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Rate And Regulatory Matters | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2022
Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Abstract] |
RATE AND REGULATORY MATTERS | RATE AND REGULATORY MATTERS Below is a summary of updates to significant regulatory proceedings and related legal proceedings. See Note 2 – Rate and Regulatory Matters under Part II, Item 8, of the Form 10-K for additional information and a summary of our regulatory frameworks. We are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these matters, the timing of final decisions of the various agencies and courts, or the impact on our results of operations, financial position, or liquidity. Missouri 2022 Electric Service Regulatory Rate Review In August 2022, Ameren Missouri filed a request with the MoPSC seeking approval to increase its annual revenues for electric service by $316 million. The electric rate increase request is based on a 10.2% ROE, a capital structure composed of 51.9% common equity, a rate base of $11.6 billion, and a test year ended March 31, 2022, with certain pro-forma adjustments expected through an anticipated true-up date of December 31, 2022. Ameren Missouri’s request includes the continued use of the FAC and trackers for pension and postretirement benefits, uncertain income tax positions, certain excess deferred income taxes, and renewable energy standard costs that the MoPSC previously authorized in earlier electric rate orders, as well as the use of an electric property tax tracker allowed under Missouri Senate Bill 745 discussed below. In October 2022, Ameren Missouri also requested the use of a tracker for variances between actual income tax benefits and costs resulting from the IRA and those amounts included in customer rates, which would be considered for recovery or refund in a future electric regulatory rate review. For additional information regarding the IRA, see Note 12 – Income Taxes. The electric rate increase request reflects the following: •increased infrastructure investments made under Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan, including increased cost of capital and depreciation expense; •increased net fuel expense due to reduced off system sales, primarily driven by expected reduced operations at the Rush Island Energy Center; and •extending the retirement date of the Sioux Energy Center from 2028 to 2030, consistent with Ameren Missouri’s 2022 Change to the 2020 IRP, in order to support reliability during the transition to clean energy generation. In connection with the planned accelerated retirement of the Rush Island Energy Center, Ameren Missouri expects to seek approval from the MoPSC to finance the costs associated with the retirement, including the remaining unrecovered net plant balance associated with the facility, through the issuance of securitized utility tariff bonds pursuant to the Missouri securitization statute. As such, Ameren Missouri did not request a change in the depreciation rates related to the Rush Island Energy Center in this electric service regulatory rate review. The MoPSC proceeding relating to the proposed electric service rate changes will take place over a period of up to 11 months, with a decision by the MoPSC expected by June 2023 and new rates effective by July 2023. Ameren Missouri cannot predict the level of any electric service rate change the MoPSC may approve, whether the requested regulatory recovery mechanisms will be approved, or whether any rate change that may eventually be approved will be sufficient for Ameren Missouri to recover its costs and earn a reasonable return on its investments when the rate change goes into effect. Missouri Senate Bill 745 In June 2022, Missouri Senate Bill 745 was enacted and became effective on August 28, 2022. The law extended Ameren Missouri’s PISA election through December 2028 and allows for an additional extension through December 2033 if requested by Ameren Missouri and approved by the MoPSC, among other things. The law established a 2.5% annual limit on increases to the electric service revenue requirement used to set customer rates due to the inclusion of incremental PISA deferrals in the revenue requirement. The limitation will be effective for revenue requirements approved by the MoPSC after January 1, 2024, and will be based on the revenue requirement established in the immediately preceding rate order. The current rate limitation, which is effective through 2023, is a 2.85% cap on the compound annual growth rate in the average overall customer rate per kilowatthour, based on the electric rates that became effective in April 2017, less half of the annual savings from the TCJA that was passed on to customers as approved in a July 2018 MoPSC order. The law also established electric and natural gas property tax trackers that allow Ameren Missouri to defer the difference between actual property taxes incurred and related taxes included in customer rates as a regulatory asset or regulatory liability, with the difference expected to be reflected in rate base in a subsequent rate order. Upon the effective date of the law, Ameren Missouri began deferring amounts under these trackers. The deferrals were immaterial as of September 30, 2022. Solar Generation Facilities In February 2022, Ameren Missouri, through a subsidiary, entered into a build-transfer agreement to acquire, after construction, a 150-MW solar generation facility, which is expected to be located in southeastern Illinois and, if approved by the MoPSC, to serve customers under Ameren Missouri’s Renewable Solutions Program discussed below. In June 2022, Ameren Missouri, through a subsidiary, entered into a build-transfer agreement to acquire, after construction, a 200-MW solar generation facility, which is expected to be located in central Missouri and support Ameren Missouri’s compliance with the state of Missouri’s requirement of achieving 15% of retail sales from renewable energy sources, of which 2% must be derived from solar energy sources. The acquisitions are aligned with the 2022 Change to the 2020 IRP, which Ameren Missouri filed with the MoPSC in June 2022, and are subject to certain conditions, including the issuance of certificates of convenience and necessity by the MoPSC, obtaining MISO transmission interconnection agreements, and approval by the FERC. In July 2022, Ameren Missouri filed for certificates of convenience and necessity with the MoPSC for both facilities and expects decisions by March 2023 and April 2023 for the 200-MW facility and the 150-MW facility, respectively. Depending on the timing of regulatory approvals and the impact of potential sourcing issues resulting from a United States Department of Commerce investigation of solar panels imported from four Southeast Asian countries initiated in late March 2022 and the detention of certain solar panels sourced from China as a result of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that was passed in December 2021, the projects could be completed as early as the fourth quarter of 2024. Renewable Solutions Program In July 2022, Ameren Missouri filed a request with the MoPSC seeking approval of its Renewable Solutions Program and a tariff related to participation in the program. The program would allow certain commercial, industrial, and governmental customers to receive up to 100% of their energy from renewable resources. Based on customer contracts, the program would enable Ameren Missouri to supply renewable solar energy generated by the 150-MW facility discussed above to customers that enroll in the program. Ameren Missouri expects a decision from the MoPSC by April 2023. MoPSC Staff Review of Planned Rush Island Energy Center Retirement In February 2022, the MoPSC issued an order directing the MoPSC staff to review Ameren Missouri’s planned accelerated retirement of the Rush Island Energy Center as a result of the NSR and Clean Air Act Litigation discussed in Note 9 – Commitments and Contingencies. The MoPSC staff’s review includes potential impacts on the reliability and cost of Ameren Missouri’s service to its customers; Ameren Missouri’s plans to mitigate the customer impacts of the accelerated retirement; and the prudence of Ameren Missouri’s actions and decisions with regard to the Rush Island Energy Center, which is expected to be addressed in the 2022 electric service regulatory rate review, among other things. In April 2022, the MoPSC staff filed an initial report with the MoPSC in which the staff concluded early retirement of the Rush Island Energy Center may cause reliability concerns. The MoPSC staff is under no deadline to complete this review. Ameren Missouri is unable to predict the results of this matter. Results of the review could be used in other MoPSC proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial position, and liquidity of Ameren and Ameren Missouri. MEEIA In August 2022, the MoPSC issued an order approving Ameren Missouri’s energy savings results for the 2021 program year of the MEEIA 2019 program. As a result of this order and a MoPSC order issued in September 2021, Ameren Missouri recognized revenues of $12 million and $9 million in the third quarter of 2022 and 2021, respectively. December 2021 MoPSC Electric and Natural Gas Rate Orders In December 2021, the MoPSC issued orders in Ameren Missouri’s 2021 electric service and natural gas delivery service regulatory rate reviews. The new electric and natural gas rates approved by these orders became effective on February 28, 2022. Illinois MYRP ROE Performance Metrics Under an MYRP, the ROE approved by the ICC would be subject to annual adjustments during the four-year period based on certain performance metrics, with aggregate symmetrical performance-based ROE incentives and penalties ranging from 20 to 60 basis points annually. In September 2022, the ICC issued an order approving the performance metrics to be used by Ameren Illinois in determining ROE incentives and penalties. The ICC order approved total ROE incentives and penalties of 24 basis points, allocated among seven approved performance metrics. These performance metrics include improvements in service reliability in both the frequency and duration of outages, a reduction in peak loads, an increased percentage of spend with diverse suppliers, a reduction in disconnections for certain customers, and improved timeliness in response to customer requests for interconnection of distributed energy resources. The ROE incentives and penalties would apply annually from 2024 through 2027 if, as planned, Ameren Illinois elects to file an MYRP by January 20, 2023. Electric Distribution Service Rates Under IEIMA In April 2022, Ameren Illinois filed its annual electric distribution service performance-based formula rate update with the ICC to be used for 2023 rates. In July 2022, Ameren Illinois filed a revised request seeking to increase its annual revenues for electric distribution service by $84 million. The updated request reflects an increase to the annual performance-based formula rate based on 2021 actual recoverable costs and expected net plant additions for 2022, an increase to include the 2021 revenue requirement reconciliation adjustment including a capital structure composed of 54% common equity, and a decrease for the conclusion of the 2020 revenue requirement reconciliation adjustment, which will be fully collected from customers in 2022, consistent with the ICC’s December 2021 annual update filing order. In August 2022, the ICC staff submitted its calculation of the revenue requirement included in Ameren Illinois’ update filing, recommending a $61 million increase in Ameren Illinois’ electric distribution service rates, which is based on a capital structure composed of 50% common equity. An ICC decision in this proceeding is required by December 2022, with new rates effective in January 2023. Electric Customer Energy-Efficiency Investments In June 2022, Ameren Illinois filed its annual electric customer energy-efficiency formula rate update to increase its rates by $17 million with the ICC. In August 2022, the ICC staff submitted a calculation of the revenue requirement included in Ameren Illinois’ filing, recommending a $15 million increase in rates. An ICC decision in this proceeding is required by December 2022, with new rates effective January 2023. In June 2022, the ICC issued an order approving Ameren Illinois’ revised energy-efficiency plan that includes annual investments in electric energy-efficiency programs of approximately $120 million per year through 2025, which reflects the increased level of annual investments allowed under the IETL. The ICC has the ability to reduce the amount of electric energy-efficiency savings goals in future program years if there are insufficient cost-effective programs available, which could reduce the investments in electric energy-efficiency programs. The electric energy-efficiency program investments and the return on those investments are collected from customers through a rider and are not recovered through the electric distribution service performance-based formula ratemaking framework. Illinois Senate Bill 3866 In May 2022, Illinois Senate Bill 3866 was enacted and became effective. This legislation makes certain amendments to the IETL, including amendments to increase the level of funding for the Energy Transition Assistance Fund. As a result of this legislation, Ameren Illinois expects to collect up to $50 million annually related to this fund, beginning in January 2023. Funds collected by Ameren Illinois will be remitted in the month following collection to an Illinois state agency, with no impact to results of operations. RTO Cost-Benefit Study In July 2022, an Illinois law prohibiting the state’s oversight of certain electric utilities’ choice of RTO membership ceased to be effective. Given the change in law and the high prices resulting from MISO’s April 2022 capacity auction, the ICC issued an order requiring Ameren Illinois to perform a cost-benefit study of continued participation in the MISO compared to participation in PJM Interconnection LLC, another RTO. The cost-benefit study will examine the impacts of participation in each RTO, including reliability, resiliency, affordability, and environmental impacts, among other things, for a period of five to 10 years beginning June 2024. The ICC order requires Ameren Illinois to file the study by July 2023. A 30-day comment period will follow. The ICC is under no obligation to issue an order related to the cost-benefit study. QIP Reconciliation Hearing In March 2020, Ameren Illinois filed its annual request with the ICC for a reconciliation hearing to determine the accuracy and prudence of natural gas capital investments recovered under the QIP rider during 2019. In August 2021, the Illinois Attorney General’s office challenged the recovery of capital investments that were made during 2019, alleging that the ICC should disallow approximately $70 million in natural gas capital investments as improper and imprudent, providing a potential over-recovery of approximately $3 million in 2019. In August and December 2021, the ICC staff filed testimony that supports the prudence and reasonableness of the capital investments made during 2019. Ameren Illinois’ 2019 QIP rate recovery request under review by the ICC is within the rate increase limitations allowed by law. The ICC is under no deadline to issue an order in this proceeding. Federal Transmission Formula Rate Revisions In February 2020, the MISO, on behalf of Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois, and ATXI, filed requests with the FERC to revise each company’s transmission formula rate calculations with respect to the calculation used for materials and supplies inventories included in rate base. In May 2020, the FERC issued orders approving the revisions prospectively. In addition, the FERC declined to order refunds for earlier periods, as requested by intervenors in Ameren Illinois’ filing, but directed its audit staff to review historical rate recovery in connection with an ongoing FERC audit. Separately, in March 2021, the FERC issued an order related to an intervenor challenge to Ameren Illinois’ 2020 transmission formula rate update. As a result of this order, in March 2021, Ameren Illinois recorded a regulatory liability of $9 million, largely as a reduction of electric operating revenues, to reflect expected refunds, including interest, primarily related to the historical rate recovery of materials and supplies inventories included in rate base. The refund amount was reflected in rates as of January 2022 and will be refunded to customers by the end of 2022. Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois, and ATXI filed appeals of the FERC’s May 2020 and March 2021 orders, and related FERC orders denying requests for rehearing, to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In January 2022, the appeals were consolidated by the court. The court is under no deadline to address the appeal. Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, the impact of the May 2020 and March 2021 orders is not expected to be material to Ameren’s, Ameren Missouri’s, or Ameren Illinois’ results of operations, financial position, or liquidity. FERC Complaint Cases Since November 2013, the allowed base ROE for FERC-regulated transmission rate base under the MISO tariff has been subject to customer complaint cases and has been changed by various FERC orders. In May 2020, the FERC issued an order, which set the allowed base ROE to 10.02%, and required refunds, with interest, for the periods November 2013 to February 2015 and from late September 2016 forward. Ameren and Ameren Illinois paid these refunds, including interest, by March 31, 2022. In June and July 2020, Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois, and ATXI, as well as various customers, petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for review of the May 2020 order, challenging certain aspects of the new ROE methodology established. The petition filed by Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois, and ATXI challenged the refunds required for the period from September 2016 to May 2020. In August 2022, the court issued a ruling that granted the customers’ petition for review, vacated the FERC’s previous MISO ROE-determining orders, and remanded the proceedings to the FERC. The currently allowed base ROE of 10.02% will remain effective for customer billings, but subject to refund if the base ROE is changed by the FERC in a future order. The FERC is under no deadline to issue an order related to these proceedings. A 50 basis point change in the FERC-allowed ROE would affect Ameren’s and Ameren Illinois’ annual revenue by an estimated $17 million and $11 million, respectively, based on each company’s 2022 projected rate base.

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