ALLIANT ENERGY CORP

Critical Accounting Estimates -Alliant Energy’s, IPL’s and WPL’s financial statements are prepared in conformity with GAAP, which requires management to apply accounting policies, judgments and assumptions, and make estimates that affect results of operations and the amounts of assets and liabilities reported in the financial statements. The following accounting estimates are critical to the business and the understanding of financial results as they require critical assumptions and judgments by management. The results of these assumptions and judgments form the basis for making estimates regarding the results of operations and the amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual financial results may differ materially from estimates. Management has discussed these critical accounting estimates with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Refer to Note 1 for additional discussion of accounting estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements.

Regulatory Assets and Regulatory Liabilities -IPL and WPL are regulated by various federal and state regulatory agencies. As a result, they are subject to GAAP for regulated operations, which recognizes that the actions of a regulator can provide reasonable assurance of the existence of an asset or liability. Regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities arise as a result of a difference between GAAP and actions imposed by the regulatory agencies in the rate-making process. Regulatory assets generally represent incurred costs that have been deferred as such costs are probable of recovery in future customer rates. Regulatory liabilities generally represent obligations to make refunds to customers or amounts collected in rates for which the related costs have not yet been incurred. Regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recognized in accordance with the rulings of applicable federal and state regulators, and future regulatory rulings may impact the carrying value and accounting treatment of regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities. Note 2 provides details of the nature and amounts of regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities assessed at December 31, 2023.

Assumptions and judgments are made each reporting period regarding whether regulatory assets are probable of future recovery and regulatory liabilities are probable future obligations by considering factors such as regulatory environment changes, rate orders issued by the applicable regulatory agencies, historical decisions by such regulatory agencies regarding similar regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities, and subsequent events of such regulatory agencies. The decisions made by regulatory authorities have an impact on the recovery of costs, the rate of return on invested capital and the timing and amount of assets to be recovered by rates. A change in these decisions may result in a material impact on results of operations and the amount of assets and liabilities in the financial statements.

In May 2023, IPL retired the Lansing Generating Station. IPL is currently allowed a full recovery of and a full return on this EGU from both its retail and wholesale customers, and IPL’s retail electric rate review for the October 2024 through September 2025 forward-looking Test Period includes a request for continued recovery of and a return on the remaining net book value of Lansing through 2037. As a result, Alliant Energy and IPL concluded that no impairment was required as of December 31, 2023.

Income Taxes - Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL are subject to income taxes in various jurisdictions. Assumptions and judgments are made each reporting period to estimate income tax assets, liabilities, benefits and expenses. Judgments and assumptions are supported by historical data and reasonable projections. Significant changes in these judgments and assumptions could have a material impact on financial condition and results of operations. Alliant Energy’s and IPL’s critical assumptions and judgments for 2023 included estimates of qualifying deductions for repairs expenditures and allocation of mixed service costs due to the impact of Iowa rate-making principles on such property-related differences. Critical assumptions and judgments also include projections of future taxable income used to determine the ability to utilize federal credit carryforwards prior to their expiration. Refer to Note 12 for further discussion of tax matters.

Effect of Rate-making on Property-related Differences - Alliant Energy’s and IPL’s effective income tax rates are normally impacted by certain property-related differences at IPL for which deferred tax is not recorded in the income statement pursuant to Iowa rate-making principles. Changes in methods or assumptions regarding the amount of IPL’s qualifying repairs expenditures, allocation of mixed service costs, and costs related to retirement or removal of depreciable property could result in a material impact on Alliant Energy’s and IPL’s financial condition and results of operations.

Carryforward Utilization - Significant federal tax credit carryforwards exist for Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL as of December 31, 2023. Based on projections of current and future taxable income, Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL plan to utilize all of these carryforwards more than five years before expiration. Changes in tax regulations or assumptions regarding current and future taxable income could require valuation allowances in the future resulting in a material impact on financial condition and results of operations.

Long-Lived Assets - Periodic assessments regarding the recoverability of certain long-lived assets are completed when factors indicate the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable or such assets are planned to be sold. These assessments require significant assumptions and judgments by management. The long-lived assets assessed for impairment generally include certain assets within regulated operations that may not be fully recovered from IPL’s and WPL’s customers as a result of regulatory decisions in the future, and assets within non-utility operations that are proposed to be sold or are currently generating operating losses.

Regulated Operations - Alliant Energy’s, IPL’s and WPL’s long-lived assets within their regulated operations that were assessed for impairment and/or plant abandonment in 2023 included WPL’s generating units subject to early retirement, and IPL’s and WPL’s solar generation projects recently completed or under construction.

Generating Units Subject to Early Retirement- Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL evaluate future plans for their electric generation fleet and have announced the early retirement of certain EGUs. When it becomes probable that an EGU will be retired before the end of its useful life, Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL must assess whether the EGU meets the criteria to be considered probable of abandonment. EGUs that are considered probable of abandonment generally have material remaining net book values and are expected to cease operations in the near term significantly before the end of their original estimated useful lives. If an EGU meets such criteria to be considered probable of abandonment, Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL must assess the probability of full recovery of the remaining carrying value of such EGU. If it is probable that regulators will not allow full recovery of and a full return on the remaining net book value of the abandoned EGU, an impairment charge is recognized equal to the difference between the remaining carrying value and the present value of the future revenues expected from the abandoned EGU.

Alliant Energy and WPL concluded that Edgewater Unit 5 (expected to be retired by June 1, 2025) and Columbia Units 1 and 2 (expected to be retired by June 1, 2026), met the criteria to be considered probable of abandonment as of December 31, 2023. WPL is currently allowed a full recovery of and a full return on these EGUs from both its retail and wholesale customers, and as a result, Alliant Energy and WPL concluded that no impairment was required as of December 31, 2023. Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL evaluated their other EGUs that are subject to early retirement and determined that no other EGUs met the criteria to be considered probable of abandonment as of December 31, 2023. Note 3 provides additional details on these EGUs.

Solar Generation Projects Recently Completed or Under Construction - Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL review property, plant and equipment for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate all or a portion of the carrying value of the assets may be disallowed for rate-making purposes. If IPL or WPL is disallowed recovery of any portion of, or is only allowed a partial return on, the carrying value of the solar generation projects recently completed or under construction, then an impairment charge is recognized. “Customer Investments” provides details of IPL’s and WPL’s solar generation projects recently completed or under construction.

IPL accepted the IUB’s advance rate-making principles approved in October 2023 for 400 MW of solar generation. IPL currently expects estimated construction costs associated with the 400 MW of new solar generation will exceed the cost target of $1,650/kilowatt, including AFUDC and transmission upgrade costs among other costs, approved by the IUB by approximately 10%. Alliant Energy and IPL concluded that there was not a probable disallowance of anticipated higher rate base amounts as of December 31, 2023 given construction costs were reasonably and prudently incurred.

WPL previously received authorization from the PSCW to acquire, construct, own and/or operate approximately 1,100 MW of new solar generation. Alliant Energy and WPL currently expect estimated construction costs associated with this solar generation will exceed amounts previously approved by the PSCW by approximately $180 million. In December 2023, the PSCW issued an order authorizing annual base rate increases for WPL’s retail electric customers for the 2024/2025 forward-looking Test Period, which did not include revenue requirement for the estimated construction costs that exceed amounts previously approved by the PSCW. In February 2024, the PSCW issued an oral decision approving WPL’s deferral request to seek recovery of these costs in a future regulatory proceeding. Alliant Energy and WPL concluded that there was not a probable disallowance of anticipated higher rate base amounts as of December 31, 2023 given construction costs were reasonably and prudently incurred.

Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits -Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL sponsor various defined benefit pension and OPEB plans that provide benefits to a significant portion of their employees and retirees. Assumptions and judgments are made periodically to estimate the obligations and costs related to their retirement plans. There are many judgments and assumptions involved in determining an entity’s pension and other postretirement liabilities and costs each period including employee demographics (including life expectancies and compensation levels), discount rates, assumed rates of return and funding. Changes made to plan provisions may also impact current and future benefits costs. Judgments and assumptions are supported by historical data and reasonable projections and are reviewed at least annually. The following table shows the impacts of changing certain key actuarial assumptions discussed above (in millions):

Contingencies -Assumptions and judgments are made each reporting period regarding the future outcome of contingent events. Loss contingency amounts are recorded for any contingent events for which the likelihood of loss is probable and able to be reasonably estimated based upon current available information. The amounts recorded may differ from actuals when the uncertainty is resolved. The estimates made in accounting for contingencies, and the gains and losses that are recorded upon the ultimate resolution of these uncertainties, could have a significant effect on results of operations and the amount of assets and liabilities in the financial statements.

Certain contingencies, such as Alliant Energy Resources, LLC’s guarantees of the partnership obligations of an affiliate of Whiting Petroleum, require estimation each reporting period of the expected credit losses on those contingencies, which requires significant judgment and may result in the recognition of a credit loss liability. With respect to Alliant Energy’s guarantees of the partnership obligations of an affiliate of Whiting Petroleum, the most significant judgments in determining the credit loss liability were the estimate of the exposure under the guarantees and the methodology used for calculating the credit loss liability. As of December 31, 2023, Alliant Energy currently estimates the exposure to be a portion of the known partnership abandonment obligations. The methodology used to determine the credit loss liability considers both quantitative and qualitative information, which utilizes potential outcomes in a range of possible estimated amounts. Factors considered include market and external data points, the creditworthiness of the other partners, Whiting Petroleum’s emergence from bankruptcy in 2020 as well as subsequent bankruptcy developments, payments by Whiting Petroleum related to abandonment obligations, forecasted cash flow expenditures associated with the abandonment obligations based on information made available to Alliant Energy, and Whiting Petroleum’s business combination with Oasis Petroleum Inc. in 2022.

Note 17 provides further discussion of contingencies assessed at December 31, 2023 that may have a material impact on financial condition and results of operations, including various pending legal proceedings, guarantees and indemnifications.