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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block] Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Organization
OG&E generates, transmits, distributes and sells electric energy in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Its operations are subject to regulation by the OCC, the APSC and the FERC. OG&E was incorporated in 1902 under the laws of the Oklahoma Territory. OG&E is the largest electric utility in Oklahoma, and its franchised service territory includes Fort Smith, Arkansas and the surrounding communities. OG&E sold its retail natural gas business in 1928 and is no longer engaged in the natural gas distribution business. OG&E is a wholly-owned subsidiary of OGE Energy, a holding company with investments in energy and energy services providers offering physical delivery and related services for both electricity and natural gas primarily in the south central U.S.
Use of EstimatesIn preparing the Financial Statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and contingent liabilities at the date of the Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Changes to these assumptions and estimates could have a material effect on OG&E's Financial Statements. However, OG&E believes it has taken reasonable positions where assumptions and estimates are used in order to minimize the negative financial impact to OG&E that could result if actual results vary from the assumptions and estimates. In management's opinion, the areas of OG&E where the most significant judgment is exercised include the determination of Pension Plan assumptions, income taxes, contingency reserves, asset retirement obligations, depreciable lives of property, plant and equipment, regulatory assets and liabilities and unbilled revenues.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
 
For purposes of the Financial Statements, OG&E considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. These investments are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.
Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
Customer balances are generally written off if not collected within six months after the final billing date. The allowance for uncollectible accounts receivable for OG&E is calculated by multiplying the last six months of electric revenue by the provision rate, which is based on a 12-month historical average of actual balances written off. To the extent the historical collection rates are not representative of future collections, there could be an effect on the amount of uncollectible expense recognized. Also, a portion of the uncollectible provision related to fuel within the Oklahoma jurisdiction is being recovered through the fuel adjustment clause. The allowance for uncollectible accounts receivable is a reduction to Accounts Receivable in the Balance Sheets and is included in Other Operation and Maintenance Expense in the Statements of Income. The allowance for uncollectible accounts receivable was $1.5 million and $1.7 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
New business customers are required to provide a security deposit in the form of cash, bond or irrevocable letter of credit that is refunded when the account is closed. New residential customers whose outside credit scores indicate an elevated risk are required to provide a security deposit that is refunded based on customer protection rules defined by the OCC and the
APSC. The payment behavior of all existing customers is continuously monitored, and, if the payment behavior indicates sufficient risk within the meaning of the applicable utility regulation, customers will be required to provide a security deposit.
Depreciation and Amortization
  
The provision for depreciation, which was 2.7 percent of the average depreciable utility plant for both 2019 and 2018, is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated service life of the utility assets. Depreciation is provided at the unit level for production plant and at the account or sub-account level for all other plant and is based on the average life group method. In 2020, the provision for depreciation is projected to be 2.7 percent of the average depreciable utility plant.

Amortization of intangible assets is calculated using the straight-line method. Of the remaining amortizable intangible plant balance at December 31, 2019, 98.9 percent will be amortized over 10.4 years with the remaining 1.1 percent of the intangible plant balance at December 31, 2019 being amortized over 23.7 years.  

Amortization of plant acquisition adjustments is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated remaining service life of the acquired assets. Plant acquisition adjustments include $148.3 million for the Redbud Plant, which is being amortized over a 27 year life and $3.3 million for certain transmission substation facilities in OG&E's service territory, which are being amortized over a 37 to 59 year period.
Allowance for Funds Used During Construction
 
Allowance for funds used during construction, a non-cash item, is reflected as an increase to Net Other Income and a reduction to Interest Expense in the Statements of Income and as an increase to Construction Work in Progress in the Balance Sheets. Allowance for funds used during construction is calculated according to the FERC requirements for the imputed cost of equity and borrowed funds. Allowance for funds used during construction rates, compounded semi-annually, were 7.6 percent, 7.6 percent and 8.2 percent for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. 
Collection of Sales Tax
 
In the normal course of its operations, OG&E collects sales tax from its customers. OG&E records a current liability for sales taxes when it bills its customers and eliminates this liability when the taxes are remitted to the appropriate governmental authorities. OG&E excludes the sales tax collected from its operating revenues.
Revenue Recognition

General

OG&E recognizes revenue from electric sales when power is delivered to customers. The performance obligation to deliver electricity is generally created and satisfied simultaneously, and the provisions of the regulatory-approved tariff determine the charges OG&E may bill the customer, payment due date and other pertinent rights and obligations of both parties. OG&E reads its customers' meters and sends bills to its customers throughout each month. As a result, there is a significant amount of customers' electricity consumption that has not been billed at the end of each month. OG&E accrues an estimate of the revenues for electric sales delivered since the latest billings. Unbilled revenue is presented in Accrued Unbilled Revenues in the Balance Sheets and in Revenues from Contracts with Customers in the Statements of Income based on estimates of usage and prices during the period. The estimates that management uses in this calculation could vary from the actual amounts to be paid by customers.

Integrated Market and Transmission

OG&E currently owns and operates transmission and generation facilities as part of a vertically integrated utility. OG&E is a member of the SPP regional transmission organization and has transferred operational authority, but not ownership, of OG&E's transmission facilities to the SPP. The SPP has implemented FERC-approved regional day-ahead and real-time markets for energy and operating services, as well as associated transmission congestion rights. Collectively the three markets operate together under the global name, SPP Integrated Marketplace. OG&E represents owned and contracted generation assets and customer load in the SPP Integrated Marketplace for the sole benefit of its customers. OG&E has not participated in the SPP Integrated Marketplace for any speculative trading activities.

OG&E records the SPP Integrated Marketplace transactions as sales or purchases per FERC Order 668, which requires that purchases and sales be recorded on a net basis for each settlement period of the SPP Integrated Marketplace. Purchases and sales are based on the fixed transaction price determined by the market at the time of the purchase or sale and the MWh quantity purchased or sold. These results are reported as Revenues from Contracts with Customers or Cost of Sales in the Financial Statements. OG&E revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities may be adversely affected by changes in the organization, operating and regulation by the FERC or the SPP.

OG&E's transmission revenues are generated by the use of OG&E's transmission network by the SPP, which operates the network, on behalf of other transmission owners. OG&E recognizes revenue on the sale of transmission service to its customers over time as the service is provided in the amount OG&E has a right to invoice. Transmission service to the SPP is billed monthly based on a fixed transaction price determined by OG&E's FERC-approved formula transmission rates along with other SPP-specific charges and the megawatt quantity reserved.
Other Revenues

Revenues from Alternative Revenue Programs

Other Revenues in the Statements of Income is comprised of certain rider revenue that includes alternative revenue measures as defined in ASC 980, "Regulated Operations," which details two types of alternative revenue programs. The first type adjusts billings for the effects of weather abnormalities or broad external factors or to compensate OG&E for demand-side management initiatives (i.e., no-growth plans and similar conservation efforts). The second type provides for additional billings (i.e., incentive awards) for the achievement of certain objectives, such as reducing costs, reaching specified milestones or demonstratively improving customer service. Once the specific events permitting billing of the additional revenues under either program type have been completed, OG&E recognizes the additional revenues if (i) the program is established by an order from OG&E's regulatory commission that allows for automatic adjustment of future rates; (ii) the amount of additional revenues for the period is objectively determinable and is probable of recovery; and (iii) the additional revenues will be collected within 24 months following the end of the annual period in which they are recognized.
Fuel Adjustment Clauses
 
The actual cost of fuel used in electric generation and certain purchased power costs are passed through to OG&E's customers through fuel adjustment clauses. The fuel adjustment clauses are subject to periodic review by the OCC and the APSC.
Leases

OG&E evaluates all contracts under ASC 842 to determine if the contract is or contains a lease and to determine classification as an operating or finance lease. If a lease is identified, OG&E recognizes a right-of-use asset and a lease liability in its Balance Sheets. OG&E recognizes and measures a lease liability when it concludes the contract contains an identified asset that OG&E controls through having the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits and the right to direct the use of the identified asset. The liability is equal to the present value of lease payments, and the asset is based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs. Further, OG&E utilizes an incremental borrowing rate for purposes of measuring lease liabilities, if the discount rate is not implicit in the lease. To calculate the incremental borrowing rate, OG&E starts with a current pricing report for OG&E's senior unsecured notes, which indicates rates for periods reflective of the lease term, and adjusts for the effects of collateral to arrive at the secured incremental borrowing rate. As permitted by ASC 842, OG&E made an accounting policy election to not apply the balance sheet recognition requirements to short-term leases and to not separate lease components from nonlease components when recognizing and measuring lease liabilities. For income statement purposes, OG&E records operating lease expense on a straight-line basis.
Income TaxesOG&E is a member of an affiliated group that files consolidated income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. Income taxes are generally allocated to each company in the affiliated group based on its stand-alone taxable income or loss. Federal investment tax credits previously claimed on electric utility property have been deferred and will be amortized to income over the life of the related property. OG&E uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, a deferred tax asset or liability is recognized for the estimated future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities as well as tax credit carry forwards and net operating loss carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period of the change. OG&E recognizes interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in Interest Expense and recognizes penalties in Other Expense in the Statements of Income.
Accrued Vacation
 
OG&E accrues vacation pay monthly by establishing a liability for vacation earned. Vacation may be taken as earned and is charged against the liability. At the end of each year, the liability represents the amount of vacation earned but not taken.