Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Release No. 33-10762, or ASU 2020-09, to reflect the SEC’s amended disclosure rules for guaranteed debt securities offerings. The final rule amends the disclosure requirements in SEC Regulation S-X, Rule 3-10, which require entities to separately present financial statements for subsidiary issuers and guarantors of registered debt securities unless certain exceptions are met. The amended rule allows entities to provide summarized financial information of the parent company and its issuers and guarantors on a combined basis either in a note to the financial statements or as part of management’s discussion and analysis. ASU 2020-09 is effective for filings on or after January 4, 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the amendments effective December 31, 2020. As the amendments contemplate changes in disclosures only, it did not have an impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.
ASU 2018-17 — In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-17, Consolidations (Topic 810): Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities, or ASU No. 2018-17, in response to stakeholders’ observations that Topic 810, Consolidations, could be improved thereby improving general purpose financial reporting. Specifically, ASU No. 2018-17 requires application of the variable interest entity (VIE) guidance to private companies under common control and consideration of indirect interest held through related parties under common control for determining whether fees paid to decision makers and service providers are variable interests. The Company adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020 using the retrospective approach. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.
ASU 2018-15 — In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract, or ASU No. 2018-15. The amendments in ASU No. 2018-15 align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangement that include an internal-use software license). The amendment also requires the customer to amortize the capitalized implementation costs of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract over the term of the hosting arrangement. The Company adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020 using the prospective approach. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.
ASU 2018-13 — In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirement for Fair value Measurement), or ASU No. 2018-13. The amendments in ASU No. 2018-13 eliminate such disclosures as the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy and add new disclosure requirements for Level 3 measurements. The Company adopted the amendments
effective January 1, 2020. Certain disclosures in ASU No. 2018-13 were applied on a retrospective basis and others on a prospective basis as required. As the amendments contemplates changes in disclosures only, it did not have an impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.
ASU 2016-13 — In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Statements, or ASU No. 2016-13, which was further amended through various updates issued by the FASB thereafter. The guidance in ASU No. 2016-13 provides a new model for recognizing credit losses on financial assets carried at amortized cost using an estimate of expected credit losses, instead of the "incurred loss" methodology previously required for recognizing credit losses that delayed recognition until it was probable that a loss was incurred. The estimate of expected credit losses is to be based on consideration of past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future conditions. The Company adopted the standard and its subsequent corresponding updates effective January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective approach. Results for the reporting periods after January 1, 2020 are presented under Topic 326 while prior period amounts continue to be reported in accordance with previously applicable GAAP. The Company's adoption of Topic 326 did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.
Recent Accounting Developments - Guidance Not Yet Adopted
ASU 2020-06 — 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), or ASU No. 2020-06. The guidance in ASU 2020-06 reduces the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. In addition, ASU 2020-06 improves and amends the related earnings per share guidance. This standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently in the process of assessing the impact of this guidance on the consolidated financial statements and disclosures related to earnings per share.
ASU 2019-12 — In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, or ASU No. 2019-12, to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. The guidance in ASU 2019-12 amends the general principles in Topic 740 to eliminate certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investment, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. This ASU also includes guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. ASU 2019-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, cash flows, or statement of financial position.