RATE AND OTHER REGULATORY MATTERS

Rate Matters

Tax Act Regulatory Proceedings

The Tax Act lowered the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. In response, the SCPSC and NCUC have required SCE&G and PSNC Energy to track and defer impacts related to the Tax Act arising from customer rates in 2018 as subject to refund. In addition, as further discussed under Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities below, certain accumulated deferred income taxes contained within regulatory liabilities represent excess deferred income taxes arising from the remeasurement of deferred income taxes upon the enactment of the Tax Act. Certain of these amounts are protected under normalization rules and will be amortized over the remaining regulatory life of the property, and certain of these amounts will be amortized to the benefit of customers, as instructed by regulators, which ranges from 5 years to 50 years.

As of December 31, 2018, SCE&G has recorded approximately $73.7 million as Revenue subject to refund and approximately $3.7 million as Regulatory liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet for the Company and Consolidated SCE&G, and PSNC Energy has recorded approximately $15.4 million of such deferrals within Regulatory liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet for the Company. These amounts were collected through customer rates in 2018 and include the accrual of estimated carrying costs. In addition, the Company and Consolidated SCE&G have recorded amounts related to excess deferred income taxes arising from the Tax Act within Regulatory liabilities. For a discussion of related actions taken by the SCPSC and NCUC, see Electric - Other, Gas - SCE&G, and Gas - PSNC Energy below.

Electric - BLRA and Merger Approval Order

In 2016, the SCPSC approved revised rates under the BLRA to incorporate financing cost of SCE&G's incremental construction work in progress incurred for the Nuclear Project. Rate adjustments resulted in approximately $64.4 million in additional revenue on an annual basis and were effective for bills rendered on and after November 27, 2016. Such rate adjustments were based on SCE&G's updated cost of debt and capital structure and on an allowed ROE of 10.5% applied prospectively for purposes of calculating revised rates under the BLRA on and after January 1, 2016. No revised rates filings were pursued after this 2016 approval.

In May 2016, SCE&G petitioned the SCPSC for approval of updated construction and capital cost schedules for Unit 2 and Unit 3 which had been developed in connection with the October 2015 Amendment. On November 9, 2016, the SCPSC approved a settlement agreement among SCE&G, the ORS and certain other parties concerning this petition. The SCPSC also approved SCE&G's election of the fixed price option included in that October 2015 contract amendment. By order dated February 28, 2017, the SCPSC denied Petitions for Rehearing filed by certain parties that were not included in the settlement, and that denial was not appealed.

On July 2 and 3, 2018, the SCPSC issued orders implementing a legislatively-mandated temporary reduction in revenues that could be collected by SCE&G from customers under the BLRA. These orders reduced the portion of SCE&G's retail electric rates associated with the Nuclear Project from approximately 18% of the average residential electric customer's bill to approximately 3.2%, which equates to a reduction in revenues of approximately $31 million per month, retroactive to April 1, 2018. These lower rates remained in effect until February 2019 pursuant to the Merger Approval Order.

On December 21, 2018, the SCPSC issued the Merger Approval Order. The order adopted Dominion Energy's Plan-B Levelized Customer Benefits Plan whereby the average bill for an SCE&G residential electric customer would approximate that which resulted from the legislatively-mandated temporary reduction that had been put into effect by the SCPSC retroactive to April 1, 2018. The Merger Approval Order established an allowed ROE of 9.9% on unrecovered Nuclear Project costs, and resulted in the following findings and conditions:


•	No capital costs related to the Nuclear Project incurred after March 12, 2015 will be recoverable by SCE&G.


•	SCE&G will provide refunds and restitution to customers from prior years' revenues totaling an aggregate $2.039 billion, comprised of $1.032 billion to be credited to customers over 20 years and $1.007 billion credited to customers over approximately 11 years.


•	Except for rate adjustments for fuel and environmental costs, demand side management costs, and other rates routinely adjusted on an annual or biannual basis, SCE&G will freeze retail electric base rates at current levels until January 1, 2021.


•	SCE&G's natural gas customers will receive a refund totaling $2.45 million in 2019, 2020 and 2021 combined.


•	Corporate giving will increase above historical levels by $1 million per year for at least five years.


•	SCE&G will not seek to pass on to ratepayers its initial capital investment in CEC, a 540-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired generating facility, and will not seek to pass on to ratepayers any acquisition premium costs, transition costs, or transaction cost associated with the merger.

Various parties filed petitions for rehearing or reconsideration of the Merger Approval Order. On February 12, 2019, the SCPSC issued a ruling (1) finding that SCE&G was imprudent in its actions by not disclosing material information to the ORS and the SCPSC, and (2) denying the petitions for rehearing or reconsideration as to other issues raised in the various petitions. The Merger Approval Order and the ruling are subject to appeal by various parties. The Company and Consolidated SCE&G cannot predict the outcome of these matters. See also Note 11.

Electric - Cost of Fuel

SCE&G's retail electric rates include a cost of fuel component approved by the SCPSC which may be adjusted periodically to reflect changes in the price of fuel purchased by SCE&G.

By order dated April 29, 2016, the SCPSC approved a settlement agreement among SCE&G, ORS and certain other parties to decrease the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates. SCE&G reduced the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates to reflect lower projected fuel costs and to eliminate over-collected balances of approximately $61 million for base fuel and environmental costs over a 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2016. SCE&G also began to recover projected DER program costs of approximately $6.9 million beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2016.

By order dated April 27, 2017, the SCPSC approved a settlement agreement among SCE&G, the ORS and the SCEUC, to increase the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates. SCE&G agreed to set its base fuel component to produce a projected under recovery of $61.0 million over a 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2017. SCE&G also agreed to recover, over a 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2017, projected DER program costs of approximately $16.5 million. Additionally, deferral of carrying costs would be allowed for base fuel component under-collected balances as they occurred.

On April 25, 2018, the SCPSC approved SCE&G’s proposal to increase the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates. Specifically, the SCPSC approved an increase to certain environmental, avoided capacity and DER program cost components and SCE&G’s agreement to maintain its base fuel component to produce a projected under-recovered balance of approximately $1.3 million at the end of the 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2018. This projected under-recovered balance includes the effect of offsetting fuel cost recovery with gains realized from the settlement of certain interest rate derivatives in 2018. SCE&G also agreed to recover, over a 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2018, projected DER program costs of approximately $29.3 million. Petitions for rehearing and reconsideration were filed by various parties, and on October 30, 2018, the SCPSC issued an order granting one such petition related to SCE&G supplying certain information as in previous years. The other petitions were denied, and certain parties have appealed the decision to deny their petitions to the South Carolina Supreme Court. These appeals primarily relate to avoided cost rates that SCE&G is required to pay to solar energy developers, and these appeals are pending. The Company and Consolidated SCE&G cannot predict the outcome of these matters.

On February 8, 2019, SCE&G filed with the SCPSC a proposal to decrease the total fuel cost component of retail electric rates. In the filing, SCE&G proposed to maintain its base fuel component at the current level to produce a projected under-recovered balance of approximately $35.4 million at the end of the 12-month period beginning with the first billing cycle of May 2019, and requested carrying costs for any base fuel under-collected balances, should they occur. SCE&G also proposed to reduce its variable environmental component and maintain or reduce its DER components. A public hearing on this matter is scheduled to be held in April 2019.

Electric - Base Rates

Pursuant to an SCPSC order, SCE&G removed from rate base certain deferred income tax assets arising from capital expenditures related to Unit 2 and Unit 3 and accrued carrying costs on those amounts during periods in which they were not included in rate base. Such carrying costs were determined at SCE&G’s weighted average long-term debt borrowing rate and were recorded as a regulatory asset and other income. Carrying costs totaled $18.8 million during 2017 and $14.0 million during 2016. As part of the Nuclear Project impairment loss described in Note 11, accumulated carrying costs related to these deferred income tax assets totaling $51.0 million were written off in 2017.

Electric - Other

The SCPSC has approved a suite of DSM Programs for development and implementation. SCE&G offers to its retail electric customers several distinct programs designed to assist customers in reducing their demand for electricity and improving their energy efficiency. SCE&G submits annual filings to the SCPSC related to these programs which include actual program costs, net lost revenues (both forecasted and actual), customer incentives, and net program benefits, among other things. As actual DSM Program costs are incurred, they are deferred as regulatory assets and recovered through a rate rider approved by the SCPSC. The rate rider also provides for recovery of net lost revenues and for a shared savings incentive. The SCPSC approved the following rate riders pursuant to the annual DSM Programs filings, which went into effect as indicated below:



Year	Effective	Amount
2018	First billing cycle of May	$33.0 million
2017	First billing cycle of May	$37.0 million
2016	First billing cycle of May	$37.6 million

In January 2019, SCE&G submitted its annual DSM Programs filing to the SCPSC. If approved the filing would allow recovery of approximately $30.3 million of costs and net lost revenues associated with DSM Programs, along with an incentive to invest in such programs.

SCE&G utilizes a pension costs rider approved by the SCPSC which is designed to allow recovery of projected pension costs, including under-collected balances or net of over-collected balances, as applicable. The rider is typically reviewed for adjustment every 12 months with any resulting increase or decrease going into effect beginning with the first billing cycle in May. In 2017, this rider was adjusted to decrease annual revenue by approximately $11.9 million. No adjustment was made in 2018. No adjustment has been proposed in 2019.

As part of the Merger Approval Order, the SCPSC approved refunds of approximately $100 million by SCE&G for the impact of the lower federal tax rate resulting from the Tax Act. The refunds include amounts which had been collected through customer rates in 2018 and January 2019 and also include the effects of the amortization of certain excess deferred taxes during the same period. At December 31, 2018, amounts to be refunded to electric customers totaled approximately $91 million, and were comprised of approximately $70 million included within Revenue subject to refund and approximately $21 million included within Regulatory liabilities. These refunds have been included in bills rendered on and after the first billing cycle of February 2019. In addition, the SCPSC approved the implementation of a tax rider whereby amounts collected though customer rates effectively would be reduced and excess deferred income taxes arising from the remeasurement of deferred income taxes upon the enactment of the Tax Act will be amortized to the benefit of customers. This tax rider is expected to reduce base rates to customers by approximately $67 million in each of 2019 and 2020, effective with the first billing cycle of February 2019. Unamortized excess deferred income taxes that remain at the end of 2020 will be considered in future rate proceedings.

Gas - SCE&G

The RSA is designed to reduce the volatility of costs charged to customers by allowing for more timely recovery of the costs that regulated utilities incur related to natural gas infrastructure. The SCPSC has approved the following rate changes pursuant to annual RSA filings effective with the first billing cycle of November in the following years:



Year	Action			Amount
2018	4.6	%	Decrease	$19.7 million	*
2017	2.2	%	Increase	$8.6 million
2016	1.2	%	Increase	$4.1 million

*Includes the impact of the lower federal corporate tax rate resulting from the Tax Act. The SCPSC also approved revised rate schedules for natural gas service that include a rider to refund certain amounts previously collected from customers for SCE&G's income taxes.

SCE&G's natural gas tariffs include a PGA that provides for the recovery of actual gas costs incurred, including transportation costs. SCE&G's gas rates are calculated using a methodology which may adjust the cost of gas monthly based on a 12-month rolling average, and its gas purchasing policies and practices are reviewed annually by the SCPSC.

Gas - PSNC Energy

PSNC Energy's Rider D rate mechanism allows it to recover from customers all prudently incurred gas costs and certain related uncollectible expenses as well as losses on negotiated gas and transportation sales.

PSNC Energy establishes rates using a benchmark cost of gas approved by the NCUC, which may be periodically adjusted to reflect changes in the market price of natural gas. PSNC Energy revises its tariffs as necessary to track these changes and accounts for any over- or under-collection of the delivered cost of gas in deferred accounts for subsequent rate consideration. The NCUC reviews PSNC Energy’s gas purchasing practices annually. In addition, PSNC Energy utilizes a CUT which allows it to adjust its base rates semi-annually for residential and commercial customers based on average per customer consumption.

On October 28, 2016, the NCUC granted PSNC Energy a net annual increase of approximately $19.1 million, or 4.39%, in rates and charges to customers, and set PSNC Energy's authorized ROE at 9.7%. In addition, the NCUC has authorized PSNC Energy to use a tracker mechanism to recover the incurred capital investment and associated costs of complying with federal standards for pipeline integrity and safety requirements that are not in current base rates. PSNC Energy files biannual applications to adjust its rates for this purpose. The NCUC has approved those applications for the incremental increase to annual revenue requirements, as follows:



Rates Effective	2018	2017
March 1	$14.7 million	$1.9 million
September 1	$1.1 million	$0.7 million

On February 15, 2019, PSNC Energy submitted its biannual application to adjust rates associated with its pipeline integrity tracker. As approved by the NCUC, the filing increases PSNC Energy's allowed recovery by approximately $1.7 million effective March 1, 2019.

On November 19, 2018, the NCUC issued an order approving the SCANA Combination subject to a stipulation agreement with the following provisions: (1) customer bill credits of $1.25 million in each of January 2019, 2020 and 2021; (2) a rate moratorium until November 1, 2021 other than for rate adjustments pursuant to the CUT, the Integrity Management Tracker and the PGA; and (3) an agreement that direct merger-related expenses will be excluded from PSNC Energy regulated expenses for ratemaking purposes.

On December 17, 2018, the NCUC issued an order approving PSNC Energy's proposed adjustments to customer rates to reflect the reduction in the federal corporate tax rate arising from the Tax Act. These lower rates became effective for service rendered on and after January 1, 2019. The impact of the lower tax rate collected in customer rates during 2018 and amounts arising from excess deferred income taxes have been recorded in regulatory liabilities and must be considered in PSNC Energy's next general rate case proceeding or in three years, whichever is sooner (i.e., no later than October 25, 2021). The reduction in the federal corporate tax rate and its impact on PSNC Energy's various rate riders will be addressed in future proceedings related to those riders.

Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities

Rate-regulated utilities recognize in their financial statements certain revenues and expenses in different periods than do other enterprises. As a result, the Company and Consolidated SCE&G have recorded regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities which are summarized in the following tables. Except for certain unrecovered nuclear project costs and other unrecovered plant, substantially all regulatory assets are either explicitly excluded from rate base or are effectively excluded from rate base due to their being offset by related liabilities.



	The Company				Consolidated SCE&G
	December 31,				December 31,
Millions of dollars	2018		2017		2018		2017
Regulatory Assets:
Unrecovered Nuclear Project costs	$	2,768	3,976		$	2,768	3,976
AROs and related funding	406		434		380		410
Deferred employee benefit plan costs	302		305		272		273
Deferred losses on interest rate derivatives	448		456		448		456
Other unrecovered plant	93		105		93		105
DSM Programs	65		59		65		59
Pipeline integrity management costs	73		51		9		8
Environmental remediation costs	27		30		24		25
Deferred storm damage costs	35		24		35		24
Deferred transmission operating costs	15		—		15		—
Other	148		140		147		140
Total Regulatory Assets	$	4,380	$	5,580	$	4,256	$	5,476



Regulatory Liabilities:
Monetization of guaranty settlement	$	1,098	1,095		$	1,098	1,095
Accumulated deferred income taxes	814		1,076		659		914
Asset removal costs	779		757		541		527
Deferred gains on interest rate derivatives	77		131		77		131
Other	21		—		5		—
Total Regulatory Liabilities	$	2,789	$	3,059	$	2,380	$	2,667

The carrying amount of the regulatory asset for unrecovered Nuclear Project costs has been recorded based on such amount not being probable of loss in accordance with the accounting guidance on abandonments, whereas the other regulatory assets have been recorded based on the probability of their recovery. All regulatory assets represent incurred costs that may be deferred under applicable GAAP for regulated operations. The SCPSC, the NCUC or the FERC has reviewed and approved through specific orders certain of the items shown as regulatory assets. In addition, regulatory assets include certain costs which have not been specifically approved for recovery by one of these regulatory agencies, including deferred transmission operating costs that are the subject of regulatory proceedings as further discussed above and in Note 11. In recording such costs as regulatory assets, management believes the costs would be allowable under existing rate-making concepts embodied in rate orders or applicable state law. The costs are currently not being recovered but are expected to be recovered through rates in future periods. In the future, as a result of deregulation, changes in state law, other changes in the regulatory environment or changes in accounting requirements or other adverse legislative or regulatory developments, the Company or Consolidated SCE&G could be required to write off all or a portion of its regulatory assets and liabilities. Such an event could have a material effect on the Company's and Consolidated SCE&G's financial statements in the period the write-off would be recorded.

Unrecovered Nuclear Project costs represents expenditures by SCE&G that have been reclassified from construction work in progress and, pursuant to the Merger Approval Order and subsequent SCANA Combination, are to be recovered over a 20-year period ending in 2039. In 2017, such amounts were recorded pending a final determination by the SCPSC. See Note 11 for a discussion of impairment charges related to the Nuclear Project.

AROs and related funding represents the regulatory asset associated with the legal obligation to decommission and dismantle Unit 1 and conditional AROs related to generation, transmission and distribution properties, including gas pipelines. These regulatory assets are expected to be recovered over the related property lives and periods of decommissioning which may range up to approximately 106 years.

Employee benefit plan costs of the regulated utilities have historically been recovered as they have been recorded under GAAP. Deferred employee benefit plan costs represent amounts of pension and other postretirement benefit costs which were accrued as liabilities and treated as regulatory assets pursuant to FERC guidance, and costs deferred pursuant to specific SCPSC regulatory orders. SCE&G recovers deferred pension costs through utility rates of approximately $2 million annually for electric operations, which will end in 2044, and approximately $1 million annually for gas operations, which will end in 2027. The remainder of the deferred benefit costs are expected to be recovered through utility rates, primarily over average service periods of participating employees up to approximately 11 years.

Deferred losses or gains on interest rate derivatives represent (i) the effective portions of changes in fair value and payments made or received upon settlement of certain interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges and (ii) the changes in fair value and payments made or received upon settlement of certain other interest rate derivatives not so designated. Such deferred amounts are expected to be amortized to interest expense over the lives of the underlying debt which, with respect to (i), is through 2043, and with respect to (ii), is through 2065.

Other unrecovered plant represents the carrying value of coal-fired generating units, including related materials and supplies inventory, retired from service prior to being fully depreciated. Pursuant to SCPSC approval, SCE&G is amortizing these amounts through cost of service rates over the units' previous estimated remaining useful lives through approximately 2025. Unamortized amounts are included in rate base and are earning a current return.

DSM Programs represent SCE&G's deferred costs associated with electric demand reduction programs, and such deferred costs are being recovered over approximately five years through an approved rate rider.

Pipeline integrity management costs represent operating costs expended to comply with federal regulatory requirements related to natural gas pipelines. PSNC Energy is recovering costs totaling $4.1 million annually through 2021. PSNC Energy is continuing to defer pipeline integrity costs, and as of December 31, 2018 costs of $51.3 million have been deferred pending future approval of rate recovery. Effective November 2018, SCE&G began amortizing deferred pipeline integrity costs at an annual rate of $3.2 million. Prior to November 2018, such costs were amortized at an annual rate of $1.9 million annually.

Environmental remediation costs represent costs associated with the assessment and clean-up of sites currently or formerly owned by SCE&G or PSNC Energy. SCE&G's remediation costs are expected to be recovered over periods of up to approximately 16 years, and PSNC Energy's remediation costs of $3.8 million are being recovered over a period that will end in 2021.

Deferred storm damage costs represent storm restoration costs for which SCE&G expects to receive future recovery through customer rates.

Deferred transmission operating costs include deferred depreciation and property taxes associated with certain transmission assets for which SCE&G expects recovery from customers through future rates. See also Note 11.

Various other regulatory assets are expected to be recovered through rates over varying periods through 2047.

Monetization of guaranty settlement represents proceeds received under or arising from the monetization of the Toshiba Settlement. In accordance with the Merger Approval Order, this balance, net of amounts that may be required to satisfy liens described in Note 11, will be refunded to electric customers over a period ending in 2039.

Accumulated deferred income taxes contained within regulatory liabilities represent (i) excess deferred income taxes arising from the remeasurement of deferred income taxes in connection with the enactment of the Tax Act (certain of which are protected under normalization rules and will be amortized over the remaining lives of related property, and certain of which will be amortized to the benefit of customers over prescribed periods as instructed by regulators) and (ii) deferred income taxes arising from investment tax credits, offset by (iii) deferred income taxes that arise from utility operations that have not been included in customer rates (a portion of which relate to depreciation and are expected to be recovered over the remaining lives of the related property which may range up to approximately 85 years). See also Note 6.

Asset removal costs represent estimated net collections through depreciation rates of amounts to be expended for the removal of assets in the future.