AVISTA CORP

NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIF ICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Business

Avista Corp. is primarily an electric and natural gas utility with certain other business ventures. Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp., comprising its regulated utility operations in the Pacific Northwest. Avista Utilities provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Avista Utilities also provides natural gas distribution service in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon. Avista Utilities has electric generating facilities in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Avista Utilities also supplies electricity to a small number of customers in Montana.

AERC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avista Corp. The primary subsidiary of AERC is AEL&P, which comprises Avista Corp.'s regulated utility operations in Alaska.

Avista Capital, a wholly owned non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp., is the parent company of the subsidiary companies in the non-utility businesses, except AJT Mining Properties, Inc., which is a subsidiary of AERC. See Note 24 for business segment information.

Basis of Reporting

The consolidated financial statements include the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the Company and its subsidiaries and other majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities for which the Company or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries. Intercompany balances were eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the Company’s proportionate share of utility plant and related operations associated with its interests in jointly owned plants (see Note 9).

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported for assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include:

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determining the market value of energy commodity derivative assets and liabilities,

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pension and other postretirement benefit plan obligations,

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contingent liabilities,

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goodwill impairment testing,

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fair value of equity investments,

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recoverability of regulatory assets, and

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unbilled revenues.

Changes in these estimates and assumptions are considered reasonably possible and may have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements and thus actual results could differ from the amounts reported and disclosed herein.

Regulation

The Company is subject to state regulation in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Alaska. The Company is subject to federal regulation primarily by the FERC, as well as various other federal agencies with regulatory oversight of particular aspects of its operations.

Depreciation

For utility operations, depreciation expense is estimated by a method of depreciation accounting utilizing composite rates for utility plant. Such rates are designed to provide for retirements of properties at the expiration of their service lives. For utility operations, the ratio of depreciation provisions to average depreciable property was as follows for the years ended December 31:

The average service lives for the following broad categories of utility plant in service are (in years):

Allowance for Funds Used During Construction

AFUDC represents the cost of both the debt and equity funds used to finance utility plant additions during the construction period. As prescribed by regulatory authorities, AFUDC is capitalized as a part of the cost of utility plant. The debt component of AFUDC is credited against total interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income in the line item “capitalized interest.” The equity component of AFUDC is included in the Consolidated Statements of Income in the line item “other income-net.” The Company is permitted, under established regulatory rate practices, to recover the capitalized AFUDC, and a reasonable return thereon, through its inclusion in rate base and the provision for depreciation after the related utility plant is placed in service. Cash inflow related to AFUDC does not occur until the related utility plant is placed in service and included in rate base.

The WUTC and IPUC have authorized Avista Utilities to calculate AFUDC using its allowed rate of return. To the extent amounts calculated using this rate exceed the AFUDC amounts calculated using the FERC formula, Avista Utilities capitalizes the excess as a regulatory asset. The regulatory asset associated with plant in service is amortized over the average useful life of Avista Utilities' utility plant which is approximately 30 years. The regulatory asset associated with construction work in progress is not amortized until the plant is placed in service.

The effective AFUDC rate was the following for the years ended December 31:

Income Taxes

Deferred income tax assets represent future income tax deductions the Company expects to utilize in future tax returns to reduce taxable income. Deferred income tax liabilities represent future taxable income the Company expects to recognize in future tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities arise when there are temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. A deferred income tax asset or liability is determined based on the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when the temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax basis of existing assets and liabilities are expected to be reported in the Company’s consolidated income tax returns. The effect on deferred income taxes from a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date unless a regulatory order specifies deferral of the effect of the change in tax rates over a longer period of time. The Company establishes a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that all, or a portion, of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities and regulatory assets and liabilities are established for income tax benefits flowed through to customers.

The Company has elected to account for transferable tax credits as a component of the income tax provision. The Company recognizes the benefit of production tax credits as a reduction of income tax expense in the period the credit is generated, which corresponds to the period the energy production occurs. The Company applies the deferral method of accounting for investment tax credits (ITCs). Under this method, ITCs are amortized as a reduction to income tax expense over the estimated useful lives of the underlying property that gave rise to the credit.

The Company's largest deferred income tax item is the difference between the book and tax basis of utility plant. This item results from the temporary difference on depreciation expense. In early tax years, this item is recorded as a deferred income tax liability that will eventually reverse and become subject to income tax in later tax years.

The Company didnot incur penalties on income tax positions in 2023, 2022 or 2021. The Company would recognize interest accrued related to income tax positions as interest expense or interest income and penalties incurred as other operating expense.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company issues three types of stock-based compensation awards - restricted shares, market-based awards and performance-based awards. Compensation cost relating to share-based payment transactions is recognized in the Company’s financial statements based on the fair value of the equity instruments issued and recorded over the requisite service period.

The Company recorded stock-based compensation expense (included in other operating expenses) and income tax benefits in the Consolidated Statements of Income of the following amounts for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Restricted share awards vest in equal thirds each year over 3 years and are payable in Avista Corp. common stock at the end of each year if the service condition is met. Restricted stock is valued at the close of market of the Company’s common stock on the grant date.

Total Shareholder Return (TSR) awards are market-based awards and Cumulative Earnings Per Share (CEPS) awards are performance awards. Both types of awards vest after a period of 3 years and are payable in cash or Avista Corp. common stock at the end of the three-year period. The method of settlement is at the discretion of the Company and historically the Company has settled these awards through issuance of Avista Corp. common stock and intends to continue this practice. Both types of awards entitle the recipients to dividend equivalent rights, are subject to forfeiture under certain circumstances, and are subject to meeting specific market or performance conditions. Based on the level of attainment of the market or performance conditions, the amount of cash paid or common stock issued will range from 0 to 200 percent of the initial awards granted. Dividend equivalent rights are accumulated and paid out only on shares that have vested and have met the market and performance conditions.

The Company accounts for both the TSR awards and CEPS awards as equity awards and compensation cost for these awards is recognized over the requisite service period, provided the requisite service period is rendered. For TSR awards, if the market condition is not met at the end of the three-year service period, there will be no change in the cumulative amount of compensation cost recognized, since the awards are still considered vested even though the market metric was not met. For CEPS awards, at the end of the three-year service period, if the internal performance metric of cumulative earnings per share is not met, all compensation cost for these awards is reversed as these awards are not considered vested.

The fair value of each TSR award is estimated on the date of grant using a statistical model incorporating the probability of meeting the market targets based on historical returns relative to a peer group. CEPS awards are valued at the close of market of the Company's common stock on the grant date.

The following table summarizes the number of grants, vested and unvested shares, earned shares (based on market metrics), and other pertinent information related to the Company's stock compensation awards for the years ended December 31:

Outstanding restricted, TSR and CEPS share awards include a dividend component paid in cash. A liability for the dividends payable related to these awards is accrued as dividends are announced throughout the life of the award. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had recognized a liabi lity of $2.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, related to the dividend equivalents payable on the outstanding and unvested share grants.

Other Income - Net

Other income - net consisted of the following items for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Earnings per Common Share

Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income by diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period, including common stock equivalent shares outstanding using the treasury stock method, unless such shares are anti-dilutive. Common stock equivalent shares include shares issuable under contingent stock awards. See Note 21 for earnings per common share calculations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For the purposes of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the Company considers all temporary investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts to provide for estimated and potential losses on accounts receivable. The Company determines the allowance for utility and other customer accounts receivable based on historical write-offs as compared to accounts receivable and operating revenues. Additionally, the Company establishes specific allowances for certain individual accounts. The following table presents the activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts during the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

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The higher balance in 2021 is related to COVID-19 forgiveness program. The Company received support from various government agencies in 2023 and 2022 in the amounts of $1.5 million and $6.1 million, respectively, which were applied to overdue customer accounts.

Utility Plant in Service

The cost of additions to utility plant in service, including an allowance for funds used during construction and replacements of units of property and improvements, is capitalized. The cost of depreciable units of property retired plus the cost of removal less salvage is charged to accumulated depreciation.

Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company records the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred. When the liability is initially recorded, the associated costs of the ARO are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. The liability is accreted to its present value each period and the related capitalized costs are depreciated over the useful life of the related asset. In addition, if there are changes in the estimated timing or estimated costs of the AROs, adjustments are recorded during the period new information becomes available as an increase or decrease to the liability, with the offset recorded to the related long-lived asset. Upon retirement of the asset, the Company either settles the ARO for its recorded amount or recognizes a regulatory asset or liability for the difference, which will be surcharged/refunded to customers through the ratemaking process. The Company records regulatory assets and liabilities for the difference between asset retirement costs currently recovered in rates and AROs recorded since asset retirement costs are recovered through rates charged to customers (see Note 11 for further discussion of the Company's AROs).

The Company recovers certain asset retirement costs through rates charged to customers as a portion of its depreciation expense for which the Company has not recorded asset retirement obligations. The Company records the amount of estimated retirement costs collected from customers (that do not represent legal or contractual obligations) and includes them as a non-current regulatory liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets in the following amounts as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Goodwill

Goodwill arising from acquisitions represents the future economic benefit arising from other assets acquired in a business combination not individually identified and separately recognized. In 2023, the Company evaluated goodwill for impairment using a qualitative analysis (Step 0). The Company completed its annual evaluation of goodwill for potential impairment as of November 30, 2023 and determined goodwill was not impaired at that time. No events or circumstances occurred between November 30, 2023 and December 31, 2023 that would more likely than not reduce the fair values of the reporting units below their carrying amounts. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the carrying amount of goodwill was$52.4 million. There areno accumulated impairment losses recognized to date.

Derivative Assets and Liabilities

Derivatives are recorded as either assets or liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets measured at estimated fair value.

The WUTC and the IPUC issued accounting orders authorizing Avista Corp. to offset energy commodity derivative assets or liabilities with a regulatory asset or liability. This accounting treatment is intended to defer the recognition of mark-to-market gains and losses on energy commodity transactions until the period of delivery. Realized benefits and costs result in adjustments to retail rates through PGAs, the ERM in Washington, the PCA mechanism in Idaho, and periodic general rate cases. The resulting regulatory assets associated with energy commodity derivative instruments are probable of recovery through future rates.

Substantially all forward contracts to purchase or sell power and natural gas are recorded as derivative assets or liabilities at estimated fair value with an offsetting regulatory asset or liability. Contracts not considered derivatives are accounted for on the accrual basis until they are settled or realized unless there is a decline in the fair value of the contract determined to be other-than-temporary.

For interest rate swap derivatives, Avista Corp. records all mark-to-market gains and losses in each accounting period as assets and liabilities, as well as offsetting regulatory assets and liabilities, such that there is no income statement impact. The interest rate swap derivatives are risk management tools similar to energy commodity derivatives. Upon settlement of interest rate swap derivatives, the regulatory asset or liability is amortized as a component of interest expense over the term of the associated debt. The Company records an offset of interest rate swap derivative assets and liabilities with regulatory assets and liabilities, based on the prior practice of the commissions to provide recovery through the ratemaking process.

The Company has multiple master netting agreements with a variety of entities allowing for cross-commodity netting of derivative agreements with the same counterparty (i.e. power derivatives can be netted with natural gas derivatives). In addition, some master netting agreements allow for the netting of commodity derivatives and interest rate swap derivatives for the same counterparty. The Company does not have agreements which allow for cross-affiliate netting among multiple affiliated legal entities. The Company nets all derivative instruments when allowed by the agreement for presentation in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value represents the price that would be received when selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Energy commodity derivative assets and liabilities, deferred compensation assets, some equity investments, as well as derivatives related to interest rate swaps and foreign currency exchange contracts, are reported at estimated fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 18 for the Company’s fair value disclosures.

Regulatory Deferred Charges and Credits

The Company prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with regulatory accounting practices because:

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rates for regulated services are established by or subject to approval by independent third-party regulators,

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the regulated rates are designed to recover the cost of providing the regulated services, and

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in view of demand for the regulated services and the level of competition, it is reasonable to assume that rates can be charged to and collected from customers at levels that will recover costs.

Regulatory accounting practices require certain costs and/or obligations (such as incurred power and natural gas costs not currently reflected in rates, but expected to be recovered or refunded in the future), to be reflected as deferred charges or credits on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These costs and/or obligations are not reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Income until the period during which matching revenues are recognized. The Company also has decoupling revenue deferrals. See Note 4 for discussion on decoupling revenue deferrals.

If at some point in the future the Company determines it no longer meets the criteria for continued application of regulatory accounting practices for all or a portion of its regulated operations, the Company could be:

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required to write off its regulatory assets, and

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precluded from the future deferral of costs or decoupled revenues not recovered through rates at the time such amounts are incurred, even if the Company expected to recover these amounts from customers in the future.

See Note 23 for further details of regulatory assets and liabilities.

Unamortized Debt Expense

Unamortized debt expense includes debt issuance costs that are amortized over the life of the related debt. These costs are recorded as an offset to Long-Term Debt on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Unamortized Debt Repurchase Costs

Premiums paid or discounts received to repurchase debt are amortized over the remaining life of the original debt repurchased or, if new debt is issued in connection with the repurchase, these costs are amortized over the life of the new debt. These costs are recovered through retail rates as a component of interest expense.

Appropriated Retained Earnings

In accordance with the hydroelectric licensing requirements of section 10(d) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), the Company maintains an appropriated retained earnings account for earnings in excess of the specified rate of return on the Company's investment in the licenses for its various hydroelectric projects. Per section 10(d) of the FPA, the Company must maintain these excess earnings in an appropriated retained earnings account until the termination of the licensing agreements or apply them to reduce the net investment in the licenses of the hydroelectric projects at the discretion of the FERC. The Company calculates the earnings in excess of the specified rate of return on an annual basis, usually during the second quarter.

The appropriated retained earnings amounts included in retained earnings were as follows as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Contingencies

The Company has unresolved regulatory, legal and tax issues which have inherently uncertain outcomes. The Company accrues a loss contingency if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss or impairment can be reasonably estimated. The Company also discloses loss contingencies that do not meet these conditions for accrual, if there is a reasonable possibility that a material loss may be incurred. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has not recorded significant amounts related to unresolved contingencies. See Note 22 for further discussion of the Company's commitments and contingencies.

NOTE 2. NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2022-03 "Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions"

In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions. The purpose of this guidance is to clarify that a contractual restriction on the ability to sell an equity security is not considered part of the unit of account of the equity security, and therefore should not be considered when measuring the equity security's fair value. Additionally, an entity cannot separately recognize and measure a contractual sale restriction. This guidance also adds specific disclosures related to equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions, including (i) the fair value of equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions reflected in the balance sheet, (ii) the nature and remaining duration of the restrictions and (iii) the circumstances that could cause a lapse in the restrictions. The amendments are effective on January 1, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The amendments must be applied using a prospective approach with adjustments from the adoption of the amendments recognized in earnings and disclosed upon adoption. The Company expects these amendments to only affect its disclosure requirements.

ASU 2023-06 "Disclosure Improvements - Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC's Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative"

In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, which incorporates a variety of SEC required disclosures into the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). For entities subject to SEC's existing disclosure requirements, the effective date for each amendment will be the date on which the SEC removes the related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K, with early adoption permitted. If the SEC has not removed the applicable requirement from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K by June 30, 2027, the disclosure requirements will be removed from the Codification. The requirements of the ASU will not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

ASU 2023-07 "Segment Reporting (Topic 280) - Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures"

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, requiring additional disclosures around reportable segment information. The additional required disclosures include significant segment expenses, an amount for other segment activity not included in the disaggregated segment amounts and a description of the activity, and the title and position of the chief operating decision maker and an explanation of how they use the reported measures of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and allocating resources. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of the ASU; however, it has determined it will not early adopt as of December 31, 2023.

ASU 2023-09 "Income Taxes (Topic 740) - Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures"

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, requiring additional income tax disclosures. The additional disclosures include prescribed items presented in the income tax rate reconciliation, and further disaggregation of income taxes paid amounts between federal, state and foreign taxes. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 and early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of the ASU; however, it has determined it will not early adopt as of December 31, 2023.

NOTE 3. BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS

Inventory

Inventories of materials and supplies, emissions allowances, stored natural gas and fuel stock are recorded at average cost and consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Other Current Assets

Other current assets consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Other Property and Investments-Net and Other Non-Current Assets

Other property and investments-net and other non-current assets consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Other Current Liabilities

Other current liabilities consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Other Non-Current Liabilities and Deferred Credits

Other non-current liabilities and deferred credits consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 4. REVENUE

The core principle of the revenue recognition model is that an entity should identify the various performance obligations in a contract, allocate the transaction price among the performance obligations and recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies each performance obligation.

Utility Revenues

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

General

The majority of Avista Corp.’s revenue is from rate-regulated sales of electricity and natural gas to retail customers, which has two performance obligations, (1) having service available for a specified period (typically a month at a time) and (2) the delivery of energy to customers. The total energy price generally has a fixed component (basic charge) related to having service available and a usage-based component, related to the delivery and consumption of energy. The commodity is sold and/or delivered to and consumed by the customer simultaneously, and the provisions of the relevant utility commission authorization determine the charges the Company may bill the customer. Since all revenue recognition criteria are met upon the delivery of energy to customers, revenue is recognized immediately.

In addition, the sale of electricity and natural gas is governed by the various state utility commissions, which set rates, charges, terms and conditions of service, and prices. Collectively, these rates, charges, terms and conditions are included in a “tariff,” which governs all aspects of the provision of regulated services. Tariffs are only permitted to be changed through a rate-setting process involving an independent, third-party regulator empowered by statute to establish rates that bind customers. Thus, all regulated sales by the Company are conducted subject to the regulator-approved tariff.

Tariff sales involve the current provision of commodity service (electricity and/or natural gas) to customers for a price that generally has a basic charge and a usage-based component. Tariff rates also include certain pass-through costs to customers such as natural gas costs, retail revenue credits and other miscellaneous regulatory items that do not impact net income, but can cause total revenue to fluctuate significantly up or down compared to previous periods. The commodity is sold and/or delivered to and consumed by the customer simultaneously, and the provisions of the relevant tariff determine the charges the Company may bill the customer, payment due date, and other pertinent rights and obligations of both parties. Generally, tariff sales do not involve a written contract. Since all revenue recognition criteria are met upon the delivery of energy to customers, revenue is recognized at that time.

Revenues from contracts with customers are presented in the Consolidated Statements of Income in the line item “Utility revenues, exclusive of alternative revenue programs.”

Unbilled Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The determination of the volume of energy sales to individual customers is based on the reading of their meters, which occurs on a systematic basis throughout the month (once per month for each individual customer). At the end of each calendar month, the amount of energy delivered to customers since the date of the last meter reading is estimated and the corresponding unbilled revenue is estimated and recorded. The Company's estimate of unbilled revenue is based on:

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the number of customers,

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tariff rates,

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meter reading dates,

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actual native load for electricity,

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actual throughput for natural gas, and

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electric line losses and natural gas system losses.

Any difference between actual and estimated revenue is automatically corrected in the following month when the meter reading and customer billing occurs.

Accounts receivable includes unbilled energy revenues of the following amounts as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Non-Derivative Wholesale Contracts

The Company has certain wholesale contracts that are not accounted for as derivatives and are considered revenue from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized as energy is delivered to the customer or the service is available for specified period of time, consistent with the discussion of rate regulated sales above.

Alternative Revenue Programs (Decoupling)

ASC 606 retained existing GAAP associated with alternative revenue programs, which specified alternative revenue programs are contracts between an entity and a regulator of utilities, not a contract between an entity and a customer. GAAP requires the presentation of revenue arising from alternative revenue programs separately from revenues arising from contracts with customers on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company's decoupling mechanisms (also known as a FCA in Idaho) qualify as alternative revenue programs. Decoupling revenue deferrals are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Income during the period they occur (i.e. during the period of revenue shortfall or excess due to fluctuations in customer usage), subject to certain limitations, and a regulatory asset or liability is established which will be surcharged or rebated to customers in future periods. GAAP requires that for an alternative revenue program, like decoupling, the revenue must be expected to be collected from customers within 24 months of the deferral to qualify for recognition in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Amounts included in the Company's decoupling program that are not expected to be collected from customers within 24 months are not recorded in the financial statements until the period in which revenue recognition criteria are met. The amounts expected to be collected from customers within 24 months represents an estimate made by the Company on an ongoing basis due to it being based on the volumes of electric and natural gas sold to customers on a go-forward basis.

The Company records alternative program revenues under the gross method, which is to amortize the decoupling regulatory asset/liability to the alternative revenue program line item on the Consolidated Statements of Income as it is collected from or refunded to customers. The cash passing between the Company and the customers is presented in revenue from contracts with customers since it is a portion of the overall tariff paid by customers. This method results in a gross-up to both revenue from contracts with customers and revenue from alternative revenue programs, but has a net zero impact on total revenue. Depending on whether the previous deferral balance being amortized was a regulatory asset or regulatory liability, and depending on the size and direction of the current year deferral of surcharges and/or rebates to customers, it could result in negative alternative revenue program revenue during the year.

Derivative Revenue

Most wholesale electric and natural gas transactions (including both physical and financial transactions), and the sale of fuel are considered derivatives, which are disclosed separately from revenue from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized for these items upon the settlement/expiration of the derivative contract. Derivative revenue includes transactions entered into and settled within the same month.

Other Utility Revenue

Other utility revenue includes rent, sales of materials, late fees and other charges that do not represent contracts with customers. This revenue is excluded from revenue from contracts with customers, as this revenue does not represent items where a customer is a party that has contracted with the Company to obtain goods or services that are an output of the Company’s ordinary activities in exchange for consideration. As such, these revenues are presented separately from revenue from contracts with customers.

Other Considerations for Utility Revenues

Gross Versus Net Presentation

Revenues and resource costs from Avista Utilities’ settled energy contracts “booked out” (not physically delivered) are reported on a net basis as part of derivative revenues.

Utility-related taxes collected from customers (primarily state excise taxes and city utility taxes) are imposed on Avista Utilities as opposed to being imposed on customers; therefore, Avista Utilities is the taxpayer and records these transactions on a gross basis in revenue from contracts with customers and operating expense (taxes other than income taxes). The utility-related taxes collected from customers at AEL&P are imposed on the customers rather than AEL&P; therefore, the customers are the taxpayers and AEL&P is acting as their agent. As such, these transactions at AEL&P are presented on a net basis within revenue from contracts with customers.

Utility-related taxes included in revenue from contracts with customers were as follows for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Significant Judgments and Unsatisfied Performance Obligations

The only significant judgments involving revenue recognition are estimates surrounding unbilled revenue and receivables from contracts with customers and estimates surrounding the amount of decoupling revenues that will be collected from customers within 24 months (discussed above).

The Company has certain capacity arrangements, where the Company has a contractual obligation to provide either electric or natural gas capacity to its customers for a fixed fee. Most of these arrangements are paid for in arrears by the customers and do not result in deferred revenue and only result in receivables from the customers. The Company has one capacity agreement where the customer makes payments throughout the year. As of December 31, 2023, the Company estimates it had unsatisfied capacity performance obligations of $7.4 million, which will be recognized as revenue in future periods as the capacity is provided to the customers. These performance obligations are not reflected in the financial statements, as the Company has not received payment for these services.

Disaggregation of Total Operating Revenue

The following table disaggregates total operating revenue by segment and source for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Utility Revenue from Contracts with Customers by Type and Service

The following table disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers associated with the Company's electric operations for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

The following table disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers associated with the Company's natural gas operations for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 5. LEASES

The core principle of lease accounting is that an entity should recognize the ROU assets and liabilities from leases on the balance sheet and depreciate or amortize the asset and liability over the term of the lease, as well as provide disclosure to enable users of the consolidated financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows from leases.

Significant Judgments and Assumptions

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease, as well as its classification, at its inception.

ROU assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments. Operating and finance lease ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date of the agreement based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company's leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date to determine the present value of lease payments. The implicit rate is used when it is readily determinable. The operating and finance lease ROU assets also includes lease payments made and exclude lease incentives, if any, that accrue to the benefit of the lessee.

Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The difference between lease expense and cash paid for leased assets is recognized as a regulatory asset or regulatory liability.

Description of Leases

Operating Leases

The Company's most significant operating lease is with the State of Montana associated with submerged land around the Company's hydroelectric facilities in the Clark Fork River basin, which expires in 2046. The terms of this lease are subject to adjustment - depending on the outcome of ongoing litigation between the State of Montana and NorthWestern. In addition, the State of Montana and Avista Corp. were engaged in litigation regarding lease terms, including how much money, if any, the State of Montana should return to Avista Corp.; however, that litigation was dismissed as premature pending the outcome of the ongoing litigation between the State of Montana and NorthWestern. Any reduction in future lease payments or the return to Avista Corp. of amounts previously paid will be included in the future ratemaking process.

In addition to the lease with the State of Montana, the Company has other operating leases for land associated with its utility operations, as well as communication sites which support network and radio communications within its service territory. The Company's leases have remaining terms of 1 to 70 years. Most of the Company's leases include options to extend the lease term for periods of 5 to 50 years. Options are exercised at the Company's discretion.

Certain of the Company's lease agreements include rental payments which are periodically adjusted over the term of the agreement based on the consumer price index. The Company's lease agreements do not include material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

In March 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with Rathdrum Power, LLC amending and restating a PPA for the output of the Lancaster Plant. The restated PPA meets the accounting definition of a lease, and all payments are variable in nature, based on capacity, usage, or performance of the plant. Therefore, there is no lease obligation or corresponding ROU asset recorded by the Company related to this agreement. The variable lease costs related to this agreement are included in resource costs on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Avista Corp. does not record leases with a term of 12 months or less in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Total short-term lease costs for the year ended December 31, 2023 are immaterial.

Finance Lease

AEL&P has a PPA which is a finance lease for accounting purposes related to the Snettisham hydroelectric project, which expires in 2034. For ratemaking purposes, this lease is an operating lease with a constant level of annual rental expense (straight line rent expense). Because of this regulatory treatment, differences between the operating lease expense for ratemaking purposes and the expenses recognized under GAAP (interest expense and amortization of the finance lease ROU asset) are recorded as a regulatory asset and amortized during the later years of the lease when the finance lease expense is less than the operating lease expense included in base rates. The amortization of the ROU asset is included in depreciation and amortization and the interest associated with the lease liability is included in interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

The components of lease expense were as follows for the year ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows for the year ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows for December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Maturities of lease liabilities (including principal and interest) were as follows as of December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands):

Maturities of lease liabilities (including principal and interest) were as follows as of December 31, 2022 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 6. VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

Under GAAP, a limited partnership or similar legal entity that is the functional equivalent of a limited partnership is considered a VIE regardless of whether it otherwise qualifies as a voting interest entity unless a simple majority or lower threshold of the “unrelated” limited partners (i.e., parties other than the general partner, entities under common control with the general partner, and other parties acting on behalf of the general partner) have substantive kick-out rights (including liquidation rights) or participating rights.

The Company has investments in limited partnerships (or the functional equivalent) where Avista Corp. is a limited partner investor in an investment fund where the general partner makes all of the investment and operating decisions with regards to the partnership and fund. To remove the general partner from any of the funds, approval from greater than a simple majority of the limited partners is required. As such, the limited partners do not have substantive kick-out rights and these investments are considered VIEs. Consolidation of these VIEs by Avista Corp. is not required because the Company does not have majority ownership in any of the funds, it does not have the power to direct activities of the funds, and it does not have the power to appoint executive leadership, including the board of directors.

Avista Corp. participates in profits and losses of the investment funds based on its ownership percentage and its losses are capped at its total initial investment in the funds. Equity investments in VIEs are accounted for under the equity method (see Note 7). As of December 31, 2023, Avista Corp. has invested $73.3 million in these investment funds, with an additional commitment of $17.7 million remaining to be invested. The Company is not allowed to withdraw capital contributions from an investment fund until after that fund expiration date and all liabilities of that fund are settled. The expiration dates range from 2025 to 2036, with some investments having no termination date (as they are perpetual). As of December 31, 2023, the Company has a total carrying amount of $88.1 million in these VIEs, including $78.5 million of equity investments and $9.6 million of notes receivable.

NOTE 7. EQUITY INVESTMENTS

The Company has equity investment holdings that are accounted for under the equity method, at fair value, or using the fair value measurement alternative provided for in ASC 321, adjusting cost for impairment and observable price changes.

The following table summarizes Avista Corp.’s equity investments, which are included in “Other property and investments- net and other non-current assets” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Equity Method Investments

The Company has investments in limited partnerships (or the functional equivalent) where Avista Corp. is a limited partner investor in an investment fund. Holdings in these investment funds are accounted for under the equity method. Underlying investments held by the funds are recorded at fair value by the fund, and Avista Corp. recognizes its share of the fund's profits and losses based on its ownership percentage.

The Company also has ownership in joint ventures with underlying holdings in real estate, which are accounted for under the equity method.

The Company's earnings and losses related to equity method investments are included in “Other income- net” on the Consolidated Statements of Net Income.

Investments Without Readily Determinable Fair Value

The Company has investments that do not qualify for equity method treatment, and for which fair value is not readily determinable. The Company has elected the measurement alternative for a majority of these investments, adjusting the recorded value on a non-recurring basis as a result of observable transactions involving the underlying asset. The observable transaction indicates an updated fair value, and the Company adjusts carrying value to fair value at this point in time. The fair value of these assets is determined using the market approach, and these assets are considered level 2 on the fair value hierarchy (see Note 18 for a description of the fair value hierarchy).

The Company has elected to recordtwo investments at fair value on a recurring basis. These equity investments are considered Level 3 on the fair value hierarchy. See further discussion of Level 3 equity investments, including valuation methods and significant inputs, as included in Note 18.

Realized and unrealized gains or losses in equity investments are included in net income. The following table summarizes net unrealized gains (losses) related to investments without readily determinable fair value held as of the end of the respective period for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Net unrealized gains recorded related to investments recorded at non-recurring fair value result from identified observable transactions. On a cumulative basis, the Company has recognized a net gain of $14.8 million for fair value adjustments to investments recorded at non-recurring fair value held at December 31, 2023.

NOTE 8. DERIVATIVESAND RISK MANAGEMENT

Energy Commodity Derivatives

Avista Corp. is exposed to market risks relating to changes in electricity and natural gas commodity prices and certain other fuel prices. Market risk is, in general, the risk of fluctuation in the market price of the commodity being traded and is influenced primarily by supply and demand. Market risk includes the fluctuation in the market price of associated derivative commodity instruments. Avista Corp. utilizes derivative instruments, such as forwards, futures, swap derivatives and options to manage the various risks relating to these commodity price exposures. Avista Corp. has an energy resources risk policy and control procedures to manage these risks.

As part of Avista Corp.'s resource procurement and management operations in the electric business, Avista Corp. engages in an ongoing process of resource optimization, which involves the economic selection from available energy resources to serve Avista Corp.'s load obligations and the use of these resources to capture available economic value through wholesale market transactions. These include sales and purchases of electric capacity and energy, fuel for electric generation, and derivative contracts related to capacity, energy and fuel. Such transactions are part of the process of matching resources with load obligations and hedging a portion of the related financial risks. These transactions range from terms of intra-hour up to multiple years.

As part of its resource procurement and management of its natural gas business, Avista Corp. makes continuing projections of its natural gas loads and assesses available natural gas resources including natural gas storage availability. Natural gas resource planning typically includes peak requirements, low and average monthly requirements and delivery constraints from natural gas supply locations to Avista Corp.'s distribution system. However, daily variations in natural gas demand can be significantly different than monthly demand projections. Based on these projections, Avista Corp. plans and executes a series of transactions to hedge a portion of its projected natural gas requirements through forward market transactions and derivative instruments. These transactions may extend as much as three natural gas operating years (November through October) into the future. Avista Corp. also leaves a significant portion of its natural gas supply requirements unhedged for purchase in short-term and spot markets.

Avista Corp. plans for sufficient natural gas delivery capacity to serve its retail customers for a theoretical peak day event. Avista Corp. generally has more pipeline and storage capacity than what is needed during periods other than a peak day. Avista Corp. optimizes its natural gas resources by using market opportunities to generate economic value that mitigates the fixed costs. Avista Corp. also optimizes its natural gas storage capacity by purchasing and storing natural gas when prices are traditionally lower, typically in the summer, and withdrawing during higher priced months, typically during the winter. However, if market conditions and prices indicate that Avista Corp. should buy or sell natural gas at other times during the year, Avista Corp. engages in optimization transactions to capture value in the marketplace. Natural gas optimization activities include, but are not limited to, wholesale market sales of surplus natural gas supplies, purchases and sales of natural gas to optimize use of pipeline and storage capacity, and participation in the transportation capacity release market.

The following table presents the underlying energy commodity derivative volumes as of December 31, 2023 expected to be delivered in each respective year (in thousands of MWhs and mmBTUs):

As of December 31, 2023, there areno expected deliveries of energy commodity derivatives after 2026.

The following table presents the underlying energy commodity derivative volumes as of December 31, 2022 that were expected to be delivered in each respective year (in thousands of MWhs and mmBTUs):

As of December 31, 2022, there wereno expected deliveries of energy commodity derivatives after 2025.

(1)

Physical transactions represent commodity transactions in which Avista Corp. will take or make delivery of either electricity or natural gas; financial transactions represent derivative instruments with delivery of cash in the amount of thebenefit or cost but with no physical delivery of the commodity, such as futures, swap derivatives, options, or forward contracts.

The electric and natural gas derivative contracts above will be included in either power supply costs or natural gas supply costs during the period they are scheduled to be delivered and will be included in the various deferral and recovery mechanisms (ERM, PCA, and PGAs), or in the general rate case process, and are expected to be recovered through retail rates from customers.

Foreign Currency Exchange Derivatives

A significant portion of Avista Corp.'s natural gas supply (including fuel for power generation) is obtained from Canadian sources. Most of those transactions are executed in U.S. dollars, which avoids foreign currency risk. A portion of Avista Corp.’s short-term natural gas transactions and long-term Canadian transportation contracts are committed based on Canadian currency prices. The short term natural gas transactions are settled within 60 days with U.S. dollars. Avista Corp. hedges a portion of the foreign currency risk by purchasing Canadian currency exchange derivatives when such commodity transactions are initiated. The foreign currency exchange derivatives and the unhedged foreign currency risk have not had a material effect on Avista Corp.’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and these differences in cost related to currency fluctuations are included with natural gas supply costs for ratemaking.

The following table summarizes the foreign currency exchange derivatives outstanding as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Interest Rate Swap Derivatives

Avista Corp. is affected by fluctuating interest rates related to a portion of its existing debt, and future borrowing requirements. Avista Corp. may hedge a portion of its interest rate risk with financial derivative instruments, including interest rate swap derivatives. These interest rate swap derivatives are considered economic hedges against fluctuations in future cash flows associated with anticipated debt issuances.

The following table summarizes the unsettled interest rate swap derivatives outstanding as of the balance sheet date indicated below (dollars in thousands):

The fair value of outstanding interest rate swap derivatives can vary significantly from period to period depending on the total notional amount of swap derivatives outstanding and fluctuations in market interest rates compared to the interest rates fixed by the swaps. Avista Corp. is required to make cash payments to settle the interest rate swap derivatives when the fixed rates are higher than prevailing market rates at the date of settlement. Conversely, Avista Corp. receives cash to settle its interest rate swap derivatives when prevailing market rates at the time of settlement exceed the fixed swap rates.

Summary of Outstanding Derivative Instruments

The amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 reflect the offsetting of derivative assets and liabilities where a legal right of offset exists.

The following table presents the fair values and locations of derivative instruments recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands):

The following table presents the fair values and locations of derivative instruments recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 (dollars in thousands):

Exposure to Demands for Collateral

Avista Corp.'s derivative contracts often require collateral (in the form of cash or letters of credit) or other credit enhancements, or reductions or terminations of a portion of the contract through cash settlement. In the event of changes in market prices or a downgrade in Avista Corp.'s credit ratings or other established credit criteria, additional collateral may be required. In periods of price volatility, the level of exposure can change significantly. As a result, sudden and significant demands may be made against Avista Corp.'s credit facilities and cash. Avista Corp. actively monitors the exposure to possible collateral calls and takes steps to mitigate capital requirements.

The following table presents collateral outstanding related to its derivative instruments as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

There wereno letters of credit outstanding related to interest rate swap derivatives as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Certain of Avista Corp.’s derivative instruments contain provisions requiring Avista Corp. to maintain an “investment grade” credit rating from the major credit rating agencies. If Avista Corp.’s credit ratings were to fall below “investment grade,” it would be in violation of these provisions, and the counterparties to the derivative instruments could request immediate payment or demand immediate and ongoing collateralization on derivative instruments in net liability positions.

The following table presents the aggregate fair value of all derivative instruments with credit-risk-related contingent features in a liability position and the amount of additional collateral Avista Corp. could be required to post as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 9. JOINTLY OWNED ELECTRIC FACILITIES

The Company has a 15 percent ownership interest in Units 3 and 4 of Colstrip, and provides financing for its ownership interest in the project. Pursuant to the ownership and operating agreements among the co-owners, the Company’s share of related fuel costs as well as operating expenses for plant in service are included in the corresponding accounts in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company’s share of utility plant in service for Colstrip and accumulated depreciation (inclusive of the ARO assets and accumulated amortization) were as follows as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

See Note 11 for further discussion of AROs.

While the obligations and liabilities with respect to Colstrip are to be shared among the co-owners on a pro-rata basis, many of the environmental liabilities are joint and several under the law, so that if any co-owner failed to pay its share of such liability, the other co-owners (or any one of them) could be required to pay the defaulting co-owner‘s share (or the entire liability).

In January 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with NorthWestern to transfer its ownership in Colstrip Units 3 and 4. The Company will retain responsibility for remediation obligations in existence at the time the transaction closes. See further discussion of the transaction within Note 22.

NOTE 10. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Net Utility Property

Net utility property consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

Gross Property, Plant and Equipment

The gross balances of the major classifications of property, plant and equipment are detailed in the following table as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

Included in other property and investments-net and other non-current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Accumulated depreciation was less than $0.1 million as of December 31, 2023 and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2022 for the other businesses.

NOTE 11. ASSET RETI REMENT OBLIGATIONS

The Company has recorded liabilities for future AROs to:

•

restore coal ash containment ponds and coal holding areas at Colstrip,

•

cap a landfill at the Kettle Falls Plant, and

•

remove plant and restore the land at the Coyote Springs 2 site at the termination of the land lease.

Due to an inability to estimate a range of settlement dates, the Company cannot estimate a liability for the:

•

removal and disposal of certain transmission and distribution assets, and

•

abandonment and decommissioning of certain hydroelectric generation and natural gas storage facilities.

In 2015, the EPA issued a final rule regarding CCRs. Colstrip produces this byproduct. The CCR rule has been the subject of ongoing litigation. In August 2018, the D.C. Circuit struck down provisions of the rule. The rule includes technical requirements for CCR landfills and surface impoundments. The Colstrip owners developed a multi-year compliance plan to address the CCR requirements and existing state obligations.

The actual asset retirement costs related to the CCR rule requirements may vary substantially from the estimates used to record the ARO due to the uncertainty and evolving nature of the compliance strategies that will be used and the availability of data used to estimate costs, such as the quantity of coal ash present at certain sites and the volume of fill that will be needed to cap and cover certain impoundments. The Company updates its estimates as new information becomes available. The Company expects to seek recovery of costs related to complying with the CCR rule through the ratemaking process.

In addition to the above, under a 2018 Administrative Order on Consent and ongoing negotiations with the Montana Department of Ecological Quality, the owners of Colstrip are required to provide financial assurance, primarily in the form of surety bonds, to secure each owner's pro-rata share of various anticipated closure and remediation of the ash ponds and coal holding areas. The amount of financial assurance required of each owner may, like the ARO, vary substantially due to the uncertainty and evolving nature of anticipated closure and remediation activities, and as those activities are completed over time.

The following table documents the changes in the Company’s asset retirement obligation during the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 12. PENSION PLANS AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

The pension and other postretirement benefit plans described below only relate to Avista Utilities. AEL&P participates in a defined contribution multiemployer plan for its union workers and a defined contribution money purchase pension plan for its nonunion workers. None of the subsidiary retirement plans, individually or in the aggregate, are significant to Avista Corp.

The Company has a defined benefit pension plan covering the majority of regular full-time non-union employees at Avista Utilities hired prior to January 1, 2014 and regular full-time union employees that were hired prior to January 1, 2024. Employees eligible for the plan continue to accrue benefits. Individual benefits under this plan are based upon the employee’s years of service, date of hire and average compensation as specified in the plan. Non-union employees hired on or after January 1, 2014 and union employees hired on or after January 1, 2024 participate in a defined contribution 401(k) plan in lieu of a defined benefit pension plan. The Company’s funding policy is to contribute at least the minimum amounts required to be funded under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, but not more than the maximum amounts currently deductible for income tax purposes. The Company contributed $10.0 million in cash to the pension plan in 2023, and $42.0 million in 2022 and 2021. The Company expects to contribute $10.0 million in cash to the pension plan in 2024.

In 2022, the defined benefit pension plan lump sum payments exceeded the annual service and interest costs for the plan. This resulted in a partial settlement of the plan, and the Company recorded a settlement loss of $11.8 million for the previously unrecognized losses in the year ended December 31, 2022. This loss was deferred as a regulatory asset and is being amortized over 12 years in accordance with regulatory accounting orders.

The Company has a SERP providing additional pension benefits to certain executive officers and certain key employees of the Company. The SERP provides benefits to individuals whose benefits under the defined benefit pension plan are reduced due to the application of Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the deferral of salary under deferred compensation plans. The liability and expense for this plan are included as pension benefits in the tables included in this Note.

The Company expects benefit payments under the pension plan and the SERP will total (dollars in thousands):

The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is based on past performance and economic forecasts for the types of investments held by the plan. In selecting a discount rate, the Company considers yield rates for highly rated corporate bond portfolios with maturities similar to that of the expected term of pension benefits.

The Company provides certain health care and life insurance benefits for eligible retired employees hired prior to January 1, 2014. The Company accrues the estimated cost of postretirement benefit obligations during the years employees provide services. The liability and expense of this plan are included as other postretirement benefits. Non-union employees hired on or after January 1, 2014, will have access to the retiree medical plan upon retirement; however, Avista Corp. will no longer provide a contribution toward their medical premium.

The Company has a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to provide employees with tax-advantaged funds to pay for allowable medical expenses upon retirement. The amount earned by the employee is fixed on the retirement date based on the employee’s years of service and the ending salary. The liability and expense of the HRA are included as other postretirement benefits.

The Company provides death benefits to beneficiaries of executive officers who die during their term of office or after retirement. Under the plan, an executive officer’s designated beneficiary will receive a payment equal to twice the executive officer’s annual base salary at the time of death (or if death occurs after retirement, a payment equal to twice the executive officer’s total annual pension benefit). The liability and expense for this plan are included as other postretirement benefits.

The Company expects benefit payments under other postretirement benefit plans will total (dollars in thousands):

The Company expects to contribute $7.1 million to other postretirement benefit plans in 2024. The Company uses a December 31 measurement date for its pension and other postretirement benefit plans.

The following table sets forth the pension and other postretirement benefit plan disclosures as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the components of net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

Total service costs in the table above are recorded to the same accounts as labor expense. Labor and benefits expense is recorded to various projects based on whether the work is a capital project or an operating expense. Approximately 40 percent of all labor and benefits is capitalized to utility property and 60 percent is expensed to utility other operating expenses.

(2)

The settlement loss was deferred as a regulatory asset and is being amortized over 12 years in accordance with regulatory accounting orders.

Plan Assets

The Finance Committee of the Board of Directors approves investment policies, objectives and strategies that seek an appropriate return for the pension plan and other postretirement benefit plans and reviews and approves changes to the investment and funding policies.

The Company has contracted with investment consultants who are responsible for monitoring the individual investment managers. The investment managers’ performance and related individual fund performance is periodically reviewed by an internal benefits committee and by the Finance Committee to monitor compliance with investment policy objectives and strategies.

Pension plan assets are invested in mutual funds, and trusts and partnerships that hold marketable debt and equity securities and real estate. In seeking to obtain a return that aligns with the funded status of the pension plan, the investment consultant recommends allocation percentages by asset classes. These recommendations are reviewed by the internal benefits committee, which then recommends their adoption by the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee has established target investment allocation percentages by asset classes and investment ranges for each asset class. The target investment allocation percentages are typically the midpoint of the established range. The target investment allocation percentages by asset classes are indicated in the table below:

The fair value of pension plan assets invested in debt and equity securities was based primarily on fair value (market prices). The fair value of investment securities traded on a national securities exchange is determined based on the reported last sales price; securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued at the last reported bid price. Investment securities for which market prices are not readily available or for which market prices do not represent the value at the time of pricing, the investment manager estimates fair value based upon other inputs (including valuations of securities comparable in coupon, rating, maturity and industry).

Pension plan and other postretirement plan assets with fair values are measured using net asset value (NAV) are excluded from the fair value hierarchy and included as reconciling items in the tables below.

The plan's investments in common/collective trusts have redemption limitations that permit quarterly redemptions following notice requirements of 45 to 60 days. Most of the plan's investments in closely held investments and partnership interests have redemption limitations ranging from bi-monthly to semi-annually following redemption notice requirements of 60 to 90 days.

The following table discloses by level within the fair value hierarchy (see Note 18 for a description of the fair value hierarchy) of the pension plan’s assets measured and reported as of December 31, 2023 at fair value (dollars in thousands):

The following table discloses by level within the fair value hierarchy (see Note 18 for a description of the fair value hierarchy) of the pension plan’s assets measured and reported as of December 31, 2022 at fair value (dollars in thousands):

The fair value of other postretirement plan assets invested in debt and equity securities was based primarily on market prices. The fair value of investment securities traded on a national securities exchange is determined based on the last reported sales price; securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued at the last reported bid price. For investment securities for which market prices are not readily available, the investment manager determines fair value based upon other inputs (including valuations of securities comparable in coupon, rating, maturity and industry). The target asset allocation was 60 percent equity securities and 40 percent debt securities in both 2023 and 2022.

The fair value of other postretirement plan assets was determined to be$58.1 million and$49.5 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The assets consist of a balanced index mutual fund, which is a single mutual fund that includes a percentage of U.S. equity and fixed income securities and International equity and fixed income securities. This mutual fund is classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy (see Note 18 for a description of the fair value hierarchy).

401(k) Plans and Executive Deferral Plan

Avista Utilities has a salary deferral 401(k) plan that is a defined contribution plan and covers substantially all employees. Employees can make contributions to their respective accounts in the plans on a pre-tax basis up to the maximum amount permitted by law. The Company matches a portion of the salary deferred by each participant according to the schedule in the respective plan.

Employer matching contributions were as follows for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

The Company has an Executive Deferral Plan. This plan allows executive officers and other key employees the opportunity to defer until the earlier of their retirement, termination, disability or death, up to 75 percent of their base salary and/or up to 100 percent of their incentive payments. Deferred compensation funds are held by the Company in a Rabbi Trust.

There were deferred compensation assets included in other property and investments-net and corresponding deferred compensation liabilities included in other non-current liabilities and deferred credits on the Consolidated Balance Sheets of the following amounts as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 13. ACCOUNTING FOR INCOME TAXES

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense consisted of the following for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

A reconciliation of federal income taxes derived from the statutory federal tax rate of 21 percent applied to income before income taxes is as follows for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

Prior to 2022, for the depreciation-related temporary differences under the normalization tax accounting method, the Company utilized the average rate assumption method to compute the amounts returned to customers. Beginning in 2022, the Company changed to the alternative method, to comply with the revenue procedure and private letter rulings.

(2)

The Company's general rate cases included approval of base rate increases, offset by tax customer credits. As the tax customer credits are returned to customers, this results in a decrease to income tax expense due to flowing through the benefits related to meters and mixed service costs.

Deferred Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes and tax credit carryforwards. The total net deferred income tax liability consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

The realization of deferred income tax assets is dependent upon the ability to generate taxable income in future periods. The Company evaluated available evidence supporting the realization of its deferred income tax assets and determined it is more likely than not that deferred income tax assets will be realized.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $17.3 million of state tax credit carryforwards. Of the total amount, the Company believes that it is more likely than not that it will only be able to utilize $6.8 million of the state tax credits. As such, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance of $10.5 million against the state tax credit carryforwards and reflected the net amount of $6.8 million as an asset as of December 31, 2023. State tax credits expire from 2024 to 2037.

Status of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and State Examinations

The Company and its eligible subsidiaries file consolidated federal income tax returns. All tax years after 2018 are open for an IRS tax examination. The IRS is reviewing tax year 2019.

The Company files state income tax returns in certain jurisdictions, including Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. Subsidiaries are charged or credited with the tax effects of their operations on a stand-alone basis.

All tax years after 2019 are open for examination in Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska.

The Company believes open tax years for federal or state income taxes will not result in adjustments that would be significant to the consolidated financial statements.

NOTE 14. ENERGY PURCHASE CONTRACTS

The below discussion only relates to Avista Utilities. The sole energy purchase contract at AEL&P is a PPA for the Snettisham hydroelectric project and it is accounted for as a lease. AEL&P does not have any other significant operating agreements or contractual obligations. See Note 5 for further discussion of the Snettisham PPA.

Avista Utilities has contracts for the purchase of fuel for thermal generation, natural gas for resale and various agreements for the purchase or exchange of electric energy with other entities. The remaining term of the contracts range fromone month totwenty-five years.

Total expenses for power purchased, natural gas purchased, fuel for generation and other fuel costs, which are included in utility resource costs in the Consolidated Statements of Income, were as follows for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

The following table details Avista Utilities’ future contractual commitments for power resources (including transmission contracts) and natural gas resources (including transportation contracts) (dollars in thousands):

These energy purchase contracts were entered into as part of Avista Utilities’ obligation to serve its retail electric and natural gas customers’ energy requirements, including contracts entered into for resource optimization. These costs are recovered either through base retail rates or adjustments to retail rates as part of the power and natural gas cost deferral and recovery mechanisms.

The future contractual commitments for power resources include fixed contractual amounts related to the Company's contracts with PUDs to purchase portions of the output of certain generating facilities. Although Avista Utilities has no investment in the PUD generating facilities, the contracts obligate Avista Utilities to pay certain minimum amounts whether or not the facilities are operating. The cost of power obtained under the contracts, including payments made when a facility is not operating, is included in utility resource costs in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The contractual amounts included above consist of Avista Utilities’ share of existing debt service cost and its proportionate share of the variable operating expenses of these projects. The minimum amounts payable under these contracts are based in part on the proportionate share of the debt service requirements of the PUD's revenue bonds for which the Company is indirectly responsible. The Company's total future debt service obligation associated with the revenue bonds outstanding at December 31, 2023 (principal and interest) was $275.1 million.

In addition, Avista Utilities has operating agreements, settlements and other contractual obligations related to its generating facilities and transmission and distribution services. The expenses associated with these agreements are reflected as other operating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The following table details future contractual commitments under these agreements (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 15. SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS

Lines of Credit

Avista Corp. has a committed line of credit in the total amount of $500.0 million. with expiration date of June 2028. The Company has the option to extend fortwo additional one year periods (subject to customary conditions). In June 2023, the then-existing agreement was amended to increase the capacity of the committed line of credit from $400.0 million to $500.0 million, extend the expiration date, and replace the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) provisions with Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) provisions. The committed line of credit is secured by non-transferable first mortgage bonds of the Company issued to the agent bank that would only become due and payable in the event, and then only to the extent, that the Company defaults on its obligations under the committed line of credit.

Balances outstanding and interest rates of borrowings (excluding letters of credit) under the Company’s revolving committed line of credit were as follows as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

In December 2022, Avista Corp. entered into an additional revolving credit agreement in the amount of $100.0 million. As of December 31, 2022, the Company didnot have any outstanding borrowings under this agreement. The agreement was terminated in June 2023.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the borrowings outstanding under Avista Corp.'s committed lines of credit were classified as short-term borrowings on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

2022 Term Loan

In December 2022, the Company entered into a term loan agreement in the amount of $150.0 million with a maturity date of March 30, 2023. The Company borrowed the entire $150.0 million available under the agreement in 2022 and repaid the entire outstanding balance in March 2023. The borrowings outstanding under this agreement were classified as short-term borrowings on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

2022 Letter of Credit Facility

In December 2022, the Company entered into a continuing letter of credit agreement in the aggregate amount of $50.0 million. Either party may terminate the agreement at any time.

The Company had$20.0 million and $18.5 million in letters of credit outstanding under this agreement as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Letters of credit are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. If a letter of credit were drawn upon by the holder, we would have an immediate obligation to reimburse the bank that issued that letter.

Covenants and Default Provisions

The short-term borrowing agreements contain customary covenants and default provisions, including a change in control (as defined in the agreements). The events of default under each of the credit facilities also include a cross default from other indebtedness (as defined) and in some cases other obligations. Most of the short-term borrowing agreement also include a covenant which does not permit the ratio of “consolidated total debt” to “consolidated total capitalization” of Avista Corp. to be greater than 65 percent at any time. As of December 31, 2023, the Company complied with this covenant.

AEL&P

AEL&P has a committed line of credit in the amount of $25.0 million that expires in June 2028. The committed line of credit is secured by non-transferable first mortgage bonds of AEL&P issued to the agent bank that would only become due and payable in the event, and then only to the extent, that AEL&P defaults on its obligations under the committed line of credit.

The committed line of credit agreement contains customary covenants and default provisions. The credit agreement has a covenant which does not permit the ratio of “consolidated total debt at AEL&P” to “consolidated total capitalization at AEL&P,” including the impact of the Snettisham bonds to be greater than 67.5 percent at any time. As of December 31, 2023, AEL&P complied with this covenant.

As of December 31, 2023, and 2022 there wereno borrowings under the AEL&P committed line of credit.

NOTE 16. LONG-TERM DEBT

The following details long-term debt outstanding as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

In December 2010, $66.7 million and $17.0 million of the City of Forsyth, Montana Pollution Control Revenue Refunding Bonds (Avista Corporation Colstrip Project) due in 2032 and 2034, respectively, which had been held by Avista Corp. since 2008 and 2009, respectively, were refunded by new variable rate bond issues. The new bonds were not offered to the public and were purchased by Avista Corp. due to market conditions. The Company can remarket these bonds to unaffiliated investors at a later date, subject to market conditions. So long as Avista Corp. is the holder of these bonds, the bonds are not reflected as an asset or a liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

(2)

In March 2023, the Company issued and sold $250.0 million of 5.66 percent first mortgage bonds due in 2053 with institutional investors in the private placement market. A portion of the net proceeds from the sale of these bonds was used for the construction or improvement of utility facilities, and a portion was used to refinance existing indebtedness, including the repayment of Avista Corp.'s $150.0 million term loan. In connection with the pricing of the first mortgage bonds in March 2023, the Company cash settled four interest rate swap derivatives (notional aggregate amount of $40.0 million) and received a net amount of $7.5 million. See Note 8 for a discussion of interest rate swap derivatives.

The following table details future long-term debt maturities including long-term debt to affiliated trusts (see Note 17) (dollars in thousands):

Substantially all of Avista Utilities' and AEL&P's owned properties are subject to the lien of their respective mortgage indentures. Under the Mortgages and Deeds of Trust (Mortgages) securing their first mortgage bonds (including secured medium-term notes), Avista Utilities and AEL&P may each issue additional first mortgage bonds under their specific mortgage in an aggregate principal amount equal to the sum of:

•

66-2/3 percent of the cost or fair value to the Company (whichever is lower) of property additions of that entity which have not previously been made the basis of any application under that entity's Mortgage, or

•

an equal principal amount of retired first mortgage bonds of that entity which have not previously been made the basis of any application under that entity's Mortgage, or

•

deposit of cash.

Avista Utilities and AEL&P may not individually issue any additional first mortgage bonds (with certain exceptions in the case of bonds issued on the basis of retired bonds) unless the particular entity issuing the bonds has “net earnings” (as defined in that entity's Mortgage) for any period of 12 consecutive calendar months out of the preceding 18 calendar months that were at least twice the annual interest requirements on all mortgage securities at the time outstanding, including the first mortgage bonds to be issued, and on all indebtedness of prior rank. As of December 31, 2023, property additions and retired bonds would have allowed, and the net earnings test would not have prohibited, the issuance of $1.2 billion in an aggregate principal amount of additional first mortgage bonds at Avista Utilities and $51.4 million by AEL&P, at an assumed interest rate of 8 percent in each case.

NOTE 17. LONG-TERM DEBT TO AFFILIATED TRUSTS

In 1997, the Company issued Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures, Series B, with a principal amount of $51.5 million to Avista Capital II, an affiliated business trust formed by the Company. Avista Capital II issued $50.0 million of Preferred Trust Securities with a floating distribution rate of LIBOR plus 0.875 percent, calculated and reset quarterly. Effective on July 3, 2023, the reference to LIBOR in the formulation for the distribution rate on these securities was replaced, by operation of law, with three-month CME Term SOFR, as calculated and published by CME Group Benchmark Administration, Ltd. (a successor administrator), plus a tenor spread adjustment of 0.26 percent. Accordingly, the distribution rate on the Preferred Trust Securities is now three-month CME Term SOFR plus 1.137 percent.

The distribution rates paid were as follows during the years ended December 31:

Concurrent with the issuance of the Preferred Trust Securities, Avista Capital II issued $1.5 million of Common Trust Securities to the Company. These Preferred Trust Securities may be redeemed at the option of Avista Capital II at any time and mature on June 1, 2037. In December 2000, the Company purchased $10.0 million of these Preferred Trust Securities.

The Company owns 100 percentof Avista Capital II and has solely and unconditionally guaranteed the payment of distributions on, and redemption price and liquidation amount for, the Preferred Trust Securities to the extent Avista Capital II has funds available for such payments from the respective debt securities. Upon maturity or prior redemption of such debt securities, the Preferred Trust Securities will be mandatorily redeemed. The Company does not include these capital trusts in its consolidated financial statements as Avista Corp. is not the primary beneficiary. As such, the sole assets of the capital trusts are $51.5 million of junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures of Avista Corp., which are reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Interest expense to affiliated trusts in the Consolidated Statements of Income represents interest expense on these debentures.

NOTE 18. FAIR VALUE

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable and short-term borrowings are reasonable estimates of their fair values. Long-term debt (including current portion), finance leases, and long-term debt to affiliated trusts are reported at carrying value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to fair values derived from unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are defined as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

Level 2 – Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, but which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 2 includes financial instruments valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors, and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace.

Level 3 – Pricing inputs include significant inputs generally unobservable from objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value.

Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. The determination of the fair values incorporates various factors that not only include the credit standing of the counterparties involved and the impact of credit enhancements (such as cash deposits and letters of credit), but also the impact of Avista Corp.’s nonperformance risk on its liabilities.

The following table sets forth the carrying value and estimated fair value of the Company’s financial instruments not reported at estimated fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

These estimates of fair value of long-term debt and long-term debt to affiliated trusts were primarily based on available market information, which generally consists of estimated market prices from third party brokers for debt with similar risk and terms. The price ranges obtained from the third party brokers consisted of par values of 62.73 to 107.245, where a par value of 100.00 representsthe carrying value recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Level 2 long-term debt represents publicly issued bonds with quoted market prices; however, due to their limited trading activity, they are classified as Level 2 because brokers must generate quotes and make estimates using comparable debt with similar risk and terms if there is no trading activity near a period end. Level 3 long-term debt consists of private placement bonds and debt to affiliated trusts, which typically have no secondary trading activity. Fair values in Level 3 are estimated based on market prices from third party brokers using secondary market quotes for debt with similar risk and terms to generate quotes for Avista Corp. bonds. Due to the unique nature of the Snettisham finance lease obligation, the estimated fair value of these items was determined based on a discounted cash flow model using available market information. The Snettisham finance lease obligation was discounted to present value using the Morgan Markets A Ex-Fin discount rate as published on December 31, 2023.

The following table discloses by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities measured and reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 at fair value on a recurring basis (dollars in thousands):

The following table discloses by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities measured and reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 at fair value on a recurring basis (dollars in thousands):

(1)

The Company is permitted to net derivative assets and derivative liabilities with the same counterparty when a legally enforceable master netting agreement exists. In addition, the Company nets derivative assets and derivative liabilities against payables and receivables for cash collateral held or placed with these same counterparties.

(2)

The Level 3 energy commodity derivative balances are associated with natural gas exchange agreements.

(3)

These assets are included in other property and investments-net and other non-current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The difference between the amount of derivative assets and liabilities disclosed in respective levels in the table above and the amount of derivative assets and liabilities disclosed on the Consolidated Balance Sheets is due to netting arrangements with certain counterparties. See Note 8 for additional discussion of derivative netting.

To establish fair value for energy commodity derivatives, the Company uses quoted market prices and forward price curves to estimate the fair value of energy commodity derivative instruments included in Level 2. In particular, electric derivative valuations are performed using market quotes, adjusted for periods in between quotable periods. Natural gas derivative valuations are estimated using New York Mercantile Exchange pricing for similar instruments, adjusted for basin differences, using market quotes. Where observable inputs are available for substantially the full term of the contract, the derivative asset or liability is included in Level 2.

To establish fair values for interest rate swap derivatives, the Company uses forward market curves for interest rates for the term of the swaps and discounts the cash flows back to present value using an appropriate discount rate. The discount rate is calculated by third party brokers according to the terms of the swap derivatives and evaluated by the Company for reasonableness, with consideration given to the potential non-performance risk by the Company. Future cash flows of the interest rate swap derivatives are equal to the fixed interest rate in the swap compared to the floating market interest rate multiplied by the notional amount for each period.

To establish fair value for foreign currency derivatives, the Company uses forward market curves for Canadian dollars against the U.S. dollar and multiplies the difference between the locked-in price and the market price by the notional amount of the derivative. Forward foreign currency market curves are provided by third party brokers. The Company's credit spread is factored into the locked-in price of the foreign exchange contracts.

Deferred compensation assets and liabilities represent funds held by the Company in a Rabbi Trust for an executive deferral plan. These funds consist of actively traded equity and bond funds with quoted prices in active markets.

Level 3 Fair Value

Natural Gas Exchange Agreement

For the natural gas commodity exchange agreement, the Company uses the same Level 2 brokered quotes described above; however, the Company also estimates the purchase and sales volumes (within contractual limits) as well as the timing of those transactions. Changing the timing of volume estimates changes the timing of purchases and sales, impacting which brokered quote is used. Because the brokered quotes can vary significantly from period to period, the unobservable estimates of the timing and volume of transactions can have a significant impact on the calculated fair value. The Company estimates volumes and timing of transactions based on a most likely scenario using historical data. Historically, the timing and volume of transactions have not been highly correlated with market prices and market volatility.

The following table presents the quantitative information which was used to estimate the fair values of the Level 3 assets and liabilities above as of December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands):

The valuation methods, significant inputs and resulting fair values described above were developed by the Company's management and are reviewed on at least a quarterly basis to ensure they provide a reasonable estimate of fair value each reporting period.

Equity Investments

The Company hastwo equity investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis. For one investment, fair value is determined using a market approach, starting with enterprise values from recent market transaction data for comparable companies with similar equity instruments. The market transaction data was used to estimate an enterprise value of the underlying investment and that value was allocated to the various classes of equity via an option pricing model and a waterfall approach. The selection of appropriate comparable companies and the expected time to a liquidation event requires management judgment. The significant assumptions in the analysis include the comparable market transactions and related enterprise values, time to liquidity event and the market discount for lack of liquidity.

For the second investment, the fair value is determined using an income approach utilizing a discounted cash flow model. The model is based on income statement forecasts from the underlying company to determine cash flows for the period of ownership. The model then utilizes market multiples from publicly traded comparable companies in similar industries and projects to estimate the terminal fair value. The market multiples are reduced to reflect the difference in the life cycle between the publicly traded comparable companies and the start-up nature of the investment company. The selection of appropriate comparable companies, market multiples and the reduction to those market multiples requires management judgment. The significant assumptions in the model include the discount rate representing the risk associated with the investment, market multiples and the related reduction to those multiples, revenue forecasts, and the estimated terminal date for the investment.

The following table presents the quantitative information which was used to estimate the fair values of the Level 3 equity investments as of December 31, 2023(dollars in thousands):

The following table presents activity for assets and liabilities measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

There were no purchases, issuances or transfers from other categories of derivatives instruments during the periods presented in the table above.

(2)

The Company elected to account for certain equity investments at recurring fair value in 2022, as such the transfer in represents the value as of the election. See further discussion within Note 7.

NOTE 19. COMMON STOCK

The payment of dividends on common stock could be limited by:

•

certain covenants applicable to preferred stock (when outstanding) contained in the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended (currently there areno preferred shares outstanding),

•

certain covenants applicable to the Company's outstanding long-term debt and committed line of credit agreements,

•

the hydroelectric licensing requirements of section 10(d) of the FPA (see Note 1), and

•

certain requirements under the OPUC approval of the AERC acquisition in 2014. The OPUC's AERC acquisition order requires Avista Utilities to maintain a capital structure of no less than 35 percent common equity (inclusive of short-term debt). This limitation may be revised upon request by the Company with approval from the OPUC.

The requirements of the OPUC approval of the AERC acquisition are the most restrictive. Under the OPUC restriction, the amount available for dividends at December 31, 2023 was $295.6 million.

See the Consolidated Statements of Equity for dividends declared in the years 2021 through 2023.

The Company has 10 million authorized shares of preferred stock. The Company didnot have preferred stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Common Stock Issuances

The Company issued common stock for total net proceeds of $112.3 million in 2023. Most of these issuances came through the Company's sales agency agreements under which the sales agents may offer and sell new shares of common stock from time to time. In 2023,3.0 million shares were issued under these agreements resulting in total net proceeds of $111.8 million.

NOTE 20. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, consisted of the following as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):

The following table details the reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

(a)

These accumulated other comprehensive loss components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 12 for additional details).

(b)

Description is also the affected line item on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

NOTE 21. EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE

The following table presents the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 31 (dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts):

There wereno shares excluded from the calculation because they were antidilutive.

NOTE 22. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In the course of its business, the Company becomes involved in various claims, controversies, disputes and other contingent matters, including the items described in this Note. Some of these claims, controversies, disputes and other contingent matters involve litigation or other contested proceedings. For all such matters, the Company will vigorously protect and defend its interests and pursue its rights. However, no assurance can be given as to the ultimate outcome of any matter because litigation and other contested proceedings are subject to numerous uncertainties. For matters affecting Avista Utilities’ or AEL&P's operations, the Company intends to seek, to the extent appropriate, recovery of incurred costs through the ratemaking process.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

The Company's collective bargaining agreement with the IBEW represents 36 percent of all Avista Utilities' employees. The Company's largest represented group, representing approximately 90 percent of Avista Utilities' bargaining unit employees in Washington and Idaho, are covered under afour year agreement which expires in March 2025.

The current agreement includes a clause to negotiate wages in effect for the last year of the agreement. The Company is in the process of negotiating these wages. There is a risk that if an agreement on wages is not reached, the employees subject to the agreement could strike. Given the number of employees that are covered by the collective bargaining agreement, a strike could result in disruptions to the Company's operations. However, the Company believes the possibility of this occurring is remote.

Boyds Fire (State of Washington Department of Natural Resources v. Avista)

In August 2019, the Company was served with a complaint, captioned “State of Washington Department of Natural Resources v. Avista Corporation,” seeking recovery of up to $4.4 million for fire suppression and investigation costs and related expenses incurred in connection with a wildfire that occurred in Ferry County, Washington, in August 2018. Specifically, the complaint alleges the fire, which became known as the “Boyds Fire,” was caused by a dead ponderosa pine tree falling into an overhead distribution line, and that Avista Corp., along with its independent vegetation management contractors Asplundh Tree Company and CN Utility Consulting, were negligent in failing to identify and remove the tree before it came into contact with the line. Avista Corp. disputes that it was negligent in failing to identify and remove the tree in question. Additional lawsuits were subsequently filed by private landowners seeking property damages, and holders of insurance subrogation claims seeking recovery of insurance proceeds paid.

The lawsuits were filed in the Superior Court of Ferry County, Washington. The Company continues to vigorously defend itself in the litigation. However, at this time the Company is unable to predict the likelihood of an adverse outcome or estimate a range of potential loss in the event of such an outcome.

Road 11 Fire

In April 2022, Avista Corp. received a notice of claim from property owners seeking damages of $5 million in connection with a fire that occurred in Douglas County, Washington, in July 2020. In June 2022, those claimants filed suit in the Superior Court of Douglas County, Washington, seeking unspecified damages. The fire, which was designated as the “Road 11 Fire,” occurred in the vicinity of an Avista Corp. 115kv line, resulting in damage to three overhead transmission structures. The fire occurred during a high wind event and grew to 10,000 acres before being contained. The Company disputes that it is liable for the fire and will vigorously defend itself in the pending legal proceeding; however, at this time the Company is unable to predict the likelihood of an adverse outcome or estimate a range of potential loss in the event of such an outcome.

Labor Day 2020 Windstorm

General

In September 2020, a severe windstorm occurred in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. The extreme weather event resulted in customer outages and multiple wildfires in the region.

The Company has become aware of instances where, during the storm, otherwise healthy trees and limbs, located in areas outside its maintenance right-of-way, broke under the extraordinary wind conditions and caused damage to its energy delivery system at or near what is believed to be the potential area of origin of a wildfire. However, the Company's investigations found no evidence of negligence with respect to any of those fires. Consistent with that conclusion, the statute of limitations with respect to the claims arising out of the Labor Day 2020 Windstorm has now passed and, except with respect to the Babb Road Fire discussed below, no legal action has been commenced.

Babb Road Fire

In May 2021 the Company learned the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) had completed its investigation and issued a report on the Babb Road Fire. The Babb Road fire covered approximately 15,000 acres and destroyed approximately 220 structures. There are no reports of personal injury or death resulting from the fire.

The DNR report concluded, among other things, that

•

the fire was ignited when a branch of a multi-dominant Ponderosa Pine tree was broken off by the wind and fell on an Avista Corp. distribution line;

•

the tree was located approximately 30 feet from the center of Avista Corp.’s distribution line and approximately 20 feet beyond Avista Corp.’s right-of-way;

•

the tree showed some evidence of insect damage, damage at the top of the tree from porcupines, a small area of scarring where a lateral branch/leader (LBL) had broken off in the past, and some past signs of Gall Rust disease.

The DNR report concluded as follows: “It is my opinion that because of the unusual configuration of the tree, and its proximity to the powerline, a closer inspection was warranted. A nearer inspection of the tree should have revealed the cut LBL ends and its previous failure, and necessitated determination of the failure potential of the adjacent LBL, implicated in starting the Babb Road Fire.”

The DNR report acknowledged that, other than the multi-dominant nature of the tree, the conditions mentioned above would not have been easily visible without close-up inspection of, or cutting into, the tree. The report also acknowledged that, while the presence of multiple tops would have been visible from the nearby roadway, the tree did not fail at a v-fork due to the presence of multiple tops. The Company contends that applicable inspection standards did not require a closer inspection of the otherwise healthy tree, nor was the Company negligent with respect to its maintenance, inspection or vegetation management practices.

Eleven lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Babb Road fire. Asplundh Tree Company and CNUC Utility Consulting, which both perform vegetation management services as independent contractors to the Company, are also named as defendants in each of the lawsuits. The lawsuits includesix subrogation actions filed by insurance companies seeking to recover approximately $23 million purportedly paid to insureds to date; four actions on behalf of individual plaintiffs seeking unspecified damages; and a class action lawsuit seeking unspecified damages. All proceedings, except for one action filed on September 1, 2023 on behalf of three individual plaintiffs, have been consolidated in the Superior Court of Spokane County Washington under the lead action Blakeley v. Avista Corporation et al., and variously assert causes of action for negligence, private nuisance, and trespass (the Blakeley Proceeding).

In November 2023, all parties to the Blakeley Proceeding agreed to a stipulated order, which was presented to and entered by the Superior Court of Spokane County, Washington. The order consolidates the Blakeley Proceeding for trial (in addition to discovery and pre-trial proceedings) and bifurcates the trial into liability and damages phases, such that the initial trial in the case will focus solely on whether the defendants are legally responsible for the Babb Road Fire. A trial date on the liability phase has been set for May 5, 2025.

In addition, the order memorializes the plaintiffs' agreement to voluntarily dismiss all claims asserting inverse condemnation as a theory of liability without prejudice to their ability to seek permission from the Court to refile those claims at a later date if there is good cause to do so. The individual action that was not consolidated into the Blakeley Proceeding does not include claims for inverse condemnation. The parties to the Blakeley Proceeding agreed to a preliminary mediation no later than 60 days prior to the liability trial, and, if there is a trial following that mediation and if the jury returns a verdict in the plaintiffs' favor in the liability trial, a second mediation within 90 days following the verdict focusing on damages. Finally, the plaintiffs agreed to complete a damages questionnaire identifying all claimed damages being sought in connection with the litigation.

The Company will vigorously defend itself in the legal proceedings; however, at this time the Company is unable to predict the likelihood of an adverse outcome or estimate a range of potential loss in the event of such an outcome.

Orofino Fire

In August 2023, a fire subsequently referred to as the "Hospital Fire", started in windy conditions near Orofino, Idaho, burning 3 acres and seven primary residences, as well as several outbuildings. The Idaho Department of Lands investigated and has issued a report in which it concluded the fire was caused by an electrical fault igniting three separate spots which then spread uphill. The Company has a distribution line in the area near the ignition point. While the Company has not yet completed its own investigation, the Company has to date found no evidence suggesting negligence on its part. Except for one claim for damage to personal property, the Company has not, at this time, received any claims in connection with the fire. The Company will vigorously defend itself in the event any such claims are asserted; however, at this time, it is unable to estimate the likelihood of an adverse outcome nor the amount or range of a potential loss in the event of an adverse outcome.

Colstrip

Colstrip Owners Arbitration and Litigation

Colstrip Units 3 and 4 are owned by the Company, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric (PGE), and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) (collectively, the "Western Co-Owners"), as well as NorthWestern and Talen Montana, LLC (Talen), as tenants in common under an Ownership and Operating Agreement, dated May 6, 1981, as amended (O&O Agreement), in the percentages set forth below:

Colstrip Units 1 and 2, owned by PSE and Talen, were shut down in 2020 and are in the process of being decommissioned. The co-owners of Units 3 and 4 also own undivided interests in facilities common to both Units 3 and 4, as well as in certain facilities common to all four Colstrip units.

The Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), among other things, imposes deadlines by which each electric utility must eliminate from its electricity rates in Washington the costs and benefits associated with coal-fired resources, such as Colstrip. The practical impact of CETA is electricity from such resources, including Colstrip, may no longer be delivered to Washington retail customers after 2025.

The co-owners of Colstrip Units 3 and 4 have differing needs for the generating capacity of these units. Accordingly, certain business disagreements have arisen among the co-owners, including, disagreements as to the requirements for shutting down these units. NorthWestern has initiated arbitration pursuant to the O&O Agreement to resolve these business disagreements, and two actions have been initiated to compel arbitration of those disputes: one by Talen in the Montana Thirteenth Judicial District Court for Yellowstone County, and one by the Western Co-Owners, which is pending in Montana Federal District Court. In light of the ownership transfer agreements discussed below, the Colstrip owners agreed to stay both the litigation and the arbitration through March 2024.

Agreement Between Talen and Puget Sound Energy

In September 2022, PSE and Talen entered into an agreement through which PSE has agreed to transfer its 25 percent ownership in Colstrip Units 3 and 4 to Talen at the end of 2025. The terms and conditions of the agreement are similar in most respects to the NorthWestern transaction discussed below.

Agreement Between Avista and NorthWestern

In January 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with NorthWestern under which, subject to the terms and conditions specified in the agreement, the Company will transfer its 15 percent ownership in Colstrip Units 3 and 4 to NorthWestern. There is no monetary exchange included in the transaction. The transaction is scheduled to close on December 31, 2025 or such other date as the parties mutually agree upon.

Under the agreement, the Company will remain obligated through the close of the transaction to pay its share of (i) operating expenses, (ii) capital expenditures, but not in excess of the portion allocable pro rata to the portion of useful life (through 2030) expired through the close of the transaction, and (iii) except for certain costs relating to post-closing activities, site remediation expenses. In addition, the Company would enter into an agreement under which it would retain its voting rights with respect to decisions relating to remediation.

The Company will retain its Colstrip transmission system assets, which are excluded from the transaction.

Under the Colstrip O&O Agreement, each of the other owners of Colstrip has a 90-day period in which to evaluate the transaction and determine whether to exercise their respective rights of first refusal as to a portion of the generation being turned over to NorthWestern. That period has now expired, and no owners have exercised a right to first refusal.

The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including the receipt of any required regulatory approvals, as well as NorthWestern's ability to enter into a new coal supply agreement by December 31, 2024.

The Company does not expect this transaction to have a direct material impact on its financial results.

Burnett et al. v. Talen et al.

Multiple property owners initiated a legal proceeding (titled Burnett et al. v. Talen et al.) in the Montana District Court for Rosebud County against Talen, PSE, PacifiCorp, PGE, Avista Corp., NorthWestern, and Westmoreland Rosebud Mining. The plaintiffs allege a failure to contain coal dust in connection with the operation of Colstrip, and seek unspecified damages. The Company will vigorously defend itself in the litigation, but at this time is unable to predict the outcome, nor an amount or range of potential impact in the event of an outcome adverse to the Company’s interests.

Westmoreland Mine Permits

Two lawsuits have been commenced by the Montana Environmental Information Center and others, challenging certain permits relating to the operation of the Westmoreland Rosebud Mine, which provides coal to Colstrip. In the first, the Montana District Court for Rosebud County issued an order vacating a permit for one area of the mine, which decision was subsequently upheld by the Montana Supreme Court. In the second, the Montana Federal District Court vacated a decision by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, a branch of the United States Department of Interior, approving expansion of the mine into a new area, pending further analysis of potential environmental impact. An initial appeal of that decision to the Ninth Circuit was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, pending further proceedings before the Department of the Interior. Avista Corp. is not a party to either of these proceedings, but continues to monitor the progress of both issues and assess the impact, if any, of the proceedings on Westmoreland’s ability to meet its contractual coal supply obligations.

National Park Service (NPS) - Natural and Cultural Damage Claim

In March 2017, the Company accessed property managed by the National Park Service (NPS) to prevent the imminent failure of a power pole surrounded by flood water in the Spokane River. The Company voluntarily reported its actions to the NPS several days later. Thereafter, in March 2018, the NPS notified the Company that it might seek recovery for unspecified costs and damages allegedly caused during the incident pursuant to the System Unit Resource Protection Act (SURPA), 54 U.S.C. 100721 et seq. In January 2021, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) requested the Company and the DOJ renew discussions relating to the matter. In July 2021, the DOJ communicated that it may seek damages of approximately $2 million in connection with the incident for alleged damage to “natural and cultural resources”. In addition, the DOJ indicated that it may seek treble damages under the SURPA and state law, bringing its total potential claim to approximately $6 million.

The Company disputes the position taken by the DOJ with respect to the incident, as well as the nature and extent of the DOJ’s alleged damages, and will vigorously defend itself in any litigation that may arise with respect to the matter. The Company and the DOJ have engaged in discussions to understand their respective positions and determine whether a resolution of the dispute may be possible. However, the Company cannot predict the outcome of the matter.

Rathdrum, Idaho Natural Gas Incident

In October 2021, there was an incident in Rathdrum, Idaho involving the Company’s natural gas infrastructure. The incident occurred after a third party damaged those facilities during excavation work. The incident resulted in a fire which destroyed one residence and resulted in minor injuries to the occupants. In January 2023, the Company was served with a lawsuit filed in the District Court of Kootenai County, Idaho by one property owner, seeking unspecified damages. In February 2024, the Company became aware of a second lawsuit filed by the owners of the adjacent property, seeking damages for personal injury and emotional distress from having witnessed the incident. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself in both actions.

Other Contingencies

In the normal course of business, the Company has various other legal claims and contingent matters outstanding. The Company believes any ultimate liability arising from these actions will not have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. It is possible a change could occur in the Company’s estimates of the probability or amount of a liability being incurred. Such a change, should it occur, could be significant.

The Company routinely assesses, based on studies, expert analysis and legal reviews, its contingencies, obligations and commitments for remediation of contaminated sites, including assessments of ranges and probabilities of recoveries from other responsible parties who either have or have not agreed to a settlement as well as recoveries from insurance carriers. The Company’s policy is to accrue and charge to current expense identified exposures related to environmental remediation sites based on estimates of investigation, cleanup and monitoring costs to be incurred.

The Company has potential liabilities under the Endangered Species Act and similar state statutes for species of fish, plants and wildlife that have either already been added to the endangered species list, listed as “threatened” or petitioned for listing. Thus far, measures adopted and implemented have had minimal impact on the Company. However, the Company will continue to seek recovery, through the ratemaking process, of all operating and capitalized costs related to these issues.

Under the federal licenses for its hydroelectric projects, the Company is obligated to protect its property rights, including water rights. In addition, the Company holds additional non-hydro water rights. The States of Montana and Idaho are each conducting general adjudications of water rights in areas that include the Company's facilities in these states. Claims within the Clark Fork River basin and the Spokane River basin could adversely affect the energy production of the Company's hydroelectric facilities. The Company is and will continue to be a participant in the adjudication processes. The complexity of such adjudications makes each unlikely to be concluded in the foreseeable future. As such, it is not possible for the Company to estimate the impact of any outcome at this time. The Company will continue to seek recovery, through the ratemaking process, of all costs related to this issue.

NOTE 23. REGUL ATORY MATTERS

Regulatory Assets and Liabilities

The following table presents the Company’s regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands):

(1)

Earning a return includes either interest on the regulatory asset/liability or a return on the investment as a component of rate base at the allowed rate of return.

(2)

Expected recovery is pending regulatory treatment including regulatory assets and liabilities with prior regulatory precedence.

(3)

Remaining amortization period varies depending on timing of underlying transactions.

(4)

As the Company has historically recovered and currently recovers its pension and other postretirement benefit costs related to its regulated operations in retail rates, the Company records a regulatory asset for that portion of its pension and other postretirement benefit funding deficiency.

(5)

The WUTC and the IPUC issued accounting orders authorizing Avista Corp. to offset energy commodity derivative assets or liabilities with a regulatory asset or liability. This accounting treatment is intended to defer the recognition of mark-to-market gains and losses on energy commodity transactions until the period of delivery. Realized benefits and losses result in adjustments to retail rates through PGAs, the ERM in Washington, the PCA mechanism in Idaho and periodic general rates cases. The resulting regulatory assets associated with energy commodity derivative instruments have been concluded to be probable of recovery through future rates.

(6)

Premiums paid or discounts received to repurchase debt are amortized over the remaining life of the original debt repurchased or, if new debt is issued in connection with the repurchase, these costs are amortized over the life of the new debt. These costs are recovered through retail rates as a component of interest expense.

(7)

The WUTC approved recovery of AMI project costs through the 2020 general rate case settlements, including amortization of retired meters replaced through the project through 2033. The IPUC approved deferral accounting treatment for the Idaho AMI project, which will be included in a future rate case. In addition, the IPUC approved the depreciation of Colstrip through 2027, and as such the remaining depreciation after our exit of Colstrip in 2025 is included in this balance. There are additional smaller projects included in the balance the Company expects to fully recover, which have not yet been through the regulatory process.

(8)

For interest rate swap derivatives, Avista Corp. records all mark-to-market gains and losses in each accounting period as assets and liabilities, as well as offsetting regulatory assets and liabilities, such that there is no income statement impact. The interest rate swap derivatives are risk management tools similar to energy commodity derivatives. Upon settlement of interest rate swap derivatives, the regulatory asset or liability is amortized as a component of interest expense over the term of the associated debt. The Company records an offset of interest rate swap derivative assets and liabilities with regulatory assets and liabilities, based on the prior practice of the commissions to provide recovery through the ratemaking process. Settled interest rate swap derivatives which have been through a general rate case proceeding are classified as earning a return in the table above, whereas all unsettled interest rate swap derivatives and settled interest rate swap derivatives which have not been included in a general rate case are classified as expected recovery.

(9)

This amount is dependent upon the cost of removal of underlying utility plant assets and the life of utility plant.

(10)

This balance represents amounts due back to customers and resulted from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law in December 2017, which changed the federal income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. The Company revalued all deferred income taxes as of December 31, 2017. The Company expects the amounts for utility plant items for Avista Utilities to be returned to customers over a period of approximately 33 years. The Company expects the AEL&P amounts to be returned to customers over a period of approximately 22 years. Prior to 2022, for depreciation-related temporary differences under the normalized tax accounting method, the Company utilized the average rate assumption method to compute the amounts returned to customers. Beginning in 2022, the Company changed to the alternative method, to comply with revenue procedures and private letter rulings.

(11)

This amount is being amortized based on the underlying utility plant assets and the life of utility plant.

(12)

The WUTC, IPUC and OPUC issued accounting orders allowing the Company to defer certain costs, net of benefits, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has recorded all benefits on a gross basis as a regulatory liability to customers and all additional allowed costs are a regulatory asset. The ratemaking treatment will be determined in future general rate cases in each jurisdiction.

(13)

This amount represents the deferral of the depreciation expense of the Company’s AMI project in Washington state. Recovery of these amounts was approved by WUTC in the 2021 general rate case order, and the asset will be amortized through 2033.

(14)

Regulatory assets related to the Climate Commitment Act represent costs incurred to comply with the program. Regulatory liabilities related to the Climate Commitment Act represent proceeds from the required sale of allowances, which will be returned to customers. The Company will submit filings periodically to receive approval to include these items in customer rates.

(15)

The majority of this amount represents the remaining tax customer credits being returned to customers and the tax gross-up on tax customer credits and investment tax credits, which have a corresponding deferred tax asset within Note 13.

(16)

The majority of this balance represents flow-through income tax accounting differences and the related tax gross-up which have a corresponding deferred tax liability within Note 13.

Power Cost Deferrals and Recovery Mechanisms

Deferred power supply costs are recorded as a deferred charge or liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for future prudence review and recovery or rebate through retail rates. The power supply costs deferred include certain differences between actual net power supply costs incurred by Avista Utilities and the costs included in base retail rates. This difference in net power supply costs primarily results from changes in:

•

short-term wholesale market prices and sales and purchase volumes,

•

the level, availability and optimization of hydroelectric generation,

•

the level and availability of thermal generation (including changes in fuel prices),

•

retail loads, and

•

sales of surplus transmission capacity.

In Washington, the ERM allows Avista Utilities to periodically increase or decrease electric rates with WUTC approval to reflect changes in power supply costs. The ERM is an accounting method used to track certain differences between actual power supply costs, net of wholesale sales and sales of fuel, and the amount included in base retail rates for Washington customers. Under the ERM, the Company defers these differences (over the $4.0 million deadband and sharing bands) for future surcharge or rebate to customers.

The following is a summary of the ERM:

Total net deferred power costs under the ERM were assets of $37.6 million as of December 31, 2023 and $30.5 million as of December 31, 2022. The deferred power cost assets represent amounts due from customers, and deferred power cost liabilities represent amounts due to customers.

Pursuant to WUTC requirements, should the cumulative deferral balance exceed $30 million in the rebate or surcharge direction, the Company must make a filing with the WUTC to adjust customer rates to either return the balance to customers or recover the balance from customers. Avista Utilities makes an annual filing on, or before, April 1 of each year to provide the opportunity for the WUTC staff and other interested parties to review the prudence of, and audit, the ERM deferred power cost transactions for the prior calendar year. In June 2023, the Company received approval from the WUTC for a rate surcharge to customers over atwo-year period, effective July 1, 2023.

In the 2024 Washington general rate case, the Company proposed changing the ERM so the entire mechanism would result in a 95 percent customer,5 percent company sharing basis. This request is pending WUTC approval.

Avista Utilities has a PCA mechanism in Idaho allowing for the modification of electric rates on October 1 of each year with IPUC approval. Under the PCA mechanism, Avista Utilities defers 90 percent of the difference between certain actual net power supply expenses and the amount included in base retail rates for its Idaho customers. The October 1 rate adjustments recover or rebate power costs deferred during the preceding July-June twelve-month period. Total net power supply costs deferred under the PCA mechanism were assets of $7.6 million as of December 31, 2023 and $16.3 million as of December 31, 2022. Deferred power cost assets represent amounts due from customers and liabilities represent amounts due to customers.

Natural Gas Cost Deferrals and Recovery Mechanisms

Avista Utilities files a PGA in all three states it serves to adjust natural gas rates for: 1) estimated commodity and pipeline transportation costs to serve natural gas customers for the coming year, and 2) the difference between actual and estimated commodity and transportation costs for the prior year. In Oregon, the Company absorbs (cost or benefit) 10 percent of the difference between actual and projected natural gas costs included in base retail rates for supply that is not hedged. Total net deferred natural gas costs were an asset of$51.4 million as of December 31, 2023 and$52.1 million as of December 31, 2022. Asset balances represent amounts due from customers and liabilities represent amounts due to customers.

Decoupling and Earnings Sharing Mechanisms

Decoupling (also known as an FCA in Idaho) is a mechanism designed to sever the link between a utility's revenues and consumers' energy usage. In each of Avista Utilities' jurisdictions, Avista Utilities' electric and natural gas revenues are adjusted so as to be based on the number of customers in certain customer rate classes and assumed “normal” kilowatt hour and therm sales, rather than being based on actual kilowatt hour and therm sales. The difference between revenues based on the number of customers and “normal” sales and revenues based on actual usage is deferred and either surcharged or rebated to customers beginning in the following year. Only residential and certain commercial customer classes are included in decoupling mechanisms.

Washington Decoupling and Earnings Sharing

In Washington, the WUTC approved the Company's decoupling mechanisms for electric and natural gas through March 31, 2025. In the Company's 2024 Washington general rate cases, it requested the mechanisms be extended through December 2026. That request is pending before the WUTC.

Electric and natural gas decoupling surcharge rate adjustments to customers are limited to a 3 percent increase on an annual basis, with remaining surcharge balance carried forward for recovery in a future period. There is no limit on the level of rebate rate adjustments. New customers added after a test period are not decoupled until included in a future test period.

The decoupling mechanisms each include an after-the-fact earnings test. At the end of each calendar year, separate electric and natural gas earnings calculations are made for the calendar year just ended. These earnings tests reflect actual decoupled revenues, normalized power supply costs and other normalizing adjustments. Through the 2022 general rate cases, the Company modified its earnings test so that if the Company earns more than 0.5 percent higher than the ROR authorized by the WUTC in the multi-year rate plan, the Company would defer these excess revenues and later return them to customers.

Idaho FCA and Earnings Sharing Mechanisms

In Idaho, the IPUC approved the implementation of FCAs for electric and natural gas through March 31, 2025.

Oregon Decoupling Mechanism

In Oregon, the Company has a decoupling mechanism for natural gas. An earnings review is conducted on an annual basis. In the annual earnings review, if the Company earns more than 100 basis points above its allowed ROE, one-third of the earnings above the 100 basis points would be deferred and later returned to customers. The earnings review is separate from the decoupling mechanism and was in place prior to decoupling.

Cumulative Decoupling and Earnings Sharing Mechanism Balances

As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had the following cumulative balances outstanding related to decoupling and earnings sharing mechanisms in its various jurisdictions (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 24. INFORMATIONBY BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The business segment presentation reflects the basis used by the Company's management to analyze performance and determine the allocation of resources. The Company's management evaluates performance based on income (loss) from operations before income taxes as well as net income (loss). The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies. Avista Utilities' business is managed based on the total regulated utility operation; therefore, it is consideredone segment. AEL&P is a separate reportable business segment as it has separate financial reports reviewed in detail by the Chief Operating Decision Maker and its operations and risks are sufficiently different from Avista Utilities and the other businesses at AERC that it cannot be aggregated with other operating segments. The Other category, which is not a reportable segment, includes other investments and operations of various subsidiaries, as well as certain other operations of Avista Capital.

The following table presents information for each of the Company’s business segments (dollars in thousands):

(1)

Intersegment eliminations reported as interest expense represent intercompany interest. Intersegment eliminations reported as assets represent intersegment accounts receivable.

(2)

Including interest expense to affiliated trusts.

(3)

The capital expenditures for the other businesses are included in other investing activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.