PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Consolidation

Basis of Consolidation

We are a taxable wholesale electric power generation and transmission cooperative operating on a not-for-profit basis serving large portions of Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Colorado in 1952. We have three classes of membership: Class A - utility full requirements members, Class B - utility partial requirements members, and non-utility members. We have forty-one electric distribution member systems who are Class A members to which we provided electric power pursuant to long-term wholesale electric service contracts. We currently have no Class B members. We have three non-utility members (“Non-Utility Members”). Our Class A members and any Class B members are collectively referred to as our “Utility Members.” Our Class A members, any Class B members, and Non-Utility Members are collectively referred to as our “Members.” Our rates are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”). On December 23, 2019, our stated rate (A-40) to our Class A members was filed at FERC and was accepted by FERC on March 20, 2020. On August 2, 2021, FERC approved our settlement agreement related to our stated rate to our Class A members. On July 30, 2024, FERC issued an order accepting our A-41 formula rate to our Class A members, effective August 1, 2024, subject to refund. FERC further set our A-41 rate filing for settlement and hearing procedures and confirmed our accounting treatment, including amortization, and creation of regulatory assets for Escalante Generating Station, Rifle Generating Station, Craig Generating Station Units 2 and 3 and the New Horizon Mine environmental obligation. However, FERC did not currently authorize us to recover the regulatory assets that represent acquisition costs/goodwill for J.M Shafer Generating Station and Colowyo Coal Company LP (“Colowyo Coal”), with an aggregate balance of $68.9 million as of June 30, 2024. These costs were on our books prior to us becoming subject to FERC's jurisdiction. FERC stated in its order accepting our A-41 rate schedule that we did not request express authorization to recover acquisition costs including goodwill in our rates. We are evaluating next steps regarding these costs.

The accompanying financial statements reflect the consolidated accounts of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (“Tri-State”, “we”, “our”, “us” or “the Association”), our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, and certain variable interest entities for which we or our subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries. See Note 17 – Variable Interest

Entities. Our consolidated financial statements also include our undivided interests in jointly owned facilities. We have eliminated all intercompany balances and transactions in consolidation.

Basis of Accounting

We comply with the Uniform System of Accounts as prescribed by FERC. In conformity with GAAP, the accounting policies and practices applied by us in the determination of rates are also employed for financial reporting purposes.

Accounting Pronouncement - Not Yet Adopted

Accounting Pronouncement - Not Yet Adopted

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-09 – Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The purpose of ASU 2023-09 is to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures by providing additional information related to the following:

(1) Rate reconciliation: ASU 2023-09 requires a tabular rate reconciliation using both percentages and dollar amounts of the reported income tax expense (or benefit) from continuing operations to the product of income (or loss) from continuing operating before income taxes and the applicable statutory federal income tax rate of the county of domicile using specific categories. The following specific categories are required to be disclosed in the rate reconciliation; state and local income tax (qualitative disclosure required for states that make up over 50% of this category), foreign tax effect, effect of changes in tax laws or rates enacted in the current period, effect of cross-border tax laws, tax credits, changes in valuation allowances, nontaxable or nondeductible items, changes in unrecognized tax benefits, and any other item that meets the 5 percent threshold.

(2) Income taxes paid: ASU 2023-09 requires all reporting entities to disclose the year-to-date amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received) disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign jurisdictions. It also requires additional disaggregation of income taxes paid to an individual jurisdiction equal to or greater than 5 percent of total income taxes paid (net of refunds). Entities are required to disclose pre-tax income (or loss) from continuing operations disaggregated by domestic and foreign along with income tax expense (or benefit) disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign components.

ASU 2023-09 is effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption and retrospective or prospective application permitted. We have evaluated the impact of ASU 2023-09 and believe that the adoption of this update will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statement disclosures.