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Fair Value of FInancial Instruments | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value of Financial Instruments Note [Abstract] |
Fair Value of FInancial Instruments | FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS PGE determines the fair value of financial instruments, both assets and liabilities recognized and not recognized in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, for which it is practicable to estimate fair value as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and then classifies these financial assets and liabilities based on a fair value hierarchy that is used to prioritize the inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The three levels and application to the Company are discussed below.
Level 1 | Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the measurement date.
Level 2 | Pricing inputs include those that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace as of the measurement date.
Level 3 | Pricing inputs include significant inputs which are unobservable for the asset or liability.
Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment, and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy. Assets measured at fair value using net asset value (NAV) as a practical expedient are not categorized in the fair value hierarchy. These assets are listed in the totals of the fair value hierarchy to permit the reconciliation to amounts presented in the financial statements. PGE recognizes transfers between levels in the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period for all of its financial instruments. Changes to market liquidity conditions, the availability of observable inputs, or changes in the economic structure of a security marketplace may require transfer of the securities between levels. There were no significant transfers between levels during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, except those presented in this note. The Company’s financial assets and liabilities whose values were recognized at fair value are as follows by level within the fair value hierarchy (in millions):
| As of December 31, 2017
| Level 1 |  | Level 2 |  | Level 3 |  | Other(2) |  | Total
Assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Nuclear decommissioning trust: (1) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Debt securities: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Domestic government | $ | 4 |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 11 |
Corporate credit | — |  |  | 6 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 6 |
Money market funds measured at NAV (2) | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 25 |  |  | 25 |
Non-qualified benefit plan trust: (3) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Money market funds | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Equity securities—domestic | 7 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 7 |
Debt securities—domestic government | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Investments measured at NAV: (2) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Collective trust—domestic equity | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Assets from price risk management activities: (1) (4) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity | — |  |  | 3 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 3 |
Natural gas | — |  |  | 3 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 3 |
| $ | 13 |  |  | $ | 19 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 25 |  |  | $ | 57 |
Liabilities - Liabilities from price risk management activities: (1) (4) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity | $ | — |  |  | $ | 5 |  |  | $ | 130 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 135 |
Natural gas | — |  |  | 66 |  |  | 9 |  |  | — |  |  | 75 |
| $ | — |  |  | $ | 71 |  |  | $ | 139 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 210 |
(1) | Activities are subject to regulation, with certain gains and losses deferred pursuant to regulatory accounting and included in regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities as appropriate.
(2) | Assets are measured at NAV as a practical expedient and not subject to hierarchy level classification disclosure.
(3) | Excludes insurance policies of $28 million, which are recorded at cash surrender value.
(4) | For further information, see Note 5, Price Risk Management.
| As of December 31, 2016
| Level 1 |  | Level 2 |  | Level 3 |  | Other(2) |  | Total
Assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Nuclear decommissioning trust: (1) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Debt securities: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Domestic government | $ | 2 |  |  | $ | 10 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 12 |
Corporate credit | — |  |  | 8 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 8 |
Money market funds measured at NAV (2) | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 21 |  |  | 21 |
Non-qualified benefit plan trust: (3) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Money market funds | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Equity securities—domestic | 4 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 4 |
Debt securities—domestic government | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Investments measured at NAV: (2) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Collective trust—domestic equity | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 2 |  |  | 2 |
Assets from price risk management activities: (1) (4) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity | — |  |  | 6 |  |  | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | 7 |
Natural gas | — |  |  | 15 |  |  | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | 16 |
| $ | 8 |  |  | $ | 39 |  |  | $ | 2 |  |  | $ | 23 |  |  | $ | 72 |
Liabilities - Liabilities from price risk management activities: (1) (4) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity | $ | — |  |  | $ | 6 |  |  | $ | 112 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 118 |
Natural gas | — |  |  | 42 |  |  | 9 |  |  | — |  |  | 51 |
| $ | — |  |  | $ | 48 |  |  | $ | 121 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 169 |
(1) | Activities are subject to regulation, with certain gains and losses deferred pursuant to regulatory accounting and included in regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities as appropriate.
(2) | Assets are measured at NAV as a practical expedient and not subject to hierarchy level classification disclosure.
(3) | Excludes insurance policies of $26 million, which are recorded at cash surrender value.
(4) | For further information, see Note 5, Price Risk Management.
Assets held in the Nuclear decommissioning trust (NDT) and Non-qualified benefit plan (NQBP) trusts are recorded at fair value in PGE’s consolidated balance sheets and invested in securities that are exposed to interest rate, credit, and market volatility risks. These assets are classified within Level 1, 2, or 3 based on the following factors: Debt securities—PGE invests in highly-liquid United States Treasury securities to support the investment objectives of the trusts. These domestic government securities are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy due to the availability of quoted prices for identical assets in an active market as of the measurement date. Assets classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy include domestic government debt securities, such as municipal debt, and corporate credit securities. Prices are determined by evaluating pricing data such as broker quotes for similar securities and adjusted for observable differences. Significant inputs used in valuation models generally include benchmark yield and issuer spreads. The external credit rating, coupon rate, and maturity of each security are considered in the valuation as applicable. Equity securities—Equity mutual fund and common stock securities are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy due to the availability of quoted prices for identical assets in an active market as of the measurement date. Principal markets for equity prices include published exchanges such as NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Money market funds—PGE invests in money market funds that seek to maintain a stable net asset value. These funds invest in high-quality, short-term, diversified money market instruments, short-term treasury bills, federal agency securities, certificates of deposits, and commercial paper. The Company believes the redemption value of these funds is likely to be the fair value, which is represented by the net asset value. Redemption is permitted daily without written notice. The NQBP trust is invested in exchange traded government money market funds and is classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy due to the availability of quoted prices in published exchanges such as NASDAQ and the NYSE. The money market fund in the NDT is valued at NAV as a practical expedient and is not included in the fair value hierarchy. Common and collective trust funds—PGE invests in common and collective trust funds that invests in equity securities. The Company believes the redemption value of these funds is likely to be the fair value, which is represented by the net asset value as a practical expedient. The funds allow for daily liquidity with appropriate notice. Common and collective trusts are not classified in the fair value hierarchy as they are valued at NAV as a practical expedient. All collective trusts for the NQBP were liquidated during 2017. Assets and liabilities from price risk management activities are recorded at fair value in PGE’s consolidated balance sheets and consist of derivative instruments entered into by the Company to manage its exposure to commodity price risk and foreign currency exchange rate risk, and reduce volatility in NVPC for the Company’s retail customers. For additional information regarding these assets and liabilities, see Note 5, Price Risk Management. For those assets and liabilities from price risk management activities classified as Level 2, fair value is derived using present value formulas that utilize inputs such as forward commodity prices and interest rates. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, can be derived from observable data, or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Instruments in this category include commodity forwards, futures, and swaps. Assets and liabilities from price risk management activities classified as Level 3 consist of instruments for which fair value is derived using one or more significant inputs that are not observable for the entire term of the instrument. These instruments consist of longer term commodity forwards, futures, and swaps. Quantitative information regarding the significant, unobservable inputs used in the measurement of Level 3 assets and liabilities from price risk management activities is presented below:
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Significant |  | Price per Unit
|  | Fair Value |  | Valuation |  | Unobservable |  |  |  |  |  | Weighted
Commodity Contracts |  | Assets |  | Liabilities |  | Technique |  | Input |  | Low |  | High |  | Average
|  | (in millions) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
As of December 31, 2017: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity physical forward |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 130 |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Electricity forward price (per MWh) |  | $ | 7.79 |  |  | $ | 41.23 |  |  | $ | 30.95 |
Natural gas financial swaps |  | — |  |  | 9 |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Natural gas forward price (per Dth) |  | 1.26 |  |  | 2.92 |  |  | 1.90 |
Electricity financial futures |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Electricity forward price (per MWh) |  | 7.79 |  |  | 29.74 |  |  | 21.74 |
|  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 139 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
As of December 31, 2016: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electricity physical forward |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 112 |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Electricity forward price (per MWh) |  | $ | 14.25 |  |  | $ | 54.73 |  |  | $ | 38.18 |
Natural gas financial swaps |  | 1 |  |  | 9 |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Natural gas forward price (per Dth) |  | 1.85 |  |  | 4.92 |  |  | 2.64 |
Electricity financial futures |  | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Electricity forward price (per MWh) |  | 8.57 |  |  | 33.60 |  |  | 25.10 |
|  | $ | 2 |  |  | $ | 121 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The significant unobservable inputs used in the Company’s fair value measurement of price risk management assets and liabilities are long-term forward prices for commodity derivatives. For shorter term contracts, PGE employs the mid-point of the bid-ask spread of the market and these inputs are derived using observed transactions in active markets, as well as historical experience as a participant in those markets. These price inputs are validated against independent market data from multiple sources. For certain long-term contracts, observable, liquid market transactions are not available for the duration of the delivery period. In such instances, the Company uses internally-developed price curves, which derive longer term prices and utilize observable data when available. When not available, regression techniques are used to estimate unobservable future prices. In addition, changes in the fair value measurement of price risk management assets and liabilities are analyzed and reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Company. The Company’s Level 3 assets and liabilities from price risk management activities are sensitive to market price changes in the respective underlying commodities. The significance of the impact is dependent upon the magnitude of the price change and the Company’s position as either the buyer or seller of the contract. Sensitivity of the fair value measurements to changes in the significant unobservable inputs is as follows:
Significant Unobservable Input |  | Position |  | Change to Input |  | Impact on Fair Value Measurement
Market price |  | Buy |  | Increase (decrease) |  | Gain (loss)
Market price |  | Sell |  | Increase (decrease) |  | Loss (gain)
Changes in the fair value of net liabilities from price risk management activities (net of assets from price risk management activities) classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy were as follows (in millions):
| Years Ended December 31,
| 2017 |  | 2016
Net liabilities from price risk management activities as of beginning of year | $ | 119 |  |  | $ | 119 |
Net realized and unrealized losses * | 35 |  |  | 11 |
Net transfers in to Level 3 from Level 2 | — |  |  | (1 | )
Net transfers out of Level 3 to Level 2 | (15 | ) |  | (10 | )
Net liabilities from price risk management activities as of end of year | $ | 139 |  |  | $ | 119 |
Level 3 net unrealized losses that have been fully offset by the effect of regulatory accounting | $ | 41 |  |  | $ | 11 |
* Includes $6 million in net realized losses in 2017 and none in 2016. Transfers into Level 3 occur when significant inputs used to value the Company’s derivative instruments become less observable, such as a delivery location becoming significantly less liquid. During the year ended December 31, 2017, there were no transfers into Level 3 from Level 2, as reflected in the table above. During 2016, there was $1 million transferred into Level 3. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the significant inputs become more observable, such as when the time between the valuation date and the delivery term of a transaction becomes shorter. PGE records transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 at the end of the reporting period for all of its derivative instruments. Transfers from Level 2 to Level 1 for the Company’s price risk management assets and liabilities do not occur as quoted prices are not available for identical instruments. As such, the Company’s assets and liabilities from price risk management activities mature and settle as Level 2 fair value measurements. Long-term debt is recorded at amortized cost in PGE’s consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of the Company’s First Mortgage Bonds (FMBs) and Pollution Control Revenue Bonds (PCBs) is classified as a Level 2 fair value measurement and is estimated based on the quoted market prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rates offered to PGE for debt of similar remaining maturities. The fair value of PGE’s unsecured term bank loans was classified as Level 3 fair value measurement and was estimated based on the terms of the loans and the Company’s creditworthiness. The significant unobservable inputs to the Level 3 fair value measurement included the interest rate and the length of the loan. The estimated fair value of the Company’s unsecured term bank loans approximated their carrying value. As of December 31, 2017, the carrying amount of PGE’s long-term debt was $2,426 million, net of $10 million of unamortized debt expense, and its estimated aggregate fair value was $2,829 million, all of which is classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. As of December 31, 2016, the carrying amount of PGE’s long-term debt was $2,350 million, net of $11 million of unamortized debt expense, with an estimated aggregate fair value of $2,693 million, consisting of $2,543 million and $150 million classified as Level 2 and Level 3, respectively, in the fair value hierarchy. For fair value information concerning the Company’s pension plan assets, see Note 10, Employee Benefits.

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- Definition Fair value of financial instruments note. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2155941 + Details
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