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Variable Interest Entities

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Note 3. Variable Interest Entities

A variable interest entity ("VIE") is defined as a legal entity whose equity owners do not have sufficient equity at risk, or, as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack any of the following three characteristics: decision-making rights, the obligation to absorb losses, or the right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity. The primary beneficiary is identified as the variable interest holder that has both the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The primary beneficiary is required to consolidate the VIE. Commercial and operating activities are generally the factors that most significantly impact the economic performance of VIEs in which SCE has a variable interest. Commercial and operating activities include construction, operation and maintenance, fuel procurement, dispatch and compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements.

Variable Interest in VIEs that are not Consolidated

Power Purchase Contracts

SCE has 16 power purchase agreements ("PPAs") that have variable interests in VIEs, including 6 tolling agreements through which SCE provides the natural gas to operate the plants and 10 contracts with qualifying facilities ("QFs") that contain variable pricing provisions based on the price of natural gas. SCE has concluded that it is not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs since it does not control the commercial and operating activities of these entities. In general, because payments for capacity are the primary source of income, the most significant economic activity for SCE's VIEs is the operation and maintenance of the power plants.

As of the balance sheet date, the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in SCE's consolidated balance sheet that relate to its involvement with VIEs result from amounts due under the PPAs or the fair value of those derivative contracts. Under these contracts, SCE recovers the costs incurred under its approved long-term power procurement plans. SCE has no residual interest in the entities and has not provided or guaranteed any debt or equity support, liquidity arrangements, performance guarantees or other commitments associated with these contracts other than the purchase commitments described in Note 9. As a result, there is no significant potential exposure to loss as a result of SCE's involvement with these VIEs. The aggregate capacity dedicated to SCE for these VIE projects was 3,820 MW at June 30, 2011 and the amounts that SCE paid to these projects were $83 million and $117 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and $169 million and $242 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. These amounts are recovered in customer rates.

- Definition

Disclosure of variable interest entities (VIE), including, but not limited to the nature, purpose, size, and activities of the VIE, the carrying amount and classification of consolidated assets that are collateral for the VIE's obligations, lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of a consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary. An enterprise that holds a significant variable interest in a VIE but is not the primary beneficiary may disclose the nature of its involvement with the VIE and when that involvement began, the nature, purpose, size, and activities of the VIE and the enterprise's maximum exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with the VIE.

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