Property, Plant and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment

SCE's property, plant and equipment included in the consolidated balance sheets is composed of the following:

	December 31,
(in millions)	2019			2018
Distribution	$	26,929		$	25,026
Transmission	14,720			13,800
Generation	3,664			3,598
General plant and other	4,583			4,398
Accumulated depreciation	(9,958		)	(9,566		)
	39,938			37,256
Construction work in progress	4,131			3,883
Nuclear fuel, at amortized cost	129			130
Total utility property, plant and equipment	$	44,198		$	41,269

Capitalized Software Costs

SCE capitalizes costs incurred during the application development stage of internal use software projects to property, plant and equipment. SCE amortizes capitalized software costs ratably over the expected lives of the software, primarily ranging from 5 to 7 years and commencing upon operational use. Capitalized software costs, included in general plant and other above, were $1.0 billion and $1.0 billion at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and accumulated amortization was $0.4 billion and $0.5 billion, at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Amortization expense for capitalized software was $190 million, $198 million and $233 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. At December 31, 2019, amortization expense is estimated to be $191 million, $163 million, $116 million, $76 million and $27 million for 2020 through 2024, respectively.

Jointly Owned Utility Projects

SCE owns undivided interests in transmission and generating assets for which each participant provides its own financing. SCE's proportionate share of these assets is reflected in the consolidated balance sheets and included in the above table. SCE's proportionate share of expenses for each project is reflected in the consolidated statements of income.

The following is SCE's investment in each asset as of December 31, 2019:

(in millions)	Plant in Service		Construction Work in Progress		Accumulated Depreciation		Nuclear Fuel (at amortized cost)		Net Book Value		Ownership Interest
Transmission systems:
Eldorado	$	257	$	94	$	35	$	—	$	316	80	%
Pacific Intertie	248		80		72		—		256		50	%
Generating station:
Palo Verde (nuclear)	2,065		61		1,586		129		669		16	%
Total	$	2,570	$	235	$	1,693	$	129	$	1,241

In addition, SCE has ownership interests in jointly owned power poles with other companies.