PPL Corp

15. Asset Retirement Obligations

PPL's, LG&E's and KU's ARO liabilities are primarily related to CCR closure costs. See Note 10 for information on the CCR rules. LG&E and RIE also have AROs related to natural gas mains and wells. LG&E's and KU's transmission and distribution lines largely operate under perpetual property easement agreements, which do not generally require restoration upon removal of the property. Therefore, no material AROs are recorded for transmission and distribution assets. For LG&E, KU and RIE, all ARO accretion and depreciation expenses are reclassified as a regulatory asset or regulatory liability. ARO regulatory assets associated with certain CCR projects resulting from the 2015 CCR Rule are amortized to expense in accordance with regulatory approvals. For other AROs, deferred accretion and depreciation expense is recovered through cost of removal.

The changes in the carrying amounts of AROs were as follows.

(a) Primarily includes obligations recognized for preliminary risk assessments, facility evaluations, feasibility studies and sampling related to the CCR rule issued by the EPA in May of 2024. See Note 10 for additional information.