XML 37 R23.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.1
REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA
 6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA
14. REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA

The Company organizes its businesses based on a combination of factors, including its products and its regulatory environment. As a result, the Company manages its businesses through the following reporting segments and other operations: the Natural Gas Distribution segment consists of regulated energy and off-system, capacity and storage management operations; the Clean Energy Ventures segment consists of capital investments in clean energy projects; the Energy Services segment consists of unregulated wholesale and retail energy operations; the Storage and Transportation segment consists of the Company’s investments in natural gas transportation and storage facilities; the Home Services and Other operations consist of heating, cooling and water appliance sales, installations and services, other investments and general corporate activities.

Information related to the Company's various reporting segments and other operations is detailed below:
Three Months EndedSix Months Ended
March 31,March 31,
(Thousands)2022202120222021
Operating revenues
Natural Gas Distribution
External customers$463,474 $310,167 $737,909 $505,896 
Intercompany338 — 675 — 
Clean Energy Ventures
External customers11,827 6,476 22,010 12,846 
Energy Services
External customers (1)
411,069 459,766 776,857 687,115 
Intercompany1,576 2,803 5,032 4,931 
Storage and Transportation
External customers12,805 13,257 24,389 25,704 
Intercompany537 669 1,096 1,326 
Subtotal901,626 793,138 1,567,968 1,237,818 
Home Services and Other
External customers13,141 12,521 26,993 24,931 
Intercompany81 252 180 419 
Eliminations(2,532)(3,724)(6,983)(6,676)
Total$912,316 $802,187 $1,588,158 $1,256,492 
Depreciation and amortization
Natural Gas Distribution$23,344 $19,475 $46,237 $38,644 
Clean Energy Ventures5,311 4,685 10,544 10,118 
Energy Services (2)
32 13 60 55 
Storage and Transportation2,571 2,364 4,704 5,004 
Subtotal31,258 26,537 61,545 53,821 
Home Services and Other203 227 407 487 
Eliminations(26)84 (124)(98)
Total$31,435 $26,848 $61,828 $54,210 
Interest income (3)
Natural Gas Distribution$191 $76 $384 $158 
Clean Energy Ventures— 240 — 240 
Storage and Transportation381 851 758 1,545 
Subtotal572 1,167 1,142 1,943 
Home Services and Other147 127 302 259 
Eliminations(231)(237)(455)(476)
Total$488 $1,057 $989 $1,726 
(1)Includes sales to Canada for the Energy Services segment, which are immaterial.
(2)The amortization of acquired wholesale energy contracts is excluded above and is included in natural gas purchases - nonutility on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(3)Included in other income, net on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Three Months EndedSix Months Ended
March 31,March 31,
(Thousands)2022202120222021
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest
Natural Gas Distribution$10,764 $9,006 $21,759 $17,980 
Clean Energy Ventures5,395 5,266 10,822 10,300 
Energy Services795 575 1,470 1,255 
Storage and Transportation1,847 3,578 3,983 7,560 
Subtotal18,801 18,425 38,034 37,095 
Home Services and Other125 1,728 369 2,844 
Total$18,926 $20,153 $38,403 $39,939 
Income tax provision (benefit)
Natural Gas Distribution$29,689 $15,622 $42,893 $23,989 
Clean Energy Ventures(1,952)(2,714)(3,998)(5,800)
Energy Services(790)23,128 19,715 35,250 
Storage and Transportation714 873 1,057 1,519 
Subtotal27,661 36,909 59,667 54,958 
Home Services and Other256 (59)502 59 
Eliminations893 2,207 (552)1,481 
Total$28,810 $39,057 $59,617 $56,498 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
Storage and Transportation$1,256 $3,386 $2,312 $6,579 
Eliminations(487)(582)(968)(1,100)
Total$769 $2,804 $1,344 $5,479 
Net financial earnings (loss)
Natural Gas Distribution$102,783 $80,541 $153,863 $130,008 
Clean Energy Ventures(6,491)(8,872)(13,312)(19,146)
Energy Services29,940 96,528 47,507 98,028 
Storage and Transportation4,625 4,711 7,587 8,219 
Subtotal130,857 172,908 195,645 217,109 
Home Services and Other451 747 898 685 
Eliminations(1,102)(3,051)(567)(2,533)
Total$130,206 $170,604 $195,976 $215,261 
Capital expenditures
Natural Gas Distribution$52,000 $97,239 $125,464 $176,485 
Clean Energy Ventures41,176 18,549 66,556 40,884 
Storage and Transportation43,673 20,094 109,048 27,707 
Subtotal136,849 135,882 301,068 245,076 
Home Services and Other163 125 242 811 
Total$137,012 $136,007 $301,310 $245,887 
Investments in (return of capital from) equity investees
Storage and Transportation$(4,000)$196 $(4,000)$482 
Total$(4,000)$196 $(4,000)$482 
The Company's assets for the various reporting segments and business operations are detailed below:
(Thousands)March 31,
2022		September 30,
2021
Assets at end of period:
Natural Gas Distribution$3,844,036 $3,707,461 
Clean Energy Ventures970,599 914,788 
Energy Services248,112 365,423 
Storage and Transportation965,615 862,407 
Subtotal6,028,362 5,850,079 
Home Services and Other136,300 162,134 
Intercompany assets (1)
(294,658)(289,935)
Total$5,870,004 $5,722,278 
(1)Consists of transactions between subsidiaries that are eliminated and reclassified in consolidation.

The Chief Executive Officer, who uses NFE as a measure of profit or loss in measuring the results of the Company's reporting segments and operations, is the chief operating decision maker of the Company. A reconciliation of consolidated NFE to consolidated net income is as follows:
Three Months EndedSix Months Ended
March 31,March 31,
(Thousands)2022202120222021
Net financial earnings$130,206 $170,604 $195,976 $215,261 
Less:
Unrealized loss (gain) on derivative instruments and related transactions42,022 29,255 (40,169)(8,235)
Tax effect(9,980)(6,954)9,556 1,958 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory1,155 (7,209)24,732 (14,741)
Tax effect(274)1,713 (5,877)3,503 
NFE tax adjustment1,248 3,990 387 1,922 
Net income$96,035 $149,809 $207,347 $230,854 

The Company uses derivative instruments as economic hedges of purchases and sales of physical natural gas inventory. For GAAP purposes, these derivatives are recorded at fair value and related changes in fair value are included in reported earnings. Revenues and cost of natural gas related to physical natural gas flow are recognized when the natural gas is delivered to customers. Consequently, there is a mismatch in the timing of earnings recognition between the economic hedges and physical natural gas flows. Timing differences occur in two ways:

•unrealized gains and losses on derivatives are recognized in reported earnings in periods prior to physical natural gas inventory flows; and

•unrealized gains and losses of prior periods are reclassified as realized gains and losses when derivatives are settled in the same period as physical natural gas inventory movements occur.

NFE is a measure of the earnings based on eliminating these timing differences, to effectively match the earnings effects of the economic hedges with the physical sale of natural gas, SRECs and foreign currency contracts. Consequently, to reconcile between net income and NFE, current period unrealized gains and losses on the derivatives are excluded from NFE as a reconciling item. Realized derivative gains and losses are also included in current period net income. However, NFE includes only realized gains and losses related to natural gas sold out of inventory, effectively matching the full earnings effects of the derivatives with realized margins on physical natural gas flows. NFE also excludes impairment charges associated with equity method investments, which are non-cash charges considered unusual in nature that occur infrequently and are not indicative of the Company's performance for its ongoing operations. Included in the tax effects are current and deferred income tax expense corresponding with the components of NFE. The Company also calculates a quarterly tax adjustment based on an estimated annual effective tax rate for NFE purposes.