XML 46 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.6.0.2

Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Spent Nuclear Fuel and Waste Disposal On December 19, 2012, APS, acting on behalf of itself and the participant owners of Palo Verde, filed a second breach of contract lawsuit against the DOE in the Court of Federal Claims. The lawsuit sought to recover damages incurred due to DOE’s breach of the Standard Contract for failing to accept Palo Verde's spent nuclear fuel and high level waste from January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2011, as it was required to do pursuant to the terms of the Standard Contract and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. On August 18, 2014, APS and DOE entered into a settlement agreement, stipulating to a dismissal of the lawsuit and payment of $57.4 million by DOE to the Palo Verde owners for certain specified costs incurred by Palo Verde during the period January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2011. APS’s share of this amount is $16.7 million. Amounts recovered in the lawsuit and settlement were recorded as adjustments to a regulatory liability and had no impact on the amount of reported net income. In addition, the settlement agreement provides APS with a method for submitting claims and getting recovery for costs incurred through December 31, 2016, which has been extended to December 31, 2019. APS has submitted two claims pursuant to the terms of the August 18, 2014 settlement agreement, for two separate time periods during July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2015. The DOE has approved and paid $53.9 million for these claims (APS’s share is $15.7 million). The amounts recovered were primarily recorded as adjustments to a regulatory liability and had no impact on reported net income. APS’s next claim pursuant to the terms of the August 18, 2014 settlement agreement was submitted to the DOE on October 31, 2016, and approved on February 1, 2017, in the amount of $11.3 million (APS’s share is $3.3 million). Payment for the claim is expected in the second quarter of 2017. Nuclear Insurance Public liability for incidents at nuclear power plants is governed by the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act ("Price-Anderson Act"), which limits the liability of nuclear reactor owners to the amount of insurance available from both commercial sources and an industry-wide retrospective payment plan. In accordance with the Price-Anderson Act, the Palo Verde participants are insured against public liability for a nuclear incident up to approximately $13.4 billion per occurrence. Palo Verde maintains the maximum available nuclear liability insurance in the amount of $375 million (on January 1, 2017 this coverage was increased to $450 million), which is provided by American Nuclear Insurers ("ANI"). The remaining balance of approximately $13.1 billion (on January 1, 2017 this balance was decreased to $13.0 billion) of liability coverage is provided through a mandatory industry-wide retrospective premium program. If losses at any nuclear power plant covered by the program exceed the accumulated funds, APS could be responsible for retrospective premiums. The maximum retrospective premium per reactor under the program for each nuclear liability incident is approximately $127.3 million, subject to a maximum annual premium of $18.9 million per incident. Based on APS’s ownership interest in the three Palo Verde units, APS’s maximum retrospective premium per incident for all three units is approximately $111.1 million, with a maximum annual retrospective premium of approximately $16.6 million. The Palo Verde participants maintain insurance for property damage to, and decontamination of, property at Palo Verde in the aggregate amount of $2.8 billion. APS has also secured accidental outage insurance for a sudden and unforeseen accidental outage of any of the three units. The property damage, decontamination, and accidental outage insurance are provided by Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited ("NEIL"). APS is subject to retrospective premium adjustments under all NEIL policies if NEIL’s losses in any policy year exceed accumulated funds. The maximum amount APS could incur under the current NEIL policies totals approximately $23.8 million for each retrospective premium assessment declared by NEIL’s Board of Directors due to losses. In addition, NEIL policies contain rating triggers that would result in APS providing approximately $64 million of collateral assurance within 20 business days of a rating downgrade to non-investment grade. The insurance coverage discussed in this and the previous paragraph is subject to certain policy conditions, sublimits and exclusions. Fuel and Purchased Power Commitments and Purchase Obligations APS is party to various fuel and purchased power contracts and purchase obligations with terms expiring between 2017 and 2043 that include required purchase provisions. APS estimates the contract requirements to be approximately $977 million in 2017; $737 million in 2018; $598 million in 2019; $525 million in 2020; $524 million in 2021; and $7.3 billion thereafter. However, these amounts may vary significantly pursuant to certain provisions in such contracts that permit us to decrease required purchases under certain circumstances. Of the various fuel and purchased power contracts mentioned above, some of those contracts for coal supply include take-or-pay provisions. The current coal contracts with take-or-pay provisions have terms expiring through 2031. The following table summarizes our estimated coal take-or-pay commitments (dollars in thousands):
| Years Ended December 31,
| 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2019 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | Thereafter
Coal take-or-pay commitments (a) | $ | 195,428 |  |  | $ | 189,588 |  |  | $ | 193,818 |  |  | $ | 198,160 |  |  | $ | 202,619 |  |  | $ | 2,068,355 |
(a) | Total take-or-pay commitments are approximately $3.0 billion. The total net present value of these commitments is approximately $2.1 billion.
APS may spend more to meet its actual fuel requirements than the minimum purchase obligations in our coal take-or-pay contracts. The following table summarizes actual amounts purchased under the coal contracts which include take-or-pay provisions for each of the last three years (dollars in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2016 |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Total purchases | $ | 160,066 |  |  | $ | 211,327 |  |  | $ | 236,773 |
Renewable Energy Credits APS has entered into contracts to purchase renewable energy credits to comply with the RES. APS estimates the contract requirements to be approximately $40 million in 2017; $40 million in 2018; $40 million in 2019; $40 million in 2020; $40 million in 2021; and $420 million thereafter. These amounts do not include purchases of renewable energy credits that are bundled with energy. Coal Mine Reclamation Obligations APS and 4CA must reimburse certain coal providers for amounts incurred for final and contemporaneous coal mine reclamation. We account for contemporaneous reclamation costs as part of the cost of the delivered coal. We utilize site-specific studies of costs expected to be incurred in the future to estimate our final reclamation obligation. These studies utilize various assumptions to estimate the future costs. Based on the most recent reclamation studies, APS recorded an obligation for the coal mine final reclamation of approximately $207 million at December 31, 2016 and $202 million at December 31, 2015. 4CA recorded an obligation for the coal mine final reclamation of approximately $15 million at December 31, 2016. Under our current coal supply agreements, APS expects to make payments for the final mine reclamation as follows: $17 million in 2017; $18 million in 2018; $19 million in 2019; $21 million in 2020; $22 million in 2021; and $241 million thereafter. 4CA expects to make payments for the final mine reclamation as follows: $1 million in 2017; $1 million in 2018; $1 million in 2019; $1 million in 2020; $2 million in 2021; and $17 million thereafter. Any amendments to current coal supply agreements may change the timing of the contribution. Portions of these funds will be held in an escrow account and distributed to certain coal providers under the terms of the applicable coal supply agreements. Superfund-Related Matters Superfund establishes liability for the cleanup of hazardous substances found contaminating the soil, water or air. Those who generated, transported or disposed of hazardous substances at a contaminated site are among those who are PRPs. PRPs may be strictly, and often are jointly and severally, liable for clean-up. On September 3, 2003, EPA advised APS that EPA considers APS to be a PRP in the Motorola 52 nd Street Superfund Site, OU3 in Phoenix, Arizona. APS has facilities that are within this Superfund site. APS and Pinnacle West have agreed with EPA to perform certain investigative activities of the APS facilities within OU3. In addition, on September 23, 2009, APS agreed with EPA and one other PRP to voluntarily assist with the funding and management of the site-wide groundwater RI/FS work plan. The OU3 working group parties have agreed to a schedule with EPA that calls for the submission of a revised draft RI/FS by June 2017. We estimate that our costs related to this investigation and study will be approximately $2 million. We anticipate incurring additional expenditures in the future, but because the overall investigation is not complete and ultimate remediation requirements are not yet finalized, at the present time expenditures related to this matter cannot be reasonably estimated. On August 6, 2013, RID filed a lawsuit in Arizona District Court against APS and 24 other defendants, alleging that RID’s groundwater wells were contaminated by the release of hazardous substances from facilities owned or operated by the defendants. The lawsuit also alleges that, under Superfund laws, the defendants are jointly and severally liable to RID. The allegations against APS arise out of APS’s current and former ownership of facilities in and around OU3. As part of a state governmental investigation into groundwater contamination in this area, on January 25, 2015, ADEQ sent a letter to APS seeking information concerning the degree to which, if any, APS’s current and former ownership of these facilities may have contributed to groundwater contamination in this area. APS responded to ADEQ on May 4, 2015. On December 16, 2016, two RID contractors filed ancillary lawsuits for recovery of costs against APS and the other defendants. We are unable to predict the outcome of these matters; however, we do not expect the outcome to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Southwest Power Outage On September 8, 2011 at approximately 3:30 PM, a 500 kV transmission line running between the Hassayampa and North Gila substations in southwestern Arizona tripped out of service due to a fault that occurred at a switchyard operated by APS. Approximately ten minutes after the transmission line went off-line, generation and transmission resources for the Yuma area were lost, resulting in approximately 69,700 APS customers losing service. On September 6, 2013, a purported consumer class action complaint was filed in Federal District Court in San Diego, California, naming APS and Pinnacle West as defendants and seeking damages for loss of perishable inventory and sales as a result of interruption of electrical service. APS and Pinnacle West filed a motion to dismiss, which the court granted on December 9, 2013. On January 13, 2014, the plaintiffs appealed the lower court’s decision. On March 2, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously affirmed the District Court's decision. The plaintiffs filed a Petition for Rehearing En Banc, which was denied on April 11, 2016. Environmental Matters APS is subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations affecting many aspects of its present and future operations, including air emissions of both conventional pollutants and greenhouse gases, water quality, wastewater discharges, solid waste, hazardous waste, and CCRs. These laws and regulations can change from time to time, imposing new obligations on APS resulting in increased capital, operating, and other costs. Associated capital expenditures or operating costs could be material. APS intends to seek recovery of any such environmental compliance costs through our rates, but cannot predict whether it will obtain such recovery. The following proposed and final rules involve material compliance costs to APS. Regional Haze Rules. APS has received the final rulemaking imposing new requirements on Four Corners and the Navajo Plant. EPA will require these plants to install pollution control equipment that constitutes BART to lessen the impacts of emissions on visibility surrounding the plants. EPA recently approved a proposed rule for Regional Haze compliance at Cholla that does not involve the installation of new pollution controls and that will replace an earlier BART determination for this facility. See below for details of the recent Cholla rule approval. Four Corners. Based on EPA’s final standards, APS estimates that its 63% share of the cost of required controls for Four Corners Units 4 and 5 would be approximately $400 million. In addition, APS and El Paso entered into an asset purchase agreement providing for the purchase by APS, or an affiliate of APS, of El Paso's 7% interest in Four Corners Units 4 and 5. 4CA purchased the El Paso interest on July 6, 2016. NTEC has the option to purchase the interest within a certain timeframe pursuant to an option granted to NTEC. In December 2015, NTEC notified APS of its intent to exercise the option. The cost of the pollution controls related to the 7% interest is approximately $45 million, which will be assumed by the ultimate owner of the 7% interest. Navajo Plant. APS estimates that its share of costs for upgrades at the Navajo Plant, based on EPA’s FIP, could be up to approximately $200 million. In October 2014, a coalition of environmental groups, an Indian tribe and others filed petitions for review in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asking the Court to review EPA's final BART rule for the Navajo Plant. We cannot predict the outcome of this review process. See "Navajo Plant" in Note 3 for information regarding future plans for the Navajo Plant. Cholla. APS believes that EPA’s original 2012 final rule establishing controls constituting BART for Cholla, which would require installation of SCR controls with a cost to APS of approximately $100 million is unsupported and that EPA had no basis for disapproving Arizona’s SIP and promulgating a FIP that is inconsistent with the state’s considered BART determinations under the regional haze program. Accordingly, on February 1, 2013, APS filed a Petition for Review of the final BART rule in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Briefing in the case was completed in February 2014. In September 2014, APS met with EPA to propose a compromise BART strategy. Pending certain regulatory approvals, APS would permanently close Cholla Unit 2 and cease burning coal at Units 1 and 3 by the mid-2020s. (See Note 3 for details related to the resulting regulatory asset.) APS made the proposal with the understanding that additional emission control equipment is unlikely to be required in the future because retiring and/or converting the units as contemplated in the proposal is more cost effective than, and will result in increased visibility improvement over, the current BART requirements for NOx imposed on the Cholla units under EPA's BART FIP. APS’s proposal involves state and federal rulemaking processes. In light of these ongoing administrative proceedings, on February 19, 2015, APS, PacifiCorp (owner of Cholla Unit 4), and EPA jointly moved the court to sever and hold in abeyance those claims in the litigation pertaining to Cholla pending regulatory actions by the state and EPA. The court granted the parties' unopposed motion on February 20, 2015. On October 16, 2015, ADEQ issued a revised operating permit for Cholla, which incorporates APS's proposal, and subsequently submitted a proposed revision to the SIP to the EPA, which would incorporate the new permit terms. On June 30, 2016, EPA issued a proposed rule approving a revision to the Arizona SIP that incorporates APS’s compromise approach for compliance with the Regional Haze program. EPA signed the final rule approving the Agency's proposal on January 13, 2017. Once the final rule is published in the Federal Register, parties have 60 days to file a petition for review in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. APS cannot predict at this time whether such petitions will be filed or if they will be successful. In addition, under the terms of an executive memorandum issued on January 20, 2017, this final rule will not be published in the Federal Register until after it has been reviewed by an appointee of the President. We cannot predict when such review will occur and what may result from the additional review. Mercury and Air Toxic Standards ("MATS"). In 2011, EPA issued rules establishing maximum achievable control technology standards to regulate emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from fossil-fired plants. APS estimates that the cost for the remaining equipment necessary to meet these standards is approximately $8 million for Cholla. No additional equipment is needed for Four Corners Units 4 and 5 to comply with these rules. SRP, the operating agent for the Navajo Plant, estimates that APS's share of costs for equipment necessary to comply with the rules is approximately $1 million, the majority of which has already been incurred. Litigation concerning the rules, including supplemental analyses EPA has prepared in support of the MATS regulation, is ongoing. These proceedings do not materially impact APS. Regardless of the results from further judicial or administrative proceedings concerning the MATS rulemaking, the Arizona State Mercury Rule, the stringency of which is roughly equivalent to that of MATS, would still apply to Cholla. Coal Combustion Waste. On December 19, 2014, EPA issued its final regulations governing the handling and disposal of CCR, such as fly ash and bottom ash. The rule regulates CCR as a non-hazardous waste under Subtitle D of RCRA and establishes national minimum criteria for existing and new CCR landfills and surface impoundments and all lateral expansions consisting of location restrictions, design and operating criteria, groundwater monitoring and corrective action, closure requirements and post closure care, and recordkeeping, notification, and Internet posting requirements. The rule generally requires any existing unlined CCR surface impoundment that is contaminating groundwater above a regulated constituent’s groundwater protection standard to stop receiving CCR and either retrofit or close, and further requires the closure of any CCR landfill or surface impoundment that cannot meet the applicable performance criteria for location restrictions or structural integrity. While EPA has chosen to regulate the disposal of CCR in landfills and surface impoundments as non-hazardous waste under the final rule, the agency makes clear that it will continue to evaluate any risks associated with CCR disposal and leaves open the possibility that it may regulate CCR as a hazardous waste under RCRA Subtitle C in the future. On December 16, 2016, President Obama signed the WIIN Act into law, which contains a number of provisions requiring EPA to modify the self-implementing provisions of the Agency's current CCR rules under Subtitle D. Such modifications include new EPA authority to directly enforce the CCR rules through the use of administrative orders and providing states, like Arizona, where the Cholla facility is located, the option of developing CCR disposal unit permitting programs, subject to EPA approval. For facilities in states that do not develop state-specific permitting programs, EPA is required to develop a federal permit program, pending the availability of congressional appropriations. By contrast, for facilities located within the boundaries of Native American tribal reservations, such as the Navajo Nation, where the Navajo Plant and Four Corners facilities are located, EPA is required to develop a federal permit program regardless of appropriated funds. Because EPA has yet to undertake rulemaking proceedings to implement the CCR provisions of the WIIN Act, and Arizona has yet to determine whether it will develop a state-specific permitting program, it is unclear what effects the CCR provisions of the WIIN Act will have on APS's management of CCR. APS currently disposes of CCR in ash ponds and dry storage areas at Cholla and Four Corners. APS estimates that its share of incremental costs to comply with the CCR rule for Four Corners is approximately $15 million. APS is currently evaluating compliance alternatives for Cholla and estimates that its share of incremental costs to comply with the CCR rule for this plant is in the range of $5 million to $40 million based upon which compliance alternatives are ultimately selected. The Navajo Plant currently disposes of CCR in a dry landfill storage area. APS estimates that its share of incremental costs to comply with the CCR rule for the Navajo Plant is approximately $1 million, the majority of which has already been incurred. Additionally, the CCR rule requires ongoing groundwater monitoring. Depending upon the results of such monitoring at each of Cholla, Four Corners and the Navajo Plant, we may be required to take corrective actions, the costs of which we are unable to reasonably estimate at this time. Pursuant to a June 24, 2016 order by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in the litigation by industry- and environmental-groups challenging EPA’s CCR regulations, within the next 3 years EPA is required to complete a rulemaking proceeding concerning whether or not boron must be included on the list of groundwater constituents that might trigger corrective action under EPA’s CCR rules. EPA is not required to take final action approving the inclusion of boron, but EPA must propose and consider its inclusion. Should EPA take final action adding boron to the list of groundwater constituents that might trigger corrective action, any resulting corrective action measures may increase APS's costs of compliance with the CCR rule at our coal-fired generating facilities. At this time, though, APS cannot predict when EPA will commence its rulemaking concerning boron or the eventual results of those proceedings. Clean Power Plan. On August 3, 2015, EPA finalized carbon pollution standards for existing, new, modified, and reconstructed EGUs. EPA’s final rules require newly built fossil fuel-fired EGUs, along with those undergoing modification or reconstruction, to meet CO 2 performance standards based on a combination of best operating practices and equipment upgrades. EPA established separate performance standards for two types of EGUs: stationary combustion turbines, typically natural gas; and electric utility steam generating units, typically coal. With respect to existing power plants, EPA’s recently finalized “Clean Power Plan” imposes state-specific goals or targets to achieve reductions in CO 2 emission rates from existing EGUs measured from a 2012 baseline. In a significant change from the proposed rule, EPA’s final performance standards apply directly to specific units based upon their fuel-type and configuration (i.e., coal- or oil-fired steam plants versus combined cycle natural gas plants). As such, each state’s goal is an emissions performance standard that reflects the fuel mix employed by the EGUs in operation in those states. The final rule provides guidelines to states to help develop their plans for meeting the interim (2022-2029) and final (2030 and beyond) emission performance standards, with three distinct compliance periods within that timeframe. States were originally required to submit their plans to EPA by September 2016, with an optional two-year extension provided to states establishing a need for additional time; however, this timing will be impacted by the court-imposed stay described below. Prior to the court-imposed stay described below, ADEQ, with input from a technical working group comprised of Arizona utilities and other stakeholders, was working to develop a compliance plan for submittal to EPA. Since the imposition of the stay, ADEQ is continuing to assess alternatives while completing outreach and soliciting feedback from stakeholders. In addition to these ongoing state proceedings, EPA has taken public comments on proposed model rules and a proposed federal compliance plan, which included consideration as to how the Clean Power Plan will apply to EGUs on tribal land such as the Navajo Nation. The legality of the Clean Power Plan is being challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; the parties raising this challenge include, among others, the ACC. On February 9, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the Clean Power Plan pending judicial review of the rule, which temporarily delays compliance obligations under the Clean Power Plan. We cannot predict the extent of such a delay. With respect to our Arizona generating units, we are currently evaluating the range of compliance options available to ADEQ, including whether Arizona deploys a rate- or mass-based compliance plan. Based on the fuel-mix and location of our Arizona EGUs, and the significant investments we have made in renewable generation and demand-side energy efficiency, if ADEQ selects a rate-based compliance plan, we believe that we will be able to comply with the Clean Power Plan for our Arizona generating units in a manner that will not have material financial or operational impacts to the Company. On the other hand, if ADEQ selects a mass-based approach to compliance with the Clean Power Plan, our annual cost of compliance could be material. These costs could include costs to acquire mass-based compliance allowances. As to our facilities on the Navajo Nation, EPA has yet to determine whether or to what extent EGUs on the Navajo Nation will be required to comply with the Clean Power Plan. EPA has proposed to determine that it is necessary or appropriate to impose a federal plan on the Navajo Nation for compliance with the Clean Power Plan. In response, we filed comments with EPA advocating that such a federal plan is neither necessary nor appropriate to protect air quality on the Navajo Nation. If EPA reaches a determination that is consistent with our preferred approach for the Navajo Nation, we believe the Clean Power Plan will not have material financial or operational impacts on our operations within the Navajo Nation. Alternatively, if EPA determines that a federal plan is necessary or appropriate for the Navajo Nation, and depending on our need for future operations at our EGUs located there, we may be unable to comply with the federal plan unless we acquire mass-based allowances or emission rate credits within established carbon trading markets, or curtail our operations. Subject to the uncertainties set forth below, and assuming that EPA establishes a federal plan for the Navajo Nation that requires carbon allowances or credits to be surrendered for plan compliance, it is possible we will be required to purchase some quantity of credits or allowances, the cost of which could be material. Because ADEQ has not issued its plan for Arizona, and because we do not know whether EPA will decide to impose a plan or, if so, what that plan will require, there are a number of uncertainties associated with our potential cost exposure. These uncertainties include: whether judicial review will result in the Clean Power Plan being vacated in whole or in part or, if not, the extent of any resulting compliance deadline delays; whether any plan will be imposed for EGUs on the Navajo Nation; the future existence and liquidity of allowance or credit compliance trading markets; the applicability of existing contractual obligations with current and former owners of our participant-owned coal-fired EGUs; the type of federal or state compliance plan (either rate- or mass-based); whether or not the trading of allowances or credits will be authorized mechanisms for compliance with any final EPA or ADEQ plan; and how units that have been closed will be treated for allowance or credit allocation purposes. In the event that the incurrence of compliance costs is not economically viable or prudent for our operations in Arizona or on the Navajo Nation, or if we do not have the option of acquiring allowances to account for the emissions from our operations, we may explore other options, including reduced levels of output or potential plant closures, as alternatives to purchasing allowances. Given these uncertainties, our analysis of the available compliance options remains ongoing, and additional information or considerations may arise that change our expectations. Other environmental rules that could involve material compliance costs include those related to effluent limitations, the ozone national ambient air quality standard and other rules or matters involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, RCRA, Superfund, the Navajo Nation, and water supplies for our power plants. The financial impact of complying with current and future environmental rules could jeopardize the economic viability of our coal plants or the willingness or ability of power plant participants to fund any required equipment upgrades or continue their participation in these plants. The economics of continuing to own certain resources, particularly our coal plants, may deteriorate, warranting early retirement of those plants, which may result in asset impairments. APS would seek recovery in rates for the book value of any remaining investments in the plants as well as other costs related to early retirement, but cannot predict whether it would obtain such recovery. Federal Agency Environmental Lawsuit Related to Four Corners On April 20, 2016, several environmental groups filed a lawsuit against OSM and other federal agencies in the District of Arizona in connection with their issuance of the approvals that extended the life of Four Corners and the adjacent mine. The lawsuit alleges that these federal agencies violated both the ESA and NEPA in providing the federal approvals necessary to extend operations at the Four Corners Power Plant and the adjacent Navajo Mine past July 6, 2016. APS filed a motion to intervene in the proceedings, which was granted on August 3, 2016. Briefing on the merits of this litigation is expected to extend through May 2017. On September 15, 2016, NTEC, the company that owns the adjacent mine, filed a motion to intervene for the purpose of dismissing the lawsuit based on NTEC's tribal sovereign immunity. Because the court has placed a stay on all litigation deadlines pending its decision regarding NTEC's motion to dismiss, the schedule for briefing and the anticipated timeline for completion of this litigation will likely be extended. We cannot predict the outcome of this matter or its potential effect on Four Corners. New Mexico Tax Matter On May 23, 2013, the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department ("NMTRD") issued a notice of assessment for coal severance surtax, penalty, and interest totaling approximately $30 million related to coal supplied under the coal supply agreement for Four Corners (the “Assessment”). APS’s share of the Assessment is approximately $12 million. For procedural reasons, on behalf of the Four Corners co-owners, including APS, the coal supplier made a partial payment of the Assessment in the amount of $0.8 million and immediately filed a refund claim with respect to that partial payment in August 2013. The NMTRD denied the refund claim. On December 19, 2013, the coal supplier and APS, on its own behalf and as operating agent for Four Corners, filed a complaint with the New Mexico District Court contesting both the validity of the Assessment and the refund claim denial. On June 30, 2015, the court ruled that the Assessment was not valid and further ruled that APS and the other Four Corners co-owners receive a refund of all of the contested amounts previously paid under the applicable tax statute. The NMTRD filed an appeal of the decision on August 31, 2015. On March 16, 2016, APS and the coal supplier entered into a final settlement agreement with the NMTRD with respect to the Assessment. Pursuant to the final settlement agreement, the NMTRD agreed to release the Assessment, dismiss its filed appeal, and release its rights to any other surtax claims with respect to the coal supply agreement. APS and the other Four Corners co-owners agreed to forgo refund rights with respect to all of the contested amounts previously paid under the applicable tax statute, as well as pay $1 million. APS's share of this settlement payment, together with its share of the partial payment described above, is approximately $0.8 million. Peabody Bankruptcy On April 13, 2016, Peabody Energy Corporation and certain affiliated entities filed a petition for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Under a Coal Supply Agreement, dated December 21, 2005, Peabody supplied coal to APS and PacifiCorp (collectively, the “Buyers”) for use at the Cholla power plant in Arizona. APS believes that the Coal Supply Agreement terminated automatically on April 13, 2016 as a result of Peabody's bankruptcy filing. The Buyers filed a motion requesting that the Bankruptcy Court enter an order determining that the Buyers are authorized to enforce the termination provisions in the Coal Supply Agreement. On May 13, 2016, Peabody filed a complaint against the Buyers in the bankruptcy court in which Peabody alleged that the Buyers breached the Agreement. On January 27, 2017, the bankruptcy court approved a settlement between the parties, and on February 6, 2017 the parties executed an amendment to the Coal Supply Agreement that allows for continuation of the agreement with modified terms and conditions acceptable to the parties. Financial Assurances In the normal course of business, we obtain standby letters of credit and surety bonds from financial institutions and other third parties. These instruments guarantee our own future performance and provide third parties with financial and performance assurance in the event we do not perform. These instruments support certain commodity contract collateral obligations and other transactions. As of December 31, 2016, standby letters of credit totaled $35 million and will expire in 2017. As of December 31, 2016, surety bonds expiring through 2019 totaled $53 million. The underlying liabilities insured by these instruments are reflected on our balance sheets, where applicable. Therefore, no additional liability is reflected for the letters of credit and surety bonds themselves. We enter into agreements that include indemnification provisions relating to liabilities arising from or related to certain of our agreements. Most significantly, APS has agreed to indemnify the equity participants and other parties in the Palo Verde sale leaseback transactions with respect to certain tax matters. Generally, a maximum obligation is not explicitly stated in the indemnification provisions and, therefore, the overall maximum amount of the obligation under such indemnification provisions cannot be reasonably estimated. Based on historical experience and evaluation of the specific indemnities, we do not believe that any material loss related to such indemnification provisions is likely. Pinnacle West has issued parental guarantees and has provided indemnification under certain surety bonds for APS which were not material at December 31, 2016. Effective July 6, 2016, Pinnacle West has issued two parental guarantees for 4CA relating to payment obligations arising from 4CA’s acquisition of El Paso’s 7% interest in Four Corners, and pursuant to the Four Corners participation agreement payment obligations arising from 4CA’s ownership interest in Four Corners.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6449706&loc=d3e16207-108621 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68068213&loc=d3e12565-110249 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.25) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73718637&loc=d3e25287-109308 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration