NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORP

General

NJNG consists of regulated utility operations that provide natural gas service to residential and commercial customers. NJNG’s service territory includes Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean and Sussex counties in New Jersey. It encompasses 1,538 square miles, covering 109 municipalities with an estimated population of 1.7M people. It is primarily suburban, highlighted by approximately 100 miles of New Jersey coastline. It is in close proximity to New York City, Philadelphia and the metropolitan areas of northern New Jersey, and is accessible through a network of major roadways and mass transportation.

NJNG’s business is subject to various risks, such as those associated with adverse economic conditions, which can negatively impact customer growth and operating and financing costs; fluctuations in commodity prices, which can impact customer usage; certain regulatory actions; and environmental remediation. It is often difficult to predict the impact of trends associated with these risks. NJNG employs strategies to pursue customer conversions from other fuel sources and monitor new construction markets through contact with developers, utilize incentive programs through BPU-approved mechanisms to reduce natural gas costs, pursue rate and other regulatory strategies designed to stabilize and decouple gross margin, and work actively with consultants and the NJDEP to manage expectations related to its obligations associated with its former MGP sites.

Operating Revenues/Throughput

For the fiscal years ended September 30, operating revenues and throughput by customer class for NJNG are as follows:

(1)Does not include 17.3, 37.7 and 50.7 Bcf for the capacity release program and related amounts of approximately $0.8M, $0.9M and $0.7M, which are recorded as a reduction of natural gas purchases on the Consolidated Statements of Operations during fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

In fiscal 2024, no single customer represented more than 10% of consolidated operating revenues.

Seasonality of Natural Gas Revenues

Therm sales are significantly affected by weather conditions, with customer demand being greatest during the winter months when natural gas is used for heating purposes. The relative measurement of the impact of weather is in Degree-days. Degree-day data is used to estimate amounts of energy required to maintain comfortable indoor temperature levels based on each day’s average temperature. Each degree of temperature below 65 degrees Fahrenheit is counted as one heating Degree-day. Normal heating Degree-days are based on a 20-year average, calculated based on three reference areas representative of NJNG’s service territory.

CIP, a mechanism authorized by the BPU, stabilizes NJNG’s Utility Gross Margin, regardless of variations in weather. In addition, CIP decouples the link between Utility Gross Margin and customer usage, allowing NJNG to promote energy conservation measures. Recovery of Utility Gross Margin is subject to additional conditions, including an earnings test, a revenue test and an evaluation of BGSS-related savings achieved over a 12-month period. The BPU approved the continuation of the CIP program with no expiration date.

Concurrent with its annual BGSS filing, NJNG files for an annual review of its CIP, at which time it can request rate changes, as appropriate. For additional information regarding CIP, including rate actions and impact to margin, see Note 4. Regulation in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Natural Gas Distribution.

Natural Gas Supply

Firm Natural Gas Supplies

In fiscal 2024, NJNG purchased natural gas from approximately 56 suppliers under contracts ranging from one day to five months and purchased over 10% of its natural gas from two suppliers. NJNG believes the loss of either of these suppliers would not have a material adverse impact on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows, as an adequate number of alternative suppliers exist. NJNG believes that its supply strategy should adequately meet its expected firm load for the upcoming winter season.

Firm Transportation and Storage Capacity

NJNG maintains agreements for firm transportation and storage capacity with several interstate pipeline companies to take delivery of firm natural gas supplies, which ensures the ability to reliably service its customers. NJNG receives natural gas at 11 citygate stations located in Burlington, Middlesex, Morris and Passaic counties in New Jersey.

The pipeline companies that provide firm transportation service to NJNG’s citygate stations, the maximum daily deliverability of that capacity and the contract expiration dates are as follows:

(1) Numbers are shown net of any capacity release contracted amounts.

Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage, Inc., Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC and Adelphia provide NJNG upstream firm contract transportation service and supply pipelines included in the table above.

In addition, NJNG has storage contracts that provide an additional 102,941 Dths of maximum daily deliverability to NJNG’s citygate stations from storage fields in its Northeast market area. The storage suppliers, the maximum daily deliverability of that storage capacity and the contract expiration dates are as follows:

NJNG also has upstream storage contracts. The maximum daily deliverability and contract expiration dates are as follows:

NJNG utilizes its transportation contracts to transport natural gas to NJNG’s citygates from the Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage, Inc., Steckman Ridge and Stagecoach Pipeline & Storage Company LLC storage fields. NJNG has sufficient firm transportation, storage and supply capacity to fully meet its customer demand for natural gas within its service territory.

Citygate Supplies from ES

NJNG and ES had one AMA where NJNG released certain transportation and storage capacity to ES, which NJNG could have called upon if needed. This agreement expired on March 31, 2024 and was not renewed.

Peaking Supply

To manage its winter peak day demand, NJNG maintains two LNG facilities with a combined deliverability of approximately 170,000 Dths/day, which represents approximately 17% of its estimated peak day sendout. NJNG’s liquefaction facility allows NJNG to convert natural gas into LNG to fill NJNG’s existing LNG storage tanks. See Item 2. Properties-Natural Gas Distribution for additional information regarding the LNG storage facilities.

Basic Gas Supply Service

BGSS is a BPU-approved clause designed to allow for the recovery of natural gas commodity costs on an annual basis. The clause requires all New Jersey natural gas utilities to make an annual filing by each June 1 for review of BGSS rates and to request a potential rate change effective the following October 1. The BGSS also allows each natural gas utility to provisionally increase residential and small commercial customer BGSS rates on December 1 and February 1 for up to a 5% increase to the average residential heat customer’s bill on a self-implementing basis with proper notice. Such increases are subject to subsequent BPU review and final approval.

In addition to making periodic rate adjustments to reflect changes in commodity prices, NJNG is also permitted to refund or credit back a portion of the commodity costs to customers when the natural gas commodity costs decrease in comparison to amounts projected or to amounts previously collected from customers. Decreases in the BGSS rate and BGSS refunds can be implemented with five days’ notice to the BPU. Rate changes, as well as other regulatory actions related to BGSS, are discussed further in Note 4. Regulation in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

Wholesale natural gas prices are, by their nature, volatile. NJNG mitigates the impact of volatile price changes on customers through the use of financial derivative instruments, which are part of its storage incentive program and its BGSS clause.

Future Natural Gas Supplies

NJNG expects to meet the natural gas requirements for existing and projected firm customers. If NJNG’s long-term natural gas requirements change, NJNG expects to renegotiate and restructure its contract portfolio to better match the changing needs of its customers and changing natural gas supply landscape.

Regulation and Rates

State

NJNG is subject to the jurisdiction of the BPU with respect to a wide range of matters such as base rates and regulatory rider rates, the issuance of securities, the safety and adequacy of service, the manner of keeping its accounts and records, the sufficiency of natural gas supply, pipeline safety, environmental issues, compliance with affiliate standards and the sale or encumbrance of its properties. See Note 4. Regulation in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding NJNG’s rate proceedings.

Federal

FERC regulates rates charged by interstate pipeline companies for the transportation and storage of natural gas. This may affect NJNG’s agreements with several interstate pipeline companies for the purchase of such services. Costs associated with these services are currently recoverable through the BGSS.

Competition

Although its franchises are nonexclusive, NJNG is not currently subject to competition from other natural gas distribution utilities with regard to the transportation of natural gas in its service territory. Due to significant distances between NJNG’s current large industrial customers and the nearest interstate natural gas pipelines, as well as the availability of its transportation tariff, NJNG currently does not believe it has significant exposure to the risk that its distribution system will be bypassed. Competition does exist from suppliers of oil, electricity and propane. Natural gas prices are a function of market supply and demand. Although NJNG believes natural gas will remain competitive with alternative fuels, no assurance can be given in this regard.

The BPU, within the framework of the EDECA, fully opened NJNG’s residential markets to competition, including third-party suppliers, and restructured rates to segregate its BGSS and delivery (i.e., transportation) prices. New Jersey’s natural gas utilities must provide BGSS in the absence of a third-party supplier. On September 30, 2024, NJNG had 14,470 residential and 7,972 commercial and industrial customers utilizing the transportation service.