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Regulatory Assets and Liabilities
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]  
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities
 Regulatory Assets and Liabilities

Regulatory assets generally represent incurred costs that have been deferred because such costs are probable of future recovery in customer rates.  Regulatory liabilities generally represent obligations to make refunds to customers for previous collections for costs that are not likely to be incurred or deferrals of gains that will be credited to customers in future periods.  Components of regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are summarized in the table below:
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities 
 
At June 30, 2015
 
At September 30, 2014
Current regulatory assets
 
 
 
Deferred nuclear generating units
$
236

 
$
237

Unrealized losses on commodity derivatives
182

 
134

Environmental agreements
70

 
54

Environmental cleanup costs - Kingston ash spill
45

 
47

Fuel cost adjustment receivable
14

 
9

Other current regulatory assets
2

 

Total current regulatory assets
549

 
481

 
 
 
 
Non-current regulatory assets
 

 
 

Deferred pension costs and other post-retirement benefits costs
4,087

 
4,297

Deferred pension costs due to actions of regulator
171

 

Unrealized losses on interest rate derivatives
1,028

 
957

Nuclear decommissioning costs
892

 
931

Environmental cleanup costs - Kingston ash spill
362

 
421

Non-nuclear decommissioning costs
720

 
645

Deferred nuclear generating units
1,097

 
1,255

Environmental agreements
63

 
108

Unrealized losses on commodity derivatives
81

 
72

Other non-current regulatory assets
286

 
308

Total non-current regulatory assets
8,787

 
8,994

Total regulatory assets
$
9,336

 
$
9,475

 
 
 
 
Current regulatory liabilities
 

 
 

Fuel cost adjustment tax equivalents
$
165

 
$
182

Unrealized gains on commodity derivatives
3

 
2

Total current regulatory liabilities
168

 
184

 
 
 
 
Non-current regulatory liabilities
 

 
 

Unrealized gains on commodity derivatives
1

 

Total non-current regulatory liabilities
1

 

Total regulatory liabilities
$
169

 
$
184



Deferred Pension Costs Due to Actions of Regulator. In 2015, TVA began including its cash contributions to the pension plan in the rate-making formula; accordingly, on October 1, 2014, TVA began recognizing pension costs as regulatory assets to the extent that the amount calculated under GAAP as pension expense differs from the amount TVA contributes to the pension plan.