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Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters | 6 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters | Note 7 — Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters For a description of the Company’s regulatory assets and liabilities other than those described below, see Note 8 in the Company’s 2017 Annual Report. Other than removal costs, UGI Utilities currently does not recover a rate of return on its regulatory assets. The following regulatory assets and liabilities associated with UGI Utilities are included in our accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets:
|  | March 31, 2018 |  | September 30, 2017 |  | March 31, 2017
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |  |  |
Income taxes recoverable |  | $ | 128.3 |  |  | $ | 121.4 |  |  | $ | 120.3 |
Underfunded pension and postretirement plans |  | 135.3 |  |  | 141.3 |  |  | 175.6 |
Environmental costs |  | 59.8 |  |  | 61.6 |  |  | 62.2 |
Deferred fuel and power costs |  | 0.7 |  |  | 7.7 |  |  | 1.3 |
Removal costs, net |  | 30.5 |  |  | 31.0 |  |  | 28.8 |
Other |  | 7.0 |  |  | 5.9 |  |  | 6.5 |
Total regulatory assets |  | $ | 361.6 |  |  | $ | 368.9 |  |  | $ | 394.7 |
Regulatory liabilities (a): |  |  |  |  |  |
Postretirement benefits |  | $ | 17.1 |  |  | $ | 17.5 |  |  | $ | 17.0 |
Deferred fuel and power refunds |  | 35.3 |  |  | 10.6 |  |  | 13.8 |
State tax benefits — distribution system repairs |  | 19.9 |  |  | 18.4 |  |  | 16.1 |
Excess federal deferred income taxes (b) |  | 301.2 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Other |  | 7.2 |  |  | 2.7 |  |  | 3.6 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  | $ | 380.7 |  |  | $ | 49.2 |  |  | $ | 50.5 |
(a) | Regulatory liabilities are recorded in “Other current liabilities” and “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(b) | Balance at March 31, 2018, comprises excess deferred federal income taxes resulting from the enactment of the TCJA (see below and Note 5).
Deferred fuel and power refunds. Gas Utility’s and Electric Utility’s tariffs contain clauses that permit recovery of all prudently incurred purchased gas and power costs through the application of purchased gas cost (“PGC”) rates in the case of Gas Utility and default service (“DS”) tariffs in the case of Electric Utility. The clauses provide for periodic adjustments to PGC and DS rates for differences between the total amount of purchased gas and electric generation supply costs collected from customers and recoverable costs incurred. Net undercollected costs are classified as a regulatory asset and net overcollections are classified as a regulatory liability. Gas Utility uses derivative instruments to reduce volatility in the cost of gas it purchases for firm- residential, commercial and industrial (“retail core-market”) customers. Realized and unrealized gains or losses on natural gas derivative instruments are included in deferred fuel costs or refunds. Net unrealized gains on such contracts at March 31, 2018, September 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017 were $0.3, $0.1 and $2.0, respectively. In order to reduce volatility associated with a substantial portion of its electric transmission congestion costs, Electric Utility obtains financial transmission rights (“FTRs”). FTRs are derivative instruments that entitle the holder to receive compensation for electricity transmission congestion charges when there is insufficient electricity transmission capacity on the electric transmission grid. Because Electric Utility is entitled to fully recover its DS costs, realized and unrealized gains or losses on FTRs are included in deferred fuel and power costs or deferred fuel and power refunds. Unrealized gains or losses on FTRs at March 31, 2018, September 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, were not material. Excess federal deferred income taxes. This regulatory liability is the result of remeasuring UGI Utilities’ federal deferred income tax liabilities on utility plant due to the enactment of the TCJA on December 22, 2017 (see Note 5). In order for our utility assets to continue to be eligible for accelerated tax depreciation, current law requires that these excess federal deferred income taxes be amortized no more rapidly than over the remaining lives of the assets that gave rise to the excess federal deferred income taxes, ranging from 1 year to approximately 65 years. This regulatory liability has been increased to reflect the tax benefit generated by the amortization of the excess deferred federal income taxes and will be amortized and credited to tax expense. Other Regulatory Matters Base Rate Filings. On January 26, 2018, Electric Utility filed a rate request with the PUC to increase its annual base distribution revenues by $9.2. The increased revenues would fund ongoing system improvements and operations necessary to maintain safe and reliable electric service. Electric Utility requested that the new electric rates become effective March 27, 2018. The PUC entered an Order dated March 1, 2018, suspending the effective date for the rate increase to allow for investigation and public hearings. Unless a settlement is reached sooner, this review process is expected to last up to nine months from the date of filing; however, the Company cannot predict the timing or the ultimate outcome of the rate case review process. On August 31, 2017, the PUC approved a previously filed Joint Petition for Approval of Settlement of all issues providing for an $11.3 annual base distribution rate increase for PNG. The increase became effective on October 20, 2017. On October 14, 2016, the PUC approved a previously filed Joint Petition for Approval of Settlement of all issues providing for a $27.0 annual base distribution rate increase for UGI Gas. The increase became effective on October 19, 2016. Distribution System Improvement Charge. State legislation permits gas and electric utilities in Pennsylvania to recover a distribution system improvement charge (“DSIC”) on eligible capital investments as an alternative ratemaking mechanism providing for a more-timely cost recovery of qualifying capital expenditures between base rate cases. PNG and CPG received PUC approval on a DSIC tariff, initially set at zero, in 2014. PNG and CPG began charging a DSIC at a rate other than zero beginning on April 1, 2015 and April 1, 2016, respectively. In May 2017, the PUC issued a final Order to approve an increase of the maximum allowable DSIC to 7.5% of billed distribution revenues effective July 1, 2017, for PNG and CPG, pending reconsideration at each company’s Long-term Infrastructure Improvement Plan filing in 2018. PNG’s DSIC has been reset to zero as a result of its most recent rate case. The DSIC rate for PNG will resume upon exceeding the threshold amount of DSIC-eligible plant in service agreed upon in the settlement of its recent base rate case. In November 2016, UGI Gas received PUC approval to establish a DSIC tariff mechanism, capped at 5% of distribution charges billed to customers, effective January 1, 2017. UGI Gas will be permitted to recover revenue under the mechanism for the amount of DSIC-eligible plant placed into service in excess of the threshold amount of DSIC-eligible plant agreed upon in the settlement of its recent base rate case. Utilities Merger Request. On March 8, 2018 and March 13, 2018, the Company filed merger authorization requests with the PUC and MD PSC, respectively, to merge PNG and CPG into UGI Utilities, with a targeted effective date of October 1, 2018. There are no expected changes to annual base distribution rates for the combined utilities or to existing regulatory assets and liabilities as a result of the proposed merger. The Company cannot predict the timing or the ultimate outcome of the PUC or MD PSC review of the merger request. CPG, PNG, and UGI Utilities also filed, in May 2018, related applications to transfer certain FERC authorizations from PNG and CPG to UGI Utilities to ensure continuity of certain interstate gas transportation services now conducted by CPG and PNG upon the effective date of the proposed merger.

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