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Commitments and Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Indemnities Edison International and SCE have various financial and performance guarantees and indemnity agreements which are issued in the normal course of business. Edison International and SCE have agreed to provide indemnifications through contracts entered into in the normal course of business. These are primarily indemnifications against adverse litigation outcomes in connection with underwriting agreements, and indemnities for specified environmental liabilities and income taxes with respect to assets sold or other contractual arrangements. Edison International's and SCE's obligations under these agreements may or may not be limited in terms of time and/or amount, and in some instances Edison International and SCE may have recourse against third parties. Edison International and SCE have not recorded a liability related to these indemnities. The overall maximum amount of the obligations under these indemnifications cannot be reasonably estimated. Contingencies In addition to the matters disclosed in these Notes, Edison International and SCE are involved in other legal, tax, and regulatory proceedings before various courts and governmental agencies regarding matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Edison International and SCE believe the outcome of these other proceedings will not, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Southern California Wildfires and Mudslides Multiple factors have contributed to increased wildfire activity, and faster progression of and increased damage from wildfires across SCE's service territory and throughout California in 2020 and the past several years. These include the buildup of dry vegetation in areas severely impacted by years of historic drought, lack of adequate clearing of hazardous fuels by responsible parties, higher temperatures, lower humidity, increased incidence of dry lightning, and strong Santa Ana winds. At the same time that wildfire risk has been increasing in Southern California, residential and commercial development has occurred and is occurring in some of the highest-risk areas. Such factors can increase the likelihood and extent of wildfires. SCE has determined that approximately 27% of its service territory is in areas identified as high fire risk. California has experienced unprecedented weather conditions in 2020 and SCE's service territory remains susceptible to additional wildfire activity during the remainder of 2020 and beyond. The worsening conditions across California increase the likelihood of significant damage from wildfires, including those where SCE's equipment may be alleged to be associated with the fire's ignition. In response to worsening weather and fuel conditions and increased wildfire activity over the past several years, SCE has developed and is implementing its 2020-2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan ("WMP") to reduce the risk of SCE equipment contributing to the ignition of wildfires. Over the past several years, wildfires have impacted portions of SCE's service territory, with wildfires in December 2017 and November 2018 causing loss of life, substantial damage to both residential and business properties, and service outages for SCE customers. The investigating government agencies, the Ventura County Fire Department ("VCFD") and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ("CAL FIRE"), have determined that the largest of the 2017 fires originated on December 4, 2017, in the Anlauf Canyon area of Ventura County (the investigating agencies refer to this fire as the "Thomas Fire"), followed shortly thereafter by a second fire that originated near Koenigstein Road in the City of Santa Paula (the "Koenigstein Fire"). While SCE continues to review the progression of these two fires, the December 4, 2017 fires eventually burned substantial acreage in both Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. According to CAL FIRE, the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires, collectively, burned over 280,000 acres, destroyed or damaged an estimated 1,343 structures and resulted in two confirmed fatalities. The largest of the November 2018 fires, known as the "Woolsey Fire," originated in Ventura County and burned acreage in both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. According to CAL FIRE, the Woolsey Fire burned almost 100,000 acres, destroyed an estimated 1,643 structures, damaged an estimated 364 structures and resulted in three confirmed fatalities. Two additional fatalities have been associated with the Woolsey Fire. The Thomas Fire, the Koenigstein Fire, the Montecito Mudslides and the Woolsey Fire are each referred to as a "2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Event," and, collectively, referred to as the "2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events"). As described below, multiple lawsuits related to the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Woolsey Fire have been initiated against SCE and Edison International. Some of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires lawsuits claim that SCE and Edison International have responsibility for the damages caused by mudslides and flooding in Montecito and surrounding areas in January 2018 (the "Montecito Mudslides") based on a theory alleging that SCE has responsibility for the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires and that the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires proximately caused the Montecito Mudslides. According to Santa Barbara County initial reports, the Montecito Mudslides destroyed an estimated 135 structures, damaged an estimated 324 structures, and resulted in 21 confirmed fatalities, with two additional fatalities presumed. Based on information available to SCE and consideration of the risks associated with litigation, Edison International and SCE expect to incur a material loss in connection with the remaining alleged and potential claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events are discussed further below. Wildfires have continued to impact portions of SCE's service territory in 2019 and 2020 (the fires that have originated in Southern California are referred to collectively as the "2019/2020 Fires"). Edison International and SCE expect that any losses incurred in connection with the 2019/2020 Fires will be covered by insurance, subject to self-insured retentions and co-insurance, and expect that any such losses after insurance recoveries will not be material. One of the 2019/2020 Fires, the "Saddle Ridge" Fire, originated in Los Angeles county in October 2019 and burned approximately 9,000 acres, destroyed an estimated 19 structures, damaged an estimated 88 structures, and resulted in injuries to 8 individuals and one fatality. Based on currently available information and without considering insurance recoveries, it is reasonably possible that SCE will incur a material liability in connection with the Saddle Ridge Fire, but the range of possible losses that could be incurred cannot be estimated at this time. SCE has not recorded a charge for potential liabilities relating to the Saddle Ridge Fire because, based on currently available information, it has not determined that a loss is probable. The “Bobcat Fire” was reported in the vicinity of Cogswell Dam in Los Angeles County, California on September 6, 2020. Although containment and damage assessments continue, the United States Forest Service ("USFS") has reported as of October 19, 2020, that the Bobcat Fire had burned approximately 116,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroyed an estimated 87 homes, 1 commercial property and 83 minor structures, damaged an estimated 28 homes and 19 minor structures, and resulted in injuries to 6 firefighters. In addition, the USFS has estimated suppression costs at $80 million. A camera in the vicinity of Cogswell Dam captured the initial stages of a fire with the first observed smoke approximately six minutes before an SCE circuit in the area experienced an anomaly (a relay). An investigation into the cause of the Bobcat Fire is being led by the USFS, and the USFS has taken a specific section of an SCE overhead conductor in the vicinity of Cogswell Dam into possession as part of its investigation. SCE understands that the USFS has also taken three tree branches in the area into possession. The SED is conducting an investigation of the Bobcat Fire. Given the preliminary stage of SCE’s own review of the Bobcat Fire, SCE is unable at this time to determine if it will incur a material liability as a result of the fire. Edison International and SCE expect that any liabilities incurred in connection with the Bobcat Fire will be covered by insurance, subject to self-insured retentions and co-insurance, and expect that any such losses after insurance recoveries will not be material. 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events The extent of liability for wildfire-related damages in actions against utilities depends on a number of factors, including whether the utility substantially caused or contributed to the damages and whether parties seeking recovery of damages will be required to show negligence in addition to causation. California courts have previously found utilities to be strictly liable for property damage along with associated interest and attorneys' fees, regardless of fault, by applying the theory of inverse condemnation when a utility's facilities were determined to be a substantial cause of a wildfire that caused the property damage. If inverse condemnation is held to be inapplicable to SCE in connection with a wildfire, SCE still could be held liable for property damages and associated interest if the property damages were found to have been proximately caused by SCE's negligence. If SCE were to be found negligent, SCE could also be held liable for, among other things, fire suppression costs, business interruption losses, evacuation costs, clean-up costs, medical expenses, and personal injury/wrongful death claims. Additionally, SCE could potentially be subject to fines for alleged violations of CPUC rules and state laws in connection with the ignition of a wildfire. Final determinations of liability for wildfire events, including determinations of whether SCE was negligent, would only be made during lengthy and complex litigation processes. Even when investigations are still pending or liability is disputed, an assessment of likely outcomes, including through future settlement of disputed claims, may require estimated losses to be accrued under accounting standards. Each reporting period, management reviews its loss estimates for remaining alleged and potential claims related to wildfire events. The process for estimating losses associated with alleged and potential wildfire-related claims requires management to exercise significant judgment based on a number of assumptions and subjective factors, including, but not limited to: estimates of known and expected claims by third parties based on currently available information, opinions of counsel regarding litigation risk, the status of and developments in the course of litigation, and prior experience litigating and settling wildfire litigation claims. As additional information becomes available, management's estimates and assumptions regarding the causes and financial impact of wildfire events, including the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, may change. At June 30, 2020, Edison International and SCE were unable to determine a best estimate of expected losses within a reasonably estimated range and therefore Edison International's and SCE's balance sheets included estimated losses, established at the lower end of the reasonably estimated range of expected losses, of $4.5 billion for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. In light of recent developments, including the 2020 Subrogation Settlement (defined and described below) and increased settlement activity with individual plaintiffs in the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events litigation, management established a best estimate of expected potential losses for alleged and potential claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events litigation in the third quarter of 2020. As a result, Edison International and SCE recorded a charge of $1.3 billion as of September 30, 2020 related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, against which SCE recorded expected recoveries through FERC electric rates of $84 million. The resulting net charge to earnings was $1.2 billion ($874 million after-tax). As of September 30, 2020, Edison International and SCE had estimated liabilities of $5.8 billion reflected on their consolidated balance sheets related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, consisting of $1.2 billion of fixed payments to be made under executed settlements and $4.6 billion in estimated losses for remaining alleged and potential claims. As of the same date, Edison International and SCE also had assets for remaining expected recoveries from insurance of $1.6 billion, consisting of $0.8 billion reflected as a short-term asset and $0.8 billion reflected in other long-term assets, and through FERC electric rates of $125 million on their consolidated balance sheets related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The estimated losses for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events do not include an estimate of any potential fines or penalties that could be levied against SCE in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. Edison International and SCE are currently unable to reasonably estimate the magnitude of any such fines or penalties, or the associated timing if they were to be imposed. Estimated losses for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events litigation are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to change as additional information becomes available. Actual losses incurred may be higher or lower than estimated based on several factors, including: the uncertainty as to the legal and factual determinations to be made during litigation, including uncertainty as to the contributing causes of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, the complexities associated with fires that merge, whether inverse condemnation will be held applicable to SCE with respect to damages caused by the Montecito Mudslides, the preliminary nature of the litigation processes, the uncertainty in estimating damages that may be alleged, and the uncertainty as to how these factors impact future settlements. Edison International and SCE will seek to offset any actual losses realized in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events in excess of available insurance through electric rates. The CPUC and FERC may not allow SCE to recover uninsured losses through electric rates if it is determined that such losses were not reasonably or prudently incurred. See "Loss Estimates for Third Party Claims and Potential Recoveries from Insurance and through Electric Rates" below for additional information. External Investigations and Internal Review The VCFD and CAL FIRE have jointly issued reports concerning their findings regarding the causes of the Thomas Fire and the Koenigstein Fire. The reports did not address the causes of the Montecito Mudslides. SCE has also received a non-final redacted draft of a report from the VCFD regarding Woolsey Fire (the "Redacted Woolsey Report"). SCE received the Redacted Woolsey Report subject to a protective order in the litigation related to the Woolsey fire and, other than the information disclosed in this Form 10-Q, is not authorized to release the report or its contents to the public at this time. Based on information received at hearings in the Woolsey Fire litigation, SCE anticipates that the VCFD will release its final report regarding the Woolsey Fire in the fourth quarter of 2020. The VCFD and CAL FIRE findings do not determine legal causation of or assign legal liability for the Thomas, Koenigstein or Woolsey Fires; final determinations of legal causation and liability would only be made during lengthy and complex litigation. The CPUC's Safety and Enforcement Division ("SED") is also conducting investigations to assess SCE's compliance with applicable rules and regulations in areas impacted by the Thomas, Koenigstein and Woolsey Fires and the CPUC may initiate proceedings to investigate these matters after the SED's investigations are completed. Edison International and SCE understand that the California Attorney General's Office has completed its investigation of the Thomas Fire without pursuing criminal charges. Edison International and SCE are aware of an ongoing investigation by the California Attorney General's Office of the Woolsey Fire for the purpose of determining whether any criminal violations have occurred. SCE could be subject to material fines, penalties, or restitution if it is determined that it failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations. SCE is not aware of any basis for felony liability with regards to the Thomas Fire, the Koenigstein Fire or the Woolsey Fire. SCE's internal review into the facts and circumstances of each of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events is complex and time consuming. SCE expects to obtain and review additional information and materials in the possession of third parties during the course of its internal reviews and the litigation processes. Thomas Fire On March 13, 2019, the VCFD and CAL FIRE jointly issued a report concluding, after ruling out other possible causes, that the Thomas Fire was started by SCE power lines coming into contact during high winds, resulting in molten metal falling to the ground. However, the report does not state that their investigation found molten metal on the ground. At this time, based on available information, SCE has not determined whether its equipment caused the Thomas Fire. Based on publicly available radar data showing a smoke plume in the Anlauf Canyon area emerging in advance of the report's indicated start time, SCE believes that the Thomas Fire started at least 12 minutes prior to any issue involving SCE's system and at least 15 minutes prior to the start time indicated in the report. SCE is continuing to assess the progression of the Thomas Fire and the extent of damages that may be attributable to that fire. Koenigstein Fire On March 20, 2019, the VCFD and CAL FIRE jointly issued a report finding that the Koenigstein Fire was caused when an energized SCE electrical wire separated and fell to the ground along with molten metal particles and ignited the dry vegetation below. As previously disclosed, SCE believes that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Koenigstein Fire. SCE is continuing to assess the progression of the Koenigstein Fire and the extent of damages that may be attributable to that fire. Montecito Mudslides SCE's internal review includes inquiry into whether the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires proximately caused or contributed to the Montecito Mudslides, whether, and to what extent, the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires were responsible for the damages in the Montecito area and other factors that potentially contributed to the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. Many other factors, including, but not limited to, weather conditions and insufficiently or improperly designed and maintained debris basins, roads, bridges and other channel crossings, could have proximately caused, contributed to or exacerbated the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. At this time, based on available information, SCE has not been able to determine whether the Thomas Fire or the Koenigstein Fire, or both, were responsible for the damages in the Montecito area. In the event that SCE is determined to have caused the fire that spread to the Montecito area, SCE cannot predict whether, if fully litigated, the courts would conclude that the Montecito Mudslides were caused or contributed to by the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires or that SCE would be liable for some or all of the damages caused by the Montecito Mudslides. Woolsey Fire SCE's internal review into the facts and circumstances of the Woolsey Fire is ongoing. SCE has reported to the CPUC that there was an outage on SCE's electric system in the vicinity of where the Woolsey Fire reportedly began on November 8, 2018. SCE is aware of witnesses who saw fire in the vicinity of SCE's equipment at the time the fire was first reported. While SCE did not find evidence of downed electrical wires on the ground in the suspected area of origin, it observed a pole support wire in proximity to an electrical wire that was energized prior to the outage. The Redacted Woolsey Report states that the VCFD investigation team determined that electrical equipment owned and operated by SCE was the cause of the Woolsey Fire. Absent additional evidence, SCE believes that it is likely that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Woolsey Fire. SCE expects to obtain and review additional information and materials in the possession of CAL FIRE and others during the course of its internal review and the Woolsey Fire litigation process, including SCE equipment that has been retained by CAL FIRE. Litigation Multiple lawsuits related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events naming SCE as a defendant have been filed by three categories of plaintiffs: individual plaintiffs, subrogation plaintiffs and public entity plaintiffs. A number of the lawsuits also name Edison International as a defendant and some of the lawsuits were filed as purported class actions. The lawsuits, which have been filed in the superior courts of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties in the case of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Montecito Mudslides, and in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in the case of the Woolsey Fire, allege, among other things, negligence, inverse condemnation, trespass, private nuisance, personal injury, wrongful death, and violations of the California Public Utilities and Health and Safety Codes. Because potential plaintiffs can still timely file claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, SCE expects to be the subject of additional lawsuits related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The litigation could take a number of years to be resolved because of the complexity of the matters and number of plaintiffs. The Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and Montecito Mudslides lawsuits are being coordinated in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The Woolsey Fire lawsuits have also been coordinated in the Los Angeles Superior Court. On October 4, 2018, the Superior Court denied Edison International's and SCE's challenge to the application of inverse condemnation to SCE with respect to the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and, on February 26, 2019, the California Supreme Court denied SCE's petition to review the Superior Court's decision. In January 2019, SCE filed a cross-complaint against certain local public entities alleging that failures by these entities, such as failure to adequately plan for flood hazards and build and maintain adequate debris basins, roads, bridges and other channel crossings, among other things, caused, contributed to or exacerbated the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. These cross-claims in the Montecito Mudslides litigation were not released as part of the Local Public Entity Settlements (as defined below). Additionally, in September 2018, a derivative lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against certain current and former members of the Boards of Directors of Edison International and SCE. Edison International and SCE are identified as nominal defendants in the action. The derivative lawsuit generally alleges that the individual defendants violated their fiduciary duties by causing or allowing SCE to operate in an unsafe manner in violation of relevant regulations, resulting in substantial liability and damage from the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Montecito Mudslides. The lawsuit is currently stayed. In November 2018, a purported class action lawsuit alleging securities fraud and related claims was filed in federal court against Edison International, SCE and certain current and former officers of Edison International and SCE. The plaintiff alleges that Edison International and SCE made false and/or misleading statements in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission by failing to disclose that SCE had allegedly failed to maintain its electric transmission and distribution networks in compliance with safety regulations, and that those alleged safety violations led to fires that occurred in 2017 and 2018, including the Thomas Fire and the Woolsey Fire. In January 2019, two separate derivative lawsuits alleging breach of fiduciary duties, securities fraud, misleading proxy statements, unjust enrichment, and related claims were filed in federal court against certain current and former members of the Boards of Directors and certain current and former officers of Edison International and SCE. Edison International and SCE are named as nominal defendants in those actions. The derivative lawsuits generally allege that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties and made misleading statements or allowed misleading statements to be made (i) between March 21, 2014 and August 10, 2015, with respect to certain ex parte communications between SCE and CPUC decision-makers concerning the settlement of the San Onofre Order Instituting Investigation proceeding (the "San Onofre OII") and (ii) from February 23, 2016 to the present, concerning compliance with applicable laws and regulations concerning electric system maintenance and operations related to wildfire risks. The lawsuits generally allege that these breaches of duty and misstatements led to substantial liability and damage resulting from the disclosure of SCE's ex parte communications in connection with the San Onofre OII settlement, and from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The lawsuits are currently stayed. Settlements In the fourth quarter of 2019, SCE paid $360 million to a number of local public entities to resolve those parties' collective claims arising from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events (the "Local Public Entity Settlements"). In the third quarter of 2020, SCE entered into an agreement (the "September 2020 Subrogation Settlement") with all the insurance subrogation plaintiffs in the Thomas Fire, Koenigstein Fire and Montecito Mudslides litigation (the "Settling Subrogation Plaintiffs") to resolve those parties' collective claims arising from the Thomas Fire, Koenigstein Fire or Montecito Mudslides. Under the terms of the September 2020 Subrogation Settlement, SCE paid the Settling Subrogation Plaintiffs an aggregate of $1.2 billion in October 2020 and also agreed to pay $0.555 for each dollar in claims to be paid by the Settling Subrogation Plaintiffs to their policy holders before July 15, 2023, up to an agreed upon cap (the "Future Settlement Payments"). In the second and third quarters of 2020, SCE entered into settlements with several hundred of the several thousand individual plaintiffs in the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events litigation under which it agreed to pay an aggregate of approximately $73 million to those individual plaintiffs. Other claims and potential claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events remain. SCE continues to explore reasonable settlement opportunities with other plaintiffs in the outstanding 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events litigation. Loss Estimates for Third Party Claims and Potential Recoveries from Insurance and through Electric Rates At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, Edison International's and SCE's balance sheets include accrued estimated losses of $4.6 billion and $4.5 billion for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, respectively. The following table presents changes in the estimated losses since December 31, 2019, and estimated total liabilities for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events as of September 30, 2020:
(in millions) |
Loss estimate balance at December 31, 2019 | $ | 4,541 |
Increase in accrued estimated losses to reflect best estimate1 | 1,297 |
Amounts paid | (37) |
Fixed payments to be made under executed settlement agreements | (1,192) |
Loss estimate balance at September 30, 20202 | 4,609 |
Fixed payments to be made under executed settlement agreements3 | 1,192 |
Estimated total liabilities at September 30, 2020 | $ | 5,801 |
1 Includes an estimate of the Future Settlement Payments. 2 Reflects Edison International and SCE's best estimate of expected losses for remaining alleged and potential claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events at September 30, 2020. Does not include an estimate of any potential fines or penalties that could be levied against SCE in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. 3 Included in current "Wildfire-related claims" on Edison International's and SCE's consolidated balance sheets. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, Edison International's and SCE's income statements include charges for the estimated losses, net of expected recoveries from insurance and FERC customers, related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events as follows:
| Three months ended September 30, |  |  |  | Nine months ended September 30, |  |
(in millions) | 2020 |  | 2019 |  | 2020 |  | 2019
Charge for wildfire-related claims | $ | 1,297 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 1,297 |  |  | $ | — |
Expected insurance recoveries | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Expected revenue from FERC customers | (84) |  |  | — |  |  | (84) |  |  | — |
Total pre-tax charge | 1,213 |  |  | — |  |  | 1,213 |  |  | — |
Income tax benefit | (339) |  |  | — |  |  | (339) |  |  | — |
Total after-tax charge | $ | 874 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 874 |  |  | $ | — |
For events that occurred in 2017 and early 2018, principally the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and Montecito Mudslides, SCE had $1.0 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage, subject to a self-insured retention of $10 million per occurrence. For the Woolsey Fire, SCE had an additional $1.0 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage, subject to a self-insured retention of $10 million per occurrence. Edison International and SCE record a receivable for insurance recoveries when recovery of a recorded loss is determined to be probable. The following table presents changes in expected insurance recoveries associated with the estimated losses for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events since December 31, 2019:
(in millions) |
Balance at December 31, 2019 | $ | 1,710 |
Insurance recoveries | (73) |
Balance at September 30, 2020 | $ | 1,637 |
At September 30, 2020, SCE had remaining expected recoveries from insurance for the Thomas Fire, Koenigstein Fire and Montecito Mudslides of approximately $843 million, recorded as current "Insurance receivable" and "Insurance receivable from affiliate" on the consolidated balance sheets of SCE and as current "Insurance receivable" on the consolidated balance sheets of Edison International. SCE expects that this insurance will be exhausted after expected recoveries for the September 2020 Subrogation Settlement and prior settlements entered into through September 30, 2020. As of September 30, 2020, SCE had approximately $794 million remaining in expected recoveries from insurance for the Woolsey Fire litigation, included in "Long-term insurance receivables due from affiliate" and "Other long-term assets" on the consolidated balance sheets of SCE and "Other long-term assets" on the consolidated balance sheets of Edison International. In total, SCE has accrued estimated losses of $6.2 billion, has paid or agreed to pay $1.6 billion in settlements and has recovered $363 million from its insurance carriers through September 30, 2020 in relation to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. SCE will seek to recover uninsured costs resulting from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events through electric rates. Recovery of these costs is subject to approval by regulators. Under accounting standards for rate-regulated enterprises, SCE defers costs as regulatory assets when it concludes that such costs are probable of future recovery in electric rates. SCE utilizes objectively determinable evidence to form its view on probability of future recovery. The only directly comparable precedent in which a California investor-owned utility has sought recovery for uninsured wildfire-related costs is SDG&E's requests for cost recovery related to 2007 wildfire activity, where the FERC allowed recovery of all FERC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs while the CPUC rejected recovery of all CPUC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs based on a determination that SDG&E did not meet the CPUC's prudency standard. As a result, while SCE does not agree with the CPUC's decision, it believes that the CPUC's interpretation and application of the prudency standard to SDG&E creates substantial uncertainty regarding how that standard will be applied to an investor-owned utility in future wildfire cost-recovery proceedings for fires ignited prior to July 12, 2019. SCE will continue to evaluate the probability of recovery based on available evidence, including judicial, legislative and regulatory decisions, including any CPUC decisions illustrating the interpretation and/or application of the prudency standard when making determinations regarding recovery of uninsured wildfire-related costs. While the CPUC has not made a determination regarding SCE's prudency relative to any of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, SCE is unable to conclude, at this time, that uninsured CPUC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs are probable of recovery through electric rates. SCE would record a regulatory asset at the time it obtains sufficient information to support a conclusion that recovery is probable. SCE will seek recovery of the CPUC portion of any uninsured wildfire-related costs through its WEMA or its CEMA. In July 2019, SCE filed a CEMA application with the CPUC to seek recovery of, among other things, approximately $6 million in costs incurred to restore service to customers and to repair, replace and restore buildings and SCE's facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires. SCE continues to incur costs for reconstructing its system and restoring service to structures that were damaged or destroyed by these two fires and plans to file additional applications with the CPUC to recover such costs. See "Recovery of Wildfire-Related Costs" below. Through the operation of its FERC Formula Rate, and based upon the precedent established in SDG&E's recovery of FERC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs, SCE believes it is probable it will recover its FERC-jurisdictional wildfire and mudslide related costs and recorded total regulatory assets of $233 million within the FERC balancing account. This was the FERC portion of the estimated losses accrued. As of September 30, 2020, collections have reduced the amount remaining in the FERC balancing account to $125 million. Current Wildfire Insurance Coverage SCE had approximately $1.2 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage for events that occurred during the period June 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020, subject to up to $115 million of co-insurance and $50 million of self-insured retention, which resulted in net coverage of approximately $1.0 billion. SCE has approximately $1.0 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage for events that may occur during the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, subject to up to $80 million of co-insurance and $50 million of self-insured retention, which results in net coverage of approximately $870 million. Various coverage limitations within the policies that make up SCE's wildfire insurance coverage could result in additional material self-insured costs, for instance in the event of multiple wildfire occurrences during a policy period or with a single wildfire with damages in excess of the policy limits. SCE believes that its insurance coverage for the July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 period meets its obligation to maintain reasonable insurance coverage under AB 1054. Based on policies currently in effect, SCE anticipates that its wildfire insurance expense in 2020, prior to any regulatory deferrals, will total approximately $450 million. Wildfire insurance expense in 2019, prior to any regulatory deferrals, was approximately $400 million. Calendar year insurance expense reflects the portion of premiums attributable to policy coverage in that calendar year. SCE tracks incremental insurance premium, self-insured retention and co-insurance costs related to wildfire liability insurance policies as well as other wildfire-related costs, including claims and legal costs, in its WEMA. In July 2019, SCE filed a WEMA application with the CPUC to seek recovery of $478 million in wildfire insurance premium costs that have been incurred or will be incurred before July 1, 2020, in excess of premiums approved in the 2018 GRC and the corresponding financing costs. In September 2020, the CPUC approved SCE's WEMA application and authorized SCE to collect a total revenue requirement of $505 million over a two-year period. SCE included the authorized revenue requirement in rates in October 2020. SCE's cost of obtaining wildfire insurance coverage has increased significantly in recent years as a result of, among other things, the number of recent and significant wildfire events throughout California and the application of inverse condemnation to investor-owned utilities. As such, while SCE is required to maintain reasonable insurance coverage under AB 1054, SCE may not be able to obtain a reasonable amount of wildfire insurance, at a reasonable cost, for future policy periods. Recovery of Wildfire-Related Costs Pre-AB 1054 Cost Recovery California courts have previously found investor-owned utilities to be strictly liable for property damage, regardless of fault, by applying the theory of inverse condemnation when a utility's facilities were determined to be a substantial cause of a wildfire that caused the property damage. The rationale stated by these courts for applying this theory to investor-owned utilities is that property damages resulting from a public improvement, such as the distribution of electricity, can be spread across the larger community that benefited from such improvement through recovery of uninsured wildfire-related costs in electric rates. However, in November 2017, the CPUC issued a decision denying SDG&E's request to include in its rates uninsured wildfire-related costs arising from several 2007 wildfires, finding that SDG&E did not meet the prudency standard because it did not prudently manage and operate its facilities prior to or at the outset of the 2007 wildfires. In July 2018, the CPUC denied both SDG&E's application for rehearing on its cost recovery request and a joint application for rehearing filed by SCE and PG&E limited to the applicability of inverse condemnation principles in the same proceeding. The California Court of Appeal, the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court have denied SDG&E's petitions for review of the CPUC's denial of SDG&E's application. Edison International and SCE continue to pursue regulatory and legal strategies, and anticipate pursuing legislative strategies in the longer term, to address the application of a strict liability standard to wildfire-related property damages without the guaranteed ability to recover resulting costs in electric rates. 2019 Wildfire Legislation In July 2019, AB 1054 was signed by the governor of California and became effective immediately. The summary of the wildfire legislation below is based on SCE's interpretation of AB 1054. A lawsuit challenging the validity of AB 1054 was filed in federal court on July 19, 2019. Edison International and SCE are unable to predict the outcome of this lawsuit. Wildfire Insurance Fund AB 1054 provided for the Wildfire Insurance Fund to reimburse a utility for payment of third-party damage claims arising from certain wildfires that exceed, in aggregate in a calendar year, the greater of $1.0 billion or the insurance coverage required to be maintained under AB 1054. The Wildfire Insurance Fund was established in September 2019 and is available for claims related to wildfires ignited after July 12, 2019 that are determined by the responsible government investigatory agency to have been caused by a utility. SCE and SDG&E collectively made their initial contributions totaling approximately $2.7 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund in September 2019. Upon its emergence from bankruptcy, on July 1, 2020, PG&E made its initial contribution of approximately $4.8 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. PG&E, SCE and SDG&E are also collectively expected to make aggregate contributions of approximately $3.0 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund through annual contributions to the fund over a 10-year period, of which they have made their initial annual contributions totaling approximately $300 million. In addition to PG&E's, SCE's and SDG&E's contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund, PG&E, SCE and SDG&E are expected to collect $6.1 billion, $6.1 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, from their customers over a 15-year period through a dedicated rate component. The amount collected from customers may be directly contributed to the Wildfire Insurance Fund or used to support the issuance of up to $10.5 billion in bonds by the California Department of Water Resources, the proceeds of which would be contributed to the fund. In addition to funding contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund, the amount collected from utility customers will pay for, among other things, any interest and financing costs related to any bonds that are issued by the California Department of Water Resources to support the contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. SCE made an initial contribution of approximately $2.4 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund in September 2019 and has committed to make ten annual contributions of approximately $95 million per year to the fund, by no later than January 1 of each year. SCE amortizes its contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund over 10 years and continues to evaluate the fund's expected life based on actual fire experience. SCE made its first annual contribution to the Wildfire Insurance Fund in December 2019. Edison International supported SCE's initial contribution to the Wildfire Insurance Fund by raising $1.2 billion from the issuance of Edison International equity. SCE raised the remaining $1.2 billion from the issuance of long-term debt. SCE's contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund will not be recoverable through electric rates and will be excluded from the measurement of SCE's CPUC-jurisdictional authorized capital structure. SCE will also not be entitled to cost recovery for any borrowing costs incurred in connection with its contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. Participating investor-owned utilities will be reimbursed from the Wildfire Insurance Fund for eligible claims, subject to the fund administrator's review. SCE will reimburse the fund for any withdrawn amounts if SCE receives payment of such amounts under an indemnification agreement or from an insurance provider or other third-party. SCE will also be required to reimburse the fund for withdrawn amounts that the CPUC disallows, subject, in some instances, to the AB 1054 Liability Cap (as defined below). If the utility has maintained a valid safety certification and its actions or inactions that resulted in the wildfire are not found to constitute conscious or willful disregard of the rights and safety of others, the aggregate requirement to reimburse the fund over a trailing three calendar year period is capped at 20% of the equity portion of the utility's transmission and distribution rate base in the year of the prudency determination ("AB 1054 Liability Cap"). Based on SCE's 2020 rate base and using the equity portion of SCE's CPUC authorized capital structure of 52%, SCE's requirement to reimburse the Wildfire Insurance Fund for eligible claims disallowed in 2020 would be capped at approximately $3.0 billion. SCE will not be allowed to recover borrowing costs incurred to reimburse the fund for amounts that the CPUC disallows. The Wildfire Insurance Fund and, consequently, the AB 1054 Liability Cap will terminate when the administrator determines that the fund has been exhausted. AB 1054 Prudency Standard As a result of the establishment of the Wildfire Insurance Fund, AB 1054 created a new standard that the CPUC must apply when assessing the prudency of a utility in connection with a request for recovery of wildfire costs for wildfires ignited after July 12, 2019. Under AB 1054, the CPUC is required to find a utility to be prudent if the utility's conduct related to the ignition was consistent with actions that a reasonable utility would have undertaken under similar circumstances, at the relevant point in time, and based on the information available at that time. Prudent conduct under the AB 1054 standard is not limited to the optimum practice, method, or act to the exclusion of others, but rather encompasses a spectrum of possible practices, methods, or acts consistent with utility system needs, the interest of the ratepayers, and the requirements of governmental agencies. AB 1054 also provides that the CPUC may determine that wildfire costs may be recoverable, in whole or in part, by taking into account factors within and outside the utility's control, including humidity, temperature, and winds. Further, utilities with a valid safety certification will be presumed to have acted prudently related to a wildfire ignition unless a party in the cost recovery proceeding creates serious doubt as to the reasonableness of the utility's conduct, at which time, the burden shifts back to the utility to prove its conduct was reasonable. If a utility does not have a valid safety certification, it will have the burden to prove, based on a preponderance of evidence, that its conduct was prudent. The new prudency standard will survive the termination of the Wildfire Insurance Fund. Utilities participating in the Wildfire Insurance Fund are not required to reimburse the fund for amounts withdrawn from the fund that the CPUC finds were prudently incurred and can recover such prudently incurred wildfire costs through electric rates if the fund has been exhausted. Safety Certification and Wildfire Mitigation Plan Under AB 1054, SCE can obtain an annual safety certification upon the submission of certain required safety information, including an approved wildfire mitigation plan ("WMP"). On September 17, 2020, SCE obtained a safety certification that will be valid for 12 months. Notwithstanding its 12-month term, if SCE requests a new safety certification prior to the expiration of its current safety certification, then its current safety certification will remain valid until the CPUC's Wildfire Safety Division ("WSD") acts on SCE's request for a new safety certification. Under AB 1054, SCE is required to submit a WMP to the CPUC at least once every three years for review and approval. Beginning in 2020, each such plan is required to cover at least a three-year period. SCE filed its 2020 – 2022 WMP in February 2020. In June 2020 the CPUC ratified the WSD's conditional approval of SCE's 2020 – 2022 WMP. The approval is conditioned on SCE providing requested information to the WSD, including additional descriptions of how SCE is implementing, and will implement, certain requirements imposed by the WSD. The WSD issued a draft resolution in October 2020 that, if adopted, will require SCE to update its 2020-2022 WMP by February 5, 2021. Capital Expenditure Requirement Under AB 1054, approximately $1.6 billion of spending by SCE on wildfire risk mitigation capital expenditures made after August 1, 2019 cannot be included in the equity portion of SCE's rate base ("AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures"). SCE can apply for irrevocable orders from the CPUC to finance these AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures, including through the issuance of securitized bonds, and can recover any prudently incurred financing costs. In July 2020, SCE applied for an irrevocable order from the CPUC to finance $337 million, comprised of AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures incurred in connection with GS&RP and prudently incurred financing costs, through the issuance of securitized bonds. The CPUC issued a proposed decision approving SCE's application in October 2020 and is expected to issue the irrevocable financing order in November 2020. As of September 30, 2020, SCE has spent $1.1 billion on AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures. SCE expects to seek additional irrevocable orders from the CPUC to finance the remaining AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures. Environmental Remediation SCE records its environmental remediation and restoration liabilities when site assessments and/or remedial actions are probable and a range of reasonably likely cleanup costs can be estimated. SCE reviews its sites and measures the liability quarterly, by assessing a range of reasonably likely costs for each identified site using currently available information, including existing technology, presently enacted laws and regulations, experience gained at similar sites, and the probable level of involvement and financial condition of other potentially responsible parties. These estimates include costs for site investigations, remediation, operation and maintenance, monitoring, and site closure. Unless there is a single probable amount, SCE records the lower end of this reasonably likely range of costs (reflected in "Other long-term liabilities") at undiscounted amounts as timing of cash flows is uncertain. At September 30, 2020, SCE's recorded estimated minimum liability to remediate its 25 identified material sites (sites with a liability balance at September 30, 2020, in which the upper end of the range of the costs is at least $1 million was $256 million, including $174 million related to San Onofre. In addition to these sites, SCE also has 14 immaterial sites with a liability balance as of September 30, 2020, for which the total minimum recorded liability was $3 million. Of the $259 million total environmental remediation liability for SCE, $248 million has been recorded as a regulatory asset. SCE expects to recover $40 million through an incentive mechanism that allows SCE to recover 90% of its environmental remediation costs at certain sites (SCE may request to include additional sites) and $208 million through a mechanism that allows SCE to recover 100% of the costs incurred at certain sites through customer rates. SCE's identified sites include several sites for which there is a lack of currently available information, including the nature and magnitude of contamination, and the extent, if any, that SCE may be held responsible for contributing to any costs incurred for remediating these sites. Thus, no reasonable estimate of cleanup costs can be made for these sites. The ultimate costs to clean up SCE's identified sites may vary from its recorded liability due to numerous uncertainties inherent in the estimation process, such as: the extent and nature of contamination; the scarcity of reliable data for identified sites; the varying costs of alternative cleanup methods; developments resulting from investigatory studies; the possibility of identifying additional sites; and the time periods over which site remediation is expected to occur. SCE believes that, due to these uncertainties, it is reasonably possible that cleanup costs at the identified material sites and immaterial sites could exceed its recorded liability by up to $123 million and $8 million, respectively. The upper limit of this range of costs was estimated using assumptions least favorable to SCE among a range of reasonably possible outcomes. SCE expects to clean up and mitigate its identified sites over a period of up to 30 years. Remediation costs for each of the next five years are expected to range from $9 million to $19 million. Costs incurred for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $5 million and $4 million, respectively. Based upon the CPUC's regulatory treatment of environmental remediation costs incurred at SCE, SCE believes that costs ultimately recorded will not materially affect its results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. There can be no assurance, however, that future developments, including additional information about existing sites or the identification of new sites, will not require material revisions to estimates. Nuclear Insurance SCE is a member of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited ("NEIL"), a mutual insurance company owned by entities with nuclear facilities. NEIL provides insurance for nuclear property damage, including damages caused by acts of terrorism up to specified limits, and for accidental outages for active facilities. The amount of nuclear property damage insurance purchased for San Onofre and Palo Verde exceeds the minimum federal requirement of $50 million and $1.1 billion, respectively. If NEIL losses at any nuclear facility covered by the arrangement were to exceed the accumulated funds for these insurance programs, SCE could be assessed retrospective premium adjustments of up to approximately $30 million per year. Federal law limits public offsite liability claims for bodily injury and property damage from a nuclear incident to the amount of available financial protection, which is currently approximately $13.8 billion for Palo Verde and $560 million for San Onofre. SCE and other owners of San Onofre and Palo Verde have purchased the maximum private primary insurance available through a Facility Form issued by American Nuclear Insurers. SCE withdrew from participation in the secondary insurance pool for San Onofre for offsite liability insurance effective January 5, 2018. Based on its ownership interests in Palo Verde, SCE could be required to pay a maximum of approximately $65 million per nuclear incident for future incidents. However, it would have to pay no more than approximately $10 million per future incident in any one year. Based on its ownership interests in San Onofre and Palo Verde prior to January 5, 2018, SCE could be required to pay a maximum of approximately $255 million per nuclear incident and a maximum of $38 million per year per incident for liabilities arising from events prior to January 5, 2018, although SCE is not aware of any such events. Spent Nuclear Fuel Under federal law, the DOE is responsible for the selection and construction of a facility for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The DOE has not met its contractual obligation to accept spent nuclear fuel. Extended delays by the DOE have led to the construction of costly alternatives and associated siting and environmental issues. Currently, both San Onofre and Palo Verde have interim storage for spent nuclear fuel on site sufficient for their current license period. In June 2010, the United States Court of Federal Claims issued a decision granting SCE and the San Onofre co-owners damages of approximately $142 million (SCE's share $112 million) to recover costs incurred through December 31, 2005 for the DOE's failure to meet its obligation to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from San Onofre. SCE received payment from the federal government in the amount of the damage award. In April 2016, SCE, as operating agent, settled a lawsuit on behalf of the San Onofre owners against the DOE for $162 million (SCE's share $124 million, which included reimbursement for approximately $2 million in legal and other costs), to compensate for damages caused by the DOE's failure to meet its obligation to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel for the period from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. In August 2018, the CPUC approved SCE's proposal to return the SCE share of the award to customers based on the amount that customers actually contributed for fuel storage costs; resulting in approximately $106 million of the SCE share being returned to customers and the remaining $17 million being returned to shareholders. Of the $106 million, $72 million was applied against the remaining San Onofre Regulatory Asset in accordance with the Revised San Onofre Settlement Agreement. The April 2016 settlement also provided for a claim submission/audit process for expenses incurred from 2014 – 2016, where SCE may submit a claim for damages caused by the DOE failure to accept spent nuclear fuel each year, followed by a government audit and payment of the claim. This process made additional legal action to recover damages incurred in 2014 –2016 unnecessary. The first such claim covering damages for 2014 – 2015 was filed on September 30, 2016 for approximately $56 million. In February 2017, the DOE reviewed the 2014 – 2015 claim submission and reduced the original request to approximately $43 million (SCE's share was approximately $34 million). SCE accepted the DOE's determination, and the government paid the 2014 – 2015 claim under the terms of the settlement. In October 2017, SCE filed a claim covering damages for 2016 for approximately $58 million. In May 2018, the DOE approved reimbursement of approximately $45 million (SCE's share was approximately $35 million) of SCE's 2016 damages, disallowing recovery of approximately $13 million. SCE accepted the DOE's determination, and the government paid the 2016 claim under the terms of the settlement. The damages awards are subject to CPUC review as to how the amounts will be refunded among customers, shareholders, or to offset other costs. In November 2019, SCE filed a new complaint against the DOE to recover damages incurred from January 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018. Tehachapi Transmission Project The Tehachapi Transmission Project consists of new and upgraded electric transmission lines and substations between eastern Kern County and San Bernardino County and was undertaken to bring renewable resources in Kern County to energy consumers in the Los Angeles basin and the California energy grid. The project consists of eleven segments. Segments 1-3 were placed in service beginning in 2009 through 2013. Segments 4-11 were placed in service in December 2016. In December 2019, the CPUC filed a protest alleging that $419 million of costs associated with the Tehachapi Transmission Project are imprudent and should be disallowed from SCE's FERC rate base because these costs exceeded the maximum reasonable cost identified by the CPUC when it granted the project's certificate of public convenience and necessity. As part of the 2019 Formula Rate Settlement, the CPUC withdrew its protest effective as of July 27, 2020. Refer to Note 1 for further details related to 2019 FERC Formula Rate.

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