Business Segment Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Business Segment Information [Abstract]

BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION

NOTE 13. BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy)

Entergy’s reportable segments as of December 31, 2011 are Utility and Entergy Wholesale Commodities. Utility includes the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and natural gas utility service in portions of Louisiana. Entergy Wholesale Commodities includes the ownership and operation of six nuclear power plants located in the northern United States and the sale of the electric power produced by those plants to wholesale customers. Entergy Wholesale Commodities also includes the ownership of interests in non-nuclear power plants that sell the electric power produced by those plants to wholesale customers. “All Other” includes the parent company, Entergy Corporation, and other business activity, including the earnings on the proceeds of sales of previously-owned businesses.

Entergy’s segment financial information is as follows:

2011	Utility		Entergy Wholesale Commodities*		All Other			Eliminations			Consolidated
	(In Thousands)
Operating revenues	$	8,841,827	$	2,413,773	$	4,157		($	30,684	)	$	11,229,073
Deprec., amort. & decomm.	$	1,027,597	$	260,638	$	4,562		$	—		$	1,292,797
Interest and investment income	$	158,737	$	136,492	$	28,830		($	194,925	)	$	129,134
Interest expense	$	455,739	$	20,634	$	121,599		($	84,345	)	$	513,627
Income taxes	$	27,311	$	225,456	$	33,496		$	—		$	286,263
Consolidated net income (loss)	$	1,123,866	$	491,841	($	137,755	)	($	110,580	)	$	1,367,372
Total assets	$	32,734,549	$	10,533,080	($	507,860	)	($	2,058,070	)	$	40,701,699
Investment in affiliates - at equity	$	199	$	44,677	$	—		$	—		$	44,876
Cash paid for long-lived asset additions	$	2,351,913	$	1,048,146	($	402	)	$	—		$	3,399,657

2010	Utility		Entergy Wholesale Commodities*		All Other			Eliminations			Consolidated
	(In Thousands)
Operating revenues	$	8,941,332	$	2,566,156	$	7,442		($	27,353	)	$	11,487,577
Deprec., amort. & decomm.	$	1,006,385	$	270,658	$	4,587		$	—		$	1,281,630
Interest and investment income	$	182,493	$	171,158	$	44,757		($	212,953	)	$	185,455
Interest expense	$	493,241	$	71,817	$	129,505		($	119,396	)	$	575,167
Income taxes (benefits)	$	454,227	$	268,649	($	105,637	)	$	—		$	617,239
Consolidated net income	$	829,719	$	489,422	$	44,721		($	93,557	)	$	1,270,305
Total assets	$	31,080,240	$	10,102,817	($	714,968	)	($	1,782,813	)	$	38,685,276
Investment in affiliates - at equity	$	199	$	59,456	($	18,958	)	$	—		$	40,697
Cash paid for long-lived asset additions	$	1,766,609	$	687,313	$	75		$	—		$	2,453,997

2009	Utility		Entergy Wholesale Commodities*		All Other			Eliminations			Consolidated
	(In Thousands)
Operating revenues	$	8,055,353	$	2,711,078	$	5,682		($	26,463	)	$	10,745,650
Deprec., amort. & decomm.	$	1,025,922	$	251,147	$	4,769		$	—		$	1,281,838
Interest and investment income (loss)	$	180,505	$	196,492	($	10,470	)	($	129,899	)	$	236,628
Interest expense	$	462,206	$	78,278	$	86,420		($	56,460	)	$	570,444
Income taxes (benefits)	$	388,682	$	322,255	($	78,197	)	$	—		$	632,740
Consolidated net income (loss)	$	708,905	$	641,094	($	25,511	)	($	73,438	)	$	1,251,050
Total assets	$	29,892,088	$	11,134,791	($	646,756	)	($	2,818,170	)	$	37,561,953
Investment in affiliates - at equity	$	200	$	—	$	39,380		$	—		$	39,580
Cash paid for long-lived asset additions	$	1,872,997	$	661,596	($	5,874	)	$	—		$	2,528,719

Businesses marked with * are sometimes referred to as the “competitive businesses.” Eliminations are primarily intersegment activity. Almost all of Entergy’s goodwill is related to the Utility segment.

On April 5, 2010, Entergy announced that, effective immediately, it planned to unwind the business infrastructure associated with its proposed plan to spin-off its non-utility nuclear business. As a result of the plan to unwind the business infrastructure, Entergy recorded expenses in the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment. Other operating and maintenance expense includes the write-off of $64 million of capital costs, primarily for software that will not be utilized. Interest charges include the write-off of $39 million of debt financing costs, primarily incurred for the $1.2 billion credit facility related to the planned spin-off of Entergy’s non-utility nuclear business that will not be used. Approximately $16 million of other costs were incurred in 2010 in connection with unwinding the planned non-utility nuclear spin-off transaction.

Geographic Areas

For the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the amount of revenue Entergy derived from outside of the United States was insignificant. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, Entergy had no long-lived assets located outside of the United States.

Registrant Subsidiaries

Each of the Registrant Subsidiaries has one reportable segment, which is an integrated utility business, except for System Energy, which is an electricity generation business. Each of the Registrant Subsidiaries’ operations is managed on an integrated basis by that company because of the substantial effect of cost-based rates and regulatory oversight on the business process, cost structures, and operating results.