MDU RESOURCES GROUP INC

Index

Natural Gas Distribution

General The Company's natural gas distribution segment is operated through its wholly owned subsidiaries, consisting of operations from Montana-Dakota, Cascade and Intermountain. These companies sell natural gas at retail, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers in 338 communities and adjacent rural areas across eight states. They also provide natural gas transportation services to certain customers on the Company's systems. These services are provided through distribution and transmission systems aggregating approximately 21,600 miles and 600 miles, respectively. The natural gas distribution operations have obtained and hold, or are in the process of renewing, valid and existing franchises authorizing them to conduct their natural gas operations in all of the municipalities they serve where such franchises are required. These operations intend to seek renewal of all expiring franchises. At December 31, 2023, the natural gas distribution operations' net natural gas distribution plant investment was $2.4 billion and its rate base was $1.8 billion.

The natural gas distribution operations are subject to regulation by the IPUC, MNPUC, MTPSC, NDPSC, OPUC, SDPUC, WUTC and WYPSC regarding retail rates, service, accounting and certain securities issuances.

The retail customers served and respective revenues by class for the natural gas distribution operations were as follows:

Transportation and other revenues for the natural gas distribution operations were $75.3 million, $65.9 million and $62.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The percentage of the natural gas distribution operations' retail sales revenues by jurisdiction was as follows:

System Supply, System Demand and Competition The natural gas distribution operations serve retail natural gas markets, consisting principally of residential and commercial space and water heating users, in portions of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. These markets are highly seasonal and sales volumes depend largely on the weather, the effects of which are mitigated in certain jurisdictions by weather normalization mechanisms discussed later in Regulatory Matters. Additionally, the average customer consumption has tended to decline as more efficient appliances and furnaces are installed and as the Company has implemented conservation programs. In addition to the residential and commercial sales, the utilities transport natural gas for larger commercial and industrial customers who purchase their own supply of natural gas.

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Competition resulting from customer demands, technological advances and other factors exists between natural gas and other fuels and forms of energy. The natural gas distribution operations have established various natural gas transportation service rates for their distribution businesses to retain interruptible commercial and industrial loads. These rates have enhanced the natural gas distribution operations' competitive posture with alternative fuels, although certain customers have bypassed the distribution systems by directly accessing transmission pipelines within close proximity. These bypasses do not have a material effect on results of operations.

The natural gas distribution operations and various distribution transportation customers obtain natural gas for their system requirements directly from producers, processors and marketers. The Company's purchased natural gas is supplied by a portfolio of contracts specifying market-based pricing and is transported under transportation agreements with WBI Energy Transmission, Northern Border Pipeline Company, Northwest Pipeline LLC, South Dakota Intrastate Pipeline, Northern Natural Gas, Gas Transmission Northwest LLC, Northwestern Energy, Viking Gas Transmission Company, Enbridge Westcoast Energy, Inc., Ruby Pipeline LLC, Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd, TC Energy Corporation, Northwest Natural, Black Hills Energy and TransCanada. The natural gas distribution operations have contracts for storage services to provide gas supply during the winter heating season and to meet peak day demand with various storage providers, including WBI Energy Transmission, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline, LLC, Northwest Pipeline LLC and Northern Natural Gas. In addition, certain of the operations have entered into natural gas supply management agreements with various parties. Demand for natural gas, which is a widely traded commodity, has historically been sensitive to seasonal heating and industrial load requirements, as well as changes in market price. The Company believes supplies are adequate for the natural gas distribution operations to meet its system natural gas requirements for the next decade. This belief is based on current and projected domestic and regional supplies of natural gas and the pipeline transmission network currently available through its suppliers and pipeline service providers.

Regulatory Matters The natural gas distribution operations' retail natural gas rate schedules contain clauses permitting adjustments in rates based upon changes in natural gas commodity, transportation and storage costs. Current tariffs allow for recovery or refunds of under- or over-recovered gas costs through rate adjustments which are filed annually.

In North Dakota and South Dakota, Montana-Dakota's natural gas tariffs contain weather normalization mechanisms applicable to certain firm customers that adjust the distribution delivery charges to reflect weather fluctuations during the November 1 through May 1 billing periods.

In Montana, Montana-Dakota recovers in rates, through a tracking mechanism, its allocated share of Montana property-related taxes assessed to natural gas operations on an after-tax basis.

In Minnesota and Washington, Great Plains and Cascade recover qualifying capital investments related to the safety and integrity of the pipeline systems through cost recovery tracking mechanisms.

In Oregon, Cascade has a decoupling mechanism in place approved by the OPUC until January 1, 2025, with a review to be completed by September 30, 2024. Cascade also has an earnings sharing mechanism with respect to its Oregon jurisdictional operations as required by the OPUC.

On July 7, 2016, the WUTC approved a full decoupling mechanism where Cascade is allowed recovery of an average revenue per customer regardless of actual consumption. The mechanism also includes an earnings sharing component if Cascade earns in excess of its authorized return. On September 15, 2021, the WUTC extended the effectiveness of the decoupling mechanism until the earlier of the rate effective date resulting from Cascade's next full general rate case or August 31, 2025.

On December 22, 2016, the MNPUC approved a request by Great Plains to implement a full revenue decoupling mechanism pilot project for three years. The decoupling mechanism reflects the period January 1 through December 31. The MNPUC adopted the administrative law judge's recommendation to extend the initial pilot period through the end of 2021. On May 13, 2022, Great Plains requested the continuation of the revenue decoupling mechanism. On April 13, 2023, the MNPUC denied the Company's request to extend the decoupling mechanism.

In Idaho, Intermountain has the authority to facilitate access for RNG producers to the Company's distribution system for the purpose of moving RNG to the producer's end-use customers.

For more information on regulatory matters, see Item 8 - Note 21.

Environmental Matters The natural gas distribution operations are subject to federal, state and local environmental, facility-siting, zoning and planning laws and regulations. The natural gas distribution operations strive to be in compliance with these regulations.

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The Company's natural gas distribution operations are very small-quantity generators of hazardous waste, and subject only to minimum regulation under the RCRA. A Washington state rule defines Cascade as a small-quantity generator, but regulation under the rule is similar to RCRA. Certain locations of the natural gas distribution operations routinely handle PCBs from their natural gas operations in accordance with federal requirements. PCB storage areas are registered with the EPA as required. Capital and operational expenditures for natural gas distribution operations could be affected in a variety of ways by potential new GHG legislation or regulation. In particular, such legislation or regulation would likely increase capital expenditures for energy efficiency and conservation programs and operational and gas supply costs associated with GHG emissions compliance. Natural gas distribution operations expect to recover the operational and capital expenditures for GHG regulatory compliance in rates consistent with the recovery of other reasonable costs of complying with environmental laws and regulations. For more information, see Item 7 - MD&A - Business Section Financial and Operating Data.

The natural gas distribution operations incurred $4.1 million of capital expenditures in 2023 to construct infrastructure supporting multiple renewable natural gas facilities related to compliance with current environmental laws and regulations. Cascade and Montana-Dakota expect to incur environmental related capital expenditures of $22.6 million and $7.6 million, in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The capital expenditures are to construct infrastructure supporting multiple renewable natural gas production facilities, including the development and construction of a renewable natural gas facility at the Deschutes County Landfill near Bend, Oregon, the implementation of an advanced natural gas leak detection system and investigation of a historic manufactured gas plant site. Except as to what may be ultimately determined with regard to the issues described in the following paragraph and the items noted, the natural gas distribution operations do not expect to incur any material capital expenditures related to compliance with current environmental laws and regulations through 2026.

Montana-Dakota has ties to six historic manufactured gas plants as a successor corporation or through direct ownership of the plant. Montana-Dakota is investigating possible soil and groundwater impacts due to the operation of two of these former manufactured gas plant sites. To the extent not covered by insurance, Montana-Dakota may seek recovery in its natural gas rates charged to customers for certain investigation and remediation costs incurred for these sites. Cascade has ties to nine historic manufactured gas plants as a successor corporation or through direct ownership of the plant. Cascade is involved in the investigation and remediation of one of these manufactured gas plants in Washington. To the extent not covered by insurance, Cascade will seek recovery of investigation and remediation costs through its natural gas rates charged to customers.

See Item 8 - Note 22 for further discussion of certain manufactured gas plant sites.