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Long-Term Debt
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Long-Term Debt [Abstract] 
Long-Term Debt

NOTE 8. LONG-TERM DEBT

The following details long-term debt outstanding as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010 (dollars in thousands):

 

In October 2011, the Company entered into a bond purchase agreement with certain institutional investors in the private placement market for the purpose of issuing $85.0 million of 4.45 percent First Mortgage Bonds due in 2041. The new First Mortgage Bonds will be issued under and in accordance with the Mortgage and Deed of Trust, dated as of June 1, 1939, from the Company to Citibank, N.A., trustee, as amended and supplemented by various supplemental indentures and other instruments. The issuance of the bonds will occur at closing in December 2011. The total net proceeds from the sale of the new bonds will be used to repay a portion of the borrowings outstanding under the Company's $400.0 million committed line of credit.

 

Nonrecourse Long-Term Debt

Nonrecourse long-term debt (including current portion) represents the long-term debt of Spokane Energy. To provide funding to acquire a long-term fixed rate electric capacity contract from Avista Corp., Spokane Energy borrowed $145.0 million from a funding trust in December 1998. The long-term debt has scheduled monthly installments and interest at a fixed rate of 8.45 percent with the final payment due in January 2015. Spokane Energy bears full recourse risk for the debt, which is secured by the fixed rate electric capacity contract and $1.6 million of funds held in a trust account.