MDU RESOURCES GROUP INC

General WBI Energy owns and operates both regulated and non-regulated businesses. The regulated business of this segment, WBI Energy Transmission, owns and operates approximately 3,800 miles of natural gas transmission and storage lines.WBI Energy Transmission's underground storage fields provide storage services to local distribution companies, industrial customers, natural gas marketers and others, and serve to enhance system reliability. Its system is strategically located near four natural gas producing basins, making natural gas supplies available to its transportation and storage customers. The system has 14 interconnecting points with other pipeline facilities allowing for the receipt and/or delivery of natural gas to and from other regions of the country and from Canada. Under the Natural Gas Act, as amended, WBI Energy Transmission is subject to the jurisdiction of the FERC regarding certificate, rate, service and accounting matters, and at December 31, 2023, its net plant investment was $887.8 million.The non-regulated business of this segment provides a variety of energy-related services, including cathodic protection.

A majority of the pipeline business is transacted in the Rocky Mountain and northern Great Plains regions of the United States.

System Supply, System Demand and Competition Natural gas supplies emanate from traditional and nontraditional production activities in the region from both on-system and off-system supply sources. Incremental supply from nontraditional sources, such as the Bakken area in Montana and North Dakota, have helped offset declines in traditional regional supply sources and supports WBI Energy Transmission's transportation and storage services. In addition, off-system supply sources are available through the Company's interconnections with other pipeline systems. WBI Energy Transmission continues to look for opportunities, such as the identified growth projects discussed in Item 7 - MD&A - Pipeline Outlook, to increase transportation and storage services through system expansion and/or other pipeline interconnections or enhancements that could provide future benefits.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. Form 10-K 17

Index

WBI Energy Transmission's underground natural gas storage facilities have a certificated storage capacity of approximately 350 Bcf, including 193 Bcf of working gas capacity, 83 Bcf of cushion gas and 74 Bcf of native gas. These storage facilities enable customers to purchase natural gas throughout the year and meet winter peak requirements.

WBI Energy Transmission competes with several pipelines for its customers' transportation business and at times may discount rates in an effort to retain market share; however, the strategic location of its system near four natural gas producing basins and the availability of underground storage services, along with interconnections with other pipelines, enhances its competitive position.

Although certain of WBI Energy Transmission's firm customers, including its largest firm customer Montana-Dakota, serve relatively secure residential, commercial and industrial end-users, they generally all have some price-sensitive end-users that could switch to alternate fuels.

WBI Energy Transmission transports substantially all of Montana-Dakota's natural gas, primarily utilizing firm transportation agreements, which for 2023 represented 22 percent of WBI Energy Transmission's subscribed firm transportation contract demand. The majority of the firm transportation agreements with Montana-Dakota expire in June 2027. In addition, Montana-Dakota has a contract, expiring in July 2035, with WBI Energy Transmission to provide firm storage services to facilitate meeting Montana-Dakota's winter peak requirements.

The non-regulated business of this segment competes for existing customers in the areas in which it operates. Its focus on customer service and the variety of services it offers serve to enhance its competitive position.

WBI Energy is not dependent on any single customer or group of customers for sales of its products and services, where the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on its business. WBI Energy had one third-party customer that accounted for approximately 11 percent of its 2023 revenue.

Environmental Matters The pipeline operations are subject to federal, state and local environmental, facility-siting, zoning and planning laws and regulations.

Administration of certain provisions of federal environmental laws is delegated to the states where WBI Energy and its subsidiaries operate. Administering agencies may issue permits with varying terms and operational compliance conditions. Permits are renewed and modified, as necessary, based on defined permit expiration dates, operational demand, facility upgrades or modifications, and/or regulatory changes. The pipeline operations strive to be in compliance with these regulations.

Detailed environmental assessments and/or environmental impact statements as required by the National Environmental Policy Act are included in the FERC's environmental review process for both the construction and abandonment of WBI Energy Transmission's natural gas transmission pipelines, compressor stations and storage facilities.

On December 2, 2023, the EPA issued a prepublication version of its final rule to update, strengthen and expand standards intended to significantly reduce GHG emissions and other air pollutants from emission sources in the oil and natural gas industries. The standards will apply to various sources of GHG emissions including natural gas compressors, process controllers, natural gas driven pumps, storage vessels, natural gas wells, fugitive emissions components and super-emitter events. The final rule has not been published in the Federal Register to date. Additionally, the EPA is revising the current GHG reporting rules to improve the calculation, monitoring and reporting of GHG data and incorporate provisions from the IRA. The first of these revisions was published in the Federal Register on August 1, 2023. The Company continues to monitor and assess the proposed rules and the potential impacts they may have on its business processes, current and future projects, results of operations and disclosures.

The pipeline operations did not incur any material capital expenditures related to compliance with current environmental laws and regulations in 2023 and do not expect to incur any material capital expenditures related to compliance with current environmental laws and regulations through 2026. Capital expenditures to meet requirements of expected or anticipated rules, including the previously discussed EPA prepublished rule in December 2023, are included in the capital expenditures for 2025 and 2026 with estimated expenditures of $4.0 million each year. For more information on the capital expenditures for this segment, see Item 7 - MD&A - Capital Expenditures.

18 MDU Resources Group, Inc. Form 10-K