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Permanent Retirement of San Onofre (Notes) | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2013
Retirement of Plant [Abstract] |
Permanent Retirement of San Onofre | Permanent Retirement of San Onofre Tube Leak and Response Replacement steam generators were installed at San Onofre in 2010 and 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, a water leak suddenly occurred in one of the heat transfer tubes in San Onofre's Unit 3 steam generators. The Unit was safely taken off-line and subsequent inspections revealed excessive tube to tube wear. At the time, Unit 2 was off-line for a planned outage when areas of unexpected tube to support structure wear were found. Both Units have remained shut down since early 2012 and have undergone extensive inspections, testing and analysis following discovery of the leak. In October 2012, SCE submitted a restart plan to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”). Permanent Retirement On June 6, 2013 SCE decided to permanently retire Units 2 and 3. SCE concluded that despite the NRC's extensive review of SCE's restart plan for Unit 2 since October 2012, there still remained considerable uncertainty about when the review process would be concluded. A ruling by an adjudicatory arm of the NRC, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, on May 13, 2013 created further uncertainty regarding when a final decision might be made on restarting Unit 2. Additional administrative processes and appeals could result in delays of more than a year. During this period, the costs of maintaining San Onofre in readiness for restart and to replace the power San Onofre previously provided would have continued to mount. Given the considerable uncertainty of when or whether SCE would be permitted to restart Unit 2, SCE concluded that it was in the best interest of its customers, shareholders and other stakeholders to permanently retire the Units and focus on planning for the replacement resources which will eventually be required for grid reliability. SCE also concluded that its decision to retire the Units would facilitate more orderly planning for California's energy future without the uncertainty of whether, when or how long San Onofre would continue to operate. CPUC Review In October 2012 the CPUC issued an Order Instituting Investigation (“OII”) that consolidated all San Onofre issues in related regulatory proceedings to consider appropriate cost recovery for all San Onofre costs, including among other costs, the cost of the steam generator replacement project, substitute market power costs, capital expenditures, operation and maintenance costs, and seismic study costs. The OII requires that all San Onofre-related costs incurred on and after January 1, 2012 be tracked in a memorandum account and, to the extent collected in rate levels authorized in the 2012 GRC or other proceeding, be subject to refund. The Order also states that the CPUC will determine whether to order the immediate removal, effective as of the date of the OII, of costs and rate base related to San Onofre from SCE's rates. Various other parties have filed testimony in the OII asking for disallowance of some or all of the San Onofre-related costs. A summary of financial items related to San Onofre and implicated in the OII are as follows:
• | Approximately $860 million of SCE's authorized revenue requirement collected since January 1, 2012 (subject to refund) associated with operating and maintenance expenses, and depreciation and return on SCE's investment in Unit 2, Unit 3 and common plant. In June 2013, SCE recorded approximately $56 million in severance costs associated with its decision to retire both Units. Until funding of post June 6, 2013 activities related to the permanent closure of the plant is transitioned from base rates to SCE's nuclear decommissioning trusts set up for that purpose, SCE will continue to record these costs through the San Onofre OII memorandum account, subject to refund.
• | At May 31, 2013, SCE's net investment associated with San Onofre was $2.1 billion, including net book value of remaining property, plant and equipment, construction work-in-progress, nuclear fuel inventory and materials and supplies.
• | In 2005, the CPUC authorized expenditures of approximately $525 million ($665 million based on SCE's estimate after adjustment for inflation using the Handy-Whitman Index) for SCE's 78.21% share of the costs to purchase and install the four new steam generators in Units 2 and 3 and remove and dispose of their predecessors. SCE has spent $602 million through June 30, 2013 on the steam generator replacement project, not including inspection, testing and repair costs subsequent to the replacement steam generator leak in Unit 3.
• | As a result of outages associated with the steam generator inspection and repair, electric power and capacity normally provided by San Onofre were purchased in the market by SCE. These market power costs will be reviewed as part of the CPUC's OII proceeding. Estimated market power costs calculated in accordance with the OII methodology were approximately $670 million as of May 31, 2013, excluding avoided nuclear fuel costs of approximately $138 million which are no longer included as a reduction due to SCE's decision to permanently retire Units 2 and 3. Such amount includes costs of approximately $65 million associated with planned outage periods. SCE believes that such costs should be excluded as they would have been incurred even had the replacement steam generators performed as expected. The CPUC will ultimately determine a final methodology for estimating market power costs as it continues its review of the issues in the OII. Future market power costs are uncertain.
• | Through June 30, 2013, SCE's share of incremental inspection and repair costs totaled $115 million for both Units (not including payments made by MHI as described below). SCE recorded its share of payments made to date by MHI ($36 million) as a reduction of incremental inspection and repair costs in 2012.
SCE believes that the actions taken and costs incurred in connection with the San Onofre replacement steam generators, outages and permanent retirement have been prudent. Nevertheless, SCE cannot provide assurance that the CPUC will not disallow costs incurred or order refunds to customers of amounts collected in rates or that SCE will be successful in recovering amounts from third parties. Disallowances of costs and/or refund of amounts received from customers could be material and adversely affect SCE's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Accounting for Early Retirement of San Onofre Units 2 and 3 As a result of the decision to early retire San Onofre Units 2 and 3, generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) require reclassification of the amounts recorded in property, plant and equipment and related tangible operating assets to a regulatory asset to the extent that management concludes it is probable of recovery through future rates. Regulatory assets may also be recorded to the extent management concludes it is probable that direct and indirect costs incurred to retire Units 2 and 3 as of each reporting date are recoverable through future rates. These costs may include, but are not limited to, severance benefits to reduce the workforce at San Onofre to the staffing required to safely store and secure the plant prior to conducting decommissioning activities, losses on termination of purchase contracts, including nuclear fuel, and losses on disposition of excess inventory. GAAP also require recognition of a liability to the extent management concludes it is probable SCE will be required to refund amounts from authorized revenues previously collected from customers (that are subject to refund). In assessing whether to record regulatory assets as a result of the decision to retire San Onofre Units 2 and 3 early and whether to record liabilities for refunds to customers, SCE considered the interrelationship of recovery of costs and refunds to customers for accounting purposes, as such matters are being considered by the CPUC on a consolidated basis in the San Onofre OII. SCE also considered that it will continue to use certain portions of the plant (such as fuel storage, security facilities and buildings) as part of ongoing activities at the site. SCE additionally reviewed relevant regulatory precedents and statutory provisions regarding the regulatory recovery of early retired assets previously placed in service and related materials, supplies and fuel. Such precedents have generally provided cost recovery of the remaining net investment in early retired assets, absent imprudency. Such precedents vary on whether a full, partial or no rate of return is allowed on the investment in such assets, but generally provide accelerated recovery when less than a full return is authorized. Furthermore, once the Units are removed from rate base, under normal principles of cost of service ratemaking and relevant statutory provisions, SCE should, absent imprudence, recover the costs it incurs to purchase power that might otherwise have been produced by San Onofre. SCE continues to believe that the actions it has taken and the costs it has incurred in connection with the San Onofre replacement steam generators and outages have been prudent. As a result of such considerations, SCE considered a number of potential outcomes for the matters being considered by the CPUC in the San Onofre OII, none of which are assured, but a number of which in SCE's opinion appeared to be more likely than a number of other outcomes. SCE considered the likelihood of outcomes to determine the amount deemed probable of recovery. These outcomes included a number of variables, including recovery of and return on the components of SCE's net investment, and the potential for refunds to customers for either substitute power or operating costs occurring over different time periods. SCE also included in its consideration of possible outcomes, the requirement under GAAP to discount future cash flows from recovery of assets without a return at its incremental borrowing rate. As a result of the foregoing assessment, SCE:
• | Reclassified $1,521 million of its total investment in San Onofre at May 31, 2013 as described above to a regulatory asset (“San Onofre Regulatory Asset”) based on management's conclusion it is probable, though not certain, that such costs will be recoverable through future rates. Included in the San Onofre Regulatory Asset is approximately $404 million of property, plant and equipment, including construction work in progress, that is expected to support ongoing activities at the site. In addition, to the extent the San Onofre Regulatory Asset includes excess nuclear fuel and material and supplies, SCE will, if possible, sell such excess amounts to third parties and reduce the amount of the regulatory asset by such proceeds.
• | Recorded an impairment charge of $575 million ($365 million after tax) in the second quarter of 2013.
As part of the decision to permanently retire the Units at San Onofre, SCE announced workforce reductions of approximately 960 employees and accrued additional severance costs of $56 million (SCE's share). SCE recorded a regulatory asset of $32 million during June for its cost of service, including severance, in excess of authorized revenues, based on its conclusion that it is probable, though not certain, that such costs will be recovered in future rates. The estimate for these costs was previously included in SCE's estimate to decommission the units. After acceptance of the decommissioning plan by the NRC, SCE expects a further workforce reduction of approximately 175 employees. SCE's judgment that the San Onofre Regulatory Asset recorded at June 30, 2013 is probable, though not certain, of recovery is based on SCE's knowledge of the facts and judgment in applying relevant regulatory principles to the issues under review in the OII proceeding and in accordance with GAAP. Such judgment is subject to considerable uncertainty, and regulatory principles and precedents are not necessarily binding and are capable of interpretation. No decisions have been rendered in the OII proceeding regarding recoverability of costs from future rates or refunds of amounts to customers, and the current proceedings are either in their early phases, or not yet scheduled. The CPUC may or may not agree with SCE, after review of all of the facts and circumstances, and SCE may advocate positions that it believes are supported by relevant precedent and regulatory principles that are more favorable to SCE than the charges it has recorded in accordance with GAAP. The CPUC could also conclude that SCE acted imprudently in connection with the San Onofre replacement steam generators and the outage since January 2012. Thus, there can be no assurance that the OII proceeding will provide for recoveries as estimated by SCE, including the recovery of costs recorded as a regulatory asset, or that the CPUC does not order refunds to customers from amounts that were previously authorized as subject to refund. Accordingly, the amount recorded for the San Onofre Regulatory Asset at June 30, 2013, is subject to change based upon future developments and the application of SCE's judgment to those events. Third-Party Recovery The replacement steam generators were designed and supplied by MHI and are warranted for an initial period of 20 years from acceptance. MHI is contractually obligated to repair or replace defective items with dispatch and to pay specified damages for certain repairs. MHI's liability under the purchase agreement is limited to $138 million and excludes consequential damages, defined to include "the cost of replacement power;" however, limitations in the contract are subject to applicable exceptions both in the contract and under law. SCE has advised MHI that it believes one or more of such exceptions apply and MHI's liability is not limited to $138 million, and MHI has advised SCE that it disagrees. On July 18, 2013, SCE, on behalf of itself and in its capacity as operating agent of San Onofre, provided MHI with a formal notice of dispute, notifying MHI that it intends to initiate claims against MHI for damages resulting from its supplying the faulty replacement steam generators. In the notice of dispute, SCE alleges that MHI totally and fundamentally failed to deliver what it promised, and that the contractual limitations of liability are subject to applicable exceptions both in the contract and under law. Pursuant to the purchase contract under which the replacement steam generators were supplied, service of the notice of dispute commences a 90-day period for SCE and MHI to resolve differences. If MHI and SCE are unable to resolve their differences regarding liability for the damages caused by MHI's design, manufacture and delivery of the faulty steam generators, then SCE expects to initiate binding arbitration under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce in accordance with the purchase contract. After SCE delivered the formal notice of dispute to MHI, each of the other co-owners filed lawsuits against MHI in San Diego County Superior Court, alleging claims arising from MHI's supplying the faulty steam generators. SCE, on behalf of itself and the other San Onofre co-owners, has submitted seven invoices to MHI totaling $149 million for steam generator repair costs incurred through April 30, 2013. MHI paid the first invoice of $45 million, while reserving its right to challenge any of the charges in the invoice. In January 2013, MHI advised SCE that it rejected a portion of the first invoice and required further documentation regarding the remainder of the invoice. SCE has recorded its share of the invoice paid as a reduction of repair and inspection costs. San Onofre carries both property damage and outage insurance issued by Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (“NEIL”) and has placed NEIL on notice of claims under the two policies. The NEIL policies have a number of exclusions and limitations that may reduce or eliminate coverage. As of the date of this report, SCE has filed separate proofs of loss for Unit 2 and Unit 3 under the outage policy covering the period of the outage through April 27, 2013 that total $352 million (SCE's share of which is approximately $276 million). Pursuant to these proofs of loss, SCE is seeking the weekly indemnity amounts provided under the outage policy for each Unit. Outage policy benefits are reduced by 90% for the periods following announcement of the permanent shutdown of the Units. SCE has not submitted a proof of loss under the property damage policy. No amounts have been recognized in SCE's financial statements, pending NEIL's response. NEIL has advised SCE that it does not expect to make any determinations of coverage until late in the fourth quarter of this year or possibly next year. Continuing NRC Proceedings As part of the NRC's review of the San Onofre outage and proceedings related to the possible restart of Unit 2, the NRC appointed an Augmented Inspection Team to review SCE's performance. The Augmented Inspection Team has not completed its work, and could determine that SCE's performance in connection with the San Onofre replacement steam generators and the outage was deficient. The NRC's Office of Investigations has been conducting an investigation into the accuracy and completeness of information SCE provided to the Augmented Inspection Team. SCE has also been made aware of an investigation related to San Onofre by the NRC's Office of Inspector General, which generally reviews internal NRC affairs. Certain anti-nuclear groups and individual members of Congress have alleged that SCE knew of deficiencies in the steam generators when they were installed or otherwise did not correctly follow NRC requirements in connection with the design and installation of the replacement steam generators, something which SCE has vigorously denied, and have called for investigations, including by the Department of Justice. SCE cannot predict when or whether ongoing inquiries or investigations by the NRC will be completed or whether inquiries by other government agencies will be initiated. Should the NRC find a deficiency in SCE's performance or provision of information, SCE could be subject to additional NRC actions, including the imposition of penalties, and the findings could be taken into consideration in the CPUC regulatory proceedings described above.

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