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Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
 
The Company provides a qualified, defined-benefit, non-contributory pension plan for substantially all employees. The Company makes annual contributions to fund the amounts accrued for in the qualified pension plan. The Company also maintains an unfunded, non-qualified, supplemental executive retirement plan. The costs of the plans are charged to expense or are capitalized in utility plant as appropriate.
 
The Company offers medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits for retirees and their spouses and dependents. Participants are required to pay a premium, which offsets a portion of the cost.
 
Cash contributions by the Company related to pension plans were $22.7 million and $14.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, respectively. Cash contributions by the Company related to other postretirement benefit plans were $7.5 million and $2.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, respectively. The 2015 estimated cash contribution to the pension plans is $31.2 million and to the other postretirement benefit plans is $15.0 million.
 
The following table lists components of net periodic benefit costs for the pension plans and other postretirement benefits. The data listed under “pension plan” includes the qualified pension plan and the non-qualified supplemental executive retirement plan. The data listed under “other benefits” is for all other postretirement benefits.
 
 
Three Months Ended September 30
 
Pension Plan
 
Other Benefits
 
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Service cost
$
4,715

 
$
3,539

 
$
3,043

 
$
1,398

Interest cost
5,072

 
4,737

 
2,101

 
1,321

Expected return on plan assets
(4,770
)
 
(4,091
)
 
(908
)
 
(832
)
Amortization of prior service cost
1,502

 
1,527

 
12

 
11

Recognized net actuarial loss
2,308

 
1,002

 
2,182

 
656

Net periodic benefit cost
$
8,827

 
$
6,714

 
$
6,430

 
$
2,554

 
 
Nine Months Ended September 30
 
Pension Plan
 
Other Benefits
 
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Service cost
$
15,980

 
$
11,973

 
$
8,044

 
$
4,637

Interest cost
15,078

 
14,190

 
5,328

 
3,995

Expected return on plan assets
(14,354
)
 
(12,449
)
 
(2,660
)
 
(2,339
)
Amortization of prior service cost
4,506

 
4,547

 
34

 
33

Recognized net actuarial loss
7,108

 
3,008

 
5,099

 
2,206

Net periodic benefit cost
$
28,318

 
$
21,269

 
$
15,845

 
$
8,532