Significant Accounting Policies and New Accounting Pronouncements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies and New Accounting Pronouncements

Significant Accounting Policies and New Accounting Pronouncements

The new accounting pronouncements that we have adopted as of January 1, 2020, and reflected in our condensed consolidated financial statements are described below. There have been no other material changes to the significant accounting policies described in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, except for those described below resulting from the adoption of new authoritative accounting guidance issued by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

Goodwill

Goodwill represents future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized. Goodwill is initially measured at cost, being the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred, the fair value of any noncontrolling interest and the acquisition date fair value of any previously held equity interest in the acquiree over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

Goodwill is not amortized, but is subject to an assessment for impairment performed in the fourth quarter or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment and is the level at which we test goodwill for impairment. In assessing goodwill for impairment, we have the option of first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether a quantitative assessment is necessary. If we determine, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit is more likely than not greater than the carrying amount, no further testing is required. If we bypass the qualitative assessment, or perform the qualitative assessment but determine that it is more likely than not that its fair value is

less than its carrying amount, we perform a quantitative test to compare the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we record an impairment loss as a reduction to goodwill and a charge to operating expenses, but the loss recognized would not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.

Accounts receivable and unbilled revenue, net

We record accounts receivable at amounts billed to customers and we record unbilled revenues based on an estimate of energy delivered or services provided to customers. Certain accounts receivable and payable related to our wholesale activities associated with generation and delivery of electric energy and associated environmental attributes, origination and marketing, natural gas storage, hub services, and energy management, are subject to master netting agreements with counterparties, whereby we have the legal right to offset the balances and they are settled on a net basis. We present receivables and payables subject to such agreements on a net basis on our consolidated balance sheets.

Accounts receivable include amounts due under Deferred Payment Arrangements (DPAs). A DPA allows the account balance to be paid in installments over an extended period without interest, which generally exceeds one year, by negotiating mutually acceptable payment terms. The utility companies generally must continue to serve a customer who cannot pay an account balance in full if the customer (i) pays a reasonable portion of the balance; (ii) agrees to pay the balance in installments; and (iii) agrees to pay future bills within 30 days until the DPA is paid in full. Failure to make payments on a DPA results in the full amount of a receivable under a DPA being due. These accounts are part of the regular operating cycle and are classified as short term.

We establish our allowance for credit losses, including for unbilled revenue, by using both historical average loss percentages to project future losses, and by establishing a specific allowance for known credit issues or for specific items not considered in the historical average calculation. Due to our adoption of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 326 effective January 1, 2020, we now also consider whether we need to adjust historical loss rates to reflect the effects of current conditions and forecasted changes considering various economic indicators (e.g., Gross Domestic Product, Personal Income, Consumer Price Index, Unemployment Rate) over the contractual life of the accounts receivable. We write off amounts when we have exhausted reasonable collection efforts.

Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

(a) Measurement of credit losses on financial instruments, amendments and updates

The FASB issued an accounting standards update in June 2016 that requires more timely recording of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments (ASC 326). The amendments affect entities that hold financial assets and net investment in leases that are not accounted for at fair value through net income (loans, debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off-balance-sheet credit exposures, etc.). They require an entity to present a financial asset (or group of financial assets) that is measured at amortized cost basis at the net amount expected to be collected. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset(s) to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected on the financial asset. The income statement reflects the measurement of credit losses for newly recognized financial assets, as well as the expected increases or decreases of expected credit losses that have taken place during the period. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. An entity must use judgment in determining the relevant information and estimation methods appropriate in its circumstances. The FASB subsequently issued various updates to ASC 326 to clarify transition and scope requirements, make narrow-scope codification improvements, including in March 2020, and corrections and provide targeted transition relief. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, including the narrow-scope improvements issued in March 2020, and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $1 million to retained earnings at the beginning of the period of adoption, with no material effect to our condensed consolidated results of operations, financial position, cash flows and disclosures.

(b) Simplifying the test for goodwill impairment

In January 2017, the FASB issued amendments to simplify the test for goodwill impairment, which are required for public entities and certain other entities that have goodwill reported in their financial statements. The amendments simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test, which requires the valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed using business combination accounting guidance. Under the new guidance, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; but the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Also, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax-deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. Certain requirements are eliminated for any reporting unit with a

zero or negative carrying amount; therefore, the same impairment assessment applies to all reporting units. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, with no material effect to our condensed consolidated results of operations, financial position, cash flows and disclosures. As required, we will apply the amendments on a prospective basis.

(c) Changes to the disclosure requirements for fair value measurement and defined benefit plans

In August 2018, the FASB issued amendments related to disclosure requirements for both fair value measurement and defined benefit plans.

The amendments concerning fair value measurement remove, modify and add certain disclosure requirements in order to improve the overall usefulness of the disclosures and reduce unnecessary costs to companies to prepare the disclosures. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, with no material effect to our disclosures. Certain amendments are to be applied prospectively, and all others are to be applied retrospectively.

The amendments concerning disclosure requirements for defined benefit plans are narrow in scope and apply to all employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans. The amendments change annual disclosures requirements, including removal of disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial, adding certain new relevant disclosures and clarifying specific requirements of disclosures concerning information for defined benefit pension plans. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, and they will not materially affect the disclosures for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. As required, our application will be on a retrospective basis.

(d) Targeted improvements to related party guidance for VIEs

In October 2018, the FASB issued amendments that affect reporting entities that are required to determine whether they should consolidate a legal entity under the consolidation guidance applicable to VIEs. The targeted improvements specifically applicable to public business entities clarify that indirect interests held through related parties in common control arrangements should be considered on a proportional basis for determining whether fees paid to decision makers and service providers are variable interests. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, with no material effect to our condensed consolidated results of operations, financial position, cash flows and disclosures.

(e) Clarifying guidance for certain collaborative arrangements with respect to revenue recognition

The FASB issued amendments in November 2018 to clarify the interaction between the guidance for certain collaborative arrangements and the guidance applicable to ASC 606. A collaborative arrangement is a contractual arrangement under which two or more parties actively participate in a joint operating activity and are exposed to significant risks and rewards that depend on the activity’s commercial success. The targeted improvements clarify that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants are within the scope of ASC 606 and thus subject to all of its guidance. We adopted the amendments effective January 1, 2020, with no material effect to our condensed consolidated results of operations, financial position, cash flows and disclosures. As required, we retrospectively applied the amendments to the date of our initial application of ASC 606.

Accounting Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

The following are new accounting pronouncements not yet adopted, including those issued since December 31, 2019, that we have evaluated or are evaluating to determine their effect on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

(a) Simplifying the accounting for income taxes

In December 2019, the FASB issued an accounting standards update that is intended to reduce complexity in accounting for income taxes. The amendments remove specific exceptions to the general principles in ASC 740, Income Taxes, eliminating the need for an entity to analyze whether the following apply in a given period: (1) exception to the incremental approach for intra-period tax allocation; (2) exceptions to accounting for basis differences in equity method investments when there are ownership changes in foreign investments; and (3) exception in interim period income tax accounting for year-to-date losses that exceed anticipated losses. The amendments also improve financial statement preparers’ application of income-tax related guidance and simplify U. S. GAAP for: (1) franchise taxes that are partially based on income; (2) transactions with a government that result in a step up in the tax basis of goodwill; (3) separate financial statements of legal entities that are not subject to tax; and (4) enacted changes in tax laws in interim periods. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period for which financial statements have not been issued, with adoption of all amendments in the same period. Application is on a retrospective and/or modified retrospective basis, or a prospective basis, depending on the amendment aspect. We expect our adoption will not materially affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

(b) Facilitation of the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting

In March 2020, the FASB issued amendments to provide temporary optional guidance to entities to ease the potential burden in accounting for, or recognizing the effects of, reference rate reform on financial reporting. The amendments respond to concerns about structural risks of interbank offered rates, and particularly, the risk of cessation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The guidance is elective and applies to all entities, subject to meeting certain criteria, that have contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform, around the end of 2021. The guidance applies to contracts that have modified terms that affect, or have the potential to affect, the amount or timing of contractual cash flows resulting from the discontinuance of the reference rate reform. The amendments are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020, through December 31, 2022, although the FASB has indicated it will monitor developments in the marketplace and consider whether developments warrant an extension. We expect our adoption will not materially affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.