ENTERGY ARKANSAS LLC
For the period ended Jun 30, 2024. Filed Aug 2, 2024.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Jun 30, 2024 · Filed Aug 2, 2024
Extracted filing text, with the paragraph anchors used by the comparison.
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Consolidated I
| ENTERGY ARKANSAS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS | ||||
| For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 | ||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||
| Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |
| (In Thousands) · (In Thousands) | ||||
| OPERATING REVENUES | ||||
| Electric | $608,798 | $616,347 | $1,230,843 | $1,199,096 |
| OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||
| Operation and Maintenance: | ||||
| Fuel, fuel-related expenses, and gas purchased for resale | 52,756 | 102,350 | 159,195 | 215,859 |
| Purchased power | 55,602 | 57,648 | 107,922 | 122,399 |
| Nuclear refueling outage expenses | 14,101 | 15,504 | 28,189 | 30,845 |
| Other operation and maintenance | 174,835 | 178,044 | 352,876 | 334,863 |
| Asset write-offs | — | — | 131,775 | — |
| Decommissioning | 22,832 | 21,667 | 45,479 | 43,017 |
| Taxes other than income taxes | 34,390 | 34,743 | 70,614 | 67,094 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 103,966 | 99,707 | 206,957 | 196,148 |
| Other regulatory charges (credits) - net | (20,934) | (19,185) | 27,685 | (40,029) |
| TOTAL | 437,548 | 490,478 | 1,130,692 | 970,196 |
| OPERATING INCOME | 171,250 | 125,869 | 100,151 | 228,900 |
| OTHER INCOME | ||||
| Allowance for equity funds used during construction | 5,862 | 5,400 | 11,394 | 10,243 |
| Interest and investment income | 5,181 | 5,727 | 77,941 | 13,206 |
| Miscellaneous - net | (2,799) | (6,239) | (6,380) | (8,340) |
| TOTAL | 8,244 | 4,888 | 82,955 | 15,109 |
| INTEREST EXPENSE | ||||
| Interest expense | 54,879 | 46,038 | 104,144 | 91,405 |
| Allowance for borrowed funds used during construction | (2,864) | (2,169) | (5,563) | (4,114) |
| TOTAL | 52,015 | 43,869 | 98,581 | 87,291 |
| INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES | 127,479 | 86,888 | 84,525 | 156,718 |
| Income taxes | 32,120 | 19,940 | 21,446 | 30,374 |
| NET INCOME | 95,359 | 66,948 | 63,079 | 126,344 |
| Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest | (825) | (1,006) | (2,643) | (2,635) |
| EARNINGS APPLICABLE TO MEMBER'S EQUITY | $96,184 | $67,954 | $65,722 | $128,979 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | ||||
| ENTERGY ARKANSAS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS | ||
| For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 | ||
| (Unaudited) | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| (In Thousands) | ||
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Net income | $63,079 | $126,344 |
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flow provided by operating activities: | ||
| Depreciation, amortization, and decommissioning, including nuclear fuel amortization | 287,564 | 270,098 |
| Deferred income taxes, investment tax credits, and non-current taxes accrued | 41,130 | 33,572 |
| Asset write-offs | 131,775 | — |
| Changes in assets and liabilities: | ||
| Receivables | 67,067 | 21,444 |
| Fuel inventory | 10,890 | (6,830) |
| Accounts payable | 26,093 | (43,953) |
| Taxes accrued | (15,496) | (4,315) |
| Interest accrued | 4,647 | 10,421 |
| Deferred fuel costs | 2,317 | 123,264 |
| Other working capital accounts | (13,243) | (30,581) |
| Provisions for estimated losses | 5,725 | (26,606) |
| Other regulatory assets | 179,719 | (51,960) |
| Other regulatory liabilities | 71,529 | 97,349 |
| Pension and other postretirement funded status | (27,588) | (18,948) |
| Other assets and liabilities | (310,500) | (91,600) |
| Net cash flow provided by operating activities | 524,708 | 407,699 |
| INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Construction expenditures | (394,973) | (524,723) |
| Allowance for equity funds used during construction | 11,394 | 10,243 |
| Payment for purchase of plant | (169,694) | — |
| Nuclear fuel purchases | (65,010) | (73,912) |
| Proceeds from sale of nuclear fuel | 33,213 | 17,614 |
| Proceeds from nuclear decommissioning trust fund sales | 412,931 | 54,469 |
| Investment in nuclear decommissioning trust funds | (418,818) | (65,584) |
| Change in money pool receivable - net | (130,602) | — |
| Litigation proceeds for reimbursement of spent nuclear fuel storage costs | — | 17,933 |
| Decrease in other investments | 30 | 106 |
| Net cash flow used in investing activities | (721,529) | (563,854) |
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt | 970,030 | 661,923 |
| Retirement of long-term debt | (555,411) | (394,810) |
| Capital contributions from parent | 695,000 | — |
| Changes in money pool payable - net | (145,385) | (28,468) |
| Common equity distributions paid | — | (89,000) |
| Other | 15,287 | 5,445 |
| Net cash flow provided by financing activities | 979,521 | 155,090 |
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 782,700 | (1,065) |
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 3,632 | 5,278 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $786,332 | $4,213 |
| SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION: | ||
| Cash paid during the period for: | ||
| Interest - net of amount capitalized | $49,597 | $79,716 |
| Income taxes | $1,569 | $— |
| Noncash investing activities: | ||
| Accrued construction expenditures | $36,355 | $113,205 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | ||
| ENTERGY ARKANSAS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | ||
| ASSETS | ||
| June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 | ||
| (Unaudited) | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| (In Thousands) | ||
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents: | ||
| Cash | $14,168 | $520 |
| Temporary cash investments | 772,164 | 3,112 |
| Total cash and cash equivalents | 786,332 | 3,632 |
| Accounts receivable: | ||
| Customer | 159,732 | 157,520 |
| Allowance for doubtful accounts | (4,297) | (7,182) |
| Associated companies | 176,832 | 124,672 |
| Other | 70,310 | 89,532 |
| Accrued unbilled revenues | 142,619 | 117,119 |
| Total accounts receivable | 545,196 | 481,661 |
| Fuel inventory - at average cost | 46,605 | 57,495 |
| Materials and supplies - at average cost | 387,125 | 358,302 |
| Deferred nuclear refueling outage costs | 39,064 | 35,463 |
| Prepayments and other | 37,288 | 40,866 |
| TOTAL | 1,841,610 | 977,419 |
| OTHER PROPERTY AND INVESTMENTS | ||
| Decommissioning trust funds | 1,522,508 | 1,414,009 |
| Other | 799 | 801 |
| TOTAL | 1,523,307 | 1,414,810 |
| UTILITY PLANT | ||
| Electric | 15,166,477 | 14,821,814 |
| Construction work in progress | 503,003 | 340,601 |
| Nuclear fuel | 226,459 | 213,722 |
| TOTAL UTILITY PLANT | 15,895,939 | 15,376,137 |
| Less - accumulated depreciation and amortization | 6,144,521 | 6,002,203 |
| UTILITY PLANT - NET | 9,751,418 | 9,373,934 |
| DEFERRED DEBITS AND OTHER ASSETS | ||
| Regulatory assets: | ||
| Other regulatory assets | 1,705,642 | 1,885,361 |
| Other | 154,064 | 21,334 |
| TOTAL | 1,859,706 | 1,906,695 |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $14,976,041 | $13,672,858 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | ||
| ENTERGY ARKANSAS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | ||
| LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | ||
| June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 | ||
| (Unaudited) | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| (In Thousands) | ||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||
| Currently maturing long-term debt | $— | $375,000 |
| Accounts payable: | ||
| Associated companies | 98,324 | 225,344 |
| Other | 196,722 | 215,502 |
| Customer deposits | 121,174 | 113,186 |
| Taxes accrued | 89,655 | 105,151 |
| Interest accrued | 40,017 | 35,370 |
| Deferred fuel costs | 90,599 | 88,282 |
| Other | 65,592 | 55,683 |
| TOTAL | 702,083 | 1,213,518 |
| NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||
| Accumulated deferred income taxes and taxes accrued | 1,445,165 | 1,437,053 |
| Accumulated deferred investment tax credits | 26,670 | 27,270 |
| Regulatory liability for income taxes - net | 419,526 | 392,496 |
| Other regulatory liabilities | 803,680 | 759,181 |
| Decommissioning | 1,625,476 | 1,560,057 |
| Accumulated provisions | 64,684 | 58,959 |
| Pension and other postretirement liabilities | 103,190 | 8,901 |
| Long-term debt | 5,094,160 | 4,298,080 |
| Other | 172,939 | 156,673 |
| TOTAL | 9,755,490 | 8,698,670 |
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||
| EQUITY | ||
| Member's equity | 4,499,793 | 3,739,071 |
| Noncontrolling interest | 18,675 | 21,599 |
| TOTAL | 4,518,468 | 3,760,670 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | $14,976,041 | $13,672,858 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | ||
| ENTERGY ARKANSAS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY | |||
| For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 | |||
| (Unaudited) | |||
| Noncontrolling Interest | Member's Equity | Total | |
| (In Thousands) | |||
| Balance at December 31, 2022 | $27,825 | $3,753,990 | $3,781,815 |
| Net income (loss) | (1,629) | 61,026 | 59,397 |
| Common equity distributions | — | (80,000) | (80,000) |
| Distributions to noncontrolling interest | (104) | — | (104) |
| Balance at March 31, 2023 | 26,092 | 3,735,016 | 3,761,108 |
| Net income (loss) | (1,006) | 67,954 | 66,948 |
| Common equity distributions | — | (9,000) | (9,000) |
| Distributions to noncontrolling interest | (113) | — | (113) |
| Balance at June 30, 2023 | $24,973 | $3,793,970 | $3,818,943 |
| Balance at December 31, 2023 | $21,599 | $3,739,071 | $3,760,670 |
| Net loss | (1,818) | (30,462) | (32,280) |
| Capital contribution from parent | — | 275,000 | 275,000 |
| Distributions to noncontrolling interest | (250) | — | (250) |
| Balance at March 31, 2024 | 19,531 | 3,983,609 | 4,003,140 |
| Net income (loss) | (825) | 96,184 | 95,359 |
| Capital contribution from parent | — | 420,000 | 420,000 |
| Distributions to noncontrolling interest | (31) | — | (31) |
| Balance at June 30, 2024 | $18,675 | $4,499,793 | $4,518,468 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | |||
ENTERGY LOUISIANA, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Net income decreased $132.1 million primarilydue to expenses of $151.5 million ($110.7 million net-of-tax), recorded in second quarter 2024, primarily consisting of regulatory charges to reflect the effects of an agreement in principle between Entergy Louisiana and the LPSC staff and the intervenors in July 2024 to renew Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan and resolve a number of other retail dockets and matters, including all formula rate plan test years prior to 2023. Also contributing to the decrease were higher other operation and maintenance expenses, partially offset by higher volume/weather and a lower effective income tax rate. See Note 2 to the financial statements herein for discussion of the agreement in principle and the subsequently filed global stipulated settlement agreement.
Net income decreased $193.4 million prima rily due to expenses of $151.5 million ($110.7 million net-of-tax), recorded in second quarter 2024, primarily consisting of regulatory charges to reflect the effects of an agreement in principle between Entergy Louisiana and the LPSC staff and the intervenors in July 2024 to renew Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan and resolve a number of other retail dockets and matters, including all formula rate plan test years prior to 2023. Also contributing to the decrease are the net effects of Entergy Louisiana’s storm cost securitization in March 2023, including a $133.4 million reduction in income tax expense, partially offset by a $103.4 million ($76.4 million net-of-tax) regulatory charge to reflect Entergy Louisiana’s obligation to share the benefits of the securitization with customers, and higher other operation and maintenance expenses. The decrease was partially offset by higher other income and higher volume/weather. See Note 2 to the financial statements herein for discussion of the agreement in principle and the subsequently filed global stipulated settlement agreement. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the March 2023 storm cost securitization.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| (In Millions) | |
| 2023 operating revenues | $1,205.6 |
| Fuel, rider, and other revenues that do not significantly affect net income | 43.0 |
| Volume/weather | 18.4 |
| Retail electric price | 9.1 |
| 2024 operating revenues | $1,276.1 |
Entergy Louisiana’s results include revenues from rate mechanisms designed to recover fuel, purchased power, and other costs such that the revenues and expenses associated with these items generally offset and do not affect net income. “Fuel, rider, and other revenues that do not significantly affect net income” includes the revenue variance associated with these items.
The volume/weather variance is primarily due to the effect of more favorable weather on residential sales and an increase in industrial usage, partially offset by a decrease in weather-adjusted residential usage. The increase in industrial usage is primarily due to anincrease in demand from large industrial customers, primarily in the petroleum refining industry.
The retail electric price variance is primarily due to an increase in formula rate plan revenues, including increases in the distribution and transmission recovery mechanisms, effective September 2023. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the formula rate plan proceeding.
Total electric energy sales for Entergy Louisiana for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 are as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (GWh) | |||
| Residential | 3,913 | 3,694 | 6 |
| Commercial | 2,881 | 2,801 | 3 |
| Industrial | 8,414 | 8,014 | 5 |
| Governmental | 209 | 206 | 1 |
| Total retail | 15,417 | 14,715 | 5 |
| Sales for resale: | |||
| Associated companies | 1,482 | 678 | 119 |
| Non-associated companies | 395 | 464 | (15) |
| Total | 17,294 | 15,857 | 9 |
See Note 12 to the financial statements herein for additional discussion of Entergy Louisiana’s operating revenues.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| (In Millions) | |
| 2023 operating revenues | $2,550.8 |
| Fuel, rider, and other revenues that do not significantly affect net income | (95.7) |
| Storm restoration carrying costs | (30.6) |
| Retail electric price | 20.4 |
| Volume/weather | 33.7 |
| 2024 operating revenues | $2,478.6 |
Entergy Louisiana’s results include revenues from rate mechanisms designed to recover fuel, purchased power, and other costs such that the revenues and expenses associated with these items generally offset and do not affect net income. “Fuel, rider, and other revenues that do not significantly affect net income” includes the revenue variance associated with these items.
Storm restoration carrying costs represent the equity component of storm restoration carrying costs recognized as part of the securitization of Hurricane Ida restoration costs in March 2023. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the March 2023 storm cost securitization.
The retail electric price variance is primarily due to an increase in formula rate plan revenues, including increases in the distribution and transmission recovery mechanisms, effective September 2023. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the formula rate plan proceeding.
The volume/weather variance is primarily due to the effect of more favorable weather on residential and commercial sales.
Total electric energy sales for Entergy Louisiana for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 are as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (GWh) | |||
| Residential | 6,728 | 6,378 | 5 |
| Commercial | 5,335 | 5,248 | 2 |
| Industrial | 16,175 | 15,845 | 2 |
| Governmental | 408 | 400 | 2 |
| Total retail | 28,646 | 27,871 | 3 |
| Sales for resale: | |||
| Associated companies | 2,740 | 2,355 | 16 |
| Non-associated companies | 777 | 688 | 13 |
| Total | 32,163 | 30,914 | 4 |
See Note 13 to the financial statements herein for additional discussion of Entergy Louisiana’s operating revenues.
an increase of $7.8 million in nuclear generation expenses primarily due to a higher scope of work, including during plant outages, performed in 2024 as compared to 2023;
an increase of $7 million in energy efficiency expenses primarily due to the timing of recovery from customers;
an increase of $4.4 million in contract costs related to operational performance, customer service, and organizational health initiatives; and
an increase of $2.5 million in transmission costs allocated by MISO. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the recovery of these costs.
Other regulatory charges (credits) - net includes a regulatory charge of $150.2 million, recorded in second quarter 2024, to reflect the effects of an agreement in principle between Entergy Louisiana and the LPSC staff and the intervenors in July 2024 to renew Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan and resolve a number of other retail dockets and matters, including all formula rate plan test years prior to 2023. In addition, Entergy Louisiana records a regulatory charge or credit for the difference between asset retirement obligation-related expenses and nuclear decommissioning trust earnings plus asset retirement obligation-related costs collected in revenue. See Note 2 to the financial statements herein for discussion of the agreement in principle and the subsequently filed global stipulated settlement agreement.
an increase of $8.8 million in non-nuclear generation expenses primarily due to a higher scope of work, including during plant outages, performed in 2024 as compared to 2023;
an increase of $8.1 million in nuclear generation expenses primarily due to a higher scope of work, including during plant outages, performed in 2024 as compared to 2023;
an increase of $7.6 million in contract costs related to operational performance, customer service, and organizational health initiatives;
an increase of $7 million in energy efficiency expenses primarily due to the timing of recovery from customers;
an increase of $3.9 million in compensation and benefits costs primarily due to higher healthcare claims activity in 2024; and
an increase of $3.4 million in transmission costs allocated by MISO. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the recovery of these costs.
Other regulatory charges (credits) - net includes:
a regulatory charge of $150.2 million, recorded in second quarter 2024, to reflect the effects of an agreement in principle between Entergy Louisiana and the LPSC staff and the intervenors in July 2024 to renew Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan and resolve a number of other retail dockets and matters, including all formula rate plan test years prior to 2023. See Note 2 to the financial statements herein for discussion of the agreement in principle and the subsequently filed global stipulated settlement agreement; and
a regulatory charge of $103.4 million, recorded in first quarter 2023, to reflect Entergy Louisiana’s obligation to provide credits to its customers as described in an LPSC ancillary order issued in the Hurricane Ida securitization regulatory proceeding. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the March 2023 storm cost securitization.
In addition, Entergy Louisiana records a regulatory charge or credit for the difference between asset retirement obligation-related expenses and nuclear decommissioning trust earnings plus asset retirement obligation-related costs collected in revenue.
changes in decommissioning trust fund activity, including portfolio rebalancing of the River Bend decommissioning trust fund in first quarter 2024;
an increase of $21 million in affiliated dividend income from affiliated preferred membership interests, related to storm cost securitizations;
a $14.6 million charge, recorded in first quarter 2023, for the LURC’s 1% beneficial interest in the storm trust II established as part of the March 2023 storm cost securitization; and
a decrease of $12.8 million in net periodic pension and other postretirement benefits non-service costs primarily as a result of pension settlement charges recorded in second quarter 2023 and a reduction in 2024 in the amortization of deferred pension losses as a result of an amendment to a qualified pension plan spinning-off predominantly inactive participants into a new qualified plan, extending the amortization period for deferred losses. See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS -Critical Accounting Estimates” in the Form 10-K, Note 6 to the financial statements herein, and Note 11 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion of pension and other postretirement benefits costs.
See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for discussion of the storm cost securitizations.
Interest expense increased primarily due to a decrease in the allowance for borrowed funds used during construction due to lower construction work in progress in 2024.
The effective income tax rate was 13.7% for the second quarter 2024 and 16% for the six months ended June 30, 2024. The differences in the effective income tax rates for the second quarter 2024 and for the six months ended June 30, 2024 versus the federal statutory rate of 21% were primarily due to the book and tax differences related to the non-taxable income distributions earned on preferred membership interests and certain book and tax differences related to utility plant items, partially offset by the accrual for state income taxes and the amortization of state accumulated deferred income taxes as a result of tax rate changes.
The effective income tax rate was 20.7% for the second quarter 2023. The difference in the effective income tax rate for the second quarter 2023 versus the federal statutory rate of 21% was primarily due to book and tax differences related to the non-taxable income distributions earned on preferred membership interests, partially offset by the accrual for state income taxes and the amortization of state accumulated deferred income taxes as a result of a tax rate change.
The effective income tax rate was (9.1%) for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The difference in the effective income tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2023 versus the federal statutory rate of 21% was primarily due to the reduction in income tax expense as a result of the March 2023 securitization of storm costs pursuant to Louisiana Act 55, as supplemented by Act 293 of the Louisiana Legislature’s Regular Session of 2021 and book and tax differences related to the non-taxable income distributions earned on preferred membership interests, partially offset by the accrual for state income taxes and the amortization of state accumulated deferred income taxes as a result of a tax rate change. See Notes 2 and 10 to the financial statements herein for a discussion of the March 2023 storm cost securitization under Act 293.
Planned Sale of Gas Distribution Business
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS -Planned Sale of Gas Distribution Businesses” in the Form 10-K for discussion of the planned sale of Entergy Louisiana’s gas distribution business. The following is an update to that discussion.
In July 2024 the LPSC staff issued a report recommending LPSC approval of the application of Delta States Utilities LA, LLC (a Bernhard Capital Partners Management LP affiliate) and Entergy Louisiana and the transaction described therein as being in the public interest and proposing certain conditions. Entergy Louisiana anticipates that the LPSC will review the matter at its August Business and Executive meeting.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| (In Thousands) | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | $2,772 | $56,613 |
| Net cash provided by (used in): | ||
| Operating activities | 808,398 | 928,060 |
| Investing activities | (639,095) | (2,658,135) |
| Financing activities | 13,706 | 2,530,488 |
| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | 183,009 | 800,413 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $185,781 | $857,026 |
Net cash flow provided by operating activities decreased $119.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2023 primarily due to:
higher fuel costs and the timing of recovery of fuel and purchased power costs. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of fuel and purchased power cost recovery;
lower collections from customers;
the timing of payments to vendors; and
the refund of $27.8 million received from System Energy in January 2023 related to the sale-leaseback renewal costs and depreciation litigation as calculated in System Energy’s January 2023 compliance report filed with the FERC. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion of the refund and the related proceedings.
The decrease was partially offset by a decrease of $16.3 million in spending on nuclear refueling outages.
Net cash flow used in investing activities decreased $2,019 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2023 primarily due to:
an increase in investment in affiliates in 2023 due to the $1,457.7 million purchase by the storm trust II of preferred membership interests issued by an Entergy affiliate. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of the March 2023 storm cost securitization and the storm trust II’s investment in preferred membership interests;
a decrease of $123.6 million in nuclear construction expenditures primarily due to decreased spending on various nuclear projects in 2024;
an increase of $67.3 million in redemptions of the preferred membership interests held by the storm trusts in 2024 as compared to 2023, as part of periodic redemptions that are expected to occur, subject to certain conditions, for the preferred membership interests that were issued in connection with the storm cost securitizations. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of the storm cost securitizations;
a decrease of $57.5 million as a result of fluctuations in nuclear fuel activity due to variations from year to year in the timing and pricing of fuel reload requirements, materials and services deliveries, and the timing of cash payments during the nuclear fuel cycle;
a decrease of $36.3 million in transmission construction expenditures primarily due to decreased spending on various transmission projects in 2024 and lower capital expenditures for storm restoration in 2024; and
a decrease of $25.5 million in non-nuclear generation construction expenditures primarily due to a lower scope of work on projects performed in 2024 as compared to 2023.
Increases in Entergy Louisiana’s receivable from the money pool are a use of cash flow, and Entergy Louisiana’s receivable from the money pool increased $31.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to increasing by $275.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The money pool is an intercompany cash management program that makes possible intercompany borrowing and lending arrangements, and the money pool and other borrowing arrangements are designed to reduce the Registrant Subsidiaries’ dependence on external short-term borrowings.
Net cash flow provided by financing activities decreased $2,516.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2023 primarily due to:
proceeds from securitization of $1.5 billion received by the storm trust II in 2023;
a capital contribution of approximately $1.5 billion in 2023 received indirectly from Entergy Corporation related to the March 2023 storm cost securitization;
an increase of $503.9 million in common equity distributions paid in 2024 in order to maintain Entergy Louisiana’s capital structure;
the repayment, prior to maturity, of $400 million of 5.40% Series mortgage bonds in April 2024; and
an increase in net long-term repayments of $54 million on the nuclear fuel company variable interest entities’ credit facilities.
The decrease was partially offset by:
the issuances of $500 million of 5.35% Series mortgage bonds and $700 million of 5.70% Series mortgage bonds in March 2024;
a decrease of $50 million in 2024 in net repayments on Entergy Louisiana’s revolving credit facility.
Decreases in Entergy Louisiana’s payable to the money pool are a use of cash flow, and Entergy Louisiana’s payable to the money pool decreased $156.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to decreasing by $226.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023.
See Note 4 to the financial statements herein and Note 5 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for more details on long-term debt. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of the storm cost securitizations.
Entergy Louisiana’s debt to capital ratio is shown in the following table. The increase in the debt to capital ratio for Entergy Louisiana is primarily due to the net issuance of long-term debt in 2024.
| June 30, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Debt to capital | 47.7% | 44.9% |
| Effect of subtracting cash | (0.5%) | 0.0% |
| Net debt to net capital (non-GAAP) | 47.2% | 44.9% |
Net debt consists of debt less cash and cash equivalents. Debt consists of short-term borrowings, finance lease obligations, and long-term debt, including the currently maturing portion. Capital consists of debt and equity. Net capital consists of capital less cash and cash equivalents. Entergy Louisiana uses the debt to capital ratio in analyzing its financial condition and believes it provides useful information to its investors and creditors in evaluating Entergy Louisiana’s financial condition. The net debt to net capital ratio is a non-GAAP measure. Entergy Louisiana also uses the net debt to net capital ratio in analyzing its financial condition and believes it provides useful information to its investors and creditors in evaluating Entergy Louisiana’s financial condition because net debt indicates Entergy Louisiana’s outstanding debt position that could not be readily satisfied by cash and cash equivalents on hand.
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS -Liquidity and Capital Resources” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of Entergy Louisiana’s uses and sources of capital. The following are updates to the information provided in the Form 10-K.
Following are the current annual amounts of Entergy Louisiana’s planned construction and other capital investments.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (In Millions) | |||
| Planned construction and capital investment: | |||
| Generation | $380 | $825 | $515 |
| Transmission | 615 | 955 | 1,230 |
| Distribution | 785 | 1,120 | 860 |
| Utility Support | 100 | 80 | 75 |
| Total | $1,880 | $2,980 | $2,680 |
The updated capital plan for 2024-2026 reflects accelerated resilience spending. In addition to routine capital spending to maintain operations, the capital plan includes investments in generation projects to modernize, decarbonize, and diversify Entergy Louisiana’s portfolio, including Bayou Power Station; investments in River Bend and Waterford 3; distribution and Utility support spending to improve reliability, resilience, and customer experience; transmission spending to improve reliability and resilience while also supporting renewables expansion and customer growth; and other investments.
Entergy Louisiana’s receivables from or (payables to) the money pool were as follows:
| June 30, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | December 31, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| (In Thousands) | |||
| $31,361 | ($156,166) | $275,559 | ($226,114) |
Entergy Louisiana has a credit facility in the amount of $400 million scheduled to expire in June 2029. The credit facility includes fronting commitments for the issuance of letters of credit against $15 million of the borrowing capacity of the facility. As of June 30, 2024, there were no cash borrowings and no letters of credit outstanding under the credit facility. In addition, Entergy Louisiana is a party to an uncommitted letter of credit facility as a means to post collateral to support its obligations to MISO. As of June 30, 2024, $20.7 million in letters of credit were outstanding under Entergy Louisiana’s uncommitted letter of credit facility. See Note 4 to the financial statements herein for additional discussion of the credit facilities.
The Entergy Louisiana nuclear fuel company variable interest entities have two separate credit facilities, each in the amount of $105 million and scheduled to expire in June 2027. As of June 30, 2024, $27.9 million in loans were outstanding under the credit facility for the Entergy Louisiana River Bend nuclear fuel company variable interest entity and $26.5 million in loans were outstanding under the credit facility for the Entergy Louisiana Waterford nuclear fuel company variable interest entity. See Note 4 to the financial statements herein for additional discussion of the nuclear fuel company variable interest entity credit facilities.
Alternative RFP and Certification
As discussed in the Form 10-K, in March 2023, Entergy Louisiana made the first phase of a bifurcated filing to seek approval from the LPSC for an alternative to the requests for proposals (RFP) process that would enable the acquisition of up to 3 GW of solar resources on a faster timeline than the current RFP and certification process allows. The initial phase of the filing established the need for the acquisition of additional resources and the need for an alternative to the RFP process. The second phase of the filing, which contains the details of the proposal for the alternative competitive procurement process and the information necessary to support certification, was filed in May 2023. In addition to the acquisition of up to 3 GW of solar resources, the filing also seeks approval of a new renewable energy credits-based tariff, Rider Geaux ZERO. In May 2024 the LPSC voted to approve the application, and in June 2024 the LPSC issued an order reflecting that approval.
As discussed in the Form 10-K, in December 2022, Entergy Louisiana filed an application with the LPSC seeking a public interest finding regarding Phase I of Entergy Louisiana’s Future Ready resilience plan and approval of a rider mechanism to recover the program’s costs. Phase I in the December 2022 application reflected the first five years of a ten-year resilience plan and included investment of approximately $5 billion, including hardening investment, transmission dead-end structures, enhanced vegetation management, and telecommunications improvement. In April 2024 the LPSC approved a framework which includes an initial five-year resilience plan providing for an investment of approximately $1.9 billion with cost recovery via a forward-looking rider with semi-annual true-ups. The plan is subject to specified reporting requirements and includes a performance review of the hardened assets. The LPSC order approving the framework does not include any restrictions on Entergy Louisiana’s ability to file applications for approval of additional investments in resilience.
Bayou Power Station
In March 2024, Entergy Louisiana filed an application with the LPSC seeking certification that the public convenience and necessity would be served by the construction of the Bayou Power Station, a 112 MW aggregated capacity floating natural gas power station with black-start capability in Leeville, Louisiana and an associated microgrid that would serve nearby areas, including Port Fourchon, Golden Meadow, Leeville, and Grand Isle. The current estimated cost of the Bayou Power Station is $411 million, including estimated costs of transmission interconnection and other related costs. Subject to timely approval by the LPSC and receipt of other permits and approvals, commercial operation is expected to occur by the end of 2028. A procedural schedule has been established with a hearing in December 2024.
Nelson Industrial Steam Company
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS -Nelson Industrial Steam Company” in the Form 10-K for information on Entergy Louisiana’s Nelson Industrial Steam Company partnership.
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS – State and Local Rate Regulation and Fuel Cost Recovery” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of state and local rate regulation and fuel-cost recovery. The following are updates to that discussion.
2023 Entergy Louisiana Rate Case and Formula Rate Plan Extension Request
As discussed in the Form 10-K, in August 2023, Entergy Louisiana filed an application for approval of a regulatory blueprint necessary for it to strengthen the electric grid for the State of Louisiana, which contains a dual-path request to update rates through either: (1) extension of Entergy Louisiana’s current formula rate plan (with certain modifications) for three years (the Rate Mitigation Proposal), which is Entergy Louisiana’s recommended path; or (2) implementation of rates resulting from a cost-of-service study (the Rate Case path). The application complies with Entergy Louisiana’s previous formula rate plan extension order requiring that for Entergy Louisiana to obtain another extension of its formula rate plan that included a rate reset, Entergy Louisiana would need to submit a full cost-of-service/rate case. Entergy Louisiana’s filing supports the need to extend Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan with credit supportive mechanisms needed to facilitate investment in the distribution, transmission, and generation functions.
A status conference was held in October 2023 at which a procedural schedule was adopted that included three technical conferences and a hearing in August 2024. In March 2024 the parties agreed to an eight-week extension of all deadlines to allow for continuation of settlement negotiations, and the ALJ issued an order with an amended procedural schedule. In July 2024 the parties agreed to extend further the procedural schedule to facilitate the continuation of settlement negotiations, with the hearing commencing in December 2024.
In July 2024, Entergy Louisiana reached an agreement in principle with the LPSC staff and the intervenors in the proceeding and filed with the LPSC a joint motion to suspend the procedural schedule to allow for all parties to finalize a stipulated settlement agreement.
In August 2024, Entergy Louisiana and the LPSC staff jointly filed a global stipulated settlement agreement for consideration by the LPSC with key terms as follows:
continuation of the formula rate plan for 2024-2026 (test years 2023-2025);
a base formula rate plan revenue increase of $120 million for test year 2023, effective for rates beginning September 2024;
a $140 million cumulative cap on base formula rate plan revenue increases, if needed, for test years 2024 and 2025, excluding outside the bandwidth items;
$184 million of customer rate credits to be given over two years, including increasing customer sharing of income tax benefits resulting from the 2016-2018 IRS audit, to resolve any remaining disputed issues stemming from formula rate plan test years prior to test year 2023, including but not limited to the investigation into Entergy Services costs billed to Entergy Louisiana. As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K, a $38 million regulatory liability was recorded in 2023 in connection with the 2016-2018 IRS audit;
$75.8 million of customer rate credits, as provided for in the System Energy global settlement, to be credited over three years subject to and conditioned upon FERC approval of the System Energy global settlement. See “Complaints Against System Energy –System Energy Settlement with the LPSC” in Note 2 to the financial statements herein for further details of the System Energy global settlement;
$5.8 million of customer rate credits provided for in the Entergy Louisiana formula rate plan global settlement agreement approved by the LPSC in November 2023 credited over one year. See Note 2 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for the discussion of the November 2023 Entergy Louisiana formula rate plan global settlement agreement;
an increase in the allowed midpoint return on common equity from 9.5% to 9.7%, with a bandwidth of 40 basis points above and below the midpoint, for the extended term of the formula rate plan, except that for test year 2023 in which the authorized return on common equity shall have no bearing on the change in base formula rate plan revenue described above and, for test year 2024, any earnings above the authorized return on common equity shall be returned to customers through a credit;
an increase in nuclear depreciation rates by $15 million in each of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 test years outside of the formula rate plan bandwidth calculation; and
for the transmission recovery mechanism and the distribution recovery mechanism, no change to the existing floors, but the caps for both would be $350 million for test year 2023, $375 million for test year 2024, and $400 million for test year 2025. LPSC-approved transmission projects will be exempt from the transmission recovery mechanism cap.
The terms of the global stipulated settlement agreement are subject to approval by the LPSC and will not go into effect unless/until such approval is obtained. Entergy Louisiana anticipates the global stipulated settlement agreement to be considered by the LPSC at its Business and Executive meeting on August 14, 2024.
Based on the July 2024 agreement in principle, in second quarter 2024 Entergy Louisiana recorded expenses of $151 million ($111 million net-of-tax) primarily consisting of regulatory charges to reflect the effects of the agreement in principle.
Industrial and Commercial Customers
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS – Industrial and Commercial Customers” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of industrial and commercial customers.
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS - Nuclear Matters” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of nuclear matters. The following is an update to that discussion.
The NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process is a program to collect information about plant performance, assess the information for its safety significance, and provide for appropriate licensee and NRC response. The NRC evaluates plant performance by analyzing two distinct inputs: inspection findings resulting from the NRC’s inspection program and performance indicators reported by the licensee. The evaluations result in the placement of each plant in one of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process Action Matrix columns: “licensee response column,” or Column 1, “regulatory response column,” or Column 2, “degraded cornerstone column,” or Column 3, “multiple/repetitive degraded cornerstone column,” or Column 4, and “unacceptable performance,” or Column 5. Plants in Column 1 are subject to normal NRC inspection activities. Plants in Column 2, Column 3, or Column 4 are subject to progressively increasing levels of inspection by the NRC with, in general, progressively increasing levels of associated costs. Continued plant operation is not permitted for plants in Column 5. River Bend is currently in Column 1. Entergy expects the NRC to determine that Waterford 3 entered Column 2, effective second quarter 2024, based on exceeding the threshold for reactor scrams in June 2024. Waterford 3 will remain in Column 2 until a supplemental inspection is satisfactorily completed.
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS - Environmental Risks” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of environmental risks. See “Other Information -Environmental Regulation” in Part II, Item 5 herein for updates regarding environmental proceedings and regulation.
See “MANAGEMENT’S FINANCIAL DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS - Critical Accounting Estimates” in the Form 10-K for a discussion of the estimates and judgments necessary in Entergy Louisiana’s accounting for nuclear decommissioning costs, utility regulatory accounting, taxation and uncertain tax positions, qualified pension and other postretirement benefits, and other contingencies.
See the “New Accounting Pronouncements” section of Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of new accounting pronouncements and the “New Accounting Pronouncements” section of Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries Management’s Financial Discussion and Analysis herein for updates to the discussion of new accounting pronouncements.
| ENTERGY LOUISIANA, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS | ||||
| For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 | ||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||
| Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |
| (In Thousands) · (In Thousands) | ||||
| OPERATING REVENUES | ||||
| Electric | $1,261,444 | $1,191,909 | $2,434,237 | $2,511,661 |
| Natural gas | 14,680 | 13,703 | 44,327 | 39,159 |
| TOTAL | 1,276,124 | 1,205,612 | 2,478,564 | 2,550,820 |
| OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||
| Operation and Maintenance: | ||||
| Fuel, fuel-related expenses, and gas purchased for resale | 246,571 | 230,365 | 486,658 | 605,635 |
| Purchased power | 166,868 | 133,376 | 367,148 | 328,310 |
| Nuclear refueling outage expenses | 20,041 | 12,588 | 37,554 | 27,861 |
| Other operation and maintenance | 275,168 | 249,717 | 536,147 | 496,088 |
| Decommissioning | 20,061 | 18,820 | 39,725 | 37,406 |
| Taxes other than income taxes | 70,629 | 61,663 | 140,468 | 125,618 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 190,861 | 181,247 | 380,405 | 357,342 |
| Other regulatory charges (credits) - net | 120,298 | (24,767) | 111,944 | 49,229 |
| TOTAL | 1,110,497 | 863,009 | 2,100,049 | 2,027,489 |
| OPERATING INCOME | 165,627 | 342,603 | 378,515 | 523,331 |
| OTHER INCOME | ||||
| Allowance for equity funds used during construction | 7,522 | 8,654 | 14,807 | 17,715 |
| Interest and investment income | 15,229 | 31,880 | 78,192 | 60,723 |
| Interest and investment income - affiliated | 80,075 | 81,877 | 160,479 | 137,303 |
| Miscellaneous - net | (20,646) | (42,583) | (67,821) | (90,668) |
| TOTAL | 82,180 | 79,828 | 185,657 | 125,073 |
| INTEREST EXPENSE | ||||
| Interest expense | 98,536 | 94,931 | 195,731 | 192,102 |
| Allowance for borrowed funds used during construction | (2,593) | (4,321) | (5,070) | (8,714) |
| TOTAL | 95,943 | 90,610 | 190,661 | 183,388 |
| INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES | 151,864 | 331,821 | 373,511 | 465,016 |
| Income taxes | 20,750 | 68,561 | 59,674 | (42,268) |
| NET INCOME | 131,114 | 263,260 | 313,837 | 507,284 |
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | 788 | 819 | 1,583 | 1,373 |
| EARNINGS APPLICABLE TO MEMBER'S EQUITY | $130,326 | $262,441 | $312,254 | $505,911 |
| See Notes to Financial Statements. | ||||
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.