XML 28 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.23.3
Related Party Transactions
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions Related Party Transactions
Each project entered into O&M agreements and ASAs with subsidiaries of NEER whereby the projects pay a certain annual fee plus actual costs incurred in connection with certain O&M and administrative services performed under these agreements. These services are reflected as operations and maintenance in NEP's condensed consolidated statements of income. Additionally, certain NEP subsidiaries pay affiliates for transmission and retail power services which are reflected as operations and maintenance in NEP's condensed consolidated statements of income. Certain projects have also entered into various types of agreements including those related to shared facilities and transmission lines, transmission line easements, technical support and construction coordination with subsidiaries of NEER whereby certain fees or cost reimbursements are paid to, or received by, certain subsidiaries of NEER.

Management Services Agreement – Under the MSA, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of NEE provides operational, management and administrative services to NEP, including managing NEP’s day-to-day affairs and providing individuals to act as NEP’s executive officers and directors, in addition to those services that are provided under the existing O&M agreements and ASAs described above between NEER subsidiaries and NEP subsidiaries. NEP OpCo pays NEE an annual management fee equal to the greater of 1% of the sum of NEP OpCo’s net income plus interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization expense less certain non-cash, non-recurring items for the most recently ended fiscal year and $4 million (as adjusted for inflation beginning in 2016), which is paid in quarterly installments with an additional payment each January to the extent 1% of the sum of NEP OpCo’s net income plus interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization expense less certain non-cash, non-recurring items for the preceding fiscal year exceeds $4 million (as adjusted for inflation beginning in 2016). NEP OpCo also made certain payments to NEE based on the achievement by NEP OpCo of certain target quarterly distribution levels to its unitholders. In May 2023, the MSA was amended to suspend these payments to be paid by NEP OpCo in respect to each calendar quarter beginning with the payment related to the period commencing on (and including) January 1, 2023 and expiring on (and including) December 31, 2026. NEP’s O&M expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 include approximately $3 million and $49 million, respectively, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 include approximately $43 million and $122 million, respectively, related to the MSA.

Cash Sweep and Credit Support Agreement – NEP OpCo is a party to the CSCS agreement with NEER under which NEER and certain of its affiliates provide credit support in the form of letters of credit and guarantees to satisfy NEP’s subsidiaries’ contractual obligations. NEP OpCo pays NEER an annual credit support fee based on the level and cost of the credit support
provided, payable in quarterly installments. NEP’s O&M expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 include approximately $2 million and $6 million, respectively, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 include approximately $2 million and $6 million, respectively, related to the CSCS agreement.

NEER and certain of its affiliates may withdraw funds (Project Sweeps) from NEP OpCo under the CSCS agreement or NEP OpCo's subsidiaries in connection with certain long-term debt agreements, and hold those funds in accounts belonging to NEER or its affiliates to the extent the funds are not required to pay project costs or otherwise required to be maintained by NEP's subsidiaries. NEER and its affiliates may keep the funds until the financing agreements permit distributions to be made, or, in the case of NEP OpCo, until such funds are required to make distributions or to pay expenses or other operating costs or NEP OpCo otherwise demands the return of such funds. If NEER or its affiliates fail to return withdrawn funds when required by NEP OpCo's subsidiaries’ financing agreements, the lenders will be entitled to draw on any credit support provided by NEER or its affiliates in the amount of such withdrawn funds. If NEER or one of its affiliates realizes any earnings on the withdrawn funds prior to the return of such funds, it will be permitted to retain those earnings. At September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the cash sweep amounts held in accounts belonging to NEER or its affiliates were approximately $92 million and $298 million, respectively, and are included in due from related parties on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Guarantees and Letters of Credit Entered into by Related Parties – Certain PPAs include requirements of the project entities to meet certain performance obligations. NEECH or NEER has provided letters of credit or guarantees for certain of these performance obligations and payment of any obligations from the transactions contemplated by the PPAs. In addition, certain financing agreements require cash and cash equivalents to be reserved for various purposes. In accordance with the terms of these financing agreements, guarantees from NEECH have been substituted in place of these cash and cash equivalents reserve requirements. Also, under certain financing agreements, indemnifications have been provided by NEECH. In addition, certain interconnection agreements and site certificates require letters of credit or a surety bond to secure certain payment or restoration obligations related to those agreements. NEECH also guarantees the Project Sweep amounts held in accounts belonging to NEER, as described above. In addition, NEECH and NEER provided guarantees associated with obligations, primarily incurred and future construction payables, associated with the December 2022 acquisition from NEER discussed in Note 1. At September 30, 2023, NEECH or NEER guaranteed or provided indemnifications, letters of credit or surety bonds totaling approximately $2.7 billion related to these obligations.

Due from Related Parties – Current amounts due from related parties on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets primarily represent construction completion costs NEER owes NEP associated with the December 2022 acquisition and transfer of Eight Point (see Note 1). Substantially all of these construction costs are subject to structured payables arrangements which were primarily entered into while the projects were owned by NEER. Under NEE's structured payables program, negotiable drafts were issued, backed by NEECH guarantees, to settle invoices with suppliers with payment terms that extended the original invoice due date (typically 30 days) to less than one year. NEE, NEP and their subsidiaries are not party to any contractual agreements between the suppliers and the applicable financial institutions. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the due from related parties balance associated with NEE's structured payables program were approximately $177 million and $770 million, respectively, with corresponding amounts in accounts payable and accrued expenses on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Related Party Tax Receivable – In 2018, NEP and NEE entered into a tax sharing agreement and, as a result, NEP recorded a related party tax receivable of approximately $18 million which was reflected in noncontrolling interests on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets. In June 2023, NEE contributed 100,169 NEP OpCo units to NEP as payment to settle this related party tax receivable and the units were subsequently cancelled. Approximately $13 million, primarily related to the difference between the value of the related party tax receivable and the value of the NEP OpCo units received, was recorded as an adjustment to common unit equity and noncontrolling interests.

Related Party Long-Term Debt – In connection with the December 2022 acquisition from NEER of Emerald Breeze (see Note 1), a subsidiary of NEP acquired a note payable from a subsidiary of NEER relating to restricted cash reserve funds put in place for certain operational costs at the project based on a requirement of the differential membership investor. At September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the note payable was approximately $62 million and $48 million, respectively and is included in long-term debt on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets. The note payable does not bear interest and does not have a maturity date.

Due to Related Parties – Noncurrent amounts due to related parties on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets primarily represent amounts owed by certain of NEP's wind projects to NEER to refund NEER for certain transmission costs paid on behalf of the wind projects. Amounts will be paid to NEER as the wind projects receive payments from third parties for related notes receivable recorded in noncurrent other assets on NEP's condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Transportation and Fuel Management Agreements – A subsidiary of NEP assigned to a subsidiary of NEER certain gas commodity agreements in exchange for entering into transportation agreements and a fuel management agreement whereby the benefits of the gas commodity agreements (net of transportation paid to the NEP subsidiary) are passed back to the NEP
subsidiary. NEP recognized revenues related to the transportation and fuel management agreements of approximately $2 million and $5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively, and $3 million and $6 million, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively.