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Organization and Basis of Presentation
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Basis of Presentation ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Corporate Structure
DTE Energy owns the following businesses:
•DTE Electric is a public utility engaged in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity to approximately 2.3 million customers in southeastern Michigan;
•DTE Gas is a public utility engaged in the purchase, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of natural gas to approximately 1.3 million customers throughout Michigan and the sale of storage and transportation capacity; and
•Other businesses include (1) DTE Vantage, formerly DTE Energy's Power and Industrial Projects segment, which is primarily involved in providing industrial energy services, reduced emissions fuel projects, and renewable natural gas projects, and 2) energy marketing and trading operations.
DTE Electric and DTE Gas are regulated by the MPSC. Certain activities of DTE Electric and DTE Gas, as well as various other aspects of businesses under DTE Energy, are regulated by the FERC. In addition, the Registrants are regulated by other federal and state regulatory agencies including the NRC, the EPA, EGLE, and for DTE Energy, the CFTC and CARB.
Basis of Presentation
The Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Combined Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the combined DTE Energy and DTE Electric 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements of the Registrants are prepared using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These accounting principles require management to use estimates and assumptions that impact reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from the Registrants' estimates.
The Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited but, in the Registrants' opinions, include all adjustments necessary to present a fair statement of the results for the interim periods. All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature, except as otherwise disclosed in these Consolidated Financial Statements and Combined Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Financial results for this interim period are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.
The information in these combined notes relates to each of the Registrants as noted in the Index of Combined Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. However, DTE Electric does not make any representation as to information related solely to DTE Energy or the subsidiaries of DTE Energy other than itself.
Certain prior year balances for DTE Electric were reclassified to match the current year's Consolidated Financial Statements presentation.
Separation of DT Midstream
On July 1, 2021, DTE Energy completed the previously announced separation of its natural gas pipeline, storage and gathering non-utility business. Effective with the separation, DTE retains no ownership in the new company, DT Midstream, which was formerly comprised of DTE Energy's Gas Storage and Pipelines segment and also included certain DTE Energy holding company activity within the Corporate and Other segment. Gas Storage and Pipelines is no longer a reportable segment of DTE Energy, and financial results of DT Midstream are presented as Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes on DTE Energy's Consolidated Statements of Operations. Assets and liabilities of DT Midstream are also presented as discontinued operations on DTE Energy's Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Prior periods have been recast to reflect this presentation.
No adjustments were made to the historical activity within the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, or the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity. Unless noted otherwise, discussion in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements relate to continuing operations. Refer to Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Dispositions and Impairments,” for additional information regarding the separation of DT Midstream and discontinued operations.
Principles of Consolidation
The Registrants consolidate all majority-owned subsidiaries and investments in entities in which they have controlling influence. Non-majority owned investments are accounted for using the equity method when the Registrants are able to significantly influence the operating policies of the investee. When the Registrants do not influence the operating policies of an investee, the equity investment is valued at cost minus any impairments, if applicable. These Consolidated Financial Statements also reflect the Registrants' proportionate interests in certain jointly-owned utility plants. The Registrants eliminate all intercompany balances and transactions.
The Registrants evaluate whether an entity is a VIE whenever reconsideration events occur. The Registrants consolidate VIEs for which they are the primary beneficiary. If a Registrant is not the primary beneficiary and an ownership interest is held, the VIE is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. When assessing the determination of the primary beneficiary, a Registrant considers all relevant facts and circumstances, including: the power, through voting or similar rights, to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and the obligation to absorb the expected losses and/or the right to receive the expected returns of the VIE. The Registrants perform ongoing reassessments of all VIEs to determine if the primary beneficiary status has changed.
During the third quarter of 2021, the Registrants performed reassessments of certain VIEs owned by DT Midstream. Upon the separation of DT Midstream, DTE Energy no longer owns any interest in SGG, owner and operator of certain midstream natural gas assets. Therefore, SGG has been removed from the amounts for DTE Energy's consolidated VIEs in the table below. Additionally, as a result of the separation of DT Midstream, DTE Energy no longer has an equity interest in NEXUS, owner of a 256-mile pipeline which transports shale gas to Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario market centers. DTE Energy has removed its equity investment in NEXUS from the amounts for its non-consolidated VIEs. The Registrants maintain a variable interest in NEXUS relating to DTE Electric's transportation services contract. Assets, liabilities, and earnings related to SGG and NEXUS are included in discontinued operations in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Legal entities within the DTE Vantage segment enter into long-term contractual arrangements with customers to supply energy-related products or services. The entities are generally designed to pass-through the commodity risk associated with these contracts to the customers, with DTE Energy retaining operational and customer default risk. These entities generally are VIEs and consolidated when DTE Energy is the primary beneficiary. In addition, DTE Energy has interests in certain VIEs through which control of all significant activities is shared with partners, and therefore are generally accounted for under the equity method.
The Registrants hold ownership interests in certain limited partnerships. The limited partnerships include investment funds which support regional development and economic growth, and an operational business providing energy-related products. These entities are generally VIEs as a result of certain characteristics of the limited partnership voting rights. The ownership interests are accounted for under the equity method as the Registrants are not the primary beneficiaries.
DTE Energy has variable interests in VIEs through certain of its long-term purchase and sale contracts. DTE Electric has variable interests in VIEs through certain of its long-term purchase contracts. As of September 30, 2021, the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in DTE Energy's Consolidated Statements of Financial Position that relate to its variable interests under long-term purchase and sale contracts are predominantly related to working capital accounts and generally represent the amounts owed by or to DTE Energy for the deliveries associated with the current billing cycle under the contracts. As of September 30, 2021, the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in DTE Electric's Consolidated Statements of Financial Position that relate to its variable interests under long-term purchase contracts are predominantly related to working capital accounts and generally represent the amounts owed by DTE Electric for the deliveries associated with the current billing cycle under the contracts. The Registrants have not provided any significant form of financial support associated with these long-term contracts. There is no material potential exposure to loss as a result of DTE Energy's variable interests through these long-term purchase and sale contracts. In addition, there is no material potential exposure to loss as a result of DTE Electric's variable interests through these long-term purchase contracts.
The maximum risk exposure for consolidated VIEs is reflected on the Registrants' Consolidated Statements of Financial Position and, for DTE Energy, in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, "Commitments and Contingencies," related to REF guarantees and indemnities. For non-consolidated VIEs, the maximum risk exposure of the Registrants is generally limited to their investment, notes receivable, future funding commitments, and amounts which DTE Energy has guaranteed.
The following table summarizes the major Consolidated Statements of Financial Position items for consolidated VIEs as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. All assets and liabilities of a consolidated VIE are presented where it has been determined that a consolidated VIE has either (1) assets that can be used only to settle obligations of the VIE or (2) liabilities for which creditors do not have recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary. VIEs, in which DTE Energy holds a majority voting interest and is the primary beneficiary, that meet the definition of a business and whose assets can be used for purposes other than the settlement of the VIE's obligations have been excluded from the table below.
Amounts for DTE Energy's consolidated VIEs are as follows:
September 30, 2021December 31, 2020
(In millions)
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents$23 $20 
Accounts receivable26 28 
Inventories45 107 
Property, plant, and equipment, net5 14 
Notes receivable and other67 33 
$166 $202 
LIABILITIES
Accounts payable$21 $22 
Short-term borrowings74 38 
Other current and long-term liabilities2 4 
$97 $64 
Amounts for DTE Energy's non-consolidated VIEs are as follows:
September 30, 2021December 31, 2020
(In millions)
Investments in equity method investees$170 $159 
Notes receivable$16 $21 
Future funding commitments$3 $6