Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	27. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments As at December 31, 2023, contractual commitments (excluding pensions and other post-retirement obligations, long-term debt and asset retirement obligations) for each of the next five years and in aggregate thereafter consisted of the following: millions of dollars 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Thereafter Total Transportation (1) $ 696 $ 495 $ 405 $ 388 $ 338 $ 2,597 $ 4,919 Purchased power (2) 274 249 263 312 312 3,435 4,845 Fuel, gas supply and storage 556 215 62 - 5 - 838 Capital projects 778 111 70 1 - - 960 Equity investment commitments (3) 240 - - - - - 240 Other 154 147 56 46 35 221 659 $ 2,698 $ 1,217 $ 856 $ 747 $ 690 $ 6,253 $ 12,461 (1) Purchasing commitments for transportation of fuel and transportation capacity on various pipelines. Includes a commitment of $ 134 million related to a gas transportation contract between PGS and SeaCoast through 2040. (2) Annual requirement to purchase electricity production from IPPs or other utilities over varying contract lengths. (3) Emera has a commitment to make equity contributions to the LIL related to an investment true up in 2024 and sustaining capital contributions over the life of the partnership. The commercial agreements between Emera and Nalcor require true ups to finalize the respective investment obligations of the parties in relation the Maritime Link and LIL which is expected to be approximately $ 240 million in 2024. In addition, Emera has future commitments to provide sustaining capital to the LIL for routine capital and major maintenance. NSPI has a contractual obligation to pay NSPML for use of the Maritime Link over approximately 38 years from its January 15, 2018 in-service date. In February 2022, the UARB issued its decision and Board Order approving NSPML’s requested rate base of approximately $ 1.8 billion. In December 2023, the UARB approved the collection of up to $ 164 million from NSPI for the recovery of Maritime Link costs in 2024. The timing and amounts payable to NSPML for the remainder of the 38 -year commitment period are subject to UARB approval. Construction of the LIL is complete, and the Newfoundland Electrical System Operator confirmed the asset to be operating suitably to support reliable system operation and full functionality at 700 MW, which was validated by the Government of Canada’s Independent Engineer issuing its Commissioning Certificate on April 13, 2023. Emera has committed to obtain certain transmission rights for Nalcor, if requested, to enable it to transmit energy which is not otherwise used in Newfoundland and Labrador or Nova Scotia. Nalcor has the right to transmit this energy from Nova Scotia to New England energy markets effective August 15, 2021 and continuing for 50 years . As transmission rights are contracted, the obligations are included within “Other” in the above table. Legal Proceedings Superfund and Former Manufactured Gas Plant Sites Previously, TEC had been a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) for certain superfund sites through its Tampa Electric and former PGS divisions, as well as for certain former manufactured gas plant sites through its PGS division. As a result of the separation of the PGS division into a separate legal entity, Peoples Gas System, Inc. is also now a PRP for those sites (in addition to third party PRPs for certain sites). While the aggregate joint and several liability associated with these sites has not changed as a result of the PGS legal separation, the sites continue to present the potential for significant response costs. As at December 31, 2023, the aggregate financial liability of the Florida utilities is estimated to be $ 15 million ($ 11 million USD), primarily at PGS. This estimate assumes that other involved PRPs are credit-worthy entities. This amount has been accrued and is primarily reflected in the long-term liability section under “Other long-term liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The environmental remediation costs associated with these sites are expected to be paid over many years. The estimated amounts represent only the portion of the cleanup costs attributable to the Florida utilities. The estimates to perform the work are based on the Florida utilities’ experience with similar work, adjusted for site-specific conditions and agreements with the respective governmental agencies. The estimates are made in current dollars, are not discounted and do not assume any insurance recoveries. In instances where other PRPs are involved, most of those PRPs are believed to be currently credit- worthy and are likely to continue to be credit-worthy for the duration of the remediation work. However, in those instances that they are not, the Florida utilities could be liable for more than their actual percentage of the remediation costs. Other factors that could impact these estimates include additional testing and investigation which could expand the scope of the cleanup activities, additional liability that might arise from the cleanup activities themselves or changes in laws or regulations that could require additional remediation. Under current regulations, these costs are recoverable through customer rates established in base rate proceedings. Other Legal Proceedings Emera and its subsidiaries may, from time to time, be involved in other legal proceedings, claims and litigation that arise in the ordinary course of business which the Company believes would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Company. Principal Financial Risks and Uncertainties Emera believes the following principal financial risks could materially affect the Company in the normal course of business. Risks associated with derivative instruments and FV measurements are discussed in note 15 and note 16. Sound risk management is an essential discipline for running the business efficiently and pursuing the Company’s strategy successfully. Emera has an enterprise-wide risk management process, overseen by its Enterprise Risk Management Committee (“ERMC”) and monitored by the Board of Directors, to ensure an effective, consistent and coherent approach to risk management. The Board of Directors has a Risk and Sustainability Committee (‘RSC”) with a mandate that includes oversight of the Company’s Enterprise Risk Management framework, including the identification, assessment, monitoring and management of enterprise risks. It also includes oversight of the Company’s approach to sustainability and its performance relative to its sustainability objectives. Regulatory and Political Risk The Company’s rate-regulated subsidiaries and certain investments subject to significant influence are subject to risk of the recovery of costs and investments. Regulatory and political risk can include changes in regulatory frameworks, shifts in government policy, legislative changes, and regulatory decisions. As cost-of-service utilities with an obligation to serve customers, Emera’s utilities operate under formal regulatory frameworks, and must obtain regulatory approval to change or add rates and/or riders. Emera also holds investments in entities in which it has significant influence, and which are subject to regulatory and political risk including NSPML, LIL, and M&NP. As a regulated Group II pipeline, the tolls of Brunswick Pipeline are regulated by the CER on a complaint basis, as opposed to the regulatory approval process described above. In the absence of a complaint, the CER does not normally undertake a detailed examination of Brunswick Pipeline’s tolls, which are subject to a firm service agreement, expiring in 2034, with Repsol Energy North America Canada Partnership. Regulators administer the regulatory frameworks covering material aspects of the utilities’ businesses, including applying market-based tests to determine the appropriate customer rates and/or riders, the underlying allowed ROEs, deemed capital structures, capital investment, the terms and conditions for the provision of service, performance standards, and affiliate transactions. Regulators also review the prudency of costs and other decisions that impact customer rates and reliability of service and work to ensure the financial health of the utility for the benefit of customers. Costs and investments can be recovered upon approval by the respective regulator as an adjustment to rates and/or riders, which normally require a public hearing process or may be mandated by other governmental bodies. During public hearing processes, consultants and customer representatives scrutinize the costs, actions and plans of these rate-regulated companies, and their respective regulators determine whether to allow recovery and to adjust rates based upon the evidence and any contrary evidence from other parties. In some circumstances, other government bodies may influence the setting of rates. Regulatory decisions, legislative changes, and prolonged delays in the recovery of costs or regulatory assets could result in decreased rate affordability for customers and could materially affect Emera and its utilities. Emera’s utilities generally manage this risk through transparent regulatory disclosure, ongoing stakeholder and government consultation and multi-party engagement on aspects such as utility operations, regulatory audits, rate filings and capital plans. The subsidiaries work to establish collaborative relationships with regulatory stakeholders, including customer representatives, both through its approach to filings and additional efforts with technical conferences and, where appropriate, negotiated settlements. Changes in government and shifts in government policy and legislation can impact the commercial and regulatory frameworks under which Emera and its subsidiaries operate. This includes initiatives regarding deregulation or restructuring of the energy industry. Deregulation or restructuring of the energy industry may result in increased competition and unrecovered costs that could adversely affect the Company’s operations, net income and cash flows. State and local policies in some United States jurisdictions have sought to prevent or limit the ability of utilities to provide customers the choice to use natural gas while in other jurisdictions policies have been adopted to prevent limitations on the use of natural gas. Changes in applicable state or local laws and regulations, including electrification legislation, could adversely impact PGS and NMGC. Emera cannot predict future legislative, policy, or regulatory changes, whether caused by economic, political or other factors, or its ability to respond in an effective and timely manner or the resulting compliance costs. Government interference in the regulatory process can undermine regulatory stability, predictability, and independence, and could have a material adverse effect on the Company. Foreign Exchange Risk The Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate changes. Emera operates internationally, with an increasing amount of the Company’s net income earned outside of Canada. As such, Emera is exposed to movements in exchange rates between the CAD and, particularly, the USD, which could positively or adversely affect results. Consistent with the Company’s risk management policies, Emera manages currency risks through matching United States denominated debt to finance its United States operations and may use foreign currency derivative instruments to hedge specific transactions and earnings exposure. The Company may enter FX forward and swap contracts to limit exposure on certain foreign currency transactions such as fuel purchases, revenue streams and capital expenditures, and on net income earned outside of Canada. The regulatory framework for the Company’s rate-regulated subsidiaries permits the recovery of prudently incurred costs, including FX. The Company does not utilize derivative financial instruments for foreign currency trading or speculative purposes or to hedge the value of its investments in foreign subsidiaries. Exchange gains and losses on net investments in foreign subsidiaries do not impact net income as they are reported in AOCI. Liquidity and Capital Market Risk Liquidity risk relates to Emera’s ability to ensure sufficient funds are available to meet its financial obligations. Emera manages this risk by forecasting cash requirements on a continuous basis to determine whether sufficient funds are available. Liquidity and capital needs could be financed through internally generated cash flows, asset sales, short-term credit facilities, and ongoing access to capital markets. Emera’s access to capital and cost of borrowing is subject to several risk factors, including financial market conditions, market disruptions and ratings assigned by various market analysts, including credit rating agencies. Disruptions in capital markets could prevent Emera from issuing new securities or cause the Company to issue securities with less than preferred terms and conditions. Emera’s growth plan requires significant capital investments in PP&E and the risk associated with changes in interest rates could have an adverse effect on the cost of financing. The Company’s future access to capital and cost of borrowing may be impacted by various market disruptions. The inability to access cost-effective capital could have a material impact on Emera’s ability to fund its growth plan. Emera is subject to financial risk associated with changes in its credit ratings. There are a number of factors that rating agencies evaluate to determine credit ratings, including the Company’s business, its regulatory framework and legislative environment, political interference in the regulatory process, the ability to recover costs and earn returns, diversification, leverage, liquidity and increased exposure to climate change-related impacts, including increased frequency and severity of hurricanes and other severe weather events. A decrease in a credit rating could result in higher interest rates in future financings, increased borrowing costs under certain existing credit facilities, limit access to the commercial paper market, or limit the availability of adequate credit support for subsidiary operations. For more information on interest rate risk, refer to “General Economic Risk – Interest Rate Risk”. For certain derivative instruments, if the credit ratings of the Company were reduced below investment grade, the full value of the net liability of these positions could be required to be posted as collateral. Emera manages these risks by actively monitoring and managing key financial metrics with the objective of sustaining investment grade credit ratings. The Company has exposure to its own common share price through the issuance of various forms of stock-based compensation, which affect earnings through revaluation of the outstanding units every period. The Company uses equity derivatives to reduce the earnings volatility derived from stock-based compensation. General Economic Risk The Company has exposure to the macro-economic conditions in North America and in other geographic regions in which Emera operates. Like most utilities, economic factors such as consumer income, employment and housing affect demand for electricity and natural gas, and in turn the Company’s financial results. Adverse changes in general economic conditions and inflation may impact the ability of customers to afford rate increases arising from increases to fuel, operating, capital, environmental compliance, and other costs, and therefore could materially affect Emera and its utilities. This may also result in higher credit and counterparty risk, adverse shifts in government policy and legislation, and/or increased risk to full and timely recovery of costs and regulatory assets. Interest Rate Risk: Emera utilizes a combination of fixed and floating rate debt financing for operations and capital expenditures, resulting in an exposure to interest rate risk. Emera seeks to manage interest rate risk through a portfolio approach that includes the use of fixed and floating rate debt with staggered maturities. The Company will, from time to time, issue long-term debt or enter interest rate hedging contracts to limit its exposure to fluctuations in floating interest rate debt. For Emera’s regulated subsidiaries, the cost of debt is a component of rates and prudently incurred debt costs are recovered from customers. Regulatory ROE will generally follow the direction of interest rates, such that regulatory ROEs are likely to fall in times of reducing interest rates and rise in times of increasing interest rates, albeit not directly and generally with a lag period reflecting the regulatory process. Rising interest rates may also negatively affect the economic viability of project development and acquisition initiatives. Interest rates could also be impacted by changes in credit ratings. For more information, refer to “Liquidity and Capital Market Risk”. As with most other utilities and other similar yield-returning investments, Emera’s share price may be affected by changes in interest rates and could underperform the market in an environment of rising interest rates. Inflation Risk: The Company may be exposed to changes in inflation that may result in increased operating and maintenance costs, capital investment, and fuel costs compared to the revenues provided by customer rates. Emera’s utilities have budgeting and forecasting processes to identify inflationary risk factors and measure operating performance, as well as collective bargaining agreements that mitigate the short-term impact of inflation on labour costs of unionized employees. Commodity Price Risk The Company’s utility fuel supply and purchase of other commodities is subject to commodity price risk. In addition, Emera Energy is subject to commodity price risk through its portfolio of commodity contracts and arrangements. The Company manages this risk through established processes and practices to identify, monitor, report and mitigate these risks. These include the Company’s commercial arrangements, such as the combination of supply and purchase agreements, asset management agreements, pipeline transportation agreements and financial hedging instruments. In addition, its credit policies, counterparty credit assessments, market and credit position reporting, and other risk management and reporting practices, are also used to manage and mitigate this risk. Regulated Utilities: The Company’s utility fuel supply is exposed to broader global conditions, which may include impacts on delivery reliability and price, despite contracted terms. Supply and demand dynamics in fuel markets can be affected by a wide range of factors which are difficult to predict and may change rapidly, including but not limited to currency fluctuations, changes in global economic conditions, natural disasters, transportation or production disruptions, and geo-political risks such as political instability, conflicts, changes to international trade agreements, trade sanctions or embargos. The Company seeks to manage this risk using financial hedging instruments and physical contracts and through contractual protection with counterparties, where applicable. The majority of Emera’s regulated electric and gas utilities have adopted and implemented fuel adjustment mechanisms and purchased gas adjustment mechanisms respectively, which further helps manage commodity price risk, as the regulatory framework for the Company’s rate-regulated subsidiaries permits the recovery of prudently incurred fuel and gas costs. There is no assurance that such mechanisms and regulatory frameworks will continue to exist in the future. Prolonged and substantial increases in fuel prices could result in decreased rate affordability, increased risk of recovery of costs or regulatory assets, and/or negative impacts on customer consumption patterns and sales. Emera Energy Marketing and Trading: Emera Energy has employed further measures to manage commodity risk. The majority of Emera Energy’s portfolio of electricity and gas marketing and trading contracts and, in particular, its natural gas asset management arrangements, are contracted on a back-to-back basis, avoiding any material long or short commodity positions. However, the portfolio is subject to commodity price risk, particularly with respect to basis point differentials between relevant markets in the event of an operational issue or counterparty default. Changes in commodity prices can also result in increased collateral requirements associated with physical contracts and financial hedges, resulting in higher liquidity requirements and increased costs to the business. To measure commodity price risk exposure, Emera Energy employs a number of controls and processes, including an estimated VaR analysis of its exposures. The VaR amount represents an estimate of the potential change in FV that could occur from changes in Emera Energy’s portfolio or changes in market factors within a given confidence level, if an instrument or portfolio is held for a specified time period. The VaR calculation is used to quantify exposure to market risk associated with physical commodities, primarily natural gas and power positions. Income Tax Risk The computation of the Company’s provision for income taxes is impacted by changes in tax legislation in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Any such changes could affect the Company’s future earnings, cash flows, and financial position. The value of Emera’s existing deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined by existing tax laws and could be negatively impacted by changes in laws. Emera monitors the status of existing tax laws to ensure that changes impacting the Company are appropriately reflected in the Company’s tax compliance filings and financial results. Guarantees and Letters of Credit Emera has guarantees and letters of credit on behalf of third parties outstanding. The following significant guarantees and letters of credit are not included within the Consolidated Balance Sheets as at December 31, 2023 : TECO Energy has issued a guarantee in connection with SeaCoast’s performance of obligations under a gas transportation precedent agreement. The guarantee is for a maximum potential amount of $ 45 million USD if SeaCoast fails to pay or perform under the contract. The guarantee expires five years after the gas transportation precedent agreement termination date, which was terminated on January 1, 2022. In the event that TECO Energy’s and Emera’s long-term senior unsecured credit ratings are downgraded below investment grade by Moody’s Investor Services (“Moody’s”) or S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”). TECO Energy would be required to provide its counterparty a letter of credit or cash deposit of $ 27 million USD. TECO Energy issued a guarantee in connection with SeaCoast’s performance obligations under a firm service agreement, which expires on December 31, 2055, subject to two extension terms at the option of the counterparty with a final expiration date of December 31, 2071. The guarantee is for a maximum potential amount of $ 13 million USD if SeaCoast fails to pay or perform under the firm service agreement. In the event that TECO Energy’s long-term senior unsecured credit ratings are downgraded below investment grade by Moody’s or S&P, TECO Energy would need to provide either a substitute guarantee from an affiliate with an investment grade credit rating or a letter of credit or cash deposit of $ 13 million USD. Emera Inc. has issued a guarantee of $ 66 million USD relating to outstanding notes of ECI. This guarantee will automatically terminate on the date upon which the obligations have been repaid in full. NSPI has issued guarantees on behalf of its subsidiary, NS Power Energy Marketing Incorporated, in the amount of $ 104 million USD (2022 – $ 119 million USD) with terms of varying lengths. The Company has standby letters of credit and surety bonds in the amount of $ 103 million USD (December 31, 2022 – $ 145 million USD) to third parties that have extended credit to Emera and its subsidiaries. These letters of credit and surety bonds typically have a one-year term and are renewed annually as required. Emera Inc., on behalf of NSPI, has a standby letter of credit to secure obligations under a supplementary retirement plan. The expiry date of this letter of credit was extended to June 2024. The amount committed as at December 31, 2023 was $ 56 million (December 31, 2022 – $ 63 million). Collaborative Arrangements For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company has identified the following material collaborative arrangements: Through NSPI, the Company is a participant in three wind energy projects in Nova Scotia. The percentage ownership of the wind project assets is based on the relative value of each party’s project assets by the total project assets. NSPI has power purchase arrangements to purchase the entire net output of the projects and, therefore, NSPI’s portion of the revenues are recorded net within regulated fuel for generation and purchased power. NSPI’s portion of operating expenses is recorded in “OM&G” on the Consolidated Statements of Income. In 2023, NSPI recognized $ 8 million net expense (2022 – $ 12 million) in “Regulated fuel for generation and purchased power” and $ 3 million (2022 – $ 3 million) in “OM&G” on the Consolidated Statements of Income.