ALLIANT ENERGY CORP

NOTE 2. REGULATORY MATTERS

Regulatory Assets -Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL assess whether IPL’s and WPL’s regulatory assets are probable of future recovery by considering factors such as applicable regulations, recent orders by the applicable regulatory agencies, historical treatment of similar costs by the applicable regulatory agencies and regulatory environment changes. Based on these assessments, Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL believe the regulatory assets recognized as of December 31, 2025 are probable of future recovery. However, no assurance can be made that IPL and WPL will recover all of these regulatory assets in future rates. If future recovery of a regulatory asset ceases to be probable, the regulatory asset will be charged to expense. At December 31, regulatory assets were comprised of the following items (in millions):

At December 31, 2025, IPL and WPL had $165 million and $28 million, respectively, of regulatory assets that were not earning a return on investment. IPL’s regulatory assets that were not earning a return consisted primarily of the retired Lansing Generating Station, retired analog electric meters, and costs for certain construction projects. WPL’s regulatory assets that were not earning a return consisted primarily of amounts related to the retail portion of under-collected electric transmission service expenses and costs for certain construction projects. The other regulatory assets reported in the above table either earn a return or the cash has not yet been expended, in which case the assets are offset by liabilities that also do not incur a carrying cost.

Tax-related - IPL and WPL record regulatory assets for certain temporary differences (primarily related to utility property, plant and equipment at IPL) that result in a decrease in current rates charged to customers and an increase in future rates charged to customers based on the timing of income tax expense that is used to determine such rates. These temporary differences for IPL include the impacts of qualifying deductions for repairs expenditures, allocation of mixed service costs, and Iowa accelerated tax depreciation, which all contribute to lower current income tax expense during the first part of an asset’s useful life and higher current income tax expense during the latter part of an asset’s useful life. Conversely, cost of removal obligations contribute to higher current income tax expense during the first part of an asset’s useful life and lower current income tax expense during the latter part of an asset’s useful life. These regulatory assets will be recovered from customers in the future when these temporary differences reverse resulting in additional current income tax expense used to determine customers’ rates.

AROs - Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL believe it is probable that certain differences between expenses accrued for AROs related to their utility operations and expenses recovered currently in rates will be recoverable in future rates, and are deferring the differences as regulatory assets. Refer to Note 13 for discussion of the recognition of additional ARO regulatory assets in 2024, substantially resulting from the enactment of the revised CCR Rule.

Pension and other postretirement benefits costs -The IUC, PSCW and FERC have authorized IPL and WPL to record the previously unrecognized net actuarial gains and losses, and prior service costs and credits, as regulatory assets in lieu of accumulated other comprehensive loss on the balance sheets, as these amounts are expected to be recovered in future rates. These regulatory assets will be increased or decreased as the net actuarial gains or losses, and prior service costs or credits, are subsequently amortized and recognized as a component of net periodic benefit costs. Regulatory assets are also increased or decreased as a result of the annual defined benefit plan measurement process. Pension and OPEB costs are included within the recoverable cost of service component of rates charged to IPL’s and WPL’s retail and wholesale customers, which are based upon pension and OPEB costs determined in accordance with GAAP and are calculated in accordance with IPL’s and WPL’s respective regulatory jurisdictions.

Assets retired early -IPL and WPL have retired various natural gas- and coal-fired EGUs, and IPL has retired certain analog electric meters. As a result, the remaining net book value of these assets was reclassified from property, plant and equipment to a regulatory asset on their respective balance sheets. Details regarding the recovery of the remaining net book value of these assets from IPL’s and WPL’s customers are as follows (dollars in millions):

(a)The remaining regulatory asset balances include differences between expected and actual cost of removal obligations.

(b)IPL was previously allowed a full recovery of and a full return on the Lansing Generating Station from both its retail and wholesale customers. The IUC’s September 2024 order for IPL’s retail electric rate review for the October 2024 through September 2025 forward-looking Test Period includes a return of the remaining net book value of Lansing, but does not include a return on the remaining net book value of Lansing, effective October 1, 2024. As a result, the return on the remaining net book value is no longer recoverable from IPL’s retail electric customers, and a pre-tax non-cash charge of $60 million was recorded to “Asset valuation charge for IPL’s Lansing Generating Station” in Alliant Energy’s and IPL’s income statements in 2024, with a corresponding decrease in Alliant Energy’s and IPL’s assets retired early regulatory assets.

Non-service pension and OPEB costs - Non-service pension and OPEB costs are recorded to regulatory assets to reflect the impacts of rate-making, and are recovered from IPL’s and WPL’s electric and gas customers through depreciation expense based on the depreciation rates for plant in-service.

Derivatives - In accordance with IPL’s and WPL’s fuel and natural gas recovery mechanisms, prudently incurred costs from derivative instruments are recoverable from customers in the future after any losses are realized, and gains from derivative instruments are refundable to customers in the future after any gains are realized. Based on these recovery mechanisms, the changes in the fair value of derivative liabilities/assets resulted in comparable changes to regulatory assets/liabilities on the balance sheets. Refer to Note 14 for discussion of changes in Alliant Energy’s, IPL’s and WPL’s derivative liabilities/assets during 2025, which resulted in comparable changes to regulatory assets/liabilities on the balance sheets.

WPL’s Western Wisconsin gas distribution expansion investments - WPL made contributions in aid of construction to a third party for investments as part of its Western Wisconsin gas distribution expansion project. Pursuant to authorization by the PSCW, Alliant Energy and WPL have recorded a regulatory asset for these costs, and are authorized by the PSCW to recover these amounts from WPL’s retail gas customers in base rates from 2021 through the end of 2040.

Commodity cost recovery -Refer to Note 1(g) for details of IPL’s and WPL’s commodity cost recovery mechanisms. The cost recovery mechanism for WPL’s retail electric customers is based on forecasts of certain fuel-related costs expected to be incurred during forward-looking test periods and fuel monitoring ranges determined by the PSCW during each retail electric rate proceeding or in a separate fuel cost plan approval proceeding. In 2022, WPL’s actual fuel-related costs fell outside these fuel monitoring ranges, resulting in a $117 million deferral as of December 31, 2022, which WPL substantially collected from October 2023 through December 2025 from its retail electric customers, plus interest ($12 million, $50 million and $52 million was collected in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively). In 2023, WPL’s actual fuel-related costs fell outside these fuel monitoring ranges, resulting in a $34 million regulatory liability as of December 31, 2023, which was refunded in 2024 to its retail electric customers, plus interest.

Regulatory Liabilities -At December 31, regulatory liabilities were comprised of the following items (in millions):

Tax-related regulatory liabilities reduce revenue requirement calculations utilized in IPL’s and WPL’s respective rate proceedings. Cost of removal obligations, to the extent expensed through depreciation rates, reduce rate base. A significant portion of the remaining regulatory liabilities is not used to adjust revenue requirement calculations.

Tax-related -Alliant Energy’s, IPL’s and WPL’s tax-related regulatory liabilities are primarily related to excess deferred tax benefits resulting from the remeasurement of accumulated deferred income taxes caused by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The majority of these benefits related to accelerated depreciation are subject to tax normalization rules. These rules limit the rate at which these tax benefits are allowed to be passed on to customers. Additionally, Alliant Energy’s, IPL’s and WPL’s tax-related regulatory liabilities include tax benefits resulting from investment tax credits for IPL’s and WPL’s energy storage facilities and WPL’s Cassville solar facility. Refer to Note 1(c) for details related to the regulatory treatment of IPL’s and WPL’s investment tax credits.

Cost of removal obligations - Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL collect in rates future removal costs for many assets that do not have associated AROs or that have removal costs in addition to AROs. Alliant Energy, IPL and WPL record a regulatory liability for the amounts collected in rates for these future removal costs and reduce the regulatory liability for amounts spent on removal activities. Cash payments related to cost of removal obligations are included in “Other” in cash flows used for investing activities.

Rate Reviews -

WPL’s Retail Electric and Gas Rate Reviews (2024/2025 Forward-looking Test Period) -In December 2023, the PSCW issued an order authorizing annual base rate increases of $49 million and $13 million for WPL’s retail electric and gas customers, respectively, effective January 1, 2024, for the 2024 forward-looking Test Period. The PSCW’s order also authorized WPL to implement an additional $60 million increase in annual rates for its retail electric customers, effective January 1, 2025, for the 2025 forward-looking Test Period. The key drivers for the annual base rate increases include revenue requirement impacts of increasing electric and gas rate base, including investments in solar generation and energy storage. In addition, the PSCW’s order extended, with certain modifications, an earnings sharing mechanism through the end of 2025. The PSCW also authorized WPL to defer the incremental under-/over-collection of solar and energy storage renewable tax credits that are outside of the approved amounts, which are included in the tax-related lines of the regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities tables above. Refer to Note 3 for discussion of PSCW orders approving deferral of, and the deferral of a return on, incremental solar generation construction costs in 2024 and 2025.

WPL’s Retail Electric and Gas Rate Reviews (2026/2027 Forward-looking Test Period) - In December 2025, the PSCW issued an order authorizing annual base rate increases of $69 million and $7 million for WPL’s retail electric and gas customers, respectively, effective January 1, 2026, for the 2026 forward-looking Test Period. The PSCW’s order also authorized WPL to implement an additional $75 million and $5 million increase in annual rates for its retail electric and gas customers, respectively, effective January 1, 2027, for the 2027 forward-looking Test Period.

IPL’s Retail Electric and Gas Rate Reviews (October 2024 through September 2025 Forward-looking Test Period) - In September 2024, the IUC issued an order authorizing annual base rate increases of $185 million for IPL’s retail electric customers, with customers receiving partially offsetting credits for the first 12 months through a tax benefit rider, and $10 million for IPL’s retail gas customers, for the October 2024 through September 2025 forward-looking Test Period. Rate changes were effective October 1, 2024. The IUC’s order also reflects the following:

•Electric earnings sharing mechanism beginning in calendar year 2025, where IPL would apply excess earnings to the remaining net book value of IPL’s highest earning asset with advance ratemaking principles (currently the Emery Generation Station) based on its authorized return on common equity;

•Investment tax credits resulting from renewable generation and energy storage projects may be utilized to offset any revenue deficiency on an annual basis up to IPL’s return on common equity threshold; any remaining investment tax credits, net of the cost of transferability, that are not used to offset any revenue deficiency, will be deferred by IPL and carried forward to offset any revenue deficiency in future years; and

•Discontinuation of the renewable energy rider.