UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012
-OR-
¨ | TRANSITION REPORT FILED PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 1-12291
The AES Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 54 1163725 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
4300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia |
22203 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (703) 522-1315
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | |
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | New York Stock Exchange | |
AES Trust III, $3.375 Trust Convertible Preferred Securities | New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 (d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer x |
Accelerated filer | ¨ | Non-accelerated filer ¨ |
Smaller reporting company ¨ | ||||||||
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(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
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Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates on June 29, 2012, the last business day of the Registrants most recently completed second fiscal quarter (based on the closing sale price of $12.73 of the Registrants Common Stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on such date) was approximately $7.94 billion.
The number of shares outstanding of the Registrants Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, on February 20, 2013, was 745,763,563.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of Registrants Proxy Statement for its 2013 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference in Parts II and III
THE AES CORPORATION
FISCAL YEAR 2012 FORM 10-K
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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers |
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE |
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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
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In this Annual Report the terms AES, the Company, us, or we refer to The AES Corporation and all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, collectively. The term The AES Corporation and Parent Company refers only to the parent, publicly-held holding company, The AES Corporation, excluding its subsidiaries and affiliates.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
In this filing we make statements concerning our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, and future events or performance. Such statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements and the underlying assumptions are reasonable, we cannot assure you that they will prove to be correct.
Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. Some of those factors (in addition to others described elsewhere in this report and in subsequent securities filings) include:
| the economic climate, particularly the state of the economy in the areas in which we operate, including the fact that the global economy faces considerable uncertainty for the foreseeable future, which further increases many of the risks discussed in this Form 10-K; |
| changes in inflation, demand for power, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, including our ability to hedge our interest rate and foreign currency risk; |
| changes in the price of electricity at which our Generation businesses sell into the wholesale market and our Utility businesses purchase to distribute to their customers, and the success of our risk management practices, such as our ability to hedge our exposure to such market price risk; |
| changes in the prices and availability of coal, gas and other fuels (including our ability to have fuel transported to our facilities) and the success of our risk management practices, such as our ability to hedge our exposure to such market price risk, and our ability to meet credit support requirements for fuel and power supply contracts; |
| changes in and access to the financial markets, particularly changes affecting the availability and cost of capital in order to refinance existing debt and finance capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments and other corporate purposes; |
| our ability to manage liquidity and comply with covenants under our recourse and non-recourse debt, including our ability to manage our significant liquidity needs and to comply with covenants under our senior secured credit facility and other existing financing obligations; |
| changes in our or any of our subsidiaries corporate credit ratings or the ratings of our or any of our subsidiaries debt securities or preferred stock, and changes in the rating agencies ratings criteria; |
| our ability to purchase and sell assets at attractive prices and on other attractive terms; |
| our ability to compete in markets where we do business; |
| our ability to manage our operational and maintenance costs; |
| the performance and reliability of our generating plants, including our ability to reduce unscheduled down-times; |
| our ability to locate and acquire attractive greenfield projects and our ability to finance, construct and begin operating our greenfield projects on schedule and within budget; |
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| our ability to enter into long-term contracts, which limit volatility in our results of operations and cash flow, such as Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), fuel supply, and other agreements and to manage counterparty credit risks in these agreements; |
| variations in weather, especially mild winters and cooler summers in the areas in which we operate, low levels of wind or sunlight for our wind and solar businesses, and the occurrence of difficult hydrological conditions for our hydro-power plants, as well as hurricanes and other storms and disasters; |
| our ability to meet our expectations in the development, construction, operation and performance of our new facilities, whether greenfield, brownfield or investments in the expansion of existing facilities; |
| the success of our initiatives in other renewable energy projects, as well as greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects and energy storage projects; |
| our ability to keep up with advances in technology; |
| the potential effects of threatened or actual acts of terrorism and war; |
| the expropriation or nationalization of our businesses or assets by foreign governments, whether with or without adequate compensation; |
| our ability to achieve expected rate increases in our Utility businesses; |
| changes in laws, rules and regulations affecting our international businesses; |
| changes in laws, rules and regulations affecting our North America business, including, but not limited to, deregulation of wholesale power markets and its effects on competition, the ability to recover net utility assets and other potential stranded costs by our utilities, the establishment of a regional transmission organization that includes our utility service territory, the application of market power criteria by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, changes in law resulting from new federal energy legislation and changes in political or regulatory oversight or incentives affecting our wind business, our solar joint venture, our other renewables projects and our initiatives in greenhouse gas reductions and energy storage including tax incentives; |
| changes in environmental laws, including requirements for reduced emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, mercury, hazardous air pollutants and other substances, greenhouse gas legislation, regulation and/or treaties and coal ash regulation; |
| changes in tax laws and the effects of our strategies to reduce tax payments; |
| the effects of litigation and government and regulatory investigations; |
| our ability to maintain adequate insurance; |
| decreases in the value of pension plan assets, increases in pension plan expenses and our ability to fund defined benefit pension and other post-retirement plans at our subsidiaries; |
| losses on the sale or write-down of assets due to impairment events or changes in management intent with regard to either holding or selling certain assets; |
| changes in accounting standards, corporate governance and securities law requirements; |
| our ability to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting; |
| our ability to attract and retain talented directors, management and other personnel, including, but not limited to, financial personnel in our foreign businesses that have extensive knowledge of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; |
| the performance of business and asset acquisitions, including our recent acquisition of DPL Inc., and our ability to successfully integrate and operate acquired businesses and assets, such as DPL, and effectively realize anticipated benefits; and |
| information security breaches. |
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These factors in addition to others described elsewhere in this Form 10-K, including those described under Item 1A.Risk Factors, and in subsequent securities filings, should not be construed as a comprehensive listing of factors that could cause results to vary from our forward-looking information.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. If one or more forward-looking statements are updated, no inference should be drawn that additional updates will be made with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
We are a diversified power generation and utility company organized into six market-oriented Strategic Business Units (SBUs): US (United States), Andes (Chile, Colombia, and Argentina), Brazil, MCAC (Mexico, Central America and Caribbean), EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), and Asia. We were incorporated in 1981.
Item 1.Business. is an outline of our strategy and our businesses by SBU, including key financial drivers. Additional drivers that may have an impact on our businesses are discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 3.Legal Proceedings.
Strategy
Our strategic plan intends to maximize the risk-adjusted value of our portfolio for shareholders through our efforts to execute upon the following objectives:
| First, we are managing our portfolio of generation and utility businesses to create value for our stakeholders, including customers and shareholders, through safe, reliable, and sustainable operations and effective cost management. |
| Second, we are driving our operating business to manage capital more effectively and to increase the amount of discretionary cash available for deployment into debt repayment, growth investments, shareholder dividends, and share buybacks. |
| Third, we are realigning our geographic focus. To this end, we will continue to exit markets where we do not have a competitive advantage or where we are unable to earn a fair risk-adjusted return relative to monetization alternatives. In addition, we will focus our growth investments on platform expansions or opportunities to expand our existing operations. |
| Finally, we are working to reduce the cash flow and earnings volatility of our businesses by proactively managing our currency, commodity and political risk exposures, mostly through contractual and regulatory mechanisms, as well as commercial hedging activities. We also will continue to limit our risk by utilizing non-recourse project financing for the majority of our businesses. |
Business Lines & Strategic Business Units
Within our six SBUs, as discussed above, we have two lines of business. The first business line is generation, where we own and/or operate power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries. The second business line is utilities, where we own and/or operate utilities to generate or purchase, distribute, transmit and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial and governmental sectors within a defined service area. In certain circumstances, our utilities also generate and sell electricity on the wholesale market.
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The following table summarizes our generation business by capacity and facilities and our utilities business by customers, capacity and facilities for each SBU.
SBU |
Generation Capacity (Gross MW) |
Generation Facilities |
Utility Customers |
Utility GWh |
Utility Businesses |
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US |
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Generation |
6,281 | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
Utilities |
7,517 | 18 | 1.1 million | 31,777 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Andes |
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Generation |
7,740 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
Brazil |
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Generation |
3,298 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
Utilities |
7.7 million | 54,408 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
MCAC |
||||||||||||||||||||
Generation |
3,860 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Utilities |
1.2 million | 3,642 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
EMEA |
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Generation |
8,460 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
Utilities |
936 | 11 | 2.2 million | 11,235 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
Asia |
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Generation |
1,337 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
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39,429 | (1) | 135 | 12.2 million | 101,062 | 12 |
(1) | 30,251 proportional MW. Proportional MW is equal to gross MW times AES equity ownership percentage. |
Generation
We currently own and/or operate a generation portfolio of approximately 31,000 MW, excluding the generation capabilities of our integrated utilities. Our generation fleet is diversified by fuel type. As a percentage of installed capacity, coal and natural gas each account for 36% and 35%, respectively, of our generating capacity. Renewables, primarily hydro, wind and solar, represent 25% of our generating capacity and oil, diesel and petroleum coke comprise the rest.
Performance drivers of our generation businesses include types of electricity sales agreements, plant reliability and flexibility, fuel costs, fixed-cost management, sourcing and competition.
Electricity Sales Contracts
Our generation businesses sell electricity under mediumor long-term contracts (contract sales) or under short-term agreements in competitive markets (short-term sales).
Contract Sales. Most of our generation fleet sells electricity under mediumor long-term contracts. Our contract sales have a term of at least 2 years, but the majority of our contracts are much longer in duration, from 5 to 25 years. Our generation businesses use two contracting strategies, a single contract strategy and a portfolio contract strategy.
Single contracts generally have terms of 10 to 25 years with either a regulated or large industrial unregulated customer. Under these contracts, our generation businesses recover variable costs including fuel and variable operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, either through contractual pass-throughs or tolling arrangements (see discussion under Fuel Costs). These contracts are intended to reduce exposure to the volatility of fuel prices and electricity prices by linking the businesss revenues and costs. These contracts also help us to fund a significant portion of the total capital cost of the project through long-term non-recourse project-level financing. Our generation businesses in the United States, Bulgaria, and Vietnam are some examples of where we have used the single-contract approach.
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Some of our businesses utilize a portfolio contract strategy. Under this approach, the business sells its output to several different customers with the aim of contracting a significant portion of total output and we generally contract for a period of 2 to 10 years with a regulated customer (utility, municipal or cooperative) or unregulated free client (a customer that is allowed under the local regulatory regime to contract directly for its electricity needs). These contracts typically include a direct or indexation-based fuel pass-through. When the contract does not include a fuel pass-through, we typically hedge fuel costs or enter into fuel supply agreements for a similar contract period (see discussion under Fuel Costs). Examples of businesses with the portfolio contract strategy include AES Gener in Chile and Masinloc in the Philippines.
Capacity Payments and Contract Sales. Most of our contract sales include a capacity payment that covers projected fixed costs of the plant, including fixed O&M expenses and a return on capital invested. In addition, most of our contracts require that the majority of the capacity payment be denominated in the currency matching our fixed costs, including debt and return on capital invested. Although our project debt may consist of both fixed and floating rate debt, we typically hedge a significant portion of our exposure to variable interest rates. For foreign exchange, we generally structure the revenue of the business to match the currency of the debt and fixed costs.
Thus, these contracts, or other commercial arrangements that we have made around or in addition to these contracts, significantly mitigate our exposure to changes in power and fuel prices, currency fluctuations and changes in interest rates. In addition, these contracts generally provide for a recovery of our fixed operating expenses and a return on our investment, as long as we operate the plant to the reliability standards required in the contract. This important risk mitigation helps to limit the variability of the earnings and cash flows of the business.
Short-Term Sales. Our other generation businesses sell power and ancillary services under short-term contracts with a term of 2 years or less, including spot sales, directly in the short-term market, or, in some cases, at regulated prices. The short-term markets are typically administered by a system operator to coordinate dispatch. Short-term markets generally operate on merit order dispatch, where the least expensive generation facilities, based upon variable cost, are dispatched first and the most expensive facilities are dispatched last. The short-term price is typically set at the marginal cost of energy or bid price (the cost of the last plant required to meet system demand). As a result, the cash flows and earnings associated with these businesses are more sensitive to fluctuations in the market price for electricity. In addition, many of these wholesale markets include markets for ancillary services to support the reliable operation of the transmission system. Across our portfolio, we provide a wide array of ancillary services, including voltage support, frequency regulation and spinning reserves. An example of a business with short-term sales is our Kilroot facility in the United Kingdom.
Capacity Payments and Short-Term Sales. Many of the markets in which we operate include regulated capacity markets. These capacity markets are intended to provide additional revenue based upon availability without reliance on the energy margin from the merit order dispatch. Capacity markets are typically priced based on the cost of a new entrant and the system capacity relative to the desired level of reserve margin (generation available in excess of peak demand). Our generating facilities selling in the short-term market typically receive capacity payments based on their availability in the market.
Plant Reliability and Flexibility
Our contract and short-term sales provide incentives to our generation plants to optimally manage availability, operating efficiency and flexibility. Capacity payments under the single contract strategy are tied to meeting minimum standards. In short-term sales, our plants must be reliable and flexible to capture peak market prices and to maximize market-based revenues. In addition, our flexibility allows us to capture ancillary service revenue, meeting local market needs.
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Fuel Costs
For our thermal generation plants, fuel is a significant component of our total cost of generation. For contract sales, we often enter into fuel supply agreements to match the contract period, or we may hedge our fuel costs. Some of our contracts have periodic adjustments for changes in fuel cost indices. In those cases, we have fuel supply agreements with shorter terms to match those adjustments. For certain projects using the single contract strategy, we have tolling arrangements where the power offtaker is responsible for the supply and cost of fuel to our plants.
In short-term sales, we sell power at market prices that are generally reflective of the market cost of fuel at the time, and thus procure fuel supply on a short-term basis, generally designed to match up with our market sales profile. Since fuel price is often the primary determinant for power prices, the economics of projects with short-term sales are often subject to volatility of relative fuel prices.
About one-third of our generation fleet is coal-fired. In the United States, most of our plants are supplied from domestic coal. At our non-U.S. generation plants and at our plant in Hawaii, we source coal internationally. Across our fleet, we utilize our global sourcing program to maximize the purchasing power of our fuel procurement.
Roughly one-third of our generation plants are fueled by natural gas. Generally, we use gas from local supplies in each market. A few exceptions to this are AES Gener in Chile, our Uruguaiana plant in Brazil, which resumed operations in February 2013, and the Dominican Republic, where we import Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to utilize in the local market.
Approximately five percent of our generation fleet utilizes oil, diesel and petroleum coke (pet coke) for fuel. Oil and diesel are sourced locally at prices indexed to international markets, while pet coke is largely sourced from Mexico and the U.S. The remaining portion of our portfolio is comprised mostly of hydro, wind and solar generation plants, which do not have significant fuel costs.
Fixed-Cost Management
In our businesses with long-term contracts, the majority of the fixed operating and maintenance costs are recovered through the capacity payment. However, for all generation businesses, managing fixed costs and reducing them over time is a driver of business performance.
Competition
For our businesses with mediumor long-term contracts, there is limited competition during the term of the contract. For short-term sales, plant dispatch and the price of electricity is determined by market competition and local dispatch and reliability rules.
Utilities
AES 12 utility businesses distribute power to more than 12 million people in six countries. These businesses also include generation capacity totaling approximately 8,500 MW. These businesses have a variety of structures, ranging from integrated utility to pure transmission and distribution businesses.
In general, our utilities sell electricity directly to end-users, such as homes and businesses, and bill customers directly. Key performance drivers for utilities include the regulated rate of return and tariff, seasonality, weather variations, economic activity, reliability of service and competition.
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Regulated Rate of Return and Tariff
In exchange for the exclusive right to sell or distribute electricity in a franchise area, our utility businesses are subject to government regulation. This regulation sets the prices (tariffs) that our utilities are allowed to charge retail customers for electricity and establishes service standards that we are required to meet.
Our utilities are generally permitted to earn a regulated rate of return on assets, determined by the regulator based on the utilitys allowed regulatory asset base, capital structure and cost of capital. The asset base on which the utility is permitted a return is determined by the regulator and is based on the amount of assets that are considered used and useful in serving customers. Both the allowed return and the asset base are important components of the utilitys earning power. The allowed rate of return and operating expenses deemed reasonable by the regulator are recovered through the regulated tariff that the utility charges to its customers.
The tariff may be reviewed and reset by the regulator from time to time depending on local regulations, or the utility may seek a change in its tariffs. The tariff is generally based upon a certain usage level and may include a pass-through to the customer of costs that are not controlled by the utility, such as the costs of fuel (in the case of integrated utilities) and/or the costs of purchased energy. In addition to fuel and purchased energy, other types of costs may be passed through to customers via an existing mechanism, such as certain environmental expenditures that are covered under an environmental tracker at our utility in Indiana, Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL). Components of the tariff that are directly passed through to the customer are usually adjusted through a summary regulatory process or an existing formula-based mechanism. In many instances, the tariffs can be adjusted between scheduled regulatory resets pursuant to an inflation adjustment or another index. Customers with demand above a certain level are unregulated in some regulatory regimes and can choose to contract with generation companies directly and pay a wheeling fee, which is a fee to the distribution company for use of its distribution system.
The regulated tariff generally recognizes that our utility businesses should recover certain operating and fixed costs, as well as manage uncollectible amounts, quality of service and non-technical losses. Utilities therefore need to manage costs to the levels reflected in the tariff or risk non-recovery of costs or diminished returns.
Seasonality, Weather Variations and Economic Activity
Our utility businesses are affected by seasonal weather patterns throughout the year and, therefore, the operating revenues and associated operating expenses are not generated evenly by month during the year. Additionally, weather variations may also have an impact based on the number of customers, temperature variances from normal conditions and customers historic usage levels and patterns. The retail kilowatt hours (kWh) sales, after adjustments for weather variations, are affected by changes in local economic activity, energy efficiency initiatives, as well as the number of retail customers.
Reliability of Service
Our utility businesses must meet certain reliability standards, such as duration and frequency of outages. Those standards may be specific with incentives or penalties for performance against these standards. In other cases, the standards are implicit and the utility must operate to meet customer expectations.
Competition
Our integrated utilities, such as IPL and The Dayton Power & Light Company (DP&L), operate as the sole distributor of electricity within their respective jurisdictions. Our businesses own and operate all of the businesses and facilities necessary to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. Competition in the regulated electric business is primarily from the on-site generation of industrial customers; however, in Ohio, our native
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load customers have the ability to switch to alternative suppliers for their generation service. Our integrated utilities, particularly DP&L, are exposed to the volatility in wholesale prices to the extent our generating capacity exceeds the native load served under the regulated tariff and short-term contracts. See the full discussion under the US SBU.
At our pure transmission and distribution businesses, such as those in Brazil and El Salvador, we face relatively limited competition due to significant barriers to entry. At many of these businesses, large customers, as defined by the relevant regulator, can leave and choose to return to regulated service.
Development and Construction
We develop and construct new generation facilities. For our utility businesses, new plants may be built in response to customer needs or to comply with regulatory developments and are developed subject to regulatory approval that permits recovery of our capital cost and a return on our investment. For our generation businesses, our priority for development is platform expansion opportunities, where we can add on to our existing facilities in our key platform markets where we have a competitive advantage. We make the decision to invest in new projects by evaluating the project returns and financial profile against a fair risk-adjusted return for the investment and against alternative uses of capital, including corporate debt repayment and share buybacks.
In some cases, we enter into long-term contracts for output from new facilities prior to commencing construction. To limit required equity contributions from The AES Corporation, we also seek non-recourse project debt financing and other sources of capital, including partners where it is commercially attractive. For construction, we typically contract with a third party to manage the construction, although our construction management team supervises the construction work to ensure that the project is completed within budget and meets the required safety, efficiency and productivity standards.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to various international, federal, state, and/or local regulations in all of our markets. These regulations govern such items as the determination of the market mechanism for setting the system marginal price for energy and the establishment of guidelines and incentives for the addition of new capacity.
We are also subject to various federal, state, regional and local environmental protection and health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal and transportation of hazardous materials; the emission and discharge of hazardous and other materials into the environment; and the health and safety of our employees. These laws and regulations often require a lengthy and complex process of obtaining and renewing permits and other governmental authorizations from federal, state and local agencies. Violation of these laws, regulations or permits can result in substantial fines, other sanctions, suspension or revocation of permits and/or facility shutdowns. See later in Item 1.Business and Environmental and Land Use Regulations for further regulatory and environmental discussion.
Renewables and Other Initiatives
In recent years, as demand for renewable sources of energy has grown, we have also been developing and/or acquiring hydro, wind, and solar based renewable projects. Currently, we own interests in 9,691 MW (5,216 proportional MW) of renewable projects, including projects in operations and under construction. Currently, the majority of our renewable capacity is hydro-based, representing 84% of our renewable portfolio.
In 2005, we started investing in wind generation businesses and currently have 1,518 MW in operation. In addition, we have 36 MW under construction.
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In 2008, we formed a 50/50 joint venture with Riverstone to develop, own and operate solar installations. Since its launch, AES Solar has commenced commercial operations of 256 MW of solar projects in Bulgaria, France, Greece, India, Italy, Puerto Rico and Spain, and has 266 MW under construction in Bulgaria, France, Greece, India, Italy and the U.S.
None of these initiatives are currently material to our operations, however, there are risks associated with these initiatives, which are further described in Item 1A.Risk Factors of this Form 10-K.
Strategic Business Units
AES operates and manages its six SBUs under one Chief Operating Officer (COO). All SBUs include generation facilities and four include utility businesses. The Company measures the operating performance of its SBUs using adjusted pre-tax contribution (adjusted PTC), a non-GAAP measure (see definition below).
AES primary sources of revenue, gross margin and adjusted PTC are from generation and utilities businesses. The contribution to adjusted PTC by SBU for the year ended December 31, 2012 is shown below. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate. See Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for reconciliation.
We define Adjusted PTC as pre-tax income from continuing operations attributable to AES excluding gains or losses of the consolidated entity due to (a) unrealized gains or losses related to derivative transactions, (b) unrealized foreign currency gains or losses, (c) significant gains or losses due to dispositions and acquisitions of business interests, (d) significant losses due to impairments, and (e) costs due to the early retirement of debt. Adjusted PTC also includes net equity in earnings of affiliates on an after-tax basis. Adjusted PTC in each SBU includes the effect of intercompany transactions with other SBUs other than interest and charges for certain management services.
Risks
We routinely encounter and address risks, some of which may cause our future results to be different, sometimes materially different, than we presently anticipate. The categories of risk we have identified in Item 1A.Risk Factors of this Form 10-K include the following:
| risks related to our high level of indebtedness; |
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| risks associated with our ability to raise needed capital; |
| external risks associated with revenue and earnings volatility; |
| risks associated with our operations; |
| risks associated with governmental regulation and laws; and |
| risks associated with our disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting. |
The categories of risk identified above are discussed in greater detail in Item 1A.Risk Factors of this Form 10-K. These risk factors should be read in conjunction with Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report.
The management reporting structure is organized along the six SBUs led by our COO, who in turn reports to our Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Our CEO and COO are based in Arlington, Virginia. During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company completed the restructuring of its operational management and reporting process into these six SBUs. For financial reporting purposes, the Company has identified eight reportable segments based on the six SBUs, which include:
| US SBU |
| USGeneration segment |
| USUtilities segment |
| Andes SBU |
| AndesGeneration segment |
| Brazil SBU |
| BrazilGeneration segment |
| BrazilUtilities segment |
| MCAC SBU |
| MCACGeneration segment |
| EMEA SBU |
| EMEAGeneration segment |
| Asia SBU |
| AsiaGeneration segment |
Corporate and OtherFor financial reporting purposes the Companys EMEA and MCAC utilities as well as Corporate are reported within Corporate and Other because they do not require separate disclosure under segment reporting accounting guidance. See Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 17Segment and Geographic Information included in Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for further discussion of the Companys segment structure used for financial reporting purposes.
AES Solar and certain other unconsolidated businesses are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Therefore, their operating results are included in Net Equity in Earnings of Affiliates on the face of the Consolidated Statements of Operations, not in revenue and gross margin.
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Corporate and Other also includes costs related to corporate overhead which are not directly associated with the operations of our eight reportable segments and other intercompany charges such as self-insurance premiums which are fully eliminated in consolidation. See Note 17Segment and Geographic Information in the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for information on revenue from external customers, adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) and total assets by segment.
The following describes our businesses within our six SBUs:
US SBU
Our US SBU has 21 generation facilities and two integrated utilities in the United States. Our US operations accounted for 20%, 10% and 12% of consolidated AES gross margin and 19%, 10% and 13% of consolidated AES adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate.
The following table provides highlights of our U.S. operations:
Generation Capacity |
13,798 gross MW (13,664 proportional MW) | |
Utilities Penetration |
1,107,000 customers (31,777 GWh) | |
Generation Facilities |
21 | |
Utility Businesses |
2 integrated utilities (includes 18 generation plants) | |
Key Generation Businesses |
Southland and Hawaii | |
Key Utility Businesses |
IPL and DPL |
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Operating installed capacity of our US SBU totals 13,798 MW, of which 29%, 28%, 27% and 16%, is located at our Southland, DPL, IPL, and additional U.S. generation facilities, respectively. IPLs parent, IPALCO Enterprises, Inc., and DPL Inc. are SEC registrants, and as such, follow public filing requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Set forth in the table below is a list of our U.S. businesses:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Ownership (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
SouthlandAlamitos |
USCA | Gas | 2,075 | 100 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||
SouthlandRedondo Beach |
USCA | Gas | 1,392 | 100 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||
SouthlandHuntington Beach |
USCA | Gas | 474 | 100 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||
Shady Point |
USOK | Coal | 360 | 100 | % | 1991 | ||||||||||
Buffalo Gap II(1) |
USTX | Wind | 233 | 100 | % | 2007 | ||||||||||
Hawaii |
USHI | Coal | 208 | 100 | % | 1992 | ||||||||||
Warrior Run |
USMD | Coal | 205 | 100 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Buffalo Gap III(1) |
USTX | Wind | 170 | 100 | % | 2008 | ||||||||||
Deepwater |
USTX | Pet Coke | 160 | 100 | % | 1986 | ||||||||||
Wind Generation Facilities(2) |
US | Wind | 134 | 0 | % | 2005 | ||||||||||
Beaver Valley |
USPA | Coal | 132 | 100 | % | 1985 | ||||||||||
Buffalo Gap I(1) |
USTX | Wind | 121 | 100 | % | 2006 | ||||||||||
Lake Benton I(1) |
USMN | Wind | 106 | 100 | % | 2007 | ||||||||||
Armenia Mountain(1) |
USPA | Wind | 101 | 100 | % | 2009 | ||||||||||
Laurel Mountain |
USWV | Wind | 98 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Storm Lake II(1) |
USIA | Wind | 78 | 100 | % | 2007 | ||||||||||
Mountain View I & II(1) |
USCA | Wind | 67 | 100 | % | 2008 | ||||||||||
Condon(1) |
USCA | Wind | 50 | 100 | % | 2005 | ||||||||||
Mountain View IV |
USCA | Wind | 49 | 100 | % | 2012 | ||||||||||
Tehachapi |
USCA | Wind | 38 | 100 | % | 2006 | ||||||||||
Palm Springs |
USCA | Wind | 30 | 100 | % | 2005 | ||||||||||
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6,281 | ||||||||||||||||
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(1) | AES owns these assets together with third party tax equity investors with variable ownership interests. The tax equity investors receive a portion of the economic attributes of the facilities, including tax attributes that vary over the life of the projects. The proceeds from the issuance of tax equity are recorded as Non-Controlling Interest in the Companys Consolidated Balance Sheet. |
(2) | AES operates these facilities through management or O&M agreements and owns no equity interest in these businesses. |
Set forth in the tables below is a list of our U.S. utilities and their generation facilities:
Business |
Location | Approximate Number of Customers Served as of 12/31/2012 |
GWh Sold in 2012 |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired |
|||||||||||||
DP&L |
USOH | 637,000 | 16,454 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||||
IPL |
USIN | 470,000 | 15,323 | 100 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||||
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1,107,000 | 31,777 | |||||||||||||||||
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Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
DP&L(1) |
USOH | Coal/Diesel/Solar | 3,818 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
IPL(2) |
USIN | Coal/Gas/Oil | 3,699 | 100 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||
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|
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7,517 | ||||||||||||||||
|
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(1) | DP&L wholly-owned plants: Hutchings, Tait Units 1-3 and diesels, Yankee Street, Yankee Solar, Monument and Sidney. DP&L jointly-owned plants: Beckjord Unit 6, Conesville Unit 4, East Bend Unit 2, Killen, Miami Fort Units 7 & 8, Stuart and Zimmer. In addition to the above, DP&L, also owns a 4.9% equity ownership in OVEC, an electric generating company. OVEC has two plants in Cheshire, Ohio and Madison, Indiana with a combined generation capacity of approximately 2,655 MW. DP&Ls share of this generation capacity is approximately 111 MW. DPLE Energy, LLC plants: Tait Units 4-7 and Montpelier Units 1-4. |
(2) | IPL plants: Eagle Valley, Georgetown, Harding Street and Petersburg. |
The following map illustrates the location of our U.S. facilities:
US SBU Businesses
U.S. Utilities
IPALCO
Business Description. IPALCO owns all of the outstanding common stock of IPL. IPL is engaged primarily in generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electric energy to approximately 470,000 customers in the city of Indianapolis and neighboring areas within the state of Indiana. IPL has an exclusive right to provide electric service to those customers. IPLs service area covers about 528 square miles with a population of approximately 911,000. IPL owns and operates four generating stations. Two of the generating stations are primarily coal-fired. The third station has a combination of units that use coal (baseload capacity) and natural gas
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and/or oil (peaking capacity) for fuel to produce electricity. The fourth station is a small peaking station that uses gas-fired combustion turbine technology. IPLs net electric generation capacity for winter is 3,492 MW and net summer capacity is 3,353 MW.
Market Structure. IPL is one of many transmission system owner members in the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (MISO). MISO is a regional transmission organization which maintains functional control over the combined transmission systems of its members and manages one of the largest energy and ancillary services markets in the U.S. IPL offers the available electricity production of each of its generation assets into the MISO day-ahead and real-time markets. MISO operates on a merit order dispatch, considering transmission constraints and other reliability issues to meet the total demand in the MISO region.
Regulatory Framework
Retail Ratemaking. In addition to the regulations referred to below in U.S. Regulatory Matters, IPL is subject to regulation by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) with respect to: IPLs services and facilities; retail rates and charges; the issuance of long-term securities; and certain other matters. The regulatory power of the IURC over IPLs business is both comprehensive and typical of the traditional form of regulation generally imposed by state public utility commissions. IPLs tariff rates for electric service to retail customers consist of basic rates and charges, which are set and approved by the IURC after public hearings. The IURC gives consideration to all allowable costs for ratemaking purposes including a fair return on the fair value of the utility property used and useful in providing service to customers. In addition, IPLs rates include various adjustment mechanisms including, but not limited to, those to reflect changes in fuel costs to generate electricity or purchased power prices, referred to as Fuel Adjustment Charges (FAC) and for the timely recovery of costs incurred to comply with environmental laws and regulations referred to as Environmental Compliance Cost Recovery Adjustment (ECCRA). See Senate Bill 251 discussion under Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations later in this section. These components function somewhat independently of one another, but the overall structure of IPLs rates and charges would be subject to review at the time of any review of IPLs basic rates and charges.
Environmental Matters
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). IPL management has developed a plan to comply with the MATS rule (discussed below). Most of IPLs coal-fired capacity has acid gas scrubbers or comparable control technologies; however, there are other improvements to these control technologies that are necessary to achieve compliance. IPL was successful in deferring IPLs compliance date to April 16, 2016, based on an extension granted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
IPL has reviewed the impact of the MATS rule and estimate additional expenditures related to this rule for environmental controls for IPLs baseload generating units to be approximately $511 million through 2016 excluding demolition costs. In June 2012, IPL filed a petition and requested a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to comply with the MATS rule. These filings detail the controls IPL plans to add to each of IPLs five baseload units, including four at IPLs Petersburg generating station and one at IPLs Harding Street generating station. IPL will seek and expect to recover through IPLs environmental rate adjustment mechanism, all operating and capital expenditures related to compliance; however, there can be no assurance that IPL will be successful in that regard. Recovery of these costs is expected through an Indiana statute, which allows for 100% recovery of qualifying costs through a rate adjustment mechanism. Funding for these capital expenditures is expected to be obtained from additional debt financing at IPL; equity contributions from AES; borrowing capacity on IPLs committed credit facilities; and cash generated from operating activities.
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). On August 28, 2012, IDEM issued NPDES permits to the IPL Petersburg, Harding Street, and Eagle Valley generating stations, which became effective in October 2012. IPL is conducting studies to determine what operational changes and/or additional equipment will
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be required to comply with the new limitation. IPL cannot predict the impact of these regulations on IPLs consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, but it is expected to be material. Recovery of these costs is expected through an Indiana statute, which allows for 80% recovery of qualifying costs through a rate adjustment mechanism with the remainder recorded as a regulatory asset to be considered for recovery in the next basic rate case proceeding; however there can be no assurances that IPL would be successful in that regard. See Water Discharges discussion under Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations for further details of NPDES later in this section.
Replacement Generation. The combination of existing and expected environmental regulations make it likely that IPL will temporarily or permanently retire or repower several of IPLs existing, primarily coal-fired, smaller and older generating units within the next several years. These units are not equipped with the advanced environmental control technologies needed to comply with existing and expected regulations, and collectively have made up less than 15% of IPLs net electricity generation over the past five years. IPL is continuing to evaluate available options for replacing this generation, which include modifying one or more of the units to use natural gas as the fuel source, building new units, purchasing existing units, joint ownership of generating units, purchasing electricity and capacity from a third party, or some combination of these options. Accordingly, in June 2012, IPL issued a request for proposals for 600 MW of replacement capacity and energy beginning in June 2017, which is intended to help IPL determine the best plan for replacement generation. Proposals from outside parties have been received and IPL is currently evaluating appropriate next steps. IPLs decision on which replacement options to pursue will be impacted by the ultimate timetable for implementation of the rule. IPL will seek and expect to recover IPLs costs associated with replacing the retired units, but no assurance can be given as to whether the IURC would approve such a request.
Key Financial Drivers
IPLs ability to earn wholesale margin is influenced by wholesale prices for electricity, fuel prices and the availability of their generating assets. Retail demand also influences IPLs financial results. IPLs ability to recover expenses and earn a return on capital expenditures in a timely manner, as well as passage of new legislation or implementation of regulations, has an impact on the business. Local macroeconomic conditions, given that IPL has an exclusive territory, weather and energy efficiency also drive their retail demand.
DPL Inc.
Business Description. DPL is an energy holding company whose principal subsidiaries include DP&L, DPL Energy Resources, Inc. (DPLER) and DPL Energy, LLC (DPLE). DP&L generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity to more than 513,000 customers in a 6,000 square mile area of West Central Ohio. DP&L, with certain other Ohio utilities and their affiliates, commonly owns seven coal-fired electric generating facilities, peaking generation units, solar generating facilities and numerous transmission facilities. DP&L also has one wholly-owned coal-fired plant, along with several gas-fired peaking plants. DPLER, a competitive retail marketer, sells retail electricity to more than 198,000 retail customers in Ohio and Illinois. Approximately 73,000 of these customers are also distribution customers of DP&L in Ohio. DPLE owns peaking generation units located in Ohio and Indiana. DP&Ls wholly-owned plants and their share of the capacity of its jointly-owned plants and DPLEs wholly-owned peaking units aggregate to approximately 3,818 MW.
Market Structure
Customer Switching. Since January 2001, electric customers within Ohio have been permitted to choose to purchase power under a contract with a Competitive Retail Electric Service Provider (CRES Provider) or continue to purchase power from their local utility under Standard Service Offer (SSO) rates established by
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tariff. DP&L and other Ohio utilities continue to have the exclusive right to provide delivery service in their state certified territories and DP&L has the obligation to supply retail generation service to customers that do not choose an alternative supplier. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) maintains jurisdiction over DP&Ls delivery of electricity, SSO and other retail electric services. The PUCO has issued extensive rules on how and when a customer can switch generation suppliers, how the local utility will interact with CRES Providers and customers, including for billing and collection purposes, and which elements of a utilitys rates are bypassable (i.e., avoided by a customer that elects a CRES Provider) and which elements are non-bypassable (i.e., charged to all customers receiving a distribution service irrespective of what entity provides the retail generation service). Several communities in DP&Ls service area have passed ordinances allowing the communities to become government aggregators for the purpose of offering retail generation service to their residences.
Overall power market prices, as well as government aggregation initiatives within DP&Ls service territory, have led or may lead to the entrance of additional competitors in its service territory. During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 30% of customers representing 58% of 2012s overall energy usage (kWh) within DP&Ls service area had elected to obtain their supply service from CRES Providers. DPLs subsidiary DPLER is a CRES Provider that has been marketing transmission and generation services to DP&L customers in Ohio and Illinois. During 2012, DPLER accounted for approximately 6,201 million kWh (76%) and other CRES Providers accounted for about 1,981 million kWh (24%) of the total 8,182 million kWh supplied by CRES Providers within DP&Ls service territory. The volume supplied by DPLER represents 44% of DP&Ls total distribution volume during 2012. DPL currently cannot determine the extent to which customer switching to CRES Providers will occur in the future and the impact this will have on its operations, but any additional switching could have a material adverse effect on its future results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
PJM Operations. DP&L is a member of the PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM). PJM is a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) that operates the transmission systems owned by utilities operating in all or parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, D.C., Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois. PJM has an integrated planning process to identify potential needs for additional transmission to be built to avoid future reliability problems. PJM also runs the day-ahead and real-time energy markets, ancillary services market, and forward capacity market for its members. As a member of PJM, DP&L is also subject to charges and costs associated with PJM operations as approved by the FERC. The Reliability Pricing Model (RPM) is PJMs capacity construct. The purpose of RPM is to enable PJM to obtain sufficient resources to reliably meet the needs of electric customers within the PJM footprint. PJM conducts an auction to establish the price by zone, three years in advance of the delivery year. DP&Ls capacity has been located in the rest of the RTO area of PJM.
The PJM RPM auction for the 2015/16 period cleared at a per-MW price of $136/MW-day for DP&Ls RTO area. The clearing prices for the periods 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 were $110/MW-day, $16/MW-day, $28/MW-day and $126/MW-day, respectively, based on previous auctions. Based on the base residual auction prices, DP&L estimates that future gross RPM capacity revenue will be $156 million, $106 million and $28 million for 2015, 2014 and 2013 calendar years, respectively. Future RPM auction results will be dependent not only on the overall supply and demand of generation and load, but may also be affected by load congestion as well as PJMs business rules relating to bidding for demand response and energy efficiency resources in the RPM capacity auctions.
Regulatory Framework
Retail Regulation. DP&L is subject to regulation by the PUCO, which regulates its distribution services and facilities, retail rates and charges, reliability of service, compliance with renewable energy portfolio and energy efficiency program requirements and certain other matters. DP&Ls rates for electric service to retail customers consist of basic rates and charges that are set and approved by the PUCO after public hearings. In addition,
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DP&Ls rates include various adjustment mechanisms including but not limited to, those to reflect changes in fuel costs to generate electricity or purchased power prices, referred to as FAC and for the timely recovery of costs incurred to comply with alternative energy, renewable, energy efficiency, and economic development costs. These components function somewhat independently of one another, but the overall structure of DP&Ls retail rates and charges are subject to the rules and regulations established by the PUCO.
Retail Rate Structure. Retail generation has been deregulated in Ohio since 2001, which allows electric customers within Ohio to choose to purchase retail generation service under contract with CRES Providers. DP&L is required to provide retail generation service to any customer that has not signed a contract with a CRES provider at SSO rates. SSO rates are subject to rules and regulations of the PUCO and are established based on either an Electric Security Plan (ESP) or Market Rate Offer (MRO) filing. DP&Ls wholesale transmission rates are regulated by the FERC. DP&Ls distribution rates are regulated by the PUCO and are established through a traditional tariff rate setting process. DP&L is permitted to recover its costs of providing distribution service as well as earn a regulated rate of return on assets, determined by the regulator, based on the utilitys allowed regulated asset base, capital structure and cost of capital.
DP&L filed an ESP with the PUCO in 2012 requesting, among other things, a non-bypassable charge designed to recover $137 million per year for five years from all customers. DP&L also requested approval of a switching tracker that would measure the incremental amount of switching over a base case and defer the lost value into a regulatory asset which would be recovered from all customers beginning in January 2014. The ESP further states that DP&L plans to file on or before December 31, 2013 its plan for legal separation of its generation assets as required by legislation. The ESP proposes a three-year, five-month transition to market, whereby a wholesale competitive bidding structure will be phased in to supply generation service to customers located in DP&Ls service territory that have not chosen an alternative generation supplier. The PUCO authorized that DP&Ls rates in effect at December 31, 2012 would continue until the new ESP rates go into effect.
Environmental Matters
The EPA promulgated the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) to regulate emissions from existing power plants in the eastern U.S. This became known as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and was vacated by the D. C. Circuit Court. If CSAPR were to be reinstated in its current form, DP&L does not expect any material capital costs for DP&Ls plants, which would continue to operate as they currently have scrubbing equipment installed.
In relation to MATS, it is expected that DP&L has several units that are fully owned or jointly-owned that are expected to cease operations as a result of non-compliance with the requirements under MATS. For more information see Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations discussion later in this section.
On January 7, 2013, Ohio EPA issued an NPDES permit for J.M. Stuart Station. DPL is analyzing the NPDES permit at this time. The uncertainties around the type of compliance and the cost that may be necessary to become compliant could be material to DPL. See Water Discharges section of Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations later in this section for a further discussion.
Key Financial Drivers
DPLs focus is on completing its current rate proceedings and working with all stakeholders to determine a fair and reasonable outcome, including an appropriate non-bypassable charge. Other key objectives are retaining customers under its regulated tariff and enhancing the competitiveness of its retail business, DPLER, to maintain and gain customers with an adequate margin. DPLs operating performance also varies with wholesale power prices, which are largely influenced by delivered gas prices, as well as movements in local coal prices and long-
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term capacity prices. Further, total demand for electricity is affected by economic activity, weather and weather-related events, and demand side management and energy efficiency measures. Finally, DPL has refinancing risk related to 2013 debt maturities of $470 million and $300 million of un-drawn credit facilities at DP&L.
See Item 1A.Risk Factors for additional discussion on DPL.
U.S. Generation
Business Description. In the U.S., we own a diversified generation portfolio in terms of geography, technology and fuel source. The principal markets where we are engaged in the generation and supply of electricity (energy and capacity) are the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), PJM, Southwest Power Pool Electric Energy Network (SPP) and Hawaii. AES Southland, in the WECC, is our most significant generating business.
AES Southland
Business Description. In terms of aggregate installed capacity, AES Southland is one of the largest generation operators in California with an installed capacity of 3,941 MW, accounting for approximately 7% of the states installed capacity and 16% of the peak demand of Southern California Edison. The three coastal power plants comprising AES Southland are in areas that are critical for local reliability and play an important role integrating the increasing amounts of renewable generation resources in California.
Market Structure. All of AES Southlands capacity is contracted through a long-term agreement, which expires in mid-2018 (the Tolling Agreement). Under the Tolling Agreement, AES Southlands largest revenue driver is unit availability, as approximately 95% of its revenue comes from availability-related payments. Historically, AES Southland has generally met or exceeded its contractual availability requirements under the Tolling Agreement and often captures bonuses for exceeding availability requirements in peak periods.
The offtaker under the Tolling Agreement provides gas to the three facilities at no cost; therefore, AES Southland is not exposed to significant fuel price risk. AES Southland does, however, guarantee the efficiency of each unit so that any fuel consumed in excess of what would have been consumed had the guaranteed efficiency been achieved is paid for by AES Southland. Additionally, if the units operate at an efficiency better than the guaranteed efficiency, AES Southland gets credit for the gas that is not consumed. The business is also exposed to the cost of replacement power for a limited time period if any of the plants are dispatched by the offtaker and are not able to meet the required dispatch schedule for generation of electric energy.
AES Southland delivers electricity into the California Independent System Operators market through its Tolling Agreement counterparty.
Regulatory Framework
Environmental Matters. The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling (the Policy) became effective on October 1, 2010 and provides a phased compliance schedule, which requires all AES Southland plants to be compliant by December 31, 2020. The Policy establishes technology-based standards to implement the U.S. Clean Water Act Section 316(b) rule issued by the EPA, which seeks to protect fish and other aquatic organisms by requiring existing steam electric generating facilities to utilize the Best Technology Available (BTA) for cooling water intake structures. There are two potential tracks to comply with the Policy:
Track 1Reduce intake flow rate on each unit to a level commensurate with that which can be obtained by a closed-cycle wet cooling system.
Track 2If they are able to demonstrate that Track 1 is not feasible, the existing power plant must reduce impingement mortality and entrainment of marine life, on a unit-by-unit basis, to a comparable level to that which would be achieved under Track 1, using operational or structural controls, or both.
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As required by the Policy, AES Southland submitted its implementation plans by April 1, 2011 and proposed to comply with the Policy by retiring the existing units and replacing them with new units that would not use ocean water provided satisfactory contracts could be obtained to support development and construction of new units. The SWRCB is currently reviewing the implementation plans and has requested additional information to assist with their evaluation. For further discussion of environmental laws and regulations affecting the U.S. businesses, see Environmental and Land Use Regulations later in this section.
Key Financial Drivers
AES Southlands contractual availability is the single most important driver of operations. Its units are generally required to achieve at least 86% availability in each contract year; AES Southland has usually met or exceeded its contractual availability.
Additional U.S. Generation Businesses
Business Description. Additional businesses include thermal and wind generating facilities, of which AES Hawaii and AES Warrior Run are the most significant, and our energy storage line of business.
Many of our U.S. generation plants provide baseload operations and are required to maintain a guaranteed level of availability. Any change in availability has a direct impact on financial performance. The plants are generally eligible for availability bonuses on an annual basis if they meet certain requirements. In addition to plant availability, fuel cost is a key business driver for some of our facilities. AES Hawaii receives a fuel payment from its offtaker, which is based on a fixed rate indexed to the Gross National Product Implicit Price Deflator (GNPIPD). Since the fuel payment is not directly linked to market prices for fuel, the risk arising from fluctuations in market prices for coal is borne by AES Hawaii.
To mitigate the risk from such fluctuations, AES Hawaii has entered into fixed-price coal purchase commitments that end in December 2013; the business could be subject to variability in coal pricing beginning in 2014. To mitigate fuel risk beyond 2013, AES Hawaii plans to seek additional fuel purchase commitments on favorable terms. However, if market prices rise and AES Hawaii is unable to procure coal supply on favorable terms, the financial performance of AES Hawaii could be materially and adversely affected.
AES Warrior Run has a fuel contract with a major global fuel supplier where the prices for fuel and ash removal are indexed to its PPA. This fuel contract expires in 2020 prior to the expiration of the PPA in 2030, resulting in fuel price risk for the remaining 10 years of the PPA. AES Warrior Run has begun efforts to source fuel longer term, and facilitate fuel flexibility.
Market Structure. Two of the primary fuels used by our U.S. generation facilities, coal and pet coke, are commodities with international prices set by market factors, although the price of the third primary fuel, natural gas is generally set domestically. Price variations for these fuels can change the composition of generation costs and energy prices in our generation businesses. Many of these generation businesses have entered into long-term PPAs with utilities or other offtakers. Some coal-fired power plant businesses in the U.S. with PPAs have mechanisms to recover fuel costs from the offtaker, including an energy payment that is partially based on the market price of coal. In addition, these businesses often have an opportunity to increase or decrease profitability from payments under their PPAs depending on such items as plant efficiency and availability, heat rate, ability to buy coal at lower costs through AES global sourcing program, and fuel flexibility. Revenue may change materially as prices in fuel markets fluctuate, but the variable margin or profitability should not be materially changed when market price fluctuations in fuel are borne by the offtaker.
Regulatory Framework. Several of our generation businesses in the United States, currently operate as Qualifying Facilities (QFs) as defined under Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). These businesses entered into long-term contracts with electric utilities that had a mandatory obligation at that time, as specified under PURPA, to purchase power from QFs at the utilitys avoided cost (i.e., the likely costs for both
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energy and capital investment that would have been incurred by the purchasing utility if that utility had to provide its own generating capacity or purchase it from another source). To be a QF, a cogeneration facility must produce electricity and useful thermal energy for an industrial or commercial process or heating or cooling applications in certain proportions to the facilitys total energy output, and must meet certain efficiency standards. To be a QF, a small power production facility must generally use a renewable resource as its energy input and meet certain size criteria.
Our non-QF generation businesses in the United States currently operate as Exempt Wholesale Generators (EWG) as defined under EPAct 1992. These businesses, subject to approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), have the right to sell power at market-based rates, either directly to the wholesale market or to a third-party off taker such as a power marketer or utility/industrial customer. Under the Federal Power Act (FPA) and FERCs regulations, approval from FERC to sell wholesale power at market-based rates is generally dependent upon a showing to FERC that the seller lacks market power in generation and transmission, that the seller and its affiliates cannot erect other barriers to market entry and that there is no opportunity for abusive transactions involving regulated affiliates of the seller. To prevent market manipulation, FERC requires sellers with market-based rate authority to file certain reports, including a triennial updated market power analysis for markets in which they control certain threshold amounts of generation.
Other Regulatory Matters
The U.S. wholesale electricity market consists of multiple distinct regional markets that are subject to both federal regulation, as implemented by the U.S. FERC, and regional regulation as defined by rules designed and implemented by the RTOs, non-profit corporations that operate the regional transmission grid and maintain organized markets for electricity. These rules for the most part govern such items as the determination of the market mechanism for setting the system marginal price for energy and the establishment of guidelines and incentives for the addition of new capacity. See Item 1A.Risk Factors for additional discussion on U.S. regulatory matters.
Our businesses are subject to emission regulations, which may result in increased operating costs or the purchase of additional pollution control equipment if emission levels are exceeded. Our businesses periodically review their obligations for compliance with environmental laws, including site restoration and remediation. Because of the uncertainties associated with environmental assessment and remediation activities, future costs of compliance or remediation could be higher or lower than the amount currently accrued, if any. For a discussion of environmental laws and regulations affecting the U.S. business, see Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations later in this section. In April 2012, the EPAs rule to establish maximum achievable control technology standards for each hazardous air pollutant regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) emitted from coal and oil-fired electric utilities, known as MATS became effective.
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Andes SBU
Our Andes SBU has generation facilities in three countries, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. Our Andes operations accounted for 16%, 18% and 14% of consolidated AES gross margin and 18%, 28% and 21% of consolidated AES adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate. AES Gener, which owns all of our assets in Chile, Chivor in Colombia and TermoAndes in Argentina, as detailed below, is a publicly-listed company in Chile. AES has a 71% ownership interest in AES Gener and this business is consolidated in our financial statements.
The following table provides highlights of our Andes operations:
Countries |
Argentina, Chile and Colombia | |
Generation Capacity |
7,740 gross MW (5,952 proportional MW) | |
Generation Facilities |
33 (including 3 under construction) | |
Key Generation Businesses |
AES Gener, Chivor and AES Argentina |
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Operating installed capacity of our Andes SBU totals 7,740 MW, of which 46%, 41% and 13% is located in Argentina, Chile and Colombia, respectively. Set forth in the table below is a list of our Andes SBU generation facilities:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Chivor |
Colombia | Hydro | 1,000 | 71 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Colombia Subtotal |
1,000 | |||||||||||||||
Gener(1) |
Chile | Hydro/Coal/Diesel/ Biomass |
986 | 71 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Guacolda(2) |
Chile | Coal/Pet Coke | 608 | 35 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Electrica Angamos |
Chile | Coal | 545 | 71 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Electrica Santiago(3) |
Chile | Gas/Diesel | 479 | 71 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Norgener |
Chile | Coal/Pet Coke | 277 | 71 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Electrica Ventanas(4) |
Chile | Coal | 272 | 71 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
Chile Subtotal |
3,167 | |||||||||||||||
TermoAndes(5) |
Argentina | Gas/Diesel | 643 | 71 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
AES Gener Subtotal |
4,810 | |||||||||||||||
Alicura |
Argentina | Hydro | 1,050 | 100 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Paraná-GT |
Argentina | Gas/Oil/Biodiesel | 845 | 100 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||
San Nicolás |
Argentina | Coal/Oil/Gas | 675 | 100 | % | 1993 | ||||||||||
Los Caracoles(6) |
Argentina | Hydro | 125 | 0 | % | 2009 | ||||||||||
Cabra Corral |
Argentina | Hydro | 102 | 100 | % | 1995 | ||||||||||
Quebrada de Ullum(6) |
Argentina | Hydro | 45 | 0 | % | 2004 | ||||||||||
Ullum |
Argentina | Hydro | 45 | 100 | % | 1996 | ||||||||||
Sarmiento |
Argentina | Gas/Diesel | 33 | 100 | % | 1996 | ||||||||||
El Tunal |
Argentina | Hydro | 10 | 100 | % | 1995 | ||||||||||
Argentina Subtotal |
2,930 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Andes Total |
7,740 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
(1) | Gener plants: Alfalfal, Laguna Verde, Laguna Verde Turbogas, Laja, Los Vientos, Maitenas, Queltehues, San Francisco de Mostazal, Santa Lidia, Ventanas and Volcán. |
(2) | Guacolda plants: Guacolda 1, Guacolda 2, Guacolda 3 and Guacolda 4. Unconsolidated entities for which the results of operations are reflected in Equity in Earnings of Affiliates. |
(3) | Electrica Santiago plants: Nueva Renca and Renca. |
(4) | Electrica Ventanas plant: Nueva Ventanas. |
(5) | TermoAndes is located in Argentina, but is connected to both the SING in Chile and the SADI in Argentina. |
(6) | AES operates these facilities through management or O&M agreements and owns no equity interest in these businesses. |
Under construction
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Expected Year of Commercial Operations |
|||||||||||
GenerVentanas IV (Campiche)(1) |
Chile | Coal | 270 | 71 | % | 2013 | ||||||||||
GenerGuacolda V |
Chile | Coal | 152 | 36 | % | 2015 | ||||||||||
Chile Subtotal |
422 | |||||||||||||||
ChivorTunjita |
Colombia | Hydro | 20 | 71 | % | 2014 | ||||||||||
Colombia Subtotal |
20 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Andes Total |
442 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
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(1) | GenerVentanas IV (Campiche): Currently in commissioning. |
The following map illustrates the location of our Andes facilities:
Andes Businesses
Chile
Business Description. In Chile, through AES Gener, we are engaged in the generation and supply of electricity (energy and capacity) in the two principal markets: the Central Interconnected Electricity System (SIC) and Northern Interconnected Electricity System (SING). As of December 31, 2012, AES Geners net power production in the SIC totaled 11,590 GWh (24% of the SICs total generation) and AES Geners net power production in the SING totaled 4,989 GWh (33% of the SINGs total generation). In terms of aggregate installed capacity, AES Gener is the second largest generation operator in Chile with an installed capacity of 3,810 MW and market share of 21% as of December 31, 2012. In the SIC, AES Gener has installed capacity of 2,345 MW representing 17% of gross installed capacity in the system. In the SING, AES Gener have installed capacity of 1,465 MW representing 32% of gross installed capacity in the system. AES Geners installed capacity in the SING includes the TermoAndes plant, which is located in northwest Argentina and connected to both the SING by a transmission line owned by AES Gener, and the Argentine electricity grid. TermoAndes was originally constructed to supply the SING by exporting energy from 2000 to 2011. TermoAndes electricity export permit expired on January 31, 2013. While AES Gener continues to evaluate potential renewal, TermoAndes is currently selling output of this plant in Argentina.
AES Gener owns a diversified generation portfolio in terms of geography, technology, customers and fuel source. AES Geners installed capacity is located near the principal electricity consumption centers, including Santiago, Valparaiso and Antofagasta, extending from Antofagasta in the north to Concepción in south-central Chile. AES Geners diverse generation portfolio, composed of hydroelectric, coal, gas, diesel and biomass facilities, allows the businesses to operate under a variety of market and hydrological conditions, manage AES Geners contractual obligations with regulated and unregulated customers and, as required, provide back-up
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short-term market energy to the SIC and SING. AES Gener has experienced significant growth in recent years, responding to market opportunities with the completion of nine generation projects totaling approximately 1,400 MW and increasing AES Geners installed capacity by 49% from 2006 to 2013. Additionally, they are in the process of commissioning a 270 MW coal-fired plant (Ventanas IV) and constructing an additional 152 MW coal-fired plant (Guacolda V). AES Gener plans to continue to grow with the construction of new projects in both the SIC and the SING, taking advantage of AES Geners presence and knowledge of the market, in addition to AES Geners project management and construction skills. AES Geners key short-term development projects include the 532 MW coal-fired Cochrane power plant in the SING and the 531 MW run-of-river hydroelectric Alto Maipo power plant in the SIC.
In Chile, we align AES Geners contracts with their efficient generation capacity, contracting a significant portion of their baseload capacity, currently coal and hydroelectric, under long-term contracts with a diversified customer base, which includes both regulated and unregulated customers. AES Gener reserves their higher variable cost units as designated back-up facilities, principally the diesel and gas-fired units in Chile, for sales to the short-term market during scarce system supply conditions, such as dry hydrological conditions and plant outages. In Chile, sales on the short-term market are made only to other generation companies that are members of the relevant Economic Load Dispatch Center (CDEC) at the system marginal cost.
AES Gener currently has long-term contracts, with average terms between 10 and 18 years, with regulated distribution companies and unregulated customers such as mining and industrial companies. In general, these long-term contracts include both fixed and variable payments along with indexation mechanisms, which periodically adjust prices based on the generation cost structure related to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (U.S. CPI), the international price of coal, and in some cases, with pass-through of full fuel and regulatory costs, including changes in law.
In addition to energy payments, AES Gener also receives firm capacity payments for contributing to the systems ability to meet peak demand. These payments are added to the final electricity price paid by both unregulated and regulated customers. In each system, the CDEC annually determines the firm capacity amount allocated to each power plant. A plants firm capacity is defined as the capacity that it can guarantee at peak hours during critical conditions, such as droughts, taking into account statistical information regarding maintenance periods and the water inflows in the case of hydroelectric plants. The capacity price is fixed by the National Energy Commission (CNE) in the semi-annual node price report and indexed to the U.S. CPI and other relevant indices.
Market Structure. Chile has four power systems, largely as a result of its geographic shape and size. The SIC is the largest of these systems, with an installed capacity of 13,633 MW as of December 31, 2012. The SIC serves approximately 92% of the Chilean population, including the densely populated Santiago Metropolitan Region, and supplies 75% of the countrys electricity demand. The SING serves about 6% of the Chilean population, supplying 24% of Chiles electricity consumption, and is mostly oriented toward mining companies.
In 2012, thermoelectric generation represented 69% of the total generation in Chile. In the SIC, thermoelectric generation represents 55% of installed capacity and is required to fulfill demand not satisfied by hydroelectric output, and is critical to guaranteeing reliable and dependable electricity supply under dry hydrological conditions. In the SING, which includes the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, thermoelectric capacity represents 99.7% of installed capacity. The fuels used for generation, mainly coal, diesel and LNG, are commodities with international prices.
In the SIC, where hydroelectric plants represent a large part of the systems installed capacity, hydrological conditions largely influence plant dispatch and therefore, short-term market prices, given that river flow volumes, melting snow and initial water levels in reservoirs largely determine the dispatch of the systems hydroelectric and thermoelectric generation plants. Rainfall and snowfall occurs in Chile principally in the southern cone winter season (June to August) and during the remainder of the year precipitation is scarce. When rain is abundant, energy produced by hydroelectric plants can amount to more than 70% of total generation. In 2012, hydroelectric generation represented 41% of total energy production.
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Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. The governmental entity which has primary responsibility for the Chilean electricity system is the Ministry of Energy, acting directly or through the CNE and the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels. The electricity sector is divided into three segments: generation, transmission and distribution. In general terms, generation and transmission expansion are subject to market competition, while transmission operation and distribution, are subject to price regulation. The transmission segment consists of companies that transmit the electricity produced by generation companies at high voltage. Companies which are owners of a trunk transmission system cannot participate in the generation or distribution segments.
Companies in the SIC and the SING that possess generation, transmission, sub-transmission or additional transmission facilities, as well as unregulated customers directly connected to transmission facilities, are coordinated through the CDEC, which minimizes the operating costs of the electricity system, while meeting all service quality and reliability requirements. The principal purpose of the CDEC is to ensure that the most efficient electricity generation available to meet demand is dispatched to customers. The CDEC dispatches plants in merit order based on their variable cost of production which allows for electricity to be supplied at the lowest available cost.
All generators can commercialize energy through contracts with distribution companies for their regulated and unregulated customers, or directly with unregulated customers. Unregulated customers are customers whose connected capacity is higher than 2 MW. Under law, both regulated and unregulated customers are required to purchase 100% of their electricity requirements under contract. Generators may also sell energy to other power generation companies on a short-term basis. Power generation companies may also engage in contracted sales among themselves at negotiated prices, outside the short-term market. Electricity prices in Chile, under contract and on the short-term market, are denominated in U.S. Dollars although payments are made in Chilean pesos.
Other Regulatory Considerations. In 2011, a regulation on air emission standards for thermoelectric power plants became effective. This regulation provides for stringent limits on emission of particulate matter and gases produced by the combustion of solid and liquid fuels, particularly coal. For existing plants, including those currently under construction, the new limits for particulate matter emission will go into effect by the end of 2013 and the new limits for SO2 (sulfur dioxide), NOx (nitrogen dioxide) and mercury emission will begin to apply in mid-2016, except for those plants operating in zones declared saturated or latent zones (areas at risk of or affected by excessive air pollution), where these emission limits will become effective by June 2015. In order to comply with the new emission standards, AES Gener in Chile will invest approximately $280 million, at its older coal facilities, including its proportional investment in an equity-method investee, Guacolda. In 2012, AES Gener initiated these investments, spending approximately $42 million, and the remaining $238 million will be invested between 2013 and 2015 in order to comply within the required timeframe.
Chilean law requires every electricity generator to supply a certain portion of their total contractual obligations with non-conventional renewable energies (NCREs). The required amount is determined based on contract agreements executed after August 31, 2007. The NCRE requirement is equal to 5.0% for the period from 2010 through 2014 and thereafter the required percentage increases by 0.5% each year, to a maximum of 10.0% by 2024. Generation companies are able to meet this requirement by developing their own NCRE generation capacity (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and small hydroelectric technology), or purchasing NCRE from qualified generators or by paying the applicable fines for non-compliance. AES Gener currently fulfills the NCRE requirements by utilizing AES Geners own biomass power plants and by purchasing NCREs from other generation companies. They have sold certain water rights to companies that are developing small hydro projects, entering into power purchase agreements with these companies in order to promote development of these projects, while at the same time meeting the NCRE requirements. At present, AES Gener is in the process of negotiating additional NCRE supply contracts to meet the future NCRE requirements. The authorities have announced a potential increase in future NCRE requirements and a proposed bill is being discussed in Congress.
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Key Financial Drivers
In Chile, AES Geners contracting strategy, determining both the amount of capacity to contract or leave uncommitted for spot market sales and the relevant pricing formulas including indexation, is important to our profitability. AES Gener aligns their contracts with their efficient generation capacity, contracting a significant portion of their efficient capacity under long-term contracts, while reserving their higher variable cost units for sales on the spot market. The performance of their generating assets, efficiency and availability, is also a critical part of their strategy in order to maximize contracted margins and avoid exposure to spot price volatility.
In the SIC, hydrological conditions are also important financial drivers since they largely influence plant dispatch and therefore, spot market prices. AES Gener becomes a short-term purchaser of electricity from other generation companies during rainy hydrological conditions, when short-term market prices are at their lowest, and AES Geners spot sales of electricity generated by their back-up facilities increase in periods of low water conditions, when short-term market prices are at their highest. Both extreme hydrological conditions provide AES Gener with improved earnings and cash flow.
Successful execution and commencement of operation of AES Geners growth projects under construction, currently Ventanas IV (Campiche) and Guacolda V is important to their financial performance. In accordance with AES Geners commercial contract strategy, in order to reduce their exposure to the potential imbalance between supply and demand and ensure investment recovery, their policy is to contract a significant proportion of the new efficient project capacity under long-term energy supply contracts.
Colombia
Business Description. As of December 31, 2012, AES Geners net power production in Colombia was 4,664 GWh (8% of the countrys total generation). The Chivor plant, a subsidiary of AES Gener, is a hydroelectric facility with installed capacity of 1,000 MW, located approximately 160 km east of Bogota. The installed capacity represents approximately 7% of system capacity as of December 31, 2012. The plant consists of eight 125 MW dam-based hydroelectric generating units in two separate sub-facilities. Because all of Chivors installed capacity in Colombia is hydroelectric, they are dependent on the prevailing hydrological conditions in the region in which they operate. Hydrological conditions largely influence generation and the short-term prices at which they sell Chivors non-contracted generation in Colombia.
Chivors commercial strategy focuses on selling between 75% and 85% of the annual expected output under contracts, principally with distribution companies, in order to provide cash flow stability. These bilateral contracts with distribution companies are awarded in public bids and normally last from one to three years. The remaining generation is sold on the short-term market to other generation and trading companies at the system marginal cost, allowing us to maximize the operating margin during optimal price conditions.
Additionally, Chivor receives reliability payments for the availability and reliability of Chivors reservoir during periods of scarcity, such as adverse hydrological conditions. These payments, referred to as reliability charge payments are designed to compensate generation companies for the firm energy that they are capable of providing to the system during critical periods of low supply in order to prevent electricity shortages.
Market Structure
Electricity supply in Colombia is concentrated in one main system, the National Interconnected System (SIN). The SIN encompasses one-third of Colombias territory, providing coverage to 96% of the countrys population. The SINs installed capacity totaled 14,533 MW as of December 31, 2012, composed of 67% hydroelectric generation, 31% thermoelectric generation and 2% other. The dominance of hydroelectric generation and the marked seasonal variations in Colombias hydrology result in price volatility in the short-term market. In 2012, 80% of total energy demand was supplied by hydroelectric plants with the remaining supply from thermoelectric generation (19%) and cogeneration and self-generation power (1%). From 2002 to 2012,
26
electricity demand in the SIN has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 2.9% and the Mining and Energetic Planning Unit (UPME) projects an average annual compounded growth rate in electricity demand of 4% per year for the next ten years.
Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. Since 1994, the electricity sector in Colombia has operated as a competitive market framework for the generation and sale of electricity and a regulated framework for transmission and distribution. The distinct activities of the electricity sector are governed by various laws and the regulations and technical standards issued by the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (CREG). Other government entities which play an important role in the electricity industry include: the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which defines the governments policy for the energy sector; the Public Utility Superintendency of Colombia, which is in charge of overseeing and inspecting the utility companies; and the UPME, which is in charge of planning the expansion of the generation and transmission network.
The generation sector is organized on a competitive basis with companies selling their generation in the wholesale market at the short-term price or under bilateral contracts with other participants, including distribution companies, generators and traders, and unregulated customers at freely negotiated prices. Generation companies must submit price bids and report the quantity of energy available on a daily basis. The National Dispatch Center dispatches generators in merit order based on bid offers in order to ensure that demand will be satisfied by the lowest cost combination of available generating units.
Other Regulatory Considerations. In the past few years, Colombian authorities have discussed proposals to make certain regulatory changes. One proposal is to replace or complement the current public auction system in which each distribution company holds an auction for its specific requirements and subsequently executes bilateral contracts with generation or trading companies, with a centralized auction in which the market administrator purchases energy for all distribution companies. Additionally, a proposal has been discussed which would allow authorities to dictate emergency energy situations, in cases such as severe drought conditions, in order to implement measures to prevent shortages and other negative economic impacts.
Key Financial Drivers
Hydrological conditions largely influence Chivors generation level. Maintaining the appropriate contract level, while working to maximize revenue, through sale of excess generation, is key to Chivors results of operations.
Argentina
Our Business. As of December 31, 2012, AES Argentinas net power production in the Argentine Interconnected System (SADI) totaled 14,426 GWh, representing 11% of the SADIs total generation. AES Argentina operates 3,573 MW which represents 11% of countrys total installed capacity, making us the third-largest generator. The installed capacity in the SADI includes the TermoAndes plant, a subsidiary of AES Gener, which is connected both to the SADI and the Chilean SING. AES Argentina has a diversified generation portfolio of ten generation facilities, comprised of 62% thermoelectric and 38% hydroelectric capacity. All of the thermoelectric capacity has the capability to burn alternative fuels. Approximately 69% of the thermoelectric capacity can operate alternatively with natural gas or diesel oil and the remaining 31% can operate alternatively with natural gas or fuel oil.
AES Argentina sells its production to customers on the short-term market, where prices are largely regulated. In 2012, approximately 80% of the energy was sold on the short-term market and 20% was under contract. Short-term prices are determined in Argentine pesos by the Wholesale Electric Market Administrator (CAMMESA) and have been frozen at approximately $120 pesos per MWh for the past three years.
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All of the thermoelectric facilities have the ability to use natural gas and receive gas supplied through contracts with Argentine producers. In recent years, gas supply restrictions in Argentina, particularly during the southern cones winter season, have affected some of the plants, specifically the TermoAndes plant which is connected to the SING by a transmission line owned by AES Gener. The TermoAndes plant commenced operations in 2000, selling exclusively into the Chilean SING. In 2008, following requirements of the Argentine authorities, TermoAndes connected its two gas turbines to the SADI, while maintaining its steam turbine connected to the SING. However, since mid-December 2011, TermoAndes has been selling the plants full capacity in the SADI. TermoAndes electricity permit to export to the SING expired on January 31, 2013 and potential renewal is being evaluated.
Market Structure. The SADI electricity market is managed by CAMMESA. As of December 31, 2012, the installed capacity of the SADI totaled 31,139 MW. In 2012, 66% of total energy demand was supplied by thermoelectric plants, 29% by hydroelectric plants and 5% from nuclear, wind and solar plants.
Thermoelectric generation in the SADI is principally fueled by natural gas. However, since 2004, and due to natural gas shortages, in addition to increasing electricity demand, the use of alternative fuels in thermoelectric generation, such as oil and coal has increased. Given that the cost of these fuels is generally higher than natural gas, the extra cost or dispatch surcharge, is currently reimbursed by CAMMESA, by including the surcharge in the energy margin paid to generators in order to compensate them for the cost of fuel. CAMMESA publishes reference prices on a biweekly basis for each type of fuel, capping the maximum price to be paid by generators.
Given the importance of hydroelectric facilities in the SADI, hydrological conditions determining river flow volumes and initial water levels in reservoirs largely influence hydroelectric and thermoelectric plant dispatch. Rainfall occurs principally in the southern cone winter season (June to August).
Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. The Argentine regulatory framework divides the electricity sector into generation, transmission and distribution. The wholesale electric market is made up of generation companies, transmission companies, distribution companies and large customers who are allowed to buy and sell electricity. Generation companies can sell their output in the short-term market or to customers in the contract market. The wholesale electric market is administrated by CAMMESA, which is responsible for dispatch coordination and determination of short-term prices. The Electricity National Regulatory Agency is in charge of regulating public service activities and the Ministry of Federal Planning, Public Investment and Services, through the Energy Secretariat, regulates system dispatch and grants concessions or authorizations for sector activities.
Since 2001, significant modifications have also been made to the electricity regulatory framework. These modifications include tariff conversion to Argentinean Pesos, freezing of tariffs, the cancelation of inflation adjustment mechanisms and the introduction of a complex pricing system in the wholesale electric market, which have materially affected electricity generators, transporters and distributors, and generated substantial price differences within the market. Since 2004, as a result of energy market reforms and overdue accounts receivables owed by the government to generators operating in Argentina, AES Argentina contributed certain accounts receivables to fund the construction of new power plants under FONINVEMEM agreements. These receivables accrue interest and are collected in monthly installments over 10 years once the related plants begin operations. At this point three funds have been created to construct three facilities. The first two plants are operating and payments are being received, while the third plant is under development. AES Argentina will receive a pro rata ownership interest in these newly-built plants once the accounts receivables have been paid. The Argentine government has continued to intervene in the energy sector and AES Argentina believes that additional modifications to Argentine electricity sector regulations are likely. In August 2012, authorities advised of a proposal to modify the current energy regulatory framework, moving from a marginal cost market to a cost-plus market, although AES Argentina is not aware of the details or timing for this modification at present. See Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional details.
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Key Financial Drivers
Potential changes in regulations, especially changes related to a revenue requirement pricing scheme or a change to the coal rule, which establishes the margin for AES Argentinas San Nicolas plant, are key drivers for the Argentina business. The ability to contract sales with unregulated customers at TermoAndes and obtain the natural gas required to supply the contracts is another area of focus for the business. Macroeconomic conditions, further regulatory changes, and AES Argentinas ability to collect on receivables, including FONINVEMEM and future receivables, impact operating performance and cash flow. Finally, hydrological conditions largely determine our plants dispatch.
Brazil SBU
Our Brazil SBU has generation and distribution facilities. Our Brazil operations accounted for 26%, 45% and 45% of consolidated AES gross margin and 15%, 23% and 25% of consolidated AES adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate.
The following table provides highlights of our Brazil operations:
Generation Capacity |
3,298 gross MW (932 proportional MW) | |
Utilities Penetration |
7.7 million customers (54,408 GWh) | |
Generation Facilities |
13 | |
Utilities Businesses |
2 | |
Key Generation Businesses |
Tietê and Uruguaiana | |
Key Utility Businesses |
Eletropaulo and Sul |
Generation. Operating installed capacity of our Brazil SBU totals 2,658 MW in AES Tietê plants, located in the State of São Paulo. Tietê represents approximately 11%, as of December 2012, of the total generation capacity in the State of São Paulo and is the second largest private generator in Brazil. We also have another generation plant, AES Uruguaiana, located in the South of Brazil with a installed capacity of 640 MW.
Set forth in the table below is a list of our Brazil SBU generation facilities:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Tietê(1) |
Brazil | Hydro | 2,658 | 24 | % | 1999 | ||||||||||
Uruguaiana |
Brazil | Gas | 640 | 46 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Brazil Total |
3,298 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
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(1) | Tietê plants with installed capacity: Água Vermelha (1,396 MW), Bariri (143 MW), Barra Bonita (141 MW), Caconde (80 MW), Euclides da Cunha (109 MW), Ibitinga (132 MW), Limoeiro (32 MW), Mogi-Guaçu (7 MW), Nova Avanhandava (347 MW), Promissão (264 MW), Sao Joaquim (3 MW) and Sao Jose (4 MW). |
Distribution. AES owns interests in two distribution facilities in Brazil. Eletropaulo operates in the metropolitan area of São Paulo and adjacent regions, distributing electricity to 24 municipalities in a total area of 4,526 km2, covering a region of high demographic density and the largest concentration of GDP in the country. It is the largest power distributor in Latin America serving approximately 16.6 million people and 6.5 million consumer units.
AES Sul is responsible for supplying electricity to 118 municipalities of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre to the border with Uruguay and Argentina in a total area of 99,512 km2, serving approximately 3.3 million people and 1.24 million consumer units.
Set forth in the table below is a list of our Brazil SBU distribution facilities:
Business |
Location | Approximate Number of Customers Served as of 12/31/2012 |
GWh Sold in 2012 |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired |
|||||||||||||
Eletropaulo |
Brazil | 6,483,000 | 45,557 | 16 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||||
Sul |
Brazil | 1,240,000 | 8,851 | 100 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
7,723,000 | 54,408 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
The following map illustrates the location of our Brazil facilities:
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Brazil Businesses
Business Description
Generation. Tietê is a portfolio of 12 hydroelectric power plants, with total installed capacity of 2,658 MW in the state of São Paulo. Tietê was privatized in 1999 under a 30-year concession expiring in 2029. AES owns a 24% economic interest, our partner the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) owns 28% and the remaining shares are publicly held or held by government-related entities. AES is the controlling shareholder and manages and consolidates this business.
Tietê sells 100% of its assured capacity to Eletropaulo under a long-term PPA, which is expiring in December 2015. After that, Tietes strategy is to contract 95% of this energy and the remaining portion is to be sold in the short-term market. The contract is price-adjusted annually for inflation (IGP-M). Current regulated auctions for similar energy are clearing at prices that are below our existing contract prices.
Under the concession agreement, Tietê had an obligation to increase its capacity by 15% by 2007, with no penalty imposed for lack of compliance, although there is a legal case initiated by the state of Sao Paulo requiring the investment to be performed. Tietê, as well as other concessionaire generators, was not able to meet this requirement due to regulatory, environmental, hydrological and fuel constraints. Tietê is in the process of analyzing options to meet the obligation.
Uruguaiana is a 640 MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant commissioned in December 2000. AES manages and owns a 46% economic interest and the remaining is held by BNDES. The facility is located in the town of Uruguaiana in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The plants operations were suspended in April 2009 due to unavailability of gas. However the facility resumed operations on February 8, 2013 and expects to continue for 60 days due to a recently secured short-term supply of LNG for the facility. At the first stage, the thermal plant will operate with capacity of approximately 164 MW. Uruguaiana is working to secure gas on a long-term basis, to operate at the plants full capacity.
Distribution . Eletropaulo distributes electricity to 24 municipalities that compose the Greater São Paulo, including the capital of São Paulo State, Brazils main economic and financial center. The Company is the largest electric power distributor in Latin America in terms of both revenues and volume of energy distribution.
AES owns 16% of the economic interest of Eletropaulo, our partner, BNDES, owns 19% and the remaining shares are publicly held or held by government-related entities. AES is the controlling shareholder and manages and consolidates this business. Eletropaulo holds a 30-year concession that expires in 2028.
Sul distributes electricity in 118 municipalities in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre up to the frontier with Uruguay and Argentina, respectively, in the municipalities of Santana do Livramento and Uruguaiana/São Borja at the extreme west of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. AES owns 100% of the economic interest and manages this business under a 30-year concession expiring in 2027.
Market Structure
Tietê is one of many generators in the 117,000 MW installed capacity system comprising approximately 75% of the market with regulated customers and the remainder with free customers. Of this total system installed capacity, 78% is hydroelectric, 16% is thermoelectric and 6% is from renewable sources (biomass and wind).
Regulatory Framework
The Brazilian power sector has a number of different regulatory bodies, the most relevant of which are: (i) the Minister of Mines and Energy (MME), which is the governments main energy policy maker; (ii) the Energy Planning Enterprise (EPE), which is the governments agency for the long-term planning of the
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countrys generation and transmission systems expansion to ensure high reliability of supply at the lowest possible cost; (iii) ANEEL, which is the agency that runs the day-to-day execution of the governments policies, including tariff adjustments and periodic tariff resets for distribution; and (iv) the National System Operator (ONS), which is responsible for coordinating and controlling the operation of the national grid.
The Government of Brazil recently announced an Energy Cost Reduction Program, which targets a 20 percent reduction in electricity prices. About one-third of this planned reduction is expected to be driven by lowering sector charges (indirect taxes). The remaining two-thirds of this reduction is being targeted through re-negotiations of new conditions with various generators and transmission and distribution companies, whose concession contracts are up for renewal between 2015 and 2017. The Government of Brazil issued Provision Measure 579 (MP 579) and other related rules. MP 579 is still pending Congressional approval and implementation of the Energy Cost Reduction Program is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter. The concession at Tietê, our generation business in Brazil, was granted after 1995 and expires in 2029 and thus is not subject to this regulation. Furthermore, we are insulated in the short-term, as 100% of Tietês output is contracted with Eletropaulo through December 2015. Beyond 2015, any developments will be a function of the supply-demand and new investment dynamics in Brazil. Both Eletropaulo and Sul, have concessions granted after 1995 and valid until 2028 and 2027, respectively, and thus are not affected by the proposed MP 579. On January 24, 2013, an extraordinary tariff reduction for all distribution companies was announced with an average reduction at Eletropaulo of 20% and at Sul of 25%. Since the distribution businesses earn a return on the regulated asset base and energy purchases are treated as a pass-through cost, management expects these changes will have a neutral impact on our gross margin.
Electricity Regulation. In Brazil, MME determines the maximum amount of energy that a plant can sell assured energy, which represents the long-term average expected energy production of the plant. Under the current rules, the plants assured energy can be sold to the distribution companies through long-term (regulated) auctions or under unregulated bilateral contracts with large consumers or energy trading companies.
Under the power sector model, a distribution company is obligated to contract 100% of the anticipated energy needs through the regulated auction market. The regulated utilities can pass through the amounts contracted up to 103% of their load. If the company is contracted below 99% of its projected load, there is no pass-through mechanism for the energy purchased below that limit.
ANEEL sets the tariff for each distribution company, which is based on Return on Asset Base methodology that also benchmarks operational costs against other distribution companies.
The tariff charged to regulated customers consists of two elements: (i) full pass through of non-manageable costs (Parcel A), which includes energy purchase costs, sector charges and transmission and distribution system expenses; and (ii) a manageable cost component (Parcel B), which includes operation and maintenance costs (defined by ANEEL), recovery of assets and a component for the value added by the distributor (calculated as the net asset base multiplied by the regulatory pre-tax weighted average cost of capital).
For distribution companies, a tariff reset occurs every four to five years, depending on the specific business. Eletropaulos tariff reset occurs every four year and the next tariff reset will be in July 2015. Suls tariff resets every five years and the current rate will be set for another five years in April 2013.
In addition to tariff reset, Parcel A is reviewed and adjusted once a year. Parcel B is adjusted once every year reflecting inflation offset by X-Factor to capture windfall gains from volume sales growth.
Distribution companies could also be entitled to extraordinary tariff revisions, subject to ANEEL approval, in the event of significant and proven loss of the economic and financial equilibrium.
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Eletropaulo has ongoing discussions with the regulator in the administrative level regarding the parameters of the tariff reset applied in July 2012, retroactive to July 2011. The main discussions involve the shielded regulatory asset base and whether adjustments should be made to it, the amount of investments made by the company that were not included in the tariff and the benchmark used for regulatory losses .
During 2012, Eletropaulo received two infraction notices from ANEEL, relating to the financial audit of its fixed assets. The notices allege non-conformities in the regulatory accounting applied by Eletropaulo to the fixed assets and non-conformities in the regulatory asset base, both of which impact the regulatory asset base used to calculate the tariff charged to customers. Management has filed appeals contesting the alleged non-conformities and fines imposed, and are awaiting responses. Management has recognized its best estimate of the probable loss as of December 31, 2012. There can be no assurances that additional losses may be necessary which could have a material impact on our results of operations.
For Sul, the tariff reset for the next five years, will occur in April 2013. ANEEL opened a public hearing on February 5, 2013, which is expected to run until March 8, 2013 to discuss the rates. Although we believe Sul should receive a fair and reasonable tariff, there can be no assurances made around the outcome of the process. In the event that the tariff reset is below our expectations, there could be a material impact on our results of operations.
Key Financial Drivers
As the system is highly dependent on hydroelectric generation, Brazil SBU generation companies are affected by the hydrology in the overall sector, as well as availability of Tietes plants and reliability of the Uruguaiana facility. The availability of gas for continued operations is a driver for Uruguaiana.
For Brazil SBU distribution companies, the demand for electricity is affected by economic activity, weather patterns and customers consumption behavior. Further, AES Sul is focused on working with stakeholders to determine a fair and reasonable outcome for the tariff reset scheduled to be implemented in April 2013. Finally, the distribution companies operating performance is driven by the quality of service and ability to control non-technical losses.
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MCAC SBU
Our MCAC SBU has a portfolio of distribution businesses and generation facilities, including renewable energy, in six countries, with a total capacity of 3,860 MW and distribution networks serving more than 1.2 million customers as of December 31, 2012. MCAC operations accounted for 15%, 13% and 12% of consolidated AES gross margin and 18%, 17% and 17% of consolidated AES adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate.
The following table provides highlights of our MCAC SBU operations:
Countries |
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama , Puerto Rico and Trinidad | |
Generation Capacity |
3,860 gross MW (2,585 proportional MW) | |
Utilities Penetration |
1.2 million customers (3,642 GWh) | |
Generation Facilities |
16 | |
Utilities Businesses |
4 | |
Key Generation Businesses |
Andres, Panama and TEG TEP | |
Key Distribution Businesses |
El Salvador |
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The total operating installed capacity of our MCAC SBU is distributed 27%, 22%, 18% and 14% in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico, respectively. The table below lists our MCAC SBU facilities:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Andres |
Dominican Republic | Gas | 319 | 100 | % | 2003 | ||||||||||
Itabo(1) |
Dominican Republic | Coal/Gas | 295 | 50 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
DPP (Los Mina) |
Dominican Republic | Gas | 236 | 100 | % | 1996 | ||||||||||
Dominican Republic Subtotal |
850 | |||||||||||||||
AES Nejapa |
El Salvador | Landfill Gas | 6 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
El Salvador Subtotal |
6 | |||||||||||||||
Merida III |
Mexico | Gas | 505 | 55 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||
Termoelectrica del Golfo (TEG) |
Mexico | Pet Coke | 275 | 99 | % | 2007 | ||||||||||
Termoelectrica del Penoles (TEP) |
Mexico | Pet Coke | 275 | 99 | % | 2007 | ||||||||||
Mexico Subtotal |
1,055 | |||||||||||||||
Bayano |
Panama | Hydro | 260 | 49 | % | 1999 | ||||||||||
Changuinola |
Panama | Hydro | 223 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
ChiriquiEsti |
Panama | Hydro | 120 | 49 | % | 2003 | ||||||||||
ChiriquiLos Valles |
Panama | Hydro | 54 | 49 | % | 1999 | ||||||||||
ChiriquiLa Estrella |
Panama | Hydro | 48 | 49 | % | 1999 | ||||||||||
Panama Subtotal |
705 | |||||||||||||||
Puerto Rico |
USPR | Coal | 524 | 100 | % | 2002 | ||||||||||
Puerto Rico Subtotal |
524 | |||||||||||||||
Trinidad |
Trinidad | Gas | 720 | 10 | % | 2011-2012 | ||||||||||
Trinidad Subtotal |
720 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
MCAC Total |
3,860 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
(1) | Itabo plants: Itabo complex (two coal-fired steam turbines and one gas-fired steam turbine). |
MCAC Utilities. The Companys MCAC utilities in El Salvador are reported within Corporate and Other because they do not require separate disclosure under segment reporting accounting guidance. See Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for further discussion of the Companys segment structure used for financial reporting purposes.
Our distribution businesses are located in El Salvador and distribute power to more than 1.2 million people in the country. This business consists of 4 companies, each of which operates in defined service areas as described in the table below:
Business |
Location | Approximate Number of Customers Served as of 12/31/2012 |
GWh Sold in 2012 |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired |
|||||||||||||||
CAESS |
El Salvador | 558,000 | 2,160 | 75 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||||||
CLESA |
El Salvador | 342,000 | 852 | 64 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||||||
DEUSEM |
El Salvador | 68,000 | 119 | 74 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||||||
EEO |
El Salvador | 260,000 | 511 | 89 | % | 2000 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
1,228,000 | 3,642 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
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The following map illustrates the location of our MCAC facilities:
MCAC Businesses
Mexico
Business Description. We have an installed capacity of 1,055 MW, which consists of 550 MW from self-supply generation, a regulation that allows qualifying industrial entities to generate their own electricity for a lower cost and security of supply, and 505 MW as an Independent Power Producer (IPP). All three units are baseload and run all year.
The 550 MW self-supply facility comprised of Termoeléctrica del Golfo (TEG) and Termoeléctrica Peñoles (TEP), located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The plants supply power to their offtakers under long-term PPAs that have a 90% availability guarantee. TEG and TEP secure their fuel (pet coke) under a long-term contract.
AES Merida III (Merida) is a 505 MW IPP generation facility. The facility is a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) with the ability to use dual fuel technology located in Merida, on Mexicos Yucatan peninsula. Merida consists of two combustion turbines that can burn natural gas or diesel fuel and two heat recovery steam generators and a single steam turbine. Under the Electric Public Service Law, Merida sells power exclusively to the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) as an IPP under a long-term PPA with a contractual net 484 MW. Additionally, the plant purchases natural gas and diesel fuel under a long-term contract, the cost of which is then passed through to CFE under the terms of the PPA.
Market Structure
Mexico has a single national electricity grid, the National Power System (SEN), covering nearly all of Mexicos territory. Mexico has an installed capacity totaling 53 GW with a generation mix of 62% thermal, 22% hydroelectric and 16% other. Electricity consumption is split between the following end users: industrial (59%), residential (26%) and commercial and service (15%).
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Regulatory Framework
The CFE, which is mandated by the Mexican Constitution, is the state-owned electric monopoly which operates the national grid and generates electricity for the public. CFE regulates wholesale tariffs, which are largely set by the marginal production cost of oil and gas-fired generation. The Mexican energy system is fully integrated under the sole responsibility of CFE. The Electrical Public Service Law allows privately owned projects to produce electricity for self-supply application and/or IPP structures.
Private parties are allowed to invest in certain activities in Mexicos electrical power market, and obtain permits from the Ministry of Energy for: (i) generating power for self-supply; (ii) generating power through co-generation processes; (iii) generating power through independent production; (iv) small-scale production; and (v) importing and exporting electrical power. Permit holders are required to enter into PPAs with the CFE to sell all surplus power produced. Mérida provides power exclusively to CFE under a long-term contract. TEG/TEP provides the majority of its output to two offtakers under long-term contracts, and can sell any excess or surplus energy produced to CFE at a predetermined day-ahead price.
Key Financial Drivers
Plant availability is the largest single performance driver of this business. Additionally, AES Mexican businesses benefit from the wholesale price margin versus pet coke costs for any sales greater than the guaranteed output.
Panama
Business Description. AES represents 29% of the installed capacity and almost 30% of the firm capacity in Panama. We own and operate a total of five hydroelectric plants, totaling 705 MW of installed capacity. The portfolio is a mix of run-of-river facilities and reservoir facilities. Changuinola is a wholly owned subsidiary. The other four plants are owned jointly by AES (49%), the Republic of Panama (50.4%) and minority shareholders (0.6%).
In the shortto medium-term, AES Panama has approximately 90% of its firm capacity contracted with distribution companies, while large customers account for sales volumes representing 7% of the portfolio. The balance of AES Panamas contracts are with the three distribution companies. Currently, there are no over-the-counter or forward products available to AES Panama for hedging electricity.
Market Structure. Panamas current total installed capacity is 2,427 MW, of which 58% is hydroelectric and 42% is thermal. Thermal generation facilities in the country run on diesel, bunker fuel, and coal. Panamas total firm capacity is currently 1,632 MW. For hydroelectric plants, firm capacity is based upon the amount of energy that a unit can generate in the eight peak hours of the day, calculated on the basis of hydrological flows.
The Panamanian electrical sector is composed of three distinct operating business units: generation, distribution and transmission, all of which are governed by the Electric Law 6 enacted in 1997. Generators can enter into long-term PPAs with distributors or unregulated consumers. In addition, generators can enter into alternative supply contracts with each other. The terms of PPAs are determined through a competitive bidding process and are governed by the Commercial Rules. Outside of the PPA market, generators may buy and sell energy in the short-term market. Energy sold in the short-term market corresponds to the hourly difference between the actual dispatch of energy by each generator and its contractual commitments to supply energy. The National Dispatch Center (CND) merit order dispatch and water value and sets the energy short-term price on an hourly basis according to this merit order.
Regulatory Framework. The National Secretary of Energy (SNE) has the responsibilities of planning, supervising and controlling policies of the energy sector within Panama. With these responsibilities, the SNE proposes laws and regulations to the executive agencies that promote the procurement of electrical energy, hydrocarbons and alternative energy for the country.
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The regulator of public services, known as the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) is an autonomous agency of the government. ASEP is responsible for the control and oversight of public services including electricity and the transmission and distribution of natural gas utilities and the companies that provide such services.
Generators can only contract their firm capacity. Physical generation of energy is determined by the CND regardless of contractual arrangements.
Key Financial Drivers
The seasonal effect of the hydrologic inflows affects generation and therefore gross margin. During the low inflow period (January to May) generation tends to be lower and AES Panama may purchase energy in the short-term market to cover contractual obligations. The rest of the year (June to December) their generation tends to be higher and they may sell energy in excess of their contracts to the short-term market. Hydrology and commodity prices are a risk to the Panama business. Hydrology affects the amount of generation and commodity prices affect the opportunity cost of the hydroelectric generation facilities with a reservoir. Both variables affect the short-term price, and during periods of low hydrology and high fuel price, the business can be negatively affected.
Dominican Republic
Business Description. AES Dominicana consists of its operating subsidiaries Andres, Dominican Power Partners (DPP) and Itabo. Andres and DPP are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of AES, while Itabo is 50%-owned by AES, 49.97% owned by FONPER, a government-owned utility and the remaining 0.03% is owned by employees. AES has 28% of the system capacity (850 MW) and supplies approximately 40% of energy demand through its three generation facilities.
Andres has a combined cycle gas turbine and generation capacity of 319 MW and the only LNG import facility in the country. DPP (Los Mina) has two open cycle natural gas turbines and generation capacity of 236 MW. Both companies have in aggregate 555 MW of installed capacity of which 450 MW is contracted until 2017 with the government-owned distribution companies and non-regulated users. Itabo owns and operates two thermal power generation units with 295 MW of installed capacity in total. Itabos PPAs are with the government-owned distribution companies and expire in 2016.
AES Dominicana has a long-term LNG purchase contract, which expires in 2023, with the price linked to NYMEX Henry Hub, which translates into a competitive advantage as we are currently purchasing LNG at prices lower than those on the international market. In 2005, Andres entered into a contract to sell re-gasified LNG for further distribution to industrial users within the Dominican Republic, using compression technology to transport it within the country. In January 2010, the first LNG truck tanker loading terminal started operations. With this investment, AES is capturing demand from industrial and commercial customers.
Market Structure
Electricity Market. The Dominican Republic has one main interconnected system with approximately 3,000 MW of installed capacity, composed primarily of thermal generation (85%), and hydroelectric power plants (15%).
Natural Gas Market. The natural gas market in the Dominican Republic was developed in 2001 when AES entered into a long-term contract for LNG and constructed AES Dominicanas LNG regasification terminal.
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Regulatory Framework
The regulatory framework in the Dominican Republic consists of a decentralized industry including generation, transmission and distribution, with regulated prices in transmission and distribution, and a competitive wholesale generation market. All electric companies (generators, transmission and distributors), are subject to and regulated by the General Electricity Law (GEL).
Two main agencies are responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the GEL. The National Energy Commission (CNE) is in charge of drafting and coordinating the legal framework and regulatory legislation; proposing and adopting policies and procedures to assure best practices; drafting plans to ensure the proper functioning and development of the energy sector; and promoting investment. The Superintendence of Electricitys (SIE) main responsibilities include monitoring and supervising compliance with legal provisions and rules and monitoring compliance with the technical procedures governing generation, transmission, distribution and commercialization of electricity, and supervising electric market behavior in order to avoid monopolistic practices.
The electricity tariff applicable to regulated customers is subject to regulation within the concessions of the distribution companies. Clients with demand above 1.2 MW are classified as unregulated customers and their tariffs are unregulated.
Fuels and hydrocarbons are regulated by a specific law, which establishes prices to end customers and a tax on consumption of fossil fuels. For natural gas there are regulations related to the procedures to be followed to grant licenses and concession: i) distribution, including transportation and loading and compression plant; ii) the installation and operation of natural gas stations, including consumers and potential modifications of existing facilities; and iii) conversion equipment suppliers for vehicles. The regulation is administered by the Industrial and Commerce Ministry (ICM) who supervises commercial and industrial activities in the Dominican Republic as well as the fuels and natural gas commercialization to the end users.
Key Financial Drivers
The financial weakness of the three state-owned distribution companies is due to low collection rate and high levels of non-technical losses and the delay in payments for the electricity supplied by generators. At times when outstanding balances have accumulated, AES Dominicana has accepted payment through other means, such as government bonds, in order to reduce their outstanding receiveables. There can be no guarantee that alternative collection methodologies will always be an avenue available for payment options.
The supply and price of fuel is actively managed to meet forecasted dispatch, comply with physical obligations to offtakers, and provide flexibility with negotiated contractual terms to redirect supply and cover proper credit requirements.
Other SBU Businesses
Puerto Rico
AES Puerto Rico is a coal-fired cogeneration plant utilizing Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler (CFB) technology. We have installed capacity that represents approximately 14% of the system capacity. The baseload plant is a Qualifying Facility under the U.S. PURPA. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), a public corporation that operates as a state-owned monopoly, governs Puerto Ricos electric market. PREPA supplies virtually all of the electric power consumed in the Commonwealth and generates, transmits and distributes electricity to 1.5 million customers. PREPA is governed by the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. PREPA purchases 454 MW of dependable generating capacity from our AES Puerto Rico coal-fired cogeneration facility located in Guayama under a long-term PPA, which expires in 2027. AES Puerto Rico represents a low-cost energy alternative for PREPA and reduces its current dependency on oil for energy production with our CFB technology plant.
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El Salvador
AES is the majority owner of four of the five distribution companies operating in El Salvador: CAESS, with about 40% market share; CLESA, with 16% market share; EEO, with 9% market share; and DEUSEM, with 2% market share. The distribution companies are operated by AES on an integrated basis under a single management team. AES El Salvadors territory covers 80% of the country. AES El Salvador accounted for 3,888 GWh of market energy purchases during 2012, or about 66% market share of the countrys total market energy purchases of 5,883 GWh.
The sector is governed by the General Electricity Law, and the general and specific orders issued by Superintendencia General de Electricidad y Telecomunicacions (SIGET or The Regulator). The Regulator, jointly with the distribution companies in El Salvador, completed the tariff reset process in December 2012 and defined the tariff calculation to be applicable for the next five years (2013-2017).
EMEA SBU
Our EMEA SBU has generation facilities in nine counties and distribution utilities in three countries. Our EMEA operations accounted for 17%, 10% and 11% of AES consolidated gross margin and 20%, 16% and 15% of AES consolidated adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate.
The following table provides highlights of our EMEA operations:
Countries |
Bulgaria, Cameroon, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom | |
Generation Capacity |
9,396 gross MW (6,100 proportional MW) | |
Utilities Penetration |
2.2 million customers (11,235 GWh) | |
Generation Facilities |
25 (including 4 under construction) | |
Utilities Businesses |
4 | |
Key Generation Businesses |
Maritza, Kazakhstan, Kilroot, Ballylumford and Ebute |
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Operating installed capacity of our EMEA SBU totaled 9,396 MW, of which 29%, 21% and 11% is located in Kazakhstan, United Kingdom and Cameroon, respectively. Set forth in the table below is a list of our EMEA SBU generation facilities:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Maritza |
Bulgaria | Coal | 690 | 100 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
St. Nikola |
Bulgaria | Wind | 156 | 89 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
Bulgaria Subtotal |
846 | |||||||||||||||
Dibamba |
Cameroon | Heavy Fuel Oil | 86 | 56 | % | 2009 | ||||||||||
Cameroon Subtotal |
86 | |||||||||||||||
Amman East |
Jordan | Gas | 380 | 37 | % | 2009 | ||||||||||
Jordan Subtotal |
380 | |||||||||||||||
UstKamenogorsk CHP |
Kazakhstan | Coal | 1,354 | 100 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||
Shulbinsk HPP(1) |
Kazakhstan | Hydro | 702 | 0 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||
UstKamenogorsk HPP(1) |
Kazakhstan | Hydro | 331 | 0 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||
Sogrinsk CHP |
Kazakhstan | Coal | 301 | 100 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||
Kazakhstan Subtotal |
2,688 | |||||||||||||||
Elsta(2) |
Netherlands | Gas | 630 | 50 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||
Netherlands Subtotal |
630 | |||||||||||||||
Ebute |
Nigeria | Gas | 294 | 95 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||
Nigeria Subtotal |
294 | |||||||||||||||
Cartagena(2),(3) |
Spain | Gas | 1,199 | 14 | % | 2006 | ||||||||||
Spain Subtotal |
1,199 | |||||||||||||||
Kocaeli(2),(4) |
Turkey | Gas | 158 | 50 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Bursa(2),(4) |
Turkey | Gas | 156 | 50 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Kepezkaya(2),(4) |
Turkey | Hydro | 28 | 50 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
Kumkoy(2),(4) |
Turkey | Hydro | 18 | 50 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Damlapinar(2),(4) |
Turkey | Hydro | 16 | 50 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
Istanbul (Koc University)(2),(4) |
Turkey | Gas | 2 | 50 | % | 2011 | ||||||||||
Turkey Subtotal |
378 | |||||||||||||||
Ballylumford |
United Kingdom | Gas | 1,246 | 100 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
Kilroot(5) |
United Kingdom | Coal/Oil | 662 | 99 | % | 1992 | ||||||||||
Drone Hill |
United Kingdom | Wind | 29 | 100 | % | 2012 | ||||||||||
North Rhins |
United Kingdom | Wind | 22 | 100 | % | 2010 | ||||||||||
United Kingdom Subtotal |
1,959 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
EMEA Total |
8,460 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
(1) | AES operates these facilities under concession agreements until 2017. |
(2) | Unconsolidated entities, the results of operations of which are reflected in Equity in Earnings of Affiliates. |
(3) | In February 2012, AES sold 80% of its interest in the business. |
(4) | Joint Venture with Koc Holding. |
(5) | Includes Kilroot Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT). |
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Under construction
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Expected Year of Commercial Operation |
|||||||||||
Kribi |
Cameroon | Gas | 216 | 56 | % | 2013 | ||||||||||
Cameroon Subtotal |
216 | |||||||||||||||
IPP4 Jordan |
Jordan | Heavy Fuel Oil | 247 | 60 | % | 2014 | ||||||||||
Jordan Subtotal |
247 | |||||||||||||||
Sixpenny Wood |
United Kingdom | Wind | 20 | 100 | % | 2013 | ||||||||||
Yelvertoft |
United Kingdom | Wind | 16 | 100 | % | 2013 | ||||||||||
United Kingdom Subtotal |
36 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
EMEA Total |
499 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
Set forth below is a list of our EMEA utility businesses:
Business |
Location | Approximate Number of Customers Served as of 12/31/2012 |
GWh Sold in 2012 |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired |
|||||||||||||
Sonel |
Cameroon | 816,000 | 3,569 | 56 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||||
Cameroon Subtotal |
816,000 | 3,569 | ||||||||||||||||
Ust-Kamenogorsk Heat Nets(1) |
Kazakhstan | 96,000 | | 0 | % | |||||||||||||
Kazakhstan Subtotal |
96,000 | | ||||||||||||||||
Kievoblenergo |
Ukraine | 882,000 | 5,248 | 89 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||||
Rivneenergo |
Ukraine | 412,000 | 2,418 | 84 | % | 2001 | ||||||||||||
Ukraine Subtotal |
1,294,000 | 7,666 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
EMEA Total |
2,206,000 | 11,235 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | AES operates these businesses through management agreements and owns no equity interest in these businesses. These agreements are due to expire in the middle of 2013 and we intend to enter into discussions for extension. Ust-Kamenogorsk Heat Nets provide transmission, and distribution of heat, with a total heat generating capacity of 224 Gcal. |
Set forth below is information on the generation facilities of Sonel:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Sonel(1) |
Cameroon | Hydro/Diesel/Heavy Fuel Oil | 936 | 56 | % | 2001 |
(1) | Sonel plants: Bafoussam, Bassa, Djamboutou, Edéa, Lagdo, Limbé, Logbaba I, Logbaba II, Oyomabang I, Oyomabang II, Song Loulou, and other small remote network units. |
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The following map illustrates the location of our EMEA facilities:
EMEA Businesses
Bulgaria
Business Description. Our Maritza plant is a 690 MW lignite-fuel plant that was commissioned in June 2011. Maritza is the only coal-fired power plant in Bulgaria that is fully compliant with the EU Industrial Emission Directive, which comes into force in 2016. Maritzas entire power output is contracted with Natsionala Elektricheska Kompania (NEK) under a 15-year PPA, capacity and energy based, with a fuel pass-though. The lignite is supplied under a 15-year fuel supply contract.
AES also owns an 89% interest in the St. Nikola wind farm with 156 MW of installed capacity. St. Nikola was commissioned in March 2010. Its entire power output is contracted with NEK under a 15-year PPA.
Market Structure
The maximum market capacity in 2012 was approximately 13 GW. In 2012 capacity increased significantly with the addition of approximately 1 GW of renewable energy capacity. Thermal power plants, representing 48% of total generation capacity and 53% of the total output, and the nuclear plant representing 16% of the total generation capacity and 35% of the total output, are the dominant suppliers in the Bulgarian electricity market. Hydroelectric accounts for 23% of total capacity and 9% of total output.
Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. The electricity sector in Bulgaria operates under the Energy Act 2004 that allows the sale of electricity to take place freely at negotiated prices, at regulated prices between parties or on the organized market. In practice an organized market for trading electricity has not yet evolved, which leaves the regulated transactions market, the bilateral contracts market and the balancing market as the principal means for the wholesale electricity. The regulated component of the wholesale electricity market remains significant mainly
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driven by the governments objectives to ensure low prices for protected consumers and to support the generation from renewable energy sources and cogeneration that is sold at feed-in tariff rates.
In order to aid the creation of a competitive environment, the Bulgarian energy market has undergone a long liberalization process since 2000 by unbundling NEK, a state-owned vertically integrated utility that was responsible for generation, transmission and distribution in the entire country. Distribution and a majority of generation assets were separated and most of them privatized while NEK retained responsibility for the hydroelectric power plant assets and the ownership and operation of the transmission system. However, all these structural changes were not accompanied by the development of a trading market and hence, to date, NEK remains the main wholesale buyer for power generated in Bulgaria.
In connection with Bulgarias entry into the EU, the European Commission (the Commission) has opened an investigation into alleged anticompetitive behavior and possible restrictions of competition in the Bulgarian electricity markets. The current focus of the Commissions investigation is NEK. As part of its investigation, the Commission is attempting to determine whether NEKs long-term contracts are anticompetitive, and could pose a problem with respect to the liberalization of Bulgarias electricity markets. The long-term PPAs in the Bulgarian market account for less than 20% of total generation capacity. If the Commission determines that the PPAs are anticompetitive, they could take actions up to and including termination of Maritzas PPA, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
NEK is undergoing a restructuring process in order to comply with EUs Third Energy package. As part of the restructuring it is expected that transmission system assets will be transferred from NEK to Electricity System Operator (ESO) and that is expected to negatively impact the financial creditworthiness of NEK. If NEK is unable to keep the same credit rating as when they entered into the PPA, it could have an adverse impact on the business financing arrangement.
Key Financial Drivers
Plant availability is the largest single performance driver of this business. Another key driver is NEK, the offtakers, ability to meet the terms of the existing long-term PPA.
Kazakhstan
Business Description. Our businesses account for approximately 4% of the total annual generation in Kazakhstan. Of the total capacity of 2,688 MW, 1,033 MW is hydroelectric that operates under a concession agreement until the beginning of October 2017 and 1,655 MW of coal-fired capacity is owned outright. The thermal plants are designed to produce heat with electricity as a coor by-product.
The Kazakhstan businesses act as merchant plants for electricity sales by entering into bilateral contracts directly with consumers for periods of generally no more than one year. There are no opportunities for the plants to be in contracted status, as there is no central offtaker, and the few businesses that could take a whole plants generation tend to have in-house generation capacity. The 2012 amendments to the Electricity Law state that a centrally organized capacity market will be established by 2016, but the offtaker still only signs annual contracts.
The hydroelectric plants are run-of-river and rely on river flow and precipitation (particularly snow). Due to the presence of a large multi-year storage dam upstream and a growing season minimum river flow rate agreement with Russia (downstream) the plants are protected against significant downside risk to their volume in years with low precipitation.
Ust Kamenogorsk CHP provides heat to the city of Ust Kamenogorsk through the city heat network company (Ust Kamenogorsk Heat Nets). These sales could be considered as contracted, since Ust Kamenogorsk Heat Nets has no alternative suppliers.
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Market Structure
The Kazakhstan electricity market totals approximately 19,000 MW, of which 14,500 MW is available. The bulk of the generating capacity in Kazakhstan is thermal, with coal as the main fuel. As coal is abundantly available in Kazakhstan, most plants are designed to burn local coal. The geographical remoteness of Kazakhstan, in combination with its abundant resources, means that coal prices are not reflective of world coal prices (current delivered cost is less than $20 per metric ton). In addition, the Government closely monitors coal prices, due to their impact on the price of socially necessary heating and on electricity tariffs.
Regulatory Framework
All Kazakhstan generating companies sell electricity at or below their respective tariff-cap level. These tariff-cap levels have been fixed by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Industry and New Technology (MINT) for the period 2009-2015 for each of the thirteen groups of generators. These groups were determined by the MINT based on a number of factors including type of plant and fuel used.
In July 2012, Kazakhstan enacted various amendments to its Electricity Law. Among the amendments was a requirement for all profits generated by electricity producers during the years 2013-2015 to be reinvested. Accordingly, the business will be unable to pay dividends for the period 2013-2015. Under the amended Electricity Law, electricity producers must, on an annual basis, enter into investment obligation agreements (IOAs) with the MINT detailing their annual investment obligations. These annual IOAs must equal the sum of the upcoming years planned depreciation and profit. Selection of investment projects for the IOAs is at the discretion of electricity producers, but the MINT has the right to reject submitted IOA proposals. An electricity producer without an IOA executed by the MINT may not charge tariffs exceeding its incremental cost of production, excluding depreciation. On December 20, 2012, the MINT executed IOA with all four AES generators in Kazakhstan, which allow revenue at the tariff-cap level, but all generated cash will need to be reinvested.
Heat production in Kazakhstan is also regulated as a natural monopoly. The heat tariffs are set on a cost-plus basis by making an application to the Regulator (DAREM). Tariffs can either be for one-year or multi-year periods.
Key Financial Drivers
The main business drivers are plant availability, tariff caps set by MINT and weather conditions.
Nigeria
Business Description. Our Ebute business of 294 MW operates under a capacity-based PPA contract with the state-owned entity Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which expires in a few years. Earnings are driven primarily by capacity payments paid under the PPA. It sells power generated by a nine unit barge-mounted gas turbine system, with fuel currently supplied by the offtaker. However, due to the ongoing PHCN privatization process, in the future, Ebute will have to source its own fuel, although with the ability to pass some or all of its cost through the tariff.
Ebutes cash flow is supported by a $60 million letter of credit issued by a credit-worthy institution in order to secure timely payment of amounts due to Ebute under the PPA. The letter of credit may be drawn upon at any time for any overdue payment of 15 days and can be fully drawn if not renewed timely.
Market Structure
Nigeria is currently characterized by significant underinvestment in the electricity sector, with only 3.2 GW of dependable capacity. Businesses and higher income residents depend primarily on privately owned diesel
45
generators. The state-owned entity PHCN holds a large majority of the electricity market share, with private power generating companies accounting for the rest. The private power generating companies are represented by three IPPs, one of which is AES Nigeria.
Regulatory Framework
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is an independent regulatory agency that was established under the 2005 Reform Act to undertake both the technical and economic regulation of the Nigerian electricity sector. It is responsible for general oversight functions, including the licensing of operators, setting of tariffs and establishing industry standards for future electricity sector development.
Two of the NERCs key regulatory functions are licensing and tariff regulation. On the basis of the current reforms embodied in the Nigeria Power Sector Reform Roadmap, a number of new regulatory and/or other governing bodies will be established to regulate the industry.
Key Financial Drivers
Plant availability is the single largest driver of Ebutes financial performance.
United Kingdom
Business Description
AES generation businesses in the United Kingdom operate in two different markets the Irish Single Electricity Market (SEM) for the businesses located in Northern Ireland (1,908 MW) and UK wholesale electricity market for the businesses located in Scotland and England (87 MW).
The Northern Ireland generation facilities consist of two plants within the Belfast region. Our Kilroot plant is a 662 MW coal-fired plant, and our Ballylumford plant is a 1,246 MW gas-fired plant. These plants provide approximately 78% of the Northern Ireland power demand and 18% of the combined demand for the island of Ireland. One of the Ballylumford stations of 540 MW does not meet the standards of the EU Industrial Emission Directive discussed below, which will most likely result in closing at the end of 2015, unless further investment is committed.
Kilroot is a merchant plant that bids into the SEM market and derives its value from the capacity payments offered through the SEM Capacity Payment Mechanism, the variable margin when scheduled in merit and the margin from constrained dispatch (when dispatched out of merit to support the system in relation to the wind generation, voltage and transmission constraints). In addition to the above, value is also secured from ancillary services.
Ballylumford is partially contracted (600 MW) under a PPA with Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) that ends in 2018 with an extension at offtakers option to 2023, with the remaining capacity bid into the SEM market. Ballylumford derives its value, with an almost equal contribution, from availability payments received under the PPA and capacity payments offered through the SEM Capacity Payment Mechanism. Additionally, Ballylumford receives revenue from constrained dispatch.
The Scotland and England businesses consist of four wind generation facilities totaling approximately 87 MW, two of which are already in operation and two are due to come on line by the end of May 2013. A further pipeline of approximately 250 MW has been submitted for permitting consents. The wind projects sell their power to licensed suppliers in the United Kingdom market under long-term PPAs for the full output, generating half of the revenues from the United Kingdom wholesale electricity market and half from green certificates.
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Market Structure
The majority of the generation capacity in the SEM is represented by gas-fired power plants, which results in market sensitivity to gas prices. Wind generation capacity represents approximately 20% of the total generation capacity. The governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland plan further increases in renewables. Market availability and liquidity of hedging products is weak, reflecting the limited size and immaturity of the market, the predominance of vertical integration and lack of forward pricing. There are essentially three products (baseload, mid-merit and peaking) which are traded between the two largest generators and suppliers.
Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. The SEM is an energy market, which was established in 2007 and is completely distinct from the United Kingdom power market. It is based on a gross mandatory pool, within which all generators with a capacity higher than 10 MW must trade the physical delivery of power. Generators are dispatched based on merit order.
In addition, there is a capacity payment mechanism to ensure that sufficient generating capacity is offered to the market. The capacity payment is derived from a regulated Euro-based capacity payment pool, established a year ahead by the Regulatory Authority. Capacity payments are based on the declared availability of a unit and have a degree of volatility to reflect seasonal influences, demand and the actual out-turn of generation declared available over each trading period.
Environmental Regulation
The European Commission adopted in 2011 the Industrial Emission Directive (IED) that establishes the emission limit values (ELVs) for SO2, NOx and dust emissions to be complied with starting in 2016. This affects our Kilroot business which currently complies with the dust ELV, but for the SO2, and particularly NOx, significant investment will be required.
The IED provides for two options that may be implemented by the EU member states Transitional National Plan (TNP) or Limited Life Time Derogation. The TNP would allow the power plants to continue to operate between 2016-2020, being exempt from compliance with ELVs, but observing a ceiling set for maximum annual emissions that is established looking at the last 10 years average emissions and operating hours. Under the TNP, power plants will have to implement investment plans that will ensure compliance by 2020. The Limited Life Time Derogation will allow plants to run between 2016 and 2023, being exempt from the compliance with ELVs, but for no more than 17,500 hours.
Key Financial Drivers
For our business in the SEM market the key drivers are availability and commodity prices (gas and coal), and regulatory changes. The contracted plants financial results are influenced by availability.
In the United Kingdom, part of our revenue stream is indexed to short-term electricity market prices, which are largely influenced by delivered gas prices.
The future value of the Northern Ireland businesses will depend on gas price volatility and any alterations to the SEM market structure and payment mechanism.
Other Businesses
With regard to our other businesses, in 2012 we sold 80% of our interest in Cartagena, a 1,199 MW gas-fired plant in Spain operating under a long-term contract, and as a result Cartagena is reported as equity in earnings of affiliates.
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In Turkey, we currently own in partnership with Koc Holding, 378 MW of hydroelectric and gas plants. During 2012, we finalized the split of the joint venture with I.C. Energy on the hydroelectric assets, and following that, three hydroelectric plants were transferred into the partnership with Koc Holding. The Turkey hydro businesses fall under the renewable feed-in tariff, while the gas assets are dispatched in the market. Our businesses in Turkey are operated under a joint venture structure; they are reported as equity in earnings of affiliates.
In Jordan we have a partial ownership in a 380 MW oil/gas-fired plant, fully contracted with the national utility under a 25-year PPA. In 2012, we concluded the financing for a platform expansion project, a 247 MW oil fired peaker that will start construction in the first quarter of 2013. The project is similar in structure with Amman East and is fully contracted with the national utility under a 25-year PPA.
In Netherlands, we own 50% of Elsta facility, a 630 MW gas fired plant that supplies steam and electricity under the long-term contracts ending 2018. Elstas income is reported as equity in earnings.
In Ukraine we are involved in the distribution and sale of electricity through Kievoblenergo in which AES has 89% equity interest and Rivneenergo in which AES has 84% equity interest. The distribution and supply tariffs for all distribution companies in Ukraine are established by the National Energy Regulatory Commission on an annual basis. In January 2013, AES signed a Sale Purchase Agreement for the sale of both Ukrainian distribution entities.
In Cameroon we are involved in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity through AES Sonel, an integrated utility, and two Independent Power Producers (IPP).
We own 56% of AES Sonel with the remaining 44% held by the Republic of Cameroon. AES Sonel is the only electricity provider in Cameroon. It is regulated by the Agence de Régulation de Secteur dElectricité (ARSEL). AES Sonel operates and maintains 936 MW of generation, two interconnected transmission networks and distributes electricity to more than 800,000 primarily residential customers. AES Sonel operates under a 20-year concession agreement that was signed in July 2001. Electricity demand has increased at an average annual rate of 6%, since 2001, and 7.5%, since 2010. Growth will continue especially in the residential segment.
In addition, AES is part owner and sole operator of two IPPs; Dibamba Power Development Company (DPDC), with a 86 MW heavy fuel oil plant, and Kribi Power Development Company (KPDC), with a 216 MW gas/light fuel oil plant, currently under commissioning. DPDC and KPDC have the same ownership structure; 56% AES and 44% Republic of Cameroon. Contracts at KPDC and DPDC are primarily capacity-based with Government protections. DPDC has a 20-year tolling agreement with AES Sonel and KPDC has a 20-year PPA with AES Sonel and a 20-year gas supply agreement with the Government-owned Societe Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH)
With the commissioning of Kribi, AES will have 1,238 MW of generation in Cameroonalmost 100% of the countrys total capacity; of which 58% is hydroelectric, 17% gas, 16% heavy fuel oil, and 9% diesel.
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Asia SBU
Our Asia SBU has generation facilities in four countries. Our Asia operations accounted for 7%, 4% and 6% of AES consolidated gross margin and 10%, 6% and 9% of AES consolidated adjusted PTC (a non-GAAP measure) in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The percentages shown are the contribution by each SBU to gross adjusted PTC, i.e. the total adjusted PTC by SBU, before deductions for Corporate.
The following table provides highlights of our Asia operations:
Countries |
China, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam | |
Generation Capacity |
1,337 gross MW (1,021 proportional MW) | |
Generation Facilities |
6 (including 1 under construction) | |
Key Businesses |
Masinloc, OPGC, Saurashtra and Mong Duong II |
Operating installed capacity of our Asia SBU totals 1,337 MW, of which 51%, 36% and 13% located in the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka respectively. Set forth below in the table is a list of our Asia SBU generation facilities:
Business |
Location | Fuel | Gross MW |
AES Equity Interest (Percent, Rounded) |
Year Acquired or Began Operation |
|||||||||||
Chengdu(1) |
China | Gas | 50 | 35 | % | 1997 | ||||||||||
China Subtotal |
50 | |||||||||||||||
OPGC(1) |
India | Coal | 420 | 49 | % | 1998 | ||||||||||
Saurashtra |
India | Wind | 39 | 100 | % | 2012 | ||||||||||
India Subtotal |
459 | |||||||||||||||
Masinloc |
Philippines | Coal | 660 | 92 | % | 2008 | ||||||||||
Phillipines Subtotal |
660 | |||||||||||||||
Kelanitissa |
Sri Lanka | Diesel | 168 | 90 | % | 2003 | ||||||||||
Sri Lanka Subtotal |
168 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Asia Total |
1,337 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
(1) | Unconsolidated entities for which the results of operations are reflected in Equity in Earnings of Affiliates. |
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Under construction
Business |
Location |
Fuel |
Gross |
AES Equity |
Expected Year of Commercial Operation |
|||||||||||||||
Mong Duong II |
Vietnam | Coal | 1,240 | 51 | % | 2015 |
The following map illustrates the location of our Asia facilities:
Asia Businesses
Philippines
Business Description
In April 2008, AES acquired the 660 MW Masinloc coal-fired power plant, located in Luzon. Subsequent to the acquisition, AES performed a substantial rehabilitation program that was completed in 2010, resulting in improvements in reliability, environmental emissions, and plant safety performance. Generating capacity was improved from 430 MW at acquisition to 630 MW, and plant availability increased from 74% at acquisition to current 93%.
Approximately 90% of Masinlocs peak capacity is contracted through mediumto long-term bilateral contracts primarily with Meralco, several electric cooperatives and a large industrial customer.
Market Structure
The Philippine power market is divided into three grids representing the countrys three major island groupsLuzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon (which includes Manila and is the countrys largest island) is interconnected with Visayas and represents 84% of the total demand of both regions. Luzon and Visayas together have an installed capacity of 12,704 MW.
There is diversity in the mix of the Luzon-Visayas generation, with coal accounting for 28%, natural gas for 20%, hydroelectric for 19%, geothermal generation for 13%, and the remaining 20% from oil-based generating plants which are either dispatched by the system operator only during system emergencies or dispatched by the market during peak demand.
The primary customers for electricity are private distribution utilities, electric cooperatives, and to a lesser extent large industrial customers. Approximately 90%-95% of the systems total energy requirement is being
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sold/purchased through medium to long term bilateral contracts (3-5 years, with renewal extensions). The remaining 5%-10% of energy is sold through the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), which is the real time, bid-based and hourly market for energy where the sellers and the buyers adjust their differences between their production/demand and their contractual commitments.
Regulatory Framework
Electricity Regulation. The Philippines has divided its power sector into generation, transmission, distribution and supply under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA). The EPIRA primarily aims to increase private sector participation in the power sector and to privatize the Governments generation and transmission assets. Generation and supply are open and competitive sectors, while transmission and distribution are regulated sectors. Sale of power is conducted primarily through medium-term bilateral contracts between generation companies and customers specifying the volume, price and conditions for the sale of energy and capacity, which are approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). Power is traded in the WESM which operates under a gross pool, central dispatch and net settlement protocols. Parties to bilateral contracts settle their transactions outside of the WESM and distribution companies or electricity cooperatives buy their imbalance (i.e., power requirements not covered by bilateral contracts) from the WESM. Distribution utilities and electric cooperatives are allowed to pass on to their end-users the ERC-approved bilateral contract rates, including WESM purchases.
Other Regulatory Considerations. EPIRA established the Retail Competition and Open Access (RC&OA) under which Retail Electricity Suppliers, who are duly licensed by the ERC, may supply directly to Contestable Customers (end-users with an average demand of at least 1,000 kW), with distribution companies or electricity cooperatives providing non-discriminatory wire services. The ERC has issued a joint statement with DOE declaring December 26, 2012 as the commencement date of the Retail Competition and Open Access. The period from December 26, 2012 to June 25, 2013 is a transition period with full implementation scheduled for June 26, 2013. There is no expected material adverse impact expected and we may purchase additional capacity from the market in 2013 to take advantage of this regulatory opportunity.
Environmental Regulation
The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 was enacted in December 2008 to promote non-conventional renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, small hydroelectric and biomass energies. The law requires electric power participants to initially source 10% of their supply from eligible renewable energy resources. The initial requirement of 10% is preliminary, as the National Renewable Energy Board has not set the final figure. If the regulations are implemented, our businesses in the Philippines could be affected by requirements requiring all generators to supply a portion of their generation from renewable energy resources.
Key Financial Drivers
The key drivers of the business are Masinlocs availability, system reliability, demand growth, and reserve margins.
Other Businesses
India
Business Description
Our generation business in India consists of two plants: the Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) coal-fired plant and Saurashtra wind plant. OPGC is a 420 MW coal plant located in the state of Odisha. AES acquired 49% of OPGC in 1998, with the remaining 51% owned by the state of Odisha. Saurashtra is a 100% owned 39 MW wind plant located in the state of Gujarat, which commenced operations in early 2012.
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Our generation businesses have long-term PPAs with state utilities. OPGC has a 30-year PPA with GRIDCO Limited expiring in 2026. The PPA is comprised of a capacity payment based on fixed parameters and a variable component comprised of fuel costs, where actual fuel costs are a pass-through. Saurashtra has a 25-year PPA with the Gujarat State Utility.
Vietnam
Business Description
The Mong Duong II power project is a 1,240 MW plant being constructed under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement in Quang Ninh province of Vietnam. The project is currently the largest private sector power project in the country. AES-VCM Mong Duong Power Company Limited (the BOT Company), a limited liability joint venture established by the affiliates of AES (51%), Posco Energy Corporation (30%) and China Investment Corporation (19%). The BOT Company has a PPA term of 25 years with Vietnam Electricity (EVN). At the end of the term of the PPA, the company will be transferred to the Government in accordance with the BOT contract. Upon reaching commercial operations, EVN will have exclusive rights on the facilitys entire capacity and energy. Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin), the stated-owned entity, is the projects coal supplier under a 25-year coal supply agreement.
The tariff has two components: Capacity charge and the foreign component of Operation and Maintenance Charge (O&M), which are paid in U.S. Dollars and the local component of O&M and fuel charge are paid in Vietnam Dong. In addition, the U.S. Dollar and Vietnam Dong component of O&M are linked to a published Consumer Price Index of the U.S. and Vietnam respectively. Fuel costs in general are pass-through elements in the fuel charge.
The project is currently under construction and is scheduled to commence operations in the second half of 2015.
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Financial Data by Country
The table below presents information, by country, about our consolidated operations for each of the three years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and property, plant and equipment as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Revenue is recognized in the country in which it is earned and assets are reflected in the country in which they are located.
Revenue | Property, Plant & Equipment, net | |||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2012 | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||
United States(1) |
$ | 3,764 | $ | 2,113 | $ | 1,952 | $ | 7,663 | $ | 7,730 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Non-U.S.: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Brazil(2) |
5,788 | 6,640 | 6,355 | 5,756 | 5,896 | |||||||||||||||
Chile |
1,679 | 1,608 | 1,355 | 2,993 | 2,781 | |||||||||||||||
Argentina(3) |
857 | 979 | 771 | 278 | 293 | |||||||||||||||
El Salvador |
850 | 752 | 648 | 267 | 268 | |||||||||||||||
Dominican Republic |
761 | 674 | 535 | 670 | 662 | |||||||||||||||
Philippines |
559 | 480 | 501 | 800 | 766 | |||||||||||||||
United Kingdom(4) |
505 | 587 | 364 | 579 | 523 | |||||||||||||||
Ukraine |
491 | 418 | 356 | 112 | 94 | |||||||||||||||
Cameroon |
457 | 386 | 422 | 989 | 901 | |||||||||||||||
Colombia |
453 | 365 | 393 | 383 | 384 | |||||||||||||||
Mexico |
397 | 404 | 409 | 759 | 779 | |||||||||||||||
Bulgaria(5) |
369 | 251 | 44 | 1,611 | 1,624 | |||||||||||||||
Puerto Rico |
293 | 298 | 253 | 570 | 581 | |||||||||||||||
Panama |
266 | 189 | 194 | 1,069 | 1,040 | |||||||||||||||
Sri Lanka |
169 | 140 | 100 | 8 | 22 | |||||||||||||||
Kazakhstan |
151 | 145 | 138 | 141 | 86 | |||||||||||||||
Jordan |
121 | 124 | 120 | 222 | 216 | |||||||||||||||
Spain(6) |
119 | 258 | 411 | | | |||||||||||||||
Hungary(7) |
| | 10 | | | |||||||||||||||
Qatar(8) |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Pakistan(9) |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Oman(10) |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Vietnam |
| | | 887 | 138 | |||||||||||||||
Other Non-U.S.(11) |
92 | 112 | 112 | 156 | 217 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total Non-U.S. |
14,377 | 14,810 | 13,491 | 18,250 | 17,271 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total |
$ | 18,141 | $ | 16,923 | $ | 15,443 | $ | 25,913 | $ | 25,001 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | Excludes revenue of $39 million, $374 million and $662 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and property, plant and equipment of $619 million as of December 31, 2011, related to Eastern Energy, Thames, Ironwood, and Red Oak which were reflected as discontinued operations and assets held for sale in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additionally property, plant and equipment excludes $25 million and $45 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, related to wind turbines which were reflected as assets held for sale in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
(2) | Excludes revenue of $124 million and $118 million for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to Brazil Telecom, which was reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
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(3) | Excludes revenue of $102 million and $116 million for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to our Argentina distribution businesses, which were reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
(4) | Excludes revenue of $5 million, $17 million and $21 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to carbon reduction projects, which were reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
(5) | Our wind project in Bulgaria started operations in 2010 and Maritza started operations in June 2011. |
(6) | Excludes property, plant and equipment of $620 million as of December 31, 2011, related to Cartagena, which was reflected as assets held for sale in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet. |
(7) | Excludes revenue of $18 million, $219 million and $287 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and property, plant and equipment of $5 million as of December 31, 2011, related to Borsod, Tiszapalkonya and Tisza II, which were reflected as discontinued operations and assets held for sale in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
(8) | Excludes revenue of $129 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, related to Ras Laffan, which was reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
(9) | Excludes revenue of $299 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, related to Lal Pir and Pak Gen, which were reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
(10) | Excludes revenue of $62 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, related to Barka, which was reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
(11) | Excludes revenue of $1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, related to alternative energy and carbon reduction projects, which were reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
Environmental and Land Use Regulations
The Company faces certain risks and uncertainties related to numerous environmental laws and regulations, including existing and potential greenhouse gas (GHG) legislation or regulations, and actual or potential laws and regulations pertaining to water discharges, waste management (including disposal of coal combustion byproducts), and certain air emissions, such as SO2, NOX, particulate matter, mercury and other hazardous air pollutants. Such risks and uncertainties could result in increased capital expenditures or other compliance costs which could have a material adverse effect on certain of our United States or international subsidiaries, and our consolidated results of operations. For further information about these risks, see Item 1A.Risk Factors, Our businesses are subject to stringent environmental laws and regulations, Our businesses are subject to enforcement initiatives from environmental regulatory agencies, and Regulators, politicians, non-governmental organizations and other private parties have expressed concern about greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions and the potential risks associated with climate change and are taking actions which could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows in this Form 10-K. For a discussion of the laws and regulations of individual countries within each SBU where our subsidiaries operate, see discussion within Item 1. of this Form 10-K under the applicable SBUs.
Many of the countries in which the Company does business also have laws and regulations relating to the siting, construction, permitting, ownership, operation, modification, repair and decommissioning of, and power sales from, electric power generation or distribution assets. In addition, international projects funded by the International Finance Corporation, the private sector lending arm of the World Bank, or many other international lenders are subject to World Bank environmental standards or similar standards, which tend to be more stringent than local country standards. The Company often has used advanced environmental technologies in order to minimize environmental impacts, including circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal technologies, flue gas desulphurization technologies, selective catalytic reduction technologies and advanced gas turbines.
Environmental laws and regulations affecting electric power generation and distribution facilities are complex, change frequently and have become more stringent over time. The Company has incurred and will
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continue to incur capital costs and other expenditures to comply with these environmental laws and regulations. See Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsEnvironmental Capital Expenditures in this Form 10-K for more detail. The Company and its subsidiaries may be required to make significant capital or other expenditures to comply with these regulations. There can be no assurance that the businesses operated by the subsidiaries of the Company will be able to recover any of these compliance costs from their counterparties or customers such that the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows would not be materially affected.
Various licenses, permits and approvals are required for our operations. Failure to comply with permits or approvals, or with environmental laws, can result in fines, penalties, capital expenditures, interruptions or changes to our operations. Certain subsidiaries of the Company are subject to litigation or regulatory action relating to environmental permits or approvals. See Item 3.Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K for more detail with respect to environmental litigation and regulatory action, including a Notice of Violation (NOV) issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency against IPL concerning new source review and prevention of significant deterioration issues under the United States Clean Air Act.
Greenhouse Gas Laws, Regulations and Protocols
In 2012, the Companys subsidiaries operated electric power generation businesses which had total approximate direct CO2 emissions of 78.9 million metric tonnes, approximately 39.9 million metric tonnes of which were emitted in the United States (both figures ownership adjusted). The Company uses CO2 emission estimation methodologies supported by the The Greenhouse Gas Protocol reporting standard on GHG emissions. For existing power generation plants, CO2 emissions are either obtained directly from plant continuous emission monitoring systems or calculated from actual fuel heat inputs and fuel type CO2 emission factors. Although the Company does not currently believe that the laws and regulations pertaining to GHG emissions that have been adopted to date in countries in which the Companys subsidiaries operate will have a material impact on the Company, the Company cannot predict with any certainty if future laws and regulations in these countries regarding CO2 emissions will have a material effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
United StatesFederal Greenhouse Gas Legislation and Regulation
Currently, in the United States there is no Federal legislation establishing mandatory GHG emissions reduction programs (including for CO2) affecting the electric power generation facilities of the Companys subsidiaries. There are numerous state programs regulating GHG emissions from electric power generation facilities and there is a possibility that federal GHG legislation will be enacted within the next several years. Further, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted regulations pertaining to GHG emissions and has announced its intention to propose new regulations for electric generating units under Section 111 of the United States Clean Air Act (CAA).
Potential United States Federal GHG Legislation. Federal legislation passed the United States House of Representatives in 2009 that, if adopted, would have imposed a nationwide cap-and-trade program to reduce GHG emissions. This legislation was never signed into law and is no longer under consideration. In the U.S. Senate, several different draft bills pertaining to GHG legislation have been considered, including comprehensive GHG legislation similar to the legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives and more limited legislation focusing only on the utility and electric generation industry. It is uncertain if any GHG emissions legislation will be voted on and passed by the U.S. Congress in 2013 or in subsequent years. If any such legislation is enacted into law, the impact could be material to the Company.
EPA GHG Regulation. The EPA made a finding that GHG emissions from mobile sources represent an endangerment to human health and the environment (the Endangerment Finding) following the Supreme Courts decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, that the EPA has the authority under the CAA to regulate GHG
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emissions. The EPA then subsequently promulgated regulations governing GHG emissions from automobiles under the CAA (Motor Vehicle Rule). The effect of the EPAs regulation of GHG emissions from mobile sources is that certain provisions of the CAA now also apply to GHG emissions from existing stationary sources, including many United States power plants. In particular, since January 2, 2011, owners or operators who plan construction of new stationary sources and/or modifications to existing stationary sources, which would result in increased GHG emissions, are required to obtain prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) permits prior to commencement of such construction or modifications. In addition, major sources of GHG emissions may be required to amend, or obtain new, Title V air permits under the CAA to reflect any new applicable GHG emissions requirements for new construction or for modifications to existing facilities.
The EPA promulgated a final rule on June 3, 2010, (the Tailoring Rule) that sets thresholds for GHG emissions that would trigger PSD permitting requirements. The Tailoring Rule, which became effective in January of 2011, provides that sources already subject to PSD permitting requirements need to install Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for greenhouse gases if a proposed modification would result in the increase of more than 75,000 tons per year of GHG emissions. Also, under the Tailoring Rule, any new sources of GHG emissions that emit over 100,000 tons per year of GHG emissions, in addition to any modification that result in GHG emissions exceeding 75,000 tons per year, require PSD review and are subject to related permitting requirements. The EPA anticipates that it will adjust downward the permitting thresholds of 100,000 tons and 75,000 tons for new sources and modifications, respectively, in future rulemaking actions. The Tailoring Rule substantially reduces the number of sources subject to PSD requirements for GHG emissions and the number of sources required to obtain Title V air permits, although new thermal power plants may still be subject to PSD and Title V requirements because annual GHG emissions from such plants typically far exceed the 100,000 ton threshold noted above. The 75,000 ton threshold for increased GHG emissions from modifications to existing sources may reduce the likelihood that future modifications to plants owned by some of our United States subsidiaries would trigger PSD requirements, although some projects that would expand capacity or electric output are likely to exceed this threshold, and in any such cases the capital expenditures necessary to comply with the PSD requirements could be significant.
A consortium of industry petitioners has challenged the Endangerment Finding, Tailoring Rule and the Motor Vehicle Rule in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the D.C. Circuit). On June 26, 2012, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit upheld the Endangerment Finding, Tailoring Rule and the Motor Vehicle Rule, and on December 20, 2012, the D.C. Circuit denied the industry petitioners motion for a rehearing. The industry petitioners may petition the U.S. Supreme Court for appeal, which petition the Court may accept or deny.
In December 2010, the EPA entered into a settlement agreement with several states and environmental groups to resolve a petition for review challenging the EPAs new source performance standards (NSPS) rulemaking for electric utility steam generating units (EUSGUs) based on the NSPSs failure to address GHG emissions. Under the settlement agreement, the EPA committed to propose GHG emissions standards for EUSGUs and on March 27, 2012, the EPA proposed a rule that would establish NSPS for CO2 emissions for new fossil-fueled EUSGUs larger than 25 megawatts (MW). The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2012, and the period for public comments expired on June 12, 2012. The EPA is considering the public comments. The proposed rule would not apply to modified or existing EUSGUs, including the Companys subsidiaries existing power plants. The EPA may propose regulations that would apply to modified or existing EUSGUs at a later date. However, the EPA has not yet announced a timetable for such regulations. It is impossible to estimate the impact and compliance costs associated with any future EPA regulations applicable to modified or existing EUSGUs until such regulations are finalized; however, the impact, including the compliance costs, could be material to our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
United StatesState Greenhouse Gas Legislation and Regulation
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The primary regulation of GHG emissions affecting the United States plants of the Companys subsidiaries has previously been through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
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(RGGI). Under RGGI, nine Northeastern States have coordinated to establish rules that require reductions in CO2 emissions from power plant operations within those states through a cap-and-trade program. Maryland is now the only state currently participating in RGGI in which our subsidiaries have a relevant generating facility. Under RGGI, power plants must acquire one carbon allowance through auction or in the emission trading markets for each ton of CO2 emitted. We have estimated that the costs to the Company of compliance with RGGI could be approximately $3.0 million for 2013. Under the current three-year compliance period (2012 through 2014), the cap on aggregate CO2 emissions per year for RGGI states is 165 million short tons of CO2, and the affected states are conducting a program wide review that could result in changes to the 2012 through 2014 compliance period, including a lower emissions cap.
The Companys Warrior Run business is located in Maryland. In April 2006, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Maryland Healthy Air Act which, among other things, required the State of Maryland to join RGGI. The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) adopted regulations that require 100% of the allowances the State receives to be auctioned except for several small allowance set-aside accounts. The MDE regulations include a safety valve to control the economic impact of the CO2 cap-and-trade program. If the auction closing price reaches $7, up to 50% of a years allowances will be reserved for purchase by electric power generation facilities located within Maryland at $7 per allowance, regardless of auction prices. Warrior Run continues to secure its allowance requirements through the RGGI allowance auction.
In 2012, of the approximately 39.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 emitted in the United States by the businesses operated by our subsidiaries (ownership adjusted), approximately 1.4 million metric tonnes were emitted by the Warrior Run business, our only business located in a state participating in RGGI. While CO2 emissions from businesses operated by subsidiaries of the Company are calculated globally in metric tonnes, RGGI allowances are denominated in short tons. (1 metric tonne equals 2,200 pounds and 1 short ton equals 2,000 pounds.) For forecasting purposes, the Company has modeled the impact of CO2 compliance based on a three-year average of CO2 emissions for its business that is subject to RGGI to the extent that it may not be able to pass through compliance costs. The model includes a conversion from metric tonnes to short tons, as well as the impact of some market recovery by merchant plants and contractual and regulatory provisions. The model also utilizes a price of $1.93 per allowance under RGGI. The source of this allowance price estimate was the clearing price in the most recent RGGI allowance auction held in December 2012. Based on these assumptions, the Company estimates that the RGGI compliance costs could be approximately $3.0 million for 2013. Given the fact that the assumptions utilized in the model may prove to be incorrect, there is a risk that our actual compliance costs under RGGI will differ from our estimates and that our model could underestimate our costs of compliance.
California. The Companys Southland business is located in California. On September 27, 2006, the Governor of California signed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also called Assembly Bill 32 (A.B. 32). A.B. 32 directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to promulgate regulations that will require the reduction of CO2 and other GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. On October 20, 2011, CARB approved a set of regulations to implement a state-wide cap-and-trade program to regulate GHG emissions. The first compliance period began on January 1, 2013, and initially covers emissions from electricity generating facilities, large industrial sources with annual emissions greater than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, and imported electricity. Emitters are required to hold enough allowances or offsets to match their GHG emissions, and can comply by reducing their emissions or by purchasing tradable allowances from other emitters or at state-run auctions. Companies that reduce their emissions below the allowances they hold have the opportunity to sell unused allowances. Initially, retail utilities are issued free allowances and merchant facilities are required to bid for allowances at auctions. The initial auction of GHG allowances resulted in the sale of all offered allowances at a price slightly above the floor price of $10. The percentage of free allowances will decline in Phase II and will further decline when Phase III begins in 2018. The program will continue through 2020. Offset credits may be issued for certain verified reductions of GHG emissions or sequestration projects not required by these regulations. The offset credits may be used to satisfy up to eight percent of an entitys compliance obligation or they may be sold.
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California is also a member of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), an organization that also includes four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec). The WCI has developed a separate program to reduce GHG emissions through a cap-and-trade program that also affects California. As a member of WCI, California has agreed to cut GHG emissions to 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. WCI, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was incorporated in November 2011 to provide administrative and technical services to support the implementation of state and provincial greenhouse gas emissions trading programs. California and Quebec are the only two WCI members to have adopted cap-and-trade programs to date. California has proposed regulations enabling it to link its cap-and-trade program with Quebecs program, which would establish common allowance auctions and permit mutual acceptance of compliance instruments. The Company believes that any compliance costs arising from A.B. 32 and the WCI cap-and-trade program for the thermal power plants of its subsidiaries operating in California will be borne by the power offtaker under the terms of existing tolling agreements with the offtaker and under the terms of the programs. However, after the expiration of such tolling agreements, if the Companys subsidiaries were to sell power on a merchant basis then such compliance costs would likely be borne by the subsidiaries. If following the expiration of such tolling agreements, the Companys subsidiaries entered into new, long-term power purchase agreements that did not provide for compliance costs to be borne by the offtakers, then the compliance costs would likely be borne by the Companys subsidiaries. If the Companys subsidiaries in California were required to bear such compliance costs, it could have a material impact on such subsidiaries results of operations, financial conditions or cash flows.
Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGGRA). The Company owns the utility IPL, located in Indiana, and the utility DP&L, located in Ohio. On November 15, 2007, six Midwestern state governors and the premier of Manitoba signed the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGGRA), committing the participating states and province to reduce GHG emissions through the implementation of a cap-and-trade program. Three states (including Indiana and Ohio) and the province of Ontario have signed as observers. In May of 2010, the MGGRA Advisory Group finalized a set of recommendations for the establishment of targets for emissions reductions in the region and for the design of a regional cap-and-trade program. These include a recommended reduction in GHG emissions of 20% below 2005 emission levels by 2025. The recommendations are from the advisory group only, and have not been endorsed or approved by individual governors, including the Governors of Indiana and Ohio. Though MGGRA has not been formally suspended, participating states are no longer pursuing it. If Indiana or Ohio were to implement the recommended reduction targets, the impact on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows could be material.
Hawaii. The Company owns a power generation facility in Hawaii. On June 30, 2007, the Governor of Hawaii signed Act 234 which sets a goal of reducing GHG emissions to 1990 levels or less by January 1, 2020. Act 234 also established the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force, which is tasked with developing measures to meet Hawaiis GHG emissions reduction goal. The Task Force filed a report to the Hawaii Legislature on December 30, 2009, strongly supporting the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which calls for additional renewable energy development, increased energy efficiency, and incorporates already-enacted renewable portfolio standards. The Task Force also evaluated other mechanisms and concluded that a state-level cap-and-trade program is inappropriate due to the small size of Hawaiis economy. Act 234 also required the Hawaii Department of Health to adopt rules to achieve reductions of GHG emissions based upon the recommendations and findings of the Task Force. Pursuant to Act 234, the Hawaii Department of Health published for public comment proposed rules that would initiate the regulation of GHGs in Hawaii. To achieve the stated goal of reducing and maintaining statewide GHG levels at 1990 levels by 2020, such proposed rules:
| require 25% reductions of facility-wide 2010 GHG levels by 2020 from Hawaiis largest existing emitters, which includes AES Hawaii; |
| require each affected source to prepare a GHG reduction plan within nine months after the adoption of the proposed rule; and |
| initiate the collection of annual GHG fees (initially $0.12 per ton of CO2 equivalent emitted). |
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We have estimated that AES Hawaiis initial GHG fee under the proposed rules with respect to 2012 emissions would be approximately $170,000. The period for public comment expired on January 13, 2013. The Hawaii Department of Health is considering the public comments.
At this time, other than the estimated impact of CO2 compliance noted above for its businesses that are subject to RGGI or the proposed Hawaii Department of Health rules, the Company has not estimated the costs of compliance with other actual or potential United States federal, state or regional CO2 emissions reduction legislation or initiatives, such as WCI and MGGRA. This is due to the fact that most of these proposals are not being actively pursued or are in the early stages of development and any final regulations or laws, if adopted, could vary drastically from current proposals. We have not estimated the costs of compliance with A.B. 32 due to the fact that we anticipate such costs to be passed through to our offtakers under the terms of existing tolling agreements. Although complete specific implementation measures for any federal regulations of existing sources or MGGRA have yet to be proposed or finalized, if these GHG-related initiatives are proposed and finalized they may affect a number of the Companys United States subsidiaries unless they are preempted by federal GHG legislation. Any federal, state or regional legislation or regulations adopted in the United States that would require the reduction of GHG emissions or the payment for GHG emissions allowances could have a material effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The possible impact of any future federal GHG legislation or regulations or any regional or state proposal will depend on various factors, including but not limited to:
| the geographic scope of legislation and/or regulation (e.g., federal, regional, state), which entities are subject to the legislation and/or regulation (e.g., electricity generators, load-serving entities, electricity deliverers, etc.), the enactment date of the legislation and/or regulation and the compliance deadlines set forth therein; |
| the level of reductions of CO2 being sought by the regulation and/or legislation (e.g., 10%, 20%, 50%, etc.) and the year selected as a baseline for determining the amount or percentage of mandated CO2 reduction (e.g., 10% reduction from 1990 CO2 emission levels, 20% reduction from 2000 CO2 emission levels, etc.); |
| the legislative and/or regulatory structure (e.g., a CO2 cap-and-trade program, a carbon tax, CO2 emission limits, etc.); |
| in any cap-and-trade program, the mechanism used to determine the price of emission allowances or offsets to be auctioned by designated governmental authorities or representatives; |
| the price of offsets and emission allowances in the secondary market, including any price floors or price caps on the costs of offsets and emission allowances; |
| the applicability of any emission rate limits imposed on existing or modified EUSGUs and the impacts of such limits on the operation of fossil fuel-fired electric generating units; |
| the operation of and emissions from regulated units; |
| the permissibility of using offsets to meet reduction requirements and the requirements of such offsets (e.g., type of offset projects allowed, the amount of offsets that can be used for compliance purposes, any geographic limitations regarding the origin or location of creditable offset projects), as well as the methods required to determine whether the offsets have resulted in reductions in GHG emissions and that those reductions are permanent (i.e., the verification method); |
| whether the use of proceeds of any auction conducted by responsible governmental authorities is reinvested in developing new energy technologies, is used to offset any cost impact on certain energy consumers or is used to address issues unrelated to power; |
| how the price of electricity is determined at the affected businesses, including whether the price includes any costs resulting from any new CO2 legislation and the potential to transfer compliance costs pursuant to legislation, market or contract to other parties; |
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| any impact on fuel demand and volatility that may affect the market clearing price for power; |
| the effects of any legislation or regulation on the operation of power generation facilities that may in turn affect reliability; |
| the availability and cost of carbon control technology; |
| the extent to which existing contractual arrangements transfer compliance costs to power offtakers or other contractual counterparties of our subsidiaries; |
| whether legislation regulating GHG emissions will preclude the EPA from regulating GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act or preempt private nuisance suits or other litigation by third parties; and |
| any opportunities to change the use of fuel at the generation facilities of our subsidiaries or opportunities to increase efficiency. |
International Greenhouse Gas Regulations and Protocols
On February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol became effective. The Kyoto Protocol requires the industrialized countries that have ratified it to significantly reduce their GHG emissions, including CO2. The vast majority of developing countries which have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have no GHG reduction requirements, including many of the countries in which the Companys subsidiaries operate. Of the 27 countries in which the Companys subsidiaries currently operate, all but onethe United States (including Puerto Rico)have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. To date, compliance with the Kyoto Protocol and the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has not had a material effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expired at the end of 2012. In December 2012, the annual United Nations conference of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol was held in Doha, Qatar (COP 18). COP 18 resulted in the publication of the Doha Amendment that provides for a second commitment period, running for eight years from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2020, and an overall commitment to reduce GHG emissions during that period by 18% from 1990 levels. The Doha Amendment will be effective, for the parties who ratify it, on the 90th day after three-quarters of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol have ratified it. COP 18 also resulted in commitments to work toward a universal climate change agreement on GHG emissions reductions, to be adopted by 2015. At present, the Company cannot predict whether compliance with the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol or any successor agreements will have a material effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows in future periods.
Since January 2005, large combustion plants and other large industrial installations located in the EU have been subject to the EU ETS. Established by Directive 2003/87/EC, the EU ETS requires EU member states (Member States) to limit emissions of CO2 from large industrial sources within their countries. During the first and second trading periods of EU ETS, which commenced in January 2005 and terminated at the end of 2012, Member States were required to implement EC-approved national allocation plans (NAPs). Under the NAPs, Member States were responsible for allocating limited CO2 allowances within their borders. Directive 2003/87/EC did not dictate how these allocations were to be made, and the approved NAPs varied in their allocation methodologies.
Pursuant to Directive 2009/29/EC amending European Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community (the 2009 Amending Directive), the European Union will keep the EU ETS in place through the third trading period, which ends in 2020, even if the Kyoto Protocol is not replaced by another agreement. NAPs were required during the first and second trading periods. However, for the third trading period, which began in 2013, there will no longer be any national allocation plans. Instead, the allocations will be determined directly by the EU.
The Companys subsidiaries operate four thermal electric power generation facilities within three Member States which are subject to the EU ETS. During the first and second trading periods, achieving and maintaining compliance with the requirements of the EU ETS did not have a material impact on the consolidated operations or results of the Company.
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The risk and benefit associated with achieving compliance with the EU ETS at several facilities of the Companys subsidiaries are not the responsibility of the Companys subsidiaries, as they are subject to contractual provisions that transfer the costs associated with compliance to contract counterparties. In connection with any potential dispute that might arise with contract counterparties over these provisions, there can be no assurance that the Company and/or the relevant subsidiary would prevail, or that the failure to prevail in any such dispute will not have a material effect on the Company and its financial condition or consolidated results of operations. For those facilities owned by the Companys subsidiaries that are directly subject to EU ETS compliance risk, the majority of allowances have so far been allocated free of charge under the NAP, with any additional allowances or alternative compliance credits (for example, certified emission reduction units generated by the Clean Development Mechanism) being capable of being bought in the market at relatively low cost due to oversupply issues. The impact of the third phase of trading is uncertain. Though the price of allowances and alternative compliance credits is currently low, the European Commission is proposing to take measures to counteract the oversupply issue and bolster the price of allowances. Accordingly, at this time, the Company cannot determine whether achieving and maintaining compliance with the EU ETS for the third trading period will have a material impact on its consolidated operations or financial results.
The 2009 Amending Directive was adopted by the EU in April 2009 as part of the EUs Climate Change Package, which also included a Carbon Capture & Storage Directive and a revised Renewables Directive. The 2009 Amending Directive provides for the third trading period of the EU ETS, which will apply from the beginning of 2013 until 2020. The key characteristics of the third trading period relevant to the Company are as follows:
| The EU is aiming to reduce EU-wide CO2 emissions by 21% from 2005 levels by 2020. |
| A single, EU-wide cap on annual CO2 allowances will be imposed by the European Commission, rather than Member States. This cap will decrease annually. |
| Significantly fewer free CO2 allowances will be allocated than during the first and second trading periods, with an increasing number being made available for purchase by auction (50% of all allowances will be auctioned in 2013, compared to 3% in the second trading period). |
| Free allocations will be set using a benchmark based on the most efficient installations for each type of product, with very limited allocations for electricity production. In 2013, each installation will receive free allowances equivalent to 80% of the benchmark, with the proportion decreasing each year, to 0% by 2027. |
| NAPs will be replaced by National Implementing Measures (NIMs), which set out the levels of free allocation of allowances to installations in accordance with harmonized EU rules. Member States are required to submit proposed NIMs to the EU; these were intended to be assessed and approved during 2012. |
In addition to the 2009 Amending Directive for the EU ETS, the Renewables Directive was also adopted by the EU in April 2009, and will enter into force in each individual EU Member State upon the adoption by each country of implementing legislation or regulations. The key requirement of the Renewables Directive is a minimum overall target of 20% of all energy generation in the EU to be from renewable sources by 2020.
AES generation businesses in each Member State will be required to comply with the relevant measures taken to implement the directives, including each of the relevant NIMs.
There remains significant uncertainty with respect to the third trading period and the implementation of NIMs post-2012. Although many Member States have submitted draft NIMs to the EU for approval, these NIMs could undergo changes and there is no certainty as to their final form. At this time, the Company cannot determine whether achieving and maintaining compliance with the EU allocation plan for the third trading period, to which its subsidiaries are subject, will have a material impact on its consolidated operations or financial results.
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Other United States Environmental and Land Use Legislation and Regulations
In the United States the CAA and various state laws and regulations regulate emissions of air pollutants, including SO2, NOX, particulate matter (PM), mercury and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Certain applicable rules are discussed in further detail below.
The EPA promulgated the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) on March 10, 2005, which required allowance surrender for SO2 and NOX emissions from existing power plants located in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia. CAIR contemplated two implementation phases. The first phase was to begin in 2009 and 2010 for NOX and SO2, respectively. A second phase with additional allowance surrender obligations for both air emissions was to begin in 2015. To implement the required emission reductions for this rule, the states were to establish emission allowance based cap-and-trade programs. CAIR was subsequently challenged in federal court, and on July 11, 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion striking down much of CAIR and remanding it to the EPA.
In response to the D.C. Circuits opinion, on July 7, 2011, the EPA issued a final rule titled Federal Implementation Plans to Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone in 27 States, which is now referred to as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). The CSAPR would have required significant reductions in SO2 and NOX emissions from covered sources, such as power plants, in many states in which subsidiaries of the Company operate. Once fully implemented, the rule would have required additional SO2 emission reductions of 73% and additional NOX reductions of 54% from 2005 levels.
Many states, utilities and other affected parties filed petitions for review, challenging the CSAPR before the D.C. Circuit. On August 21, 2012, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit vacated the CSAPR and required EPA to continue administering CAIR pending the promulgation of a valid replacement to the CSAPR. The Companys subsidiaries will continue to meet their CAIR requirements by virtue of existing pollution control equipment combined with the purchase of emission allowances, when needed. On October 5, 2012, EPA, several states and cities, as well as environmental and health organizations, filed petitions with the D.C. Circuit requesting a rehearing of the case by all of the judges of the D.C. Circuit. On January 24, 2013, the D.C. Circuit issued orders denying all of the outstanding petitions for rehearing and rehearing en banc of the CSAPR decision. The EPA has 90 days from the issuance of the D.C. Circuits mandate to file a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court.
If EPA does not seek Supreme Court review, the Agency must begin developing a replacement rule. At this time, we cannot predict the impact that such a replacement transport rule would have on the Company. However, such replacement rule could have a material adverse impact on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
The EPA is obligated under Section 112 of the CAA to develop a rule requiring pollution controls for hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, and nickel species, among other substances, from coal and oil-fired power plants. In connection with such rule, the CAA requires the EPA to establish Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT). MACT is defined as the emission limitation achieved by the best performing 12% of sources in the source category. Pursuant to Section 112 of the CAA, the EPA promulgated a final rule on December 16, 2011, called the Mercury Air Toxics Standards (MATS) establishing national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) from coal and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units. These emission standards reflect the EPAs application of MATS standards for each pollutant regulated under the rule. The rule requires all coal-fired power plants to comply with the applicable MATS standards within three years, with the possibility of obtaining an additional year, if needed, to complete the installation of necessary controls. To comply with the rule, many coal-fired power plants may need to install additional control technology to control acid gases, mercury or particulate matter, or they may need to repower with an alternate fuel or retire operations. Most of the Companys United States coal-fired plants operated by the Companys subsidiaries have scrubbers or comparable control technologies designed to remove SO2 and which also remove some acid gases. However, there are other improvements to such control
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technologies that may be needed even at these plants to assure compliance with the MATS standards. Older coal-fired facilities that do not currently have a SO2 scrubber installed are particularly at risk. On July 15, 2011, Duke Energy, co-owner with DP&L at the Beckjord Unit 6 facility, a 414 MW power plant, filed their Long-term Forecast Report with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). The report indicated that Duke Energy plans to cease production at the Beckjord Station, including the jointly-owned Unit 6, in December 2014. This was followed by a notification by Duke Energy to PJM, dated February 1, 2012, of a planned April 1, 2015 deactivation of this unit. With respect to DP&Ls Hutchings Station, a six unit coal-fired power plant with 365 MW of total capacity, DP&L has notified PJM that it intends to deactivate Hutchings Stations Units 1 and 2 by 2015 and that Unit 4, currently out of service due to equipment failure, would not be available for service any time earlier than 2014. On January 11, 2013, DP&L provided a similar notice to PJM with respect to Hutchings Units 3, 5 and 6, noting a deactivation date of June 1, 2015. The plans to deactivate units at the Hutchings Station are not irreversible, but none of these units are equipped with the advanced environmental control technologies needed to comply with the MACT standards and the cost of compliance with the MACT standards or conversion to natural gas for these units does not appear to be economically justified. The combination of existing and expected environmental regulations, including the MATS, make it likely that IPL will temporarily or permanently retire or repower several of its existing, primarily coal-fired, smaller and older generating units within the next several years. These units are not equipped with the advanced environmental control technologies needed to comply with existing and expected regulations, and collectively make up less than 15% of IPLs net electricity generation over the past five years. IPL is continuing to evaluate options for replacing this generation. IPL estimates additional expenditures related to the MATS rule for environmental controls for its baseload generating units to be approximately $511 million through 2016, excluding demolition costs. In June of 2012, IPL filed a petition and a request for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for this amount (including supplemental testimony). These filings detail the controls IPL plans to add to each of its five baseload units. IPL is seeking and expects to recover through its environmental rate adjustment mechanism all operating and capital expenditures related to compliance; however, there can be no assurance that IPL will be successful in that regard. Recovery of these costs is expected through an Indiana statute, which allows for 100% recovery of qualifying costs through a rate adjustment mechanism.
Several lawsuits challenging the MATS rule have been filed and consolidated into a single proceeding before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. We cannot predict the outcome of this litigation. The aggregate capital costs, other expenditures or operational restrictions necessary to comply with the rule cannot be specified at this time. The Company anticipates that the rule may have a material adverse impact on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
New Source Review. The new source review (NSR) requirements under the CAA impose certain requirements on major emission sources, such as electric generating stations, if changes are made to the sources that result in a significant increase in air emissions. Certain projects, including power plant modifications, are excluded from these NSR requirements, if they meet the routine maintenance, repair and replacement (RMRR) exclusion of the CAA. There is ongoing uncertainty, and significant litigation, regarding which projects fall within the RMRR exclusion. The EPA has pursued a coordinated compliance and enforcement strategy to address NSR compliance issues at the nations coal-fired power plants. The strategy has included both the filing of suits against power plant owners and the issuance of Notices of Violation (NOVs) to a number of power plant owners alleging NSR violations. See Item 3.Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K for more detail with respect to environmental litigation and regulatory action, including a NOV issued by the EPA against IPL concerning NSR and prevention of significant deterioration issues under the United States Clean Air Act.
DP&Ls Stuart Station and Hutchings Station have received NOVs from the EPA alleging that certain activities undertaken in the past are outside the scope of the RMRR exclusion. Additionally, generation units partially owned by DP&L but operated by other utilities have received such NOVs relating to equipment repairs or replacements alleged to be outside the RMRR exclusion. The NOVs issued to DP&L-operated plants have not been pursued through litigation by the EPA.
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If NSR requirements were imposed on any of the power plants owned by subsidiaries of the Company, the results could have a material adverse impact on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. In connection with the imposition of any such NSR requirements on our U.S. utilities, DP&L and IPL, the utilities would seek recovery of any operating or capital expenditures related to air pollution control technology to reduce regulated air emissions; however, there can be no assurances that they would be successful in that regard.
Regional Haze Rule. In July 1999, the EPA published the Regional Haze Rule to reduce haze and protect visibility in designated federal areas. On June 15, 2005, the EPA proposed amendments to the Regional Haze Rule that, among other things, set guidelines for determining when to require the installation of best available retrofit technology (BART) at older plants. The amendment to the Regional Haze Rule required states to consider the visibility impacts of the haze produced by an individual facility, in addition to other factors, when determining whether that facility must install potentially costly emissions controls. The statute requires compliance within five years after the EPA approves the relevant state implementation plan (SIP) or issues a federal implementation plan, although individual states may impose more stringent compliance schedules. On December 2, 2011, the EPA published a notice that it entered a consent decree with several environmental groups. The consent decree requires the EPA to review and take final action on regional haze requirements for more than 40 states and territories. The EPA had previously determined that any electricity generating unit (EGU) that is subject to the CAIR rule is deemed to meet the BART requirement. On December 30, 2011, the EPA proposed regulatory language that would similarly establish that compliance with the CSAPR would constitute compliance with BART requirements. The EPA accepted comments on this proposal until February 25, 2012; however, because the D.C. Circuit vacated CSAPR on August 21, 2012, the EPA had indicated that it will await the results of its petition for rehearing before it takes further action on this proposal. EPA now will have to withdraw its proposed rule establishing compliance with CSAPR as equal to BART. EPA may now require states to adopt SIPs to those states that had relied on the previous rules that equated CAIR and CSAPR to BART.
Water Discharges. The Companys facilities are subject to a variety of rules governing water discharges. In particular, the Companys U.S. facilities are subject to the U.S. Clean Water Act Section 316(b) rule issued by the EPA which seeks to protect fish and other aquatic organisms by requiring existing steam electric generating facilities to utilize the Best Technology Available (BTA) for cooling water intake structures. The EPA published a proposed rule establishing requirements under 316(b) regulations on April 20, 2011. The proposal, based on Section 316(b) of the U.S. Clean Water Act, establishes BTA requirements regarding impingement standards with respect to aquatic organisms for all facilities that withdraw above 2 million gallons per day of water from certain bodies of water and utilize at least 25% of the withdrawn water for cooling purposes. To meet these BTA requirements, as currently proposed, cooling water intake structures associated with once through cooling processes will need modifications of existing traveling screens that protect aquatic organisms and will need to add a fish return and handling system for each cooling system. Existing closed cycle cooling facilities may require upgrades to water intake structure systems. The proposal would also require comprehensive site-specific studies during the permitting process and may require closed-cycle cooling systems in order to meet BTA entrainment standards.
On July 17, 2012, the EPA announced that it would delay issuance of the final rule until no later than June 27, 2013. Until such regulations are final, the EPA has instructed state regulatory agencies to use their best professional judgment in determining how to evaluate what constitutes best technology available for protecting fish and other aquatic organisms from cooling water intake structures. Certain states in which the Company operates power generation facilities have been delegated authority and are moving forward to issue National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits with best technology available determinations in the absence of any final rule from the EPA. On September 27, 2010, the California Office of Administrative Law approved a policy adopted by the California State Water Resources Control Board with respect to power plant cooling water intake structures that withdraw from coastal and estuarine waters. This policy became effective on October 1, 2010, and establishes technology-based standards to implement Section 316(b) of the U.S. Clean
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Water Act in NPDES permits that withdraw from coastal and estuarine waters in California. At this time, it is contemplated that the Companys Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach and Alamitos power plants in California (collectively, AES Southland) will need to have in place best technology available by December 31, 2020, or repower the facilities. On April 1, 2011, AES Southland filed an Implementation Plan with the State Water Resources Control Board that indicated its intent to repower the facilities in a phased approach, with the final units being in compliance by 2024. The State Water Resources Board is currently reviewing the implementation plans and has requested additional information to assist with its evaluation. Power plants will be required to comply with the more stringent of state or federal requirements. At present, the Company cannot predict the final requirements under the EPA Section 316(b) regulation, but the Company anticipates compliance costs could have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
On January 7, 2013, the Ohio EPA issued an NPDES permit for J.M. Stuart Station. The primary issues involve the temperature and thermal discharges from the Station including the point at which the water quality standards are applied, i.e., whether water quality standards apply at the point where the Station discharge canal discharges into the Ohio River, or whether, as the EPA alleges, the discharge canal is an extension of Little Three Mile Creek and the water quality standards apply at the point where water enters the discharge canal. In addition, there are a number of other water-related permit requirements established with respect to metals and other materials contained in the discharges from the Station. The NPDES permit establishes interim standards related to the thermal discharge for 54 months that are comparable to current levels of discharge by Stuart Station. Permanent standards for both temperature and overall thermal discharges are established as of 55 months after the permit is effective, except that an additional transitional period of approximately 22 months is allowed if compliance with the permanent standards is to be achieved through a plan of construction and various milestones on the construction schedule are met. DP&L is still analyzing the NPDES permit, but it is believed that there is a strong potential that compliance will require capital expenses that are material to DP&L. The cost of compliance and the timing of such costs is uncertain and may vary considerably depending on a compliance plan that would need to be developed, the type of capital projects that may be necessary, and the uncertainties that may arise in the likely event that permits and approvals from other governmental entities would likely be required to construct and operate any such capital project. DP&L has appealed various aspects of the final permit to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission. The outcome of such appeal is uncertain.
On August 28, 2012, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued NPDES permits to the IPL Petersburg, Harding Street and Eagle Valley generating stations, which became effective in October 2012. NPDES permits regulate specific industrial wastewater and storm water discharges to the waters of Indiana under Sections 402 and 405 of the U.S. Clean Water Act. These permits set new levels of acceptable metal effluent water discharge, as well as monitoring and other requirements designed to protect aquatic life, with full compliance required by October 2015. IPL is seeking a two-year extension; however, we cannot predict whether such extension will be approved. IPL is conducting studies to determine what operational changes and/or additional equipment will be required to comply with the new limitation. In developing its compliance plans, IPL must make assumptions about the outcomes of future federal rulemaking with respect to coal combustion byproducts, cooling water intake and wastewater effluents. In light of the uncertainties at this time, we cannot predict the impact of these regulations on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, but it is expected to be material to IPL. Recovery of these costs is expected through an Indiana statute, which allows for 80% recovery of qualifying costs through a rate adjustment mechanism and the remainder through a base rate case proceeding; however, there can be no assurances that IPL would be successful in that regard.
Waste Management. In the course of operations, the Companys facilities generate solid and liquid waste materials requiring eventual disposal or processing. With the exception of coal combustion byproducts (CCB), the wastes are not usually physically disposed of on our property, but are shipped off site for final disposal, treatment or recycling. CCB, which consists of bottom ash, fly ash and air pollution control wastes, is disposed of at some of our coal-fired power generation plant sites using engineered, permitted landfills. Waste materials generated at our electric power and distribution facilities include CCB, oil, scrap metal, rubbish, small quantities
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of industrial hazardous wastes such as spent solvents, tree and land clearing wastes and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated liquids and solids. The Company endeavors to ensure that all of its solid and liquid wastes are disposed of in accordance with applicable national, regional, state and local regulations. On June 21, 2010, the EPA published in the Federal Register a proposed rule to regulate CCB under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The proposed rule provides two possible options for CCB regulation, and both options contemplate heightened structural integrity requirements for surface impoundments of CCB. The first option contemplates regulation of CCB as a hazardous waste subject to regulation under Subtitle C of the RCRA. Under this option, existing surface impoundments containing CCB would be required to be retrofitted with composite liners and these impoundments would likely be phased out over several years. State and/or federal permit programs would be developed for storage, transport and disposal of CCB. States could bring enforcement actions for non-compliance with permitting requirements, and the EPA would have oversight responsibilities as well as the authority to bring lawsuits for non-compliance. The second option contemplates regulation of CCB under Subtitle D of the RCRA. Under this option, the EPA would create national criteria applicable to CCB landfills and surface impoundments. Existing impoundments would also be required to be retrofitted with composite liners and would likely be phased out over several years. This option would not contain federal or state permitting requirements. The primary enforcement mechanism under regulation pursuant to Subtitle D would be private lawsuits.
Although the public comment period for this proposed regulation has expired, the EPA issued a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) on October 12, 2011, which allowed the public to submit additional information until November 14, 2011, which the EPA is considering prior to promulgating a final rule. The EPA is also conducting a coal ash reuse risk analysis that the EPA has stated it will complete before issuing a final rule. The EPA is likely to retain its five-year deadline for meeting the final rules surface impoundment requirements. While the exact impact and compliance cost associated with future regulations of CCB cannot be established until such regulations are finalized, there can be no assurance that the Companys businesses, financial condition or results of operations would not be materially and adversely affected by such regulations.
Senate Bill 251. In May 2011, Senate Bill 251 became a law in the State of Indiana. Senate Bill 251 is a comprehensive bill which, among other things, provides Indiana utilities, including IPL, with a means for recovering 80% of costs incurred to comply with federal mandates through a periodic retail rate adjustment mechanism. This includes costs to comply with regulations from the EPA, FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), Department of Energy, etc., including capital intensive requirements and/or proposals described herein, such as cooling water intake regulations, waste management and coal combustion byproducts, wastewater effluent, MISO transmission expansion costs and polychlorinated biphenyls. It does not change existing legislation that allows for 100% recovery of clean coal technology designed to reduce air pollutants (Indiana Senate Bill 29).
Some of the most important features of Senate Bill 251 to IPL are as follows. Any energy utility in Indiana seeking to recover federally mandated costs incurred in connection with a compliance project shall apply to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) for the compliance project. It sets forth certain factors that the IURC must consider in determining whether to grant a CPCN. It further specifies that if the IURC approves a proposed compliance project and the projected federally mandated costs associated with the project, the following apply: (i) 80% of the approved costs shall be recovered by the energy utility through a periodic retail rate adjustment mechanism; (ii) 20% of the approved costs shall be deferred and recovered by the energy utility as part of the next general rate case filed by the energy utility with the IURC; and (iii) actual costs exceeding the projected federally mandated costs of the approved compliance project by more than 25% shall require specific justification and approval before being authorized in the energy utilitys next general rate case. Senate Bill 251 also requires the IURC to adopt rules to establish a voluntary clean energy portfolio standard program. Such program will provide incentives to participating electricity suppliers to obtain specified percentages of electricity from clean energy sources in accordance with clean portfolio standard goals, including requiring at least 50% of the clean energy to originate from Indiana suppliers. The goals can also be met by purchasing clean energy credits.
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CERCLA. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA aka Superfund) may be the source of claims against certain of the Companys U.S. subsidiaries from time to time. There is ongoing litigation at a site known as the South Dayton Landfill where a group of companies already recognized as Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP) have sued DP&L and other unrelated entities seeking a contribution towards the costs of assessment and remediation. DP&L is actively opposing such claims. In 2003, DP&L received notice that the EPA considers DP&L to be a PRP at the Tremont City landfill Superfund site. No actions have taken place since 2003 regarding the Tremont City landfill. The Company is unable to determine whether there will be any liability, or the size of any liability that may ultimately be assessed against DP&L at these two sites, but any such liability could be material to DP&L.
Indiana Tree Trimming Regulation. In July 2012, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) issued a final order regarding the tree trimming practices, which was later approved by the Indiana governor and attorney general and became law in October 2012. IPL is implementing procedures to ensure it appropriately complies with the requirements of the new rule that addresses notification, dispute resolution and other activities associated with its vegetation management practices. The requirements of the new ruling are similar to current practices. However, the actual cost impact of the rule will not be known until IPL has experience operating under its terms.
Other International Environmental Regulations
In Europe, the Company is, and will continue to be, required to reduce air emissions from our facilities to comply with applicable EU Directives, including the new IED, which incorporates Directive 2001/80/EC (referred to as the Large Combustion Plant Directive, or the LCPD). The Companys coal plants in Europe are either exempt from the LCPD/IED due to their size or possess the abatement technology required to be in compliance with the LCPD/IED, except for AES Ballylumfords B Station, with respect to which AES Ballylumford has elected under the LCPD/IED to retire from operations by 2015 rather than invest in the abatement technology required to comply with the LCPD/IED.
Progress in implementation of the IED varies from Member State to Member Statethe deadline for implementation having passed on January 7, 2013. The scope of the IED is wider than the LCPD. It aims to reduce emissions of pollutants that are alleged to be harmful to the environment and associated with cancer, asthma and acid rain, and it seeks to prevent and control air, water and soil pollution by industrial installations. It regulates emissions of a wide range of pollutants, including sulfur and nitrogen compounds, dust particles, asbestos and heavy metals.
The IED provides for a more harmonized and rigorous implementation of permit requirements for large industrial plants, seeking to optimize environmental performance by requiring adoption of the cleanest available technology, so-called Best Available Techniques (BAT). Guidance as to BATs applicable to various types of installations will be set out in BAT reference documents (BREFs), which the EU will publish based on information and emerging practices from across the EU. Regulators in all Member States will be required to take the BREFs into consideration when assessing permit requirements at each facility. Deviations from these standards will only be permitted where local and technical characteristics would make it disproportionately costly to comply.
In addition to general BAT requirements, the IED also imposes tighter, prescribed minimum emission limits for NOX, SO2 and dust from power plants. Some of these limits are significantly lower than under the LCPD. Existing power plants have to comply with these standards from January 1, 2016 subject to the provisions of Transitional National Plans, which Member States may adopt to allow for existing plants to emit above the prescribed limits, in accordance with declining annual caps on NOX, SO2 and/or dust emissions. The annual caps for NOX, SO2 and/or dust emissions must align with the prescribed limits by June 30, 2020. These transitional arrangements are only available to plants which:
| received their first permit (or submitted a permit application) before November 27, 2002; and |
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| started operating before November 27, 2003. |
Where installations are already scheduled to close by the end of 2023 or operate less than 17,500 hours after 2016, they may be permitted to operate without an upgrade, provided that they are not already exempt, pursuant to a limited lifetime derogation plan. Each operator has until January 1, 2014 to submit a declaration to the relevant permitting authority indicating whether it intends to take advantage of a limited lifetime derogation plan. AES generation businesses in each Member State will be required to comply with the relevant measures taken to implement the IED. At this time, the Company cannot yet determine the costs associated with the implementation of the IED in Member States that regulate the Companys subsidiaries, but it could have a material adverse impact on the Companys consolidated operations or results.
We sell to a wide variety of customers. No individual customer accounted for 10% or more of our 2012 total revenue. In our generation business, we own and/or operate power plants to generate and sell power to wholesale customers such as utilities and other intermediaries. Our utilities sell to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial and governmental sectors in a defined service area.
As of December 31, 2012, we employed approximately 25,000 people.
The following individuals are our executive officers:
Andrés R. Gluski, 55 years old, has been President, CEO and a member of our Board of Directors since September 2011 and is Chairman of the Strategy and Investment Committee of the Board. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Gluski served as Executive Vice President and COO of the Company since March 2007. Prior to becoming the COO of AES, Mr. Gluski was Executive Vice President and the Regional President of Latin America from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Gluski was Senior Vice President for the Caribbean and Central America from 2003 to 2006, CEO of La Electricidad de Caracas (EDC) from 2002 to 2003 and CEO of AES Gener (Chile) in 2001. Prior to joining AES in 2000, Mr. Gluski was Executive Vice President and CFO of EDC, Executive Vice President of Banco de Venezuela (Grupo Santander), Vice President for Santander Investment, and Executive Vice President and CFO of CANTV (subsidiary of GTE). Mr. Gluski has also worked with the International Monetary Fund in the Treasury and Latin American Departments and served as Director General of the Ministry of Finance of Venezuela. Mr. Gluski is also Chairman of AES Gener since 2005 and AES Brasiliana since 2006 and serves on the Board of AES Entek, a joint venture between AES and Koc Holdings that will develop and operate power projects in Turkey. Mr. Gluski is also on the Boards of Cliffs Natural Resources, The Council of Americas, US Spain Council and The Edison Electric Institute. Mr. Gluski is a magna cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University and holds an M.A and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Virginia.
Elizabeth Hackenson, 52 years old, was named Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Senior Vice President of AES in October 2008. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Hackenson was the Senior Vice President and CIO at Alcatel-Lucent from 2006 to 2008, where she managed the development of technology programs for Applications, Operations and Infrastructure. Previously, she also served as the Executive Vice President and CIO for MCI from 2004 to 2006. MCI was a Fortune 50 company, with a diversified telecom portfolio employing 55,000 employees worldwide. Her corporate tenure has spanned several Fortune 100 companies including, British Telecom (Concert), AOL (UUNET) and EDS. She served in a variety of senior management positions, working on the management and delivery of information technology services to support business needs across a corporate-wide enterprise. Ms. Hackenson serves on the Boards of Dayton Power & Light and its parent company DPL, Inc. Indianapolis Power & Light and its parent company IPALCO, AES Sul and AES Chivor. She also serves on several Boards outside of AES, including Serena (a privately held company owned by Silver Lake Partners), HP Board of Advisors and is a Strategic Advisor to the Paladin Group.
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Brian A. Miller, 47 years old, is an Executive Vice President of the Company, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Miller joined the Company in 2001 and has served in various positions including Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, General Counsel for North America and Assistant General Counsel. In March of 2008, Mr. Miller joined the Board of AES Solar Energy, Ltd., AES Solar Power, LLC, and AES Solar Power PR, LLC, joint ventures between AES and Riverstone Holdings LLC. In 2010, Mr. Miller joined the Board of AES Entek, a joint venture that will develop and operate power projects in Turkey, between AES and Koc Holdings. In November of 2011, Mr. Miller joined the Board of Dayton Power & Light Company and its parent company, DPL, Inc. He is also a member of the Board of AES Chivor. Prior to joining AES, he was an attorney with the law firm Chadbourne & Parke, LLP. Mr. Miller received a bachelors degree in History and Economics from Boston College and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School Of Law.
Thomas M. OFlynn, age 52, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Company since September of 2012. Previously, Mr. OFlynn served as Senior Advisor to the Private Equity Group of Blackstone, an investment and advisory group and held this position from 2010 to 2012. During this period, Mr. OFlynn also served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Transmission Developers, Inc. (TDI), a Blackstone-controlled company that develops innovative power transmission projects in an environmentally responsible manner. From 2001 to 2009, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of PSEG, a New Jersey-based merchant power and utility company. He also served as President of PSEG Energy Holdings from 2007 to 2009. From 1986 to 2001, Mr. OFlynn was in the Global Power and Utility Group of Morgan Stanley. He served as a Managing Director for his last five years and as head of the North American Power Group from 2000 to 2001. He was responsible for senior client relationships and led a number of large merger, financing, restructuring and advisory transactions. Mr. OFlynn serves as a member of the Boards of AES Gener, AES Solar Energy, Ltd., AES Solar Power, LLC, and AES Solar Power PR, LLC, joint ventures between AES and Riverstone Holdings LLC, Dayton Power & Light and its parent company, DPL, Inc. He is also currently on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Mr. OFlynn has a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago.
Andrew Vesey, 57 years old, serves as COO and Executive Vice President since November of 2012. In this position, he leads AES Global Operations Portfolio. Mr. Vesey has held numerous positions with AES, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Utilities from October of 2011 to November of 2012; Executive Vice President and Regional President of Latin America and Africa from April of 2009 through October of 2011; Executive Vice President and Regional President for Latin America from March 2008 through March 2009; and Chief Operating Officer for Latin America from July 2007 through February 2008. Mr. Vesey also served as Vice President and Group Manager for AES Latin America, DR-CAFTA Region, Vice President of the Global Business Transformation Group, and Vice President of the Integrated Utilities Development Group. Mr. Vesey is also Chairman of the Indianapolis Power & Light, IPALCO, Dayton Power & Light and DPL, Inc Boards and serves on the Boards of AES Sonel and AES Gener. In addition, Mr. Vesey is a member of the Board of the Corporate Council on Africa, Trust for the Americas, and the Institute of the Americas. Prior to joining AES in 2004, Mr. Vesey was a Managing Director of the Utility Finance and Regulatory Advisory Practice at FTI Consulting Inc., a partner in the Energy, Chemicals and Utilities Practice of Ernst & Young LLP, and CEO and Managing Director of Citipower Pty of Melbourne, Australia. He received his BA in Economics and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York and his MS from New York University.
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How to Contact AES and Sources of Other Information
Our principal offices are located at 4300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22203. Our telephone number is (703) 522-1315. Our website address is http://www.aes.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to such reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) are posted on our website. After the reports are filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), they are available from us free of charge. Material contained on our website is not part of and is not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K. You may also read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SECs Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet website that contains the reports, proxy and information statements and other information that we file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Our CEO and our CFO have provided certifications to the SEC as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. These certifications are included as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our CEO provided a certification pursuant to Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual on May 21, 2012.
Our Code of Business Conduct (Code of Conduct) and Corporate Governance Guidelines have been adopted by our Board of Directors. The Code of Conduct is intended to govern, as a requirement of employment, the actions of everyone who works at AES, including employees of our subsidiaries and affiliates. Our Ethics and Compliance Department provides training, information, and certification programs for AES employees related to the Code of Conduct. The Ethics and Compliance Department also has programs in place to prevent and detect criminal conduct, promote an organizational culture that encourages ethical behavior and a commitment to compliance with the law, and to monitor and enforce AES policies on corruption, bribery, money laundering and associations with terrorists groups. The Code of Conduct and the Corporate Governance Guidelines are located in their entirety on our website. Any person may obtain a copy of the Code of Conduct or the Corporate Governance Guidelines without charge by making a written request to: Corporate Secretary, The AES Corporation, 4300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203. If any amendments to, or waivers from, the Code of Conduct or the Corporate Governance Guidelines are made, we will disclose such amendments or waivers on our website.
ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS |
You should consider carefully the following risks, along with the other information contained in or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K. Additional risks and uncertainties also may adversely affect our business and operations including those discussed in Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this Form 10-K. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, financial results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Risks Associated with our Disclosure Controls and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our ability to timely file our financial statements and/or the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting may be adversely impacted in future periods due to the efforts required to adopt new accounting standards issued by the FASB as a result of the convergence of accounting standards project between the FASB and IASB.
The U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (the FASB), which establishes accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) guidelines that companies follow in the United States, and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which is an international accounting standards setter
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outside of the United States, are presently engaged in a project to converge several accounting standards. The convergence project may result in the issuance of several new accounting standards in the future that revise existing GAAP accounting standards and which the Company may be required to adopt under GAAP.
Based on the present timeline released by the FASB, several pronouncements could be issued in final form in 2013. Although the release of final pronouncements is not assured and the proposed adoption dates of these standards have not been set, each new standard that the Company must comply with may require significant effort to adopt. For each new standard, the Company will be required to evaluate the impact of any accounting changes necessitated by a new standard which will include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of a new standards impact on its financial statements and contractual arrangements; planning for and implementation of any changes to accounting systems; processes and procedures to ensure the Company properly complies with a new standard; and training personnel. To the extent that multiple standards are effective as of one date or in close proximity to one another, the Company may require considerable resources to achieve compliance with these new standards. An inability to complete these efforts prior to their effective date could have an adverse effect on our ability to timely file our financial statements with the SEC and/or the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.
Risks Related to our High Level of Indebtedness
We have a significant amount of debt, a large percentage of which is secured, which could adversely affect our business and the ability to fulfill our obligations.
As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately $21.4 billion of outstanding indebtedness on a consolidated basis. All outstanding borrowings under The AES Corporations senior secured credit facility and certain other indebtedness are secured by certain of our assets, including the pledge of capital stock of many of The AES Corporations directly held subsidiaries. Most of the debt of The AES Corporations subsidiaries is secured by substantially all of the assets of those subsidiaries. Since we have such a high level of debt, a substantial portion of cash flow from operations must be used to make payments on this debt. Furthermore, since a significant percentage of our assets are used to secure this debt, this reduces the amount of collateral that is available for future secured debt or credit support and reduces our flexibility in dealing with these secured assets. This high level of indebtedness and related security could have other important consequences to us and our investors, including:
| making it more difficult to satisfy debt service and other obligations at the holding company and/or individual subsidiaries; |
| increasing the likelihood of a downgrade of our debt, which could cause future debt costs and/or payments to increase under our debt and related hedging instruments and consume an even greater portion of cash flow; |
| increasing our vulnerability to general adverse industry conditions and economic conditions, including but not limited to adverse changes in foreign exchange rates and commodity prices; |
| reducing the availability of cash flow to fund other corporate purposes and grow our business; |
| limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry; |
| placing us at a competitive disadvantage to our competitors that are not as highly leveraged; and |
| limiting, along with the financial and other restrictive covenants relating to such indebtedness, among other things, our ability to borrow additional funds as needed or take advantage of business opportunities as they arise, pay cash dividends or repurchase common stock. |
The agreements governing our indebtedness, including the indebtedness of our subsidiaries, limit, but do not prohibit the incurrence of additional indebtedness. To the extent we become more leveraged, the risks described
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above would increase. Further, our actual cash requirements in the future may be greater than expected. Accordingly, our cash flows may not be sufficient to repay at maturity all of the outstanding debt as it becomes due and, in that event, we may not be able to borrow money, sell assets, raise equity or otherwise raise funds on acceptable terms or at all to refinance our debt as it becomes due. See Note 12 Debt included in Item 8. of this Form 10-K for a schedule of our debt maturities.
The AES Corporation is a holding company and its ability to make payments on its outstanding indebtedness, including its public debt securities, is dependent upon the receipt of funds from its subsidiaries by way of dividends, fees, interest, loans or otherwise.
The AES Corporation is a holding company with no material assets other than the stock of its subsidiaries. All of The AES Corporations revenue is generated through its subsidiaries. Accordingly, almost all of The AES Corporations cash flow is generated by the operating activities of its subsidiaries. Therefore, The AES Corporations ability to make payments on its indebtedness and to fund its other obligations is dependent not only on the ability of its subsidiaries to generate cash, but also on the ability of the subsidiaries to distribute cash to it in the form of dividends, fees, interest, tax sharing, loans or otherwise.
However, our subsidiaries face various restrictions in their ability to distribute cash to The AES Corporation. Most of the subsidiaries are obligated, pursuant to loan agreements, indentures or project financing arrangements, to satisfy certain restricted payment covenants or other conditions before they may make distributions to The AES Corporation. In addition, the payment of dividends or the making of loans, advances or other payments to The AES Corporation may be subject to other contractual, legal or regulatory restrictions or may be prohibited altogether. Business performance and local accounting and tax rules may limit the amount of retained earnings that may be distributed to us as a dividend. Subsidiaries in foreign countries may also be prevented from distributing funds to The AES Corporation as a result of foreign governments restricting the repatriation of funds or the conversion of currencies. Any right that The AES Corporation has to receive any assets of any of its subsidiaries upon any liquidation, dissolution, winding up, receivership, reorganization, bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceedings (and the consequent right of the holders of The AES Corporations indebtedness to participate in the distribution of, or to realize proceeds from, those assets) will be effectively subordinated to the claims of any such subsidiarys creditors (including trade creditors and holders of debt issued by such subsidiary).
The AES Corporations subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and, unless they have expressly guaranteed any of The AES Corporations indebtedness, have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay any amounts due pursuant to such debt or to make any funds available whether by dividends, fees, loans or other payments. While some of The AES Corporations subsidiaries guarantee the Parents indebtedness under the Parents senior secured credit facility, none of its subsidiaries guarantee, or are otherwise obligated with respect to, its outstanding public debt securities.
Even though The AES Corporation is a holding company, existing and potential future defaults by subsidiaries or affiliates could adversely affect The AES Corporation.
We attempt to finance our domestic and foreign projects primarily under loan agreements and related documents which, except as noted below, require the loans to be repaid solely from the projects revenues and provide that the repayment of the loans (and interest thereon) is secured solely by the capital stock, physical assets, contracts and cash flow of that project subsidiary or affiliate. This type of financing is usually referred to as non-recourse debt or project financing. In some project financings, The AES Corporation has explicitly agreed to undertake certain limited obligations and contingent liabilities, most of which by their terms will only be effective or will be terminated upon the occurrence of future events. These obligations and liabilities take the form of guarantees, indemnities, letter of credit reimbursement agreements and agreements to pay, in certain circumstances, the project lenders or other parties.
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As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately $21.4 billion of outstanding indebtedness on a consolidated basis, of which approximately $6.0 billion was recourse debt of The AES Corporation and approximately $15.4 billion was non-recourse debt. In addition, we have outstanding guarantees, indemnities, letters of credit, and other credit support commitments which are further described in this Form 10-K in Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsCapital Resources and LiquidityParent Company Liquidity.
Some of our subsidiaries are currently in default with respect to all or a portion of their outstanding indebtedness. The total debt classified as current in our consolidated balance sheets related to such defaults was $1.4 billion at December 31, 2012. While the lenders under our non-recourse project financings generally do not have direct recourse to The AES Corporation (other than to the extent of any credit support given by The AES Corporation), defaults thereunder can still have important consequences for The AES Corporation, including, without limitation:
| reducing The AES Corporations receipt of subsidiary dividends, fees, interest payments, loans and other sources of cash since the project subsidiary will typically be prohibited from distributing cash to The AES Corporation during the pendency of any default; |
| under certain circumstances, triggering The AES Corporations obligation to make payments under any financial guarantee, letter of credit or other credit support which The AES Corporation has provided to or on behalf of such subsidiary; |
| causing The AES Corporation to record a loss in the event the lender forecloses on the assets; |
| triggering defaults in The AES Corporations outstanding debt and trust preferred securities. For example, The AES Corporations senior secured credit facility and outstanding senior notes include events of default for certain bankruptcy related events involving material subsidiaries. In addition, The AES Corporations senior secured credit facility includes certain events of default relating to accelerations of outstanding material debt of material subsidiaries; |
| the loss or impairment of investor confidence in the Company; or |
| foreclosure on the assets that are pledged under the non-recourse loans, therefore eliminating any and all potential future benefits derived from those assets. |
None of the projects that are currently in default are owned by subsidiaries that meet the applicable definition of materiality in The AES Corporations senior secured credit facility or other debt agreements in order for such defaults to trigger an event of default or permit acceleration under such indebtedness. However, as a result of future mix of distributions, write-down of assets, dispositions and other matters that affect our financial position and results of operations, it is possible that one or more of these subsidiaries could fall within the applicable definition of materiality and thereby upon an acceleration of such subsidiarys debt, trigger an event of default and possible acceleration of the indebtedness under The AES Corporations senior secured credit facility.
Risks Associated with our Ability to Raise Needed Capital
The AES Corporation has significant cash requirements and limited sources of liquidity.
The AES Corporation requires cash primarily to fund:
| principal repayments of debt; |
| interest and preferred dividends; |
| acquisitions; |
| construction and other project commitments; |
| other equity commitments, including business development investments; |
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| equity repurchases and/or cash dividends on our common stock; |
| taxes; and |
| Parent Company overhead costs. |
The AES Corporations principal sources of liquidity are:
| dividends and other distributions from its subsidiaries; |
| proceeds from debt and equity financings at the Parent Company level; and |
| proceeds from asset sales. |
For a more detailed discussion of The AES Corporations cash requirements and sources of liquidity, please see Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsCapital Resources and Liquidity of this Form 10-K.
While we believe that these sources will be adequate to meet our obligations at the Parent Company level for the foreseeable future, this belief is based on a number of material assumptions, including, without limitation, assumptions about our ability to access the capital or commercial lending markets, the operating and financial performance of our subsidiaries, exchange rates, our ability to sell assets, and the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends. Any number of assumptions could prove to be incorrect and therefore there can be no assurance that these sources will be available when needed or that our actual cash requirements will not be greater than expected. For example, in recent years, certain financial institutions have gone bankrupt. In the event that a bank who is party to our senior secured credit facility or other facilities goes bankrupt or is otherwise unable to fund its commitments, we would need to replace that bank in our syndicate or risk a reduction in the size of the facility, which would reduce our liquidity. In addition, our cash flow may not be sufficient to repay at maturity the entire principal outstanding under our credit facilities and our debt securities and we may have to refinance such obligations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining such refinancing on terms acceptable to us or at all and any of these events could have a material effect on us.
Our ability to grow our business could be materially adversely affected if we were unable to raise capital on favorable terms.
From time to time, we rely on access to capital markets as a source of liquidity for capital requirements not satisfied by operating cash flows. Our ability to arrange for financing on either a recourse or non-recourse basis and the costs of such capital are dependent on numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
| general economic and capital market conditions; |
| the availability of bank credit; |
| investor confidence; |
| the financial condition, performance and prospects of The AES Corporation in general and/or that of any subsidiary requiring the financing as well as companies in our industry or similar financial circumstances; and |
| changes in tax and securities laws which are conducive to raising capital. |
Should future access to capital not be available to us, we may have to sell assets or decide not to build new plants or expand or improve existing facilities, either of which would affect our future growth, results of operations or financial condition.
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A downgrade in the credit ratings of The AES Corporation or its subsidiaries could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets which could increase our interest costs or adversely affect our liquidity and cash flow.
If any of the credit ratings of The AES Corporation or its subsidiaries were to be downgraded, our ability to raise capital on favorable terms could be impaired and our borrowing costs could increase. Furthermore, depending on The AES Corporations credit ratings and the trading prices of its equity and debt securities, counterparties may no longer be as willing to accept general unsecured commitments by The AES Corporation to provide credit support. Accordingly, with respect to both new and existing commitments, The AES Corporation may be required to provide some other form of assurance, such as a letter of credit and/or collateral, to backstop or replace any credit support by The AES Corporation. There can be no assurance that such counterparties will accept such guarantees or that AES could arrange such further assurances in the future. In addition, to the extent The AES Corporation is required and able to provide letters of credit or other collateral to such counterparties, it will limit the amount of credit available to The AES Corporation to meet its other liquidity needs.
We may not be able to raise sufficient capital to fund greenfield projects in certain less developed economies which could change or in some cases adversely affect our growth strategy.
Part of our strategy is to grow our business by developing Generation and Utility businesses in less developed economies where the return on our investment may be greater than projects in more developed economies. Commercial lending institutions sometimes refuse to provide non-recourse project financing in certain less developed economies, and in these situations we have sought and will continue to seek direct or indirect (through credit support or guarantees) project financing from a limited number of multilateral or bilateral international financial institutions or agencies. As a precondition to making such project financing available, the lending institutions may also require governmental guarantees of certain project and sovereign related risks. There can be no assurance, however, that project financing from the international financial agencies or that governmental guarantees will be available when needed, and if they are not, we may have to abandon the project or invest more of our own funds which may not be in line with our investment objectives and would leave less funds for other projects.
External Risks Associated with Revenue and Earnings Volatility
Our businesses may incur substantial costs and liabilities and be exposed to price volatility as a result of risks associated with the wholesale electricity markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Some of our businesses sell electricity in the wholesale spot markets in cases where they operate wholly or partially without long-term power sales agreements. Our Generation and Utility businesses may also buy electricity in the wholesale spot markets. As a result, we are exposed to the risks of rising and falling prices in those markets. The open market wholesale prices for electricity can be volatile and often reflect the fluctuating cost of fuels such as coal, natural gas or oil in addition to other factors described below. Consequently, any changes in the supply and cost of coal, natural gas, or oil may impact the open market wholesale price of electricity.
Volatility in market prices for fuel and electricity may result from among other things:
| plant availability in the markets generally; |
| availability and effectiveness of transmission facilities owned and operated by third parties; |
| competition; |
| demand for energy commodities; |
| electricity usage; |
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| seasonality; |
| interest rate and foreign exchange rate fluctuation; |
| availability and price of emission credits; |
| input prices; |
| hydrology and other weather conditions; |
| illiquid markets; |
| transmission or transportation constraints or inefficiencies; |
| availability of competitively priced renewables sources; |
| available supplies of natural gas, crude oil and refined products, and coal; |
| generating unit performance; |
| natural disasters, terrorism, wars, embargoes, and other catastrophic events; |
| energy, market and environmental regulation, legislation and policies; |
| geopolitical concerns affecting global supply of oil and natural gas; |
| general economic conditions in areas where we operate which impact energy consumption: and |
| bidding behavior and market bidding rules. |
Our financial position and results of operations may fluctuate significantly due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates experienced at our foreign operations.
Our exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations results primarily from the translation exposure associated with the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements, as well as from transaction exposure associated with transactions in currencies other than an entitys functional currency. While the Consolidated Financial Statements are reported in U.S. Dollars, the financial statements of many of our subsidiaries outside the United States are prepared using the local currency as the functional currency and translated into U.S. Dollars by applying appropriate exchange rates. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. Dollar relative to the local currencies where our subsidiaries outside the United States report could cause significant fluctuations in our results. In addition, while our expenses with respect to foreign operations are generally denominated in the same currency as corresponding sales, we have transaction exposure to the extent receipts and expenditures are not denominated in the subsidiarys functional currency. Moreover, the costs of doing business abroad may increase as a result of adverse exchange rate fluctuations. Our financial position and results of operations have been affected by fluctuations in the value of a number of currencies, primarily the Argentine Peso, Brazilian Real, Chilean Peso, Colombian Peso, Euro and Philippine Peso.
We may not be adequately hedged against our exposure to changes in commodity prices or interest rates.
We routinely enter into contracts to hedge a portion of our purchase and sale commitments for electricity, fuel requirements and other commodities to lower our financial exposure related to commodity price fluctuations. As part of this strategy, we routinely utilize fixed price forward physical purchase and sales contracts, futures, financial swaps, and option contracts traded in the over-the-counter markets or on exchanges. We also enter into contracts which help us hedge our interest rate exposure on variable rate debt. However, we may not cover the entire exposure of our assets or positions to market price or interest rate volatility, and the coverage will vary over time. Furthermore, the risk management practices we have in place may not always perform as planned. In particular, if prices of commodities or interest rates significantly deviate from historical prices or interest rates or if the price or interest rate volatility or distribution of these changes deviates from historical norms, our risk management practices may not protect us from significant losses. As a result, fluctuating commodity prices or
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interest rates may negatively impact our financial results to the extent we have unhedged or inadequately hedged positions. In addition, certain types of economic hedging activities may not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP, resulting in increased volatility in our net income. The Company may also suffer losses associated with basis risk which is the difference in performance between the intended hedge instrument and the targeted underlying exposure. Furthermore, there is a risk that the current counterparties to these arrangements may fail or are unable to perform their obligations under these arrangements.
In the past few years, we have faced substantial challenges in the United States as a result of high coal prices relative to natural gas, which has affected the results of certain of our coal plants in the region, particularly those which are merchant plants that are exposed to market risk and those that have hybrid merchant risk, meaning those businesses that have a PPA in place but purchase fuel at market prices or under short term contracts. For our businesses with PPA pricing that does not perfectly pass through our fuel costs, the businesses attempt to manage the exposure through flexible fuel purchasing and timing of entry and terms of our fuel supply agreements; however, these risk management efforts may not be successful and the resulting commodity exposure could have a material impact on these businesses and/or our results of operations. In recent years, our coal-fired plants in New York and our petroleum coke-fired plant in Texas have been affected by market conditions, including the commodity price risks noted above. As a result of these and other challenges, AES Thames, our 208 MW coal-fired generation business in Connecticut, filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2011 and is in the process of liquidation and AES Eastern Energy filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2011, which was finalized in December of 2012.
At DPL and IPL, the degree of exposure to commodity price changes is dependent upon the regulatory framework under which the business operates. DPL is subject to a regulatory framework that differs materially from IPL, and is described in more detail in Item 1.BusinessUS SBU Businesses of this Form 10-K. The IPL generating assets benefit from the regulated load served and are subject to fluctuation to the extent we have excess capacity available to sell to wholesale markets. The DPL generating assets do not have a captive load that acts as a hedge against collapsing dark spreads, and dependent upon the outcome of the rate case may be separated entirely from the distribution business.
Supplier and/or customer concentration may expose the Company to significant financial credit or performance risks.
We often rely on a single contracted supplier or a small number of suppliers for the provision of fuel, transportation of fuel and other services required for the operation of certain of our facilities. If these suppliers cannot perform, we would seek to meet our fuel requirements by purchasing fuel at market prices, exposing us to market price volatility and the risk that fuel and transportation may not be available during certain periods at any price, which could be lower than contracted prices and would expose these businesses to considerable price volatility.
At times, we rely on a single customer or a few customers to purchase all or a significant portion of a facilitys output, in some cases under long-term agreements that account for a substantial percentage of the anticipated revenue from a given facility. We have also hedged a portion of our exposure to power price fluctuations through forward fixed price power sales. Counterparties to these agreements may breach or may be unable to perform their obligations. We may not be able to enter into replacement agreements on terms as favorable as our existing agreements, or at all. If we were unable to enter into replacement PPAs, these businesses may have to sell power at market prices.
The failure of any supplier or customer to fulfill its contractual obligations to The AES Corporation or our subsidiaries could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Consequently, the financial performance of our facilities is dependent on the credit quality of, and continued performance by, suppliers and customers.
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The market pricing of our common stock has been volatile and may continue to be volatile in future periods.
The market price for our common stock has been volatile in the past, and the price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially in the future. Stock price movements on a quarter by quarter basis for the past two years are set forth in Item 5.MarketMarket Information of this Form 10-K. Factors that could affect the price of our common stock in the future include general conditions in our industry, in the power markets in which we participate and in the world, including environmental and economic developments, over which we have no control, as well as developments specific to us, including, risks that could result in revenue and earnings volatility as well as other risk factors described in this Item 1A.Risk Factors and those matters described in Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations.
Risks Associated with our Operations
We do a significant amount of business outside the United States, including in developing countries, which presents significant risks.
A significant amount of our revenue is generated outside the United States and a significant portion of our international operations is conducted in developing countries. Part of our growth strategy is to expand our business in developing countries because the growth rates and the opportunity to implement operating improvements and achieve higher operating margins may be greater than those typically achievable in more developed countries. International operations, particularly the operation, financing and development of projects in developing countries, entail significant risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation:
| economic, social and political instability in any particular country or region; |
| adverse changes in currency exchange rates; |
| government restrictions on converting currencies or repatriating funds; |
| unexpected changes in foreign laws and regulations or in trade, monetary or fiscal policies; |
| high inflation and monetary fluctuations; |
| restrictions on imports of coal, oil, gas or other raw materials required by our generation businesses to operate; |
| threatened or consummated expropriation or nationalization of our assets by foreign governments; |
| difficulties in hiring, training and retaining qualified personnel, particularly finance and accounting personnel with GAAP expertise; |
| unwillingness of governments, government agencies, similar organizations or other counterparties to honor their contracts; |
| unwillingness of governments, government agencies, courts or similar bodies to enforce contracts that are economically advantageous to subsidiaries of the Company and economically unfavorable to counterparties, against such counterparties, whether such counterparties are governments or private parties; |
| inability to obtain access to fair and equitable political, regulatory, administrative and legal systems; |
| adverse changes in government tax policy; |
| difficulties in enforcing our contractual rights or enforcing judgments or obtaining a favorable result in local jurisdictions; and |
| potentially adverse tax consequences of operating in multiple jurisdictions. |
Any of these factors, by itself or in combination with others, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our Latin American operations experience volatility in
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revenues and gross margin which have caused and are expected to cause significant volatility in our results of operations and cash flows. The volatility is caused by regulatory and economic difficulties, political instability and currency devaluations being experienced in many of these countries. This volatility reduces the predictability and enhances the uncertainty associated with cash flows from these businesses. A number of our businesses are facing challenges associated with regulatory changes. For example, the government of the Dominican Republic is expected to end 2012 with a deficit of $4.6 billion, an amount that represents roughly 6.8 percent of the countrys GDP and twice the deficit in 2011, which could impact our ability to collect approximately $200 million in receivables owed to our businesses in the country and to collect receivables we generate in the future. In order to address these issues, the Dominican government has recently announced several tax initiatives including: (i) elimination of step-down in tax rate from 29% to 25% for 2013, (ii) imposition of a 10% dividend withholding tax and (iii) an increase in the Value Added Tax from 16% to 18%, any or all of which could result in increased taxes at our businesses in the country. In Argentina, the deterioration of certain economic indicators such as non-receding inflation, increased government deficits and foreign currency accessibility combined with the potential devaluation of the local currency and the potential fall in export commodity prices could cause significant volatility in our results of operations, cash flows, the ability to pay dividends, and the value of our assets. As of December 31, 2012, the total of AES long-lived assets in Argentina was $564 million, including long-term receivables of $316 million. In addition, recent actions by the Argentine government may indicate deeper government intervention in the local economy. For example, on April 16, 2012, the Argentine government expropriated 51% of the assets of the countrys largest oil company. The statute used to expropriate the oil company is not applicable to our businesses in Argentina. However, potential deteriorating economic conditions or further government action could have a material impact on the Company or its financial statements. In addition, the government has instituted capital controls that have banned the purchase of dollars, making it difficult to get cash generated by our businesses out of the country.
Outside of Latin America, in Cameroon, a new law governing electricity was promulgated on December 14, 2012. The new law provides that a state-owned transmission system operator will be in charge of operation, maintenance and investments in infrastructure, whereas the existing concession agreement grants to AES SONEL the responsibility of maintenance, operations and investments in transmission. The impacts of the new law are not clear, however, there is a risk that: (i) we may not receive profits related to our investment of almost 100 billion CFA ($201 million) invested in transmission and/or (ii) the new state owned operator may not be able to mobilize the funds necessary for important investments and for adequate maintenance of the system, which could impact the efficiency and/or productivity of our businesses. In Kazakhstan, the government recently passed certain amendments to the Electricity Law that support the governments view that all energy producers have to reinvest all of their profits into renovation or construction of new plant assets during the years 2013-2015. The ability to charge ceiling tariffs established by the government is conditional upon the execution of annual investment agreements with the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MINT), which now has broad discretion to reject agreements. An energy producer lacking an investment agreement with MINT may charge tariffs no higher than its cost of producing energy (excluding depreciation). The new law would limit the ability of our subsidiaries in Kazakhstan to provide dividends to The AES Corporation and may require those subsidiaries to invest in projects which do not generate returns consistent with our internal targets.
The above examples illustrate the regulatory challenges we may face. Further information on these matters, as well as additional regulatory matters, is included in Item 1.Business of this Form 10-K.
The operation of power generation and distribution facilities involves significant risks that could adversely affect our financial results. We and/or our subsidiaries may not have adequate risk mitigation and/or insurance coverage for liabilities.
We are in the business of generating and distributing electricity, which involves certain risks that can adversely affect financial and operating performance, including:
| changes in the availability of our generation facilities or distribution systems due to increases in scheduled and unscheduled plant outages, equipment failure, failure of transmission systems, labor |
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disputes, disruptions in fuel supply, inability to comply with regulatory or permit requirements or catastrophic events such as fires, floods, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, explosions, terrorist acts or other similar occurrences; and |
| changes in our operating cost structure including, but not limited to, increases in costs relating to: gas, coal, oil and other fuel; fuel transportation; purchased electricity; operations, maintenance and repair; environmental compliance, including the cost of purchasing emissions offsets and capital expenditures to install environmental emission equipment; transmission access; and insurance. |
Our businesses require reliable transportation sources (including related infrastructure such as roads, ports and rail), power sources and water sources to access and conduct operations. The availability and cost of this infrastructure affects capital and operating costs and levels of production and sales. Limitations, or interruptions in this infrastructure or at the facilities of our subsidiaries, including as a result of third parties intentionally or unintentionally disrupting this infrastructure or the facilities of our subsidiaries, could impede their ability to produce electricity. This could have a material adverse effect on our businesses results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
In addition, a portion of our generation facilities were constructed many years ago. Older generating equipment may require significant capital expenditures for maintenance. The equipment at our plants, whether old or new, is also likely to require periodic upgrading, improvement or repair, and replacement equipment or parts may be difficult to obtain in circumstances where we rely on a single supplier or a small number of suppliers. The inability to obtain replacement equipment or parts may impact the ability of our plants to perform and could therefore have a material impact on our business and results of operations. Breakdown or failure of one of our operating facilities may prevent the facility from performing under applicable power sales agreements which, in certain situations, could result in termination of a power purchase or other agreement or incurrence of a liability for liquidated damages and/or other penalties.
As a result of the above risks and other potential hazards associated with the power generation and distribution industries, we may from time to time become exposed to significant liabilities for which we may not have adequate risk mitigation and/or insurance coverage. Power generation involves hazardous activities, including acquiring, transporting and unloading fuel, operating large pieces of rotating equipment and delivering electricity to transmission and distribution systems. In addition to natural risks, such as earthquakes, floods, lightning, hurricanes and wind, hazards, such as fire, explosion, collapse and machinery failure, are inherent risks in our operations which may occur as a result of inadequate internal processes, technological flaws, human error or actions of third parties or other external events. The control and management of these risks depend upon adequate development and training of personnel and on the existence of operational procedures, preventative maintenance plans and specific programs supported by quality control systems which reduce, but do not eliminate, the possibility of the occurrence and impact of these risks.
The hazards described above, along with other safety hazards associated with our operations, can cause significant personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property, plant and equipment, contamination of, or damage to, the environment and suspension of operations. The occurrence of any one of these events may result in our being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting claims for substantial damages, environmental cleanup costs, personal injury and fines and/or penalties. We maintain an amount of insurance protection that we believe is customary, but there can be no assurance that our insurance will be sufficient or effective under all circumstances and against all hazards or liabilities to which we may be subject. A claim for which we are not fully insured or insured at all could hurt our financial results and materially harm our financial condition. Further, due to rising insurance costs and changes in the insurance markets, we cannot provide assurance that insurance coverage will continue to be available on terms similar to those presently available to us or at all. Any losses not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
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Our businesses insurance does not cover every potential risk associated with its operations. Adequate coverage at reasonable rates is not always obtainable. In addition, insurance may not fully cover the liability or the consequences of any business interruptions such as equipment failure or labor dispute. The occurrence of a significant adverse event not fully or partially covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, results or operations, financial condition and prospects.
Any of the above risks could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our inability to attract and retain skilled people could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Our operating success and ability to carry out growth initiatives depends in part on our ability to retain executives and to attract and retain additional qualified personnel who have experience in our industry and in operating a company of our size and complexity, including people in our foreign businesses. The inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, because of the difficulty of promptly finding qualified replacements. For example, we routinely are required to assess the financial and tax impacts of complicated business transactions which occur on a worldwide basis. These assessments are dependent on hiring personnel on a worldwide basis with sufficient expertise in U.S. GAAP to timely and accurately comply with United States reporting obligations. An inability to maintain adequate internal accounting and managerial controls and hire and retain qualified personnel could have an adverse effect on our financial and tax reporting.
We have contractual obligations to certain customers to provide full requirements service, which makes it difficult to predict and plan for load requirements and may result in increased operating costs to certain of our businesses.
We have contractual obligations to certain customers to supply power to satisfy all or a portion of their energy requirements. The uncertainty regarding the amount of power that our power generation and distribution facilities must be prepared to supply to customers may increase our operating costs. A significant underor over-estimation of load requirements could result in our facilities not having enough or having too much power to cover their obligations, in which case we would be required to buy or sell power from or to third parties at prevailing market prices. Those prices may not be favorable and thus could increase our operating costs.
We may not be able to enter into long-term contracts, which reduce volatility in our results of operations. Even when we successfully enter into long-term contracts, our generation businesses are often dependent on one or a limited number of customers and a limited number of fuel suppliers.
Many of our generation plants conduct business under long-term sales and supply contracts, which helps these businesses to manage risks by reducing the volatility associated with power and input costs and providing a stable revenue and cost structure. In these instances, we rely on power sales contracts with one or a limited number of customers for the majority of, and in some cases all of, the relevant plants output and revenues over the term of the power sales contract. The remaining terms of the power sales contracts of our generation plants range from one to 25 years. In many cases, we also limit our exposure to fluctuations in fuel prices by entering into long-term contracts for fuel with a limited number of suppliers. In these instances, the cash flows and results of operations are dependent on the continued ability of customers and suppliers to meet their obligations under the relevant power sales contract or fuel supply contract, respectively. Some of our long-term power sales agreements are at prices above current spot market prices and some of our long-term fuel supply contracts are at prices below current market prices. The loss of significant power sales contracts or fuel supply contracts, or the failure by any of the parties to such contracts that prevents us from fulfilling our obligations there under, could adversely impact our strategy by resulting in costs that exceed revenue, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, depending on market conditions and regulatory regimes, it may be difficult for us to secure long-term contracts, either where our current contracts are expiring or for new development projects. The inability to enter into long-term contracts could require many
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of our businesses to purchase inputs at market prices and sell electricity into spot markets, which may not be favorable. For example, during the past several years, various governmental authorities in Europe have terminated or declined to fulfill their obligations under long-term contracts with our subsidiaries. Pursuant to the terms of its PPA, Kilroot in Northern Ireland received notice from the Utility Regulator directing Kilroot and NIE Energy to terminate the Generating Unit Agreements for the two coal fired units effective November 1, 2010 and, as a result, the performance (and contributions to income and cash flow) from Kilroot may decline in the future when compared to prior years. Furthermore, these businesses (and any other businesses whose long-term contracts may be challenged) may have to sell electricity into the spot markets. In addition, in connection with Bulgarias ascension into the EU, the EC has opened an investigation into alleged anticompetitive behavior in the Bulgarian electricity market, which could have a material impact on our results of operations. The current focus is on our offtaker, NEK. Further information on the EC investigation is set forth in Item 1.BusinessEMEA SBU BusinessesBulgaria in this Form 10-K Because of the volatile nature of inputs and power prices, the inability to secure long-term contracts could generate increased volatility in our earnings and cash flows and could generate substantial losses (or result in a write-down of assets), which could have a material impact on our business and results of operations.
We have sought to reduce counterparty credit risk under our long-term contracts in part by entering into power sales contracts with utilities or other customers of strong credit quality and by obtaining guarantees from certain sovereign governments of the customers obligations. However, many of our customers do not have, or have failed to maintain, an investment-grade credit rating, and our Generation business cannot always obtain government guarantees and if they do, the government does not always have an investment grade credit rating. We have also sought to reduce our credit risk by locating our plants in different geographic areas in order to mitigate the effects of regional economic downturns. However, there can be no assurance that our efforts to mitigate this risk will be successful.
Competition is increasing and could adversely affect us.
The power production markets in which we operate are characterized by numerous strong and capable competitors, many of whom may have extensive and diversified developmental or operating experience (including both domestic and international) and financial resources similar to or greater than ours. Further, in recent years, the power production industry has been characterized by strong and increasing competition with respect to both obtaining power sales agreements and acquiring existing power generation assets. In certain markets, these factors have caused reductions in prices contained in new power sales agreements and, in many cases, have caused higher acquisition prices for existing assets through competitive bidding practices. The evolution of competitive electricity markets and the development of highly efficient gas-fired power plants have also caused, or are anticipated to cause, price pressure in certain power markets where we sell or intend to sell power. These competitive factors could have a material adverse effect on us.
Some of our subsidiaries participate in defined benefit pension plans and their net pension plan obligations may require additional significant contributions.
Certain of our subsidiaries have defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all of their respective employees. Of the thirty-one defined benefit plans, five are at United States subsidiaries and the remaining plans are at foreign subsidiaries. Pension costs are based upon a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on pension plan assets, the expected life span of pension plan beneficiaries and the discount rate used to determine the present value of future pension obligations. Any of these assumptions could prove to be wrong, resulting in a shortfall of pension plan assets compared to pension obligations under the pension plan. The Company periodically evaluates the value of the pension plan assets to ensure that they will be sufficient to fund the respective pension obligations. The Companys exposure to market volatility is mitigated to some extent due to the fact that the asset allocations in our largest plans are more heavily weighted to investments in fixed income securities that have not been as severely impacted by the global recession. Future downturns in the debt and/or equity markets, or the inaccuracy of any of our significant assumptions underlying the estimates of our subsidiaries pension plan obligations, could result in an increase in pension expense and
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future funding requirements, which may be material. Our subsidiaries who participate in these plans are responsible for satisfying the funding requirements required by law in their respective jurisdiction for any shortfall of pension plan assets compared to pension obligations under the pension plan. This may necessitate additional cash contributions to the pension plans that could adversely affect the Parent Company and our subsidiaries liquidity.
For additional information regarding the funding position of the Companys pension plans, see Item 7.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsCritical AccountingEstimatesPension and Postretirement Obligations and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K.
Our business is subject to substantial development uncertainties.
Certain of our subsidiaries and affiliates are in various stages of developing and constructing greenfield power plants, some but not all of which have signed long-term contracts or made similar arrangements for the sale of electricity. Successful completion depends upon overcoming substantial risks, including, but not limited to, risks relating to siting, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals, commissioning delays, or the potential for termination of the power sales contract as a result of a failure to meet certain milestones.
In certain cases, our subsidiaries may enter into obligations in the development process even though the subsidiaries have not yet secured financing, power purchase arrangements, or other aspects of the development process. For example, in certain cases, our subsidiaries may instruct contractors to begin the construction process or seek to procure equipment even where they do not have financing or a power purchase agreement in place (or conversely, to enter into a power purchase, procurement or other agreement without financing in place). If the project does not proceed, our subsidiaries may remain obligated for certain liabilities even though the project will not proceed. Development is inherently uncertain and we may forgo certain development opportunities and we may undertake significant development costs before determining that we will not proceed with a particular project. We believe that capitalized costs for projects under development are recoverable; however, there can be no assurance that any individual project will be completed and reach commercial operation. If these development efforts are not successful, we may abandon a project under development and write off the costs incurred in connection with such project. At the time of abandonment, we would expense all capitalized development costs incurred in connection therewith and could incur additional losses associated with any related contingent liabilities.
In some of our joint venture projects and businesses, we have granted protective rights to minority holders or we own less than a majority of the equity in the project or business and do not manage or otherwise control the project or business, which entails certain risks.
We have invested in some joint ventures where our subsidiaries share operational, management, investment and/or other control rights with our joint venture partners. In many cases, we may exert influence over the joint venture pursuant to a management contract, by holding positions on management committees and/or through certain limited governance rights, such as rights to veto significant actions. However, we do not always have this type of influence over the project or business in every instance and we may be dependent on our joint venture partners to operate, manage, invest or otherwise control such projects or businesses. Our joint venture partners may not have the level of experience, technical expertise, human resources, management and other attributes necessary to operate these projects or businesses optimally, and they may not share our business priorities.
The approval of joint venture partners also may be required for us to receive distributions of funds from jointly owned entities or to transfer our interest in projects or businesses. The control or influence exerted by our joint venture partners may result in operational management and/or investment decisions which are different from the decisions our subsidiaries would make if they operated independently and could impact the profitability and value of these joint ventures.
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In some joint venture agreements where we do have majority control of the voting securities, we have entered into shareholder agreements granting protective minority rights to the other shareholders. For example, Companhia Brasiliana de Energia (Brasiliana) is a holding company in which we have a controlling equity interest and through which we own three of our four Brazilian businesses: Eletropaulo, Tietê and Uruguaiana. We entered into a shareholders agreement with an affiliate of the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) which owns more than 49 % of the voting equity of Brasiliana. Among other things, the shareholders agreement requires the consent of both parties before taking certain corporate actions, grants both parties rights of first refusal in connection with the sale of interests in Brasiliana and grants certain drag-along rights to BNDES. If BNDES decides to commence a sales process for their equity interests in Brasiliana and if a third party offer has been received, we will have 30 days to exercise our right of first refusal to purchase all of BNDESs interest in Brasiliana on the same terms as the third-party offer. If we do not exercise this right and BNDES proceeds to exercise its drag-along rights, then we may be forced to sell all of our interest in Brasiliana. Even if we desire to exercise our right of first refusal, we cannot assure that we will have the cash on hand or that debt or equity financing will be available at acceptable terms in order to purchase BNDESs interest in Brasiliana. If we do not exercise our right of first refusal, we cannot be assured that we will not have to record a loss if the sale price is below the book value of our investment in Brasiliana.
Our renewable energy projects and other initiatives face considerable uncertainties including, development, operational and regulatory challenges.
Wind Generation, AES Solar, our greenhouse gas emissions reductions projects (GHG Emissions Reduction Projects), and our investments in projects such as energy storage are subject to substantial risks. Projects of this nature have been developed through advancement in technologies which may not be proven or whose commercial application is limited, and which are unrelated to our core business. Some of these business lines are dependent upon favorable regulatory incentives to support continued investment, and there is significant uncertainty about the extent to which such favorable regulatory incentives will be available in the future. In addition, in Bulgaria, new regulatory rules have the effect of reducing the feed in tariffs in our wind business by imposing grid access fees and this has led to a default under the financing agreements for this business. In 2011, tariffs for certain of our European solar businesses were reduced, and could be reduced further. The carrying value of our investment in AES Solar Energy Ltd., whose primary operations are in Europe, was $126 million at December 31, 2012. In addition, several other European countries have recently faced a debt crisis, which has or may result in government austerity measures, including, repeal or reduction of certain subsidies. If additional subsidies or other incentives are repealed or reduced, or sovereign governments are unable or unwilling to fulfill their commitments or maintain favorable regulatory incentives for renewables, this could materially impact our renewable businesses, results of operations and financial condition, and impact the ability of the affected businesses to continue or grow their operations. In addition, any of the foregoing could also impact contractual counterparties of our subsidiaries in core power or renewables. If such counterparties are adversely impacted, then they may be unable to meet their commitments to our subsidiaries, which could also have a material impact on our results of operations.
Furthermore, production levels for our wind, solar, and GHG Emissions Reduction Projects may be dependent upon adequate wind, sunlight, or biogas production which can vary significantly from period to period, resulting in volatility in production levels and profitability. For example, for our wind projects, wind resource estimates are based on historical experience when available and on wind resource studies conducted by an independent engineer, and are not expected to reflect actual wind energy production in any given year. With regard to GHG Emissions Reduction Projects, there is particular uncertainty about whether agreements providing incentives for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol, will continue and whether countries around the world will enact or maintain legislation that provides incentives for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, without which such projects may not be economical or financing for such projects may become unavailable.
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As a result, renewable energy projects face considerable risk relative to our core business, including the risk that favorable regulatory regimes expire or are adversely modified. In addition, because certain of these projects depend on technology outside of our expertise in Generation and Utility businesses, there are risks associated with our ability to develop and manage such projects profitably. Furthermore, at the development or acquisition stage, because of the nascent nature of these industries or the limited experience with the relevant technologies, our ability to predict actual performance results may be hindered and the projects may not perform as predicted. There are also risks associated with the fact that some of these projects exist in new or emerging markets, where long-term fixed price contracts for the major cost and revenue components may be unavailable, which in turn may result in these projects having relatively high levels of volatility. Even where available, many of our renewable projects in the emerging markets sell power under a Feed-in-Tariff or make money through the sale of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) or European Union Allowances (EUAs), and the price of the CERs and EUAs are volatile but not necessarily unavailable.
These projects can be capital-intensive and generally are designed with a view to obtaining third party financing, which may be difficult to obtain. As a result, these capital constraints may reduce our ability to develop these projects or obtain third party financing for these projects. These risks may be exacerbated by the current global economic crisis, including our managements increased focus on liquidity, which may also result in slower growth in the number of projects we can pursue. The economic downturn could also impact the value of our assets in these countries and our ability to develop these projects. If the value of these assets decline, this could result in a material impairment or a series of impairments which are material in the aggregate, which would adversely affect our financial statements.
Impairment of goodwill or long-lived assets would negatively impact our consolidated results of operations and net worth.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company had approximately $2 billion of goodwill, which represented approximately 5% of our total assets on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. Goodwill is not amortized, but is evaluated for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. We could be required to evaluate the potential impairment of goodwill outside of the required annual evaluation process if we experience situations, including but not limited to: deterioration in general economic conditions, or our operating or regulatory environment; increased competitive environment; increase in fuel costs, particularly when we are unable to pass through the impact to customers; negative or declining cash flows; loss of a key contract or customer particularly when we are unable to replace it on equally favorable terms; divestiture of a significant component of our business; or adverse actions or assessments by a regulator. These types of events and the resulting analyses could result in goodwill impairment, which could substantially affect our results of operations for those periods. Additionally, goodwill may be impaired if our acquisitions do not perform as expected. See the risk factor Our acquisitions may not perform as expected. for further discussion. For example, the Company recognized goodwill impairment of $ 1.82 billion related to its acquisition of DPL during the second half of 2012, which was primarily driven by deteriorating business and operating conditions. See Note 10Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further information.
Long-lived assets are initially recorded at fair value and are amortized or depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment only when impairment indicators are present whereas goodwill is evaluated for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently if potential impairment indicators are present. Otherwise, the recoverability assessment of long-lived assets is similar to the potential impairment evaluation of goodwill particularly as it relates to the identification of potential impairment indicators, and making estimates and assumptions to determine fair value, as described above.
Certain of our businesses are sensitive to variations in weather.
Our businesses are affected by variations in general weather conditions and unusually severe weather. Our businesses forecast electric sales on the basis of normal weather, which represents a long-term historical average.
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While we also consider possible variations in normal weather patterns and potential impacts on our facilities and our businesses, there can be no assurance that such planning can prevent these impacts, which can adversely affect our business. Generally, demand for electricity peaks in winter and summer. Typically, when winters are warmer than expected and summers are cooler than expected, demand for energy is lower, resulting in less demand for electricity than forecasted. Significant variations from normal weather where our businesses are located could have a material impact on our results of operations.
In addition, we are dependent upon hydrological conditions prevailing from time to time in the broad geographic regions in which our hydroelectric generation facilities are located. If hydrological conditions result in droughts or other conditions that negatively affect our hydroelectric generation business, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In the past, our businesses in Latin America have been negatively impacted by lower than normal rainfall. Similarly, our wind businesses are dependent on adequate wind conditions while the solar projects at AES Solar are dependent on sufficient sunlight. In each case, inadequate wind or sunlight could have a material adverse impact on these businesses.
Information security breaches could harm our business.
A security breach of our information systems could impact the reliability of our generation fleets and/or the reliability of our transmission and distribution systems. A security breach that impairs our information technology infrastructure could disrupt normal business operations and affect our ability to control our transmission and distribution assets, access customer information and limit our communications with third parties. Our security measures may not prevent such security breaches. Any loss of confidential or proprietary data through a breach could impair our reputation, expose us to legal claims, or impact our ability to make collections or otherwise impact our operations, and materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our acquisitions may not perform as expected.
Historically, acquisitions have been a significant part of our growth strategy. We may continue to grow our business through acquisitions. Although acquired businesses may have significant operating histories, we will have a limited or no history of owning and operating many of these businesses and possibly limited or no experience operating in the country or region where these businesses are located. Some of these businesses may have been government owned and some may be operated as part of a larger integrated utility prior to their acquisition. If we were to acquire any of these types of businesses, there can be no assurance that:
| we will be successful in transitioning them to private ownership; |
| such businesses will perform as expected; |
| integration or other one-time costs will not be greater than expected; |
| we will not incur unforeseen obligations or liabilities; |
| such businesses will generate sufficient cash flow to support the indebtedness incurred to acquire them or the capital expenditures needed to develop them; or |
| the rate of return from such businesses will justify our decision to invest capital to acquire them. |
We have not realized the anticipated benefits and cost savings of the DPL acquisition, and DPL continues to face business and regulatory challenges.
In November 2011, we acquired DPL Inc., owner of DP&L. To date, we have not realized the benefits that we anticipated at the time of acquisition and, in 2012, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of approximately $1.82 billion for DPL. In addition, during 2012, DPL obtained a waiver and amendment to certain
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of its loan documents, which included new covenants and various restrictions, including restrictions on DPLs ability to distribute dividends to The AES Corporation. DPL continues to face a number of business and regulatory challenges.
Many of the risks facing DPL are similar to the risks facing our other regulated utility businesses, including with respect to rate regulation, which is moving towards a market-based pricing mechanism (under the laws of Ohio), increased costs due to energy efficiency requirements and other environmental and health and safety regulations, volatility of fuels costs, increased benefit plan costs and exposure to environmental liabilities. On October 5, 2012, DP&L filed an Electric Service Plan (ESP) with the PUCO to establish SSO rates that were to be in effect starting January 2013. The plan requested approval of a non-bypassable charge that is designed to recover $138 million per year for five years from all customers. DP&L also requested approval of a switching tracker that would measure the incremental amount of switching over a base case and defer the lost value into a regulatory asset which would be recovered from all customers beginning January 2014. The ESP states that DP&L plans to file on or before December 31, 2013 its plan for legal separation of its generation assets. The ESP proposes a three year, five month transition to market, whereby a wholesale competitive bidding structure will be phased in to supply generation service to SSO customers. The PUCO is currently reviewing the filing and an evidentiary hearing is scheduled to begin on March 11, 2013. The outcome of the proceeding is uncertain and could have a material impact on our results. The PUCO authorized that the rates being collected prior to December 31, 2012 would continue until the new ESP rates go into effect. See Item 1.BusinessUS SBU, BusinessesDPL, Inc. for further information.
DPL also faces unique risks, including increased competition as a result of Ohio legislation that permits its customers to select alternative electric generation service providers. Under this legislation, customers can elect to buy transmission and generation service from a PUCO-certified Competitive Retail Electric Service Provider (CRES Provider) offering services to customers in DP&Ls service territory. Increased competition by CRES Providers in DP&Ls service territory for retail generation service has resulted in the loss of existing customers and reduced revenues and could result in the loss of additional customers and further reduced revenues as well as increased costs to retain existing customers or attract new customers. The following are a few of the factors that could result in increased switching by customers to PUCO-certified CRES Providers in the future:
| Low wholesale price levels may lead to existing CRES Providers becoming more active in DPLs service territory, and additional CRES Providers entering DPLs territory. |
| DPL could also experience customer switching through governmental aggregation, where a municipality may contract with a CRES Provider to provide generation service to the customers located within the municipal boundaries. Greater than expected customers switching would decrease DPLs margins and increase its costs thereby causing its financial performance to be worse than the Company projected. |
Failure by DPL to perform as expected for any reason could adversely affect DPLs business and financial results and could adversely affect DPLs ability to refinance certain debt (or to do so on favorable terms) which is due in the near or intermediate term DP&L has scheduled debt maturities in 2013 totaling approximately $771 million (including a $200 million revolving credit facility and a $101 million letter of credit facility). Certain of these maturities are currently subject to a first mortgage. It is DP&Ls intention to refinance the first mortgage bonds under similar terms that would also allow for the potential legal separation of its generation assets. While DP&L and its advisors believe that such a refinancing under favorable terms is probable, there can be no assurances that the prospective creditors might require pricing, terms and/or conditions that are worse than those currently in place. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
The Company and DPL have operated and will continue to operate, independently. It is possible that the ongoing integration process could result in the loss of key DPL employees, the disruption of DPLs ongoing businesses, unexpected integration issues, higher than expected integration costs or an overall integration process that takes longer than originally anticipated.
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In addition, at times, the attention of certain members of the Companys and DPLs management and resources may be focused on the ongoing integration of the businesses of the two companies and diverted from day-to-day business operations, which may disrupt each of the companies ongoing businesses and the business of the combined company.
Risks associated with Governmental Regulation and Laws
Our operations are subject to significant government regulation and our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in the law or regulatory schemes.
Our inability to predict, influence or respond appropriately to changes in law or regulatory schemes, including any inability to obtain expected or contracted increases in electricity tariff rates or tariff adjustments for increased expenses, could adversely impact our results of operations or our ability to meet publicly announced projections or analysts expectations. Furthermore, changes in laws or regulations or changes in the application or interpretation of regulatory provisions in jurisdictions where we operate, particularly at our utilities where electricity tariffs are subject to regulatory review or approval, could adversely affect our business, including, but not limited to:
| changes in the determination, definition or classification of costs to be included as reimbursable or pass-through costs to be included in the rates we charge our customers, including but not limited to costs incurred to upgrade our power plants to comply with more stringent environmental regulations; |
| changes in the determination of what is an appropriate rate of return on invested capital or a determination that a utilitys operating income or the rates it charges customers are too high, resulting in a reduction of rates or consumer rebates; |
| changes in the definition or determination of controllable or non-controllable costs; |
| adverse changes in tax law; |
| changes in the definition of events which may or may not qualify as changes in economic equilibrium; |
| changes in the timing of tariff increases; |
| other changes in the regulatory determinations under the relevant concessions; or |
| other changes related to licensing or permitting which affect our ability to conduct business. |
Any of the above events may result in lower margins for the affected businesses, which can adversely affect our business.
In many countries where we conduct business, the regulatory environment is constantly changing and it may be difficult to predict the impact of the regulations on our businesses. On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). While the bulk of regulations contained in the Dodd-Frank Act regulate financial institutions and their products, there are several provisions related to corporate governance, executive compensation, disclosure and other matters which relate to public companies generally. The types of provisions described above are currently not expected to have a material impact on the Company or its results of operations. Furthermore, while the Dodd-Frank Act substantially expands the regulation regarding the trading, clearing and reporting of derivative transactions, the Dodd-Frank Act provides for commercial end-user exemptions which may apply to our derivative transactions. However, even with the exemption, the Dodd-Frank Act could still have a material adverse impact on the Company, as the regulation of derivatives (which includes capital and margin requirements for non-exempt companies), could limit the availability of derivative transactions that we use to reduce interest rate, commodity and currency risks, which would increase our exposure to these risks. Even if derivative transactions remain available, the costs to enter into these transactions may increase, which could adversely affect the operating results of certain projects; cause us to default on certain types of contracts where we are contractually obligated
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to hedge certain risks, such as project financing agreements; prevent us from developing new projects where interest rate hedging is required; cause the Company to abandon certain of its hedging strategies and transactions, thereby increasing our exposure to interest rate, commodity and currency risk; and/or consume substantial liquidity by forcing the Company to post cash and/or other permitted collateral in support of these derivatives. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Our business in the United States is subject to the provisions of various laws and regulations administered in whole or in part by the FERC and NERC, including PURPA, the Federal Power Act, and the EPAct 2005. Actions by the FERC, NERC and by state utility commissions can have a material effect on our operations.
EPAct 2005 authorizes the FERC to remove the obligation of electric utilities under Section 210 of PURPA to enter into new contracts for the purchase or sale of electricity from or to QFs if certain market conditions are met. Pursuant to this authority, the FERC has instituted a rebuttable presumption that utilities located within the control areas of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc., PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., ISO New England, Inc., the New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (NYISO) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. are not required to purchase or sell power from or to QFs above a certain size. In addition, the FERC is authorized under EPAct 2005 to remove the purchase/sale obligations of individual utilities on a case-by-case basis. While this law does not affect existing contracts, as a result of the changes to PURPA, our QFs may face a more difficult market environment when their current long-term contracts expire.
EPAct 2005 repealed PUHCA 1935 and enacted PUHCA 2005 in its place. PUHCA 1935 had the effect of requiring utility holding companies to operate in geographically proximate regions and therefore limited the range of potential combinations and mergers among utilities. By comparison, PUHCA 2005 has no such restrictions and simply provides the FERC and state utility commissions with enhanced access to the books and records of certain utility holding companies. The repeal of PUHCA 1935 removed barriers to mergers and other potential combinations which could result in the creation of large, geographically dispersed utility holding companies. These entities may have enhanced financial strength and therefore an increased ability to compete with us in the United States generation market.
In accordance with Congressional mandates in the EPAct 1992 and now in EPAct 2005, the FERC has strongly encouraged competition in wholesale electric markets. Increased competition may have the effect of lowering our operating margins. Among other steps, the FERC has encouraged RTOs and ISOs to develop demand response bidding programs as a mechanism for responding to peak electric demand. These programs may reduce the value of our peaking assets which rely on very high prices during a relatively small number of hours to recover their costs. Similarly, the FERC is encouraging the construction of new transmission infrastructure in accordance with provisions of EPAct 2005. Although new transmission lines may increase market opportunities, they may also increase the competition in our existing markets.
While the FERC continues to promote competition, some state utility commissions have reversed course and begun to encourage the construction of generation facilities by traditional utilities to be paid for on a cost-of-service basis by retail ratepayers. Such actions have the effect of reducing sale opportunities in the competitive wholesale generating markets in which we operate.
FERC has civil penalty authority over violations of any provision of Part II of the Federal Power Act (FPA) which concerns wholesale generation or transmission, as well as any rule or order issued thereunder. FERC is authorized to assess a maximum civil penalty of $1 million per violation for each day that the violation continues. The FPA also provides for the assessment of criminal fines and imprisonment for violations under the FPA. This penalty authority was enhanced in EPAct 2005. With this expanded enforcement authority, violations of the FPA and FERCs regulations could potentially have more serious consequences than in the past.
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Pursuant to EPAct 2005, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has been certified by FERC as the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop mandatory and enforceable electric system reliability standards applicable throughout the United States to improve the overall reliability of the electric grid. These standards are subject to FERC review and approval. Once approved, the reliability standards may be enforced by FERC independently, or, alternatively, by the ERO and regional reliability organizations with responsibility for auditing, investigating and otherwise ensuring compliance with reliability standards, subject to FERC oversight. Monetary penalties of up to $1 million per day per violation may be assessed for violations of the reliability standards.
Our businesses are subject to stringent environmental laws and regulations.
Our activities are subject to stringent environmental laws and regulations by many federal, regional, state and local authorities, international treaties and foreign governmental authorities. These laws and regulations generally concern emissions into the air, effluents into the water, use of water, wetlands preservation, remediation of contamination, waste disposal, endangered species and noise regulation, among others. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations or to obtain or comply with any necessary environmental permits pursuant to such laws and regulations could result in fines or other sanctions. Environmental laws and regulations affecting power generation and distribution are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Congress and other domestic and foreign governmental authorities have either considered or implemented various laws and regulations to restrict or tax certain emissions, particularly those involving air emissions and water discharges. See the various descriptions of these laws and regulations contained in Item 1.Business of this Form 10-K. These laws and regulations have imposed, and proposed laws and regulations could impose in the future, additional costs on the operation of our power plants. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant capital and other expenditures to comply with these and other environmental laws and regulations. Changes in, or new, environmental restrictions may force the Company to incur significant expenses or expenses that may exceed our estimates. There can be no assurance that we would be able to recover all or any increased environmental costs from our customers or that our business, financial condition, including recorded asset values or results of operations, would not be materially and adversely affected by such expenditures or any changes in domestic or foreign environmental laws and regulations.
Our businesses are subject to enforcement initiatives from environmental regulatory agencies.
The EPA has pursued an enforcement initiative against coal-fired generating plants alleging wide-spread violations of the new source review and prevention of significant deterioration provisions of the CAA. The EPA has brought suit against a number of companies and has obtained settlements with approximately 26 companies over such allegations. The allegations typically involve claims that a company made major modifications to a coal-fired generating unit without proper permit approval and without installing best available control technology. The principal, but not exclusive, focus of this EPA enforcement initiative is emissions of SO2 and NOX. In connection with this enforcement initiative, the EPA has imposed fines and required companies to install improved pollution control technologies to reduce emissions of SO2 and NOX. One of our U.S. utility businesses, IPL, is currently the subject of such EPA enforcement action. See Item 3.Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-K for more detail with respect to these EPA enforcement actions. There can be no assurance that foreign environmental regulatory agencies in countries in which our subsidiaries operate will not pursue similar enforcement initiatives under relevant laws and regulations.
Regulators, politicians, non-governmental organizations and other private parties have expressed concern about greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions and the potential risks associated with climate change and are taking actions which could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
As discussed in Item 1.Business, at the international, federal and various regional and state levels, rules are in effect or policies are under development to regulate GHG emissions, thereby effectively putting a cost on
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such emissions in order to create financial incentives to reduce them. In 2012, the Companys subsidiaries operated businesses which had total CO2 emissions of approximately 78.9 million metric tonnes, approximately 39.9 million of which were emitted by businesses located in the United States (both figures ownership adjusted). The Company uses CO2 emission estimation methodologies supported by The Greenhouse Gas Protocol reporting standard on GHG emissions. For existing power generation plants, CO2 emissions are either obtained directly from plant continuous emission monitoring systems or calculated from actual fuel heat inputs and fuel type CO2 emission factors. The estimated annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuel electric power generation facilities of the Companys subsidiaries that are in construction or development and have received the necessary air permits for commercial operations are approximately 18.7 million metric tonnes (ownership adjusted). This overall estimate is based on a number of projections and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, such as the forecasted dispatch, anticipated plant efficiency, fuel type, CO2 emissions rates and our subsidiaries achieving completion of such construction and development projects. However, it is certain that the projects under construction or development when completed will increase emissions of our portfolio and therefore could increase the risks associated with emissions described below. Because there is significant uncertainty regarding these estimates, actual emissions from these projects under construction or development may vary substantially from these estimates.
The non-utility, generation subsidiaries of the Company often seek to pass on any costs arising from CO2 emissions to contract counterparties, but there can be no assurance that such subsidiaries of the Company will effectively pass such costs onto the contract counterparties or that the cost and burden associated with any dispute over which party bears such costs would not be burdensome and costly to the relevant subsidiaries of the Company. The utility subsidiaries of the Company may seek to pass on any costs arising from CO2 emissions to customers, but there can be no assurance that such subsidiaries of the Company will effectively pass such costs to the customers, or that they will be able to fully or timely recover such costs.
Foreign, federal, state or regional regulation of GHG emissions could have a material adverse impact on the Companys financial performance. The actual impact on the Companys financial performance and the financial performance of the Companys subsidiaries will depend on a number of factors, including among others, the degree and timing of GHG emissions reductions required under any such legislation or regulations, the cost of emissions reduction equipment and the price and availability of offsets, the extent to which market based compliance options are available, the extent to which our subsidiaries would be entitled to receive GHG emissions allowances without having to purchase them in an auction or on the open market and the impact of such legislation or regulation on the ability of our subsidiaries to recover costs incurred through rate increases or otherwise. As a result of these factors, our cost of compliance could be substantial and could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
In January 2005, based on European Community Directive 2003/87/EC on Greenhouse Gas Emission Allowance Trading, the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) commenced operation as the largest multi-country GHG emission trading scheme in the world. On February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol became effective. The Kyoto Protocol requires all developed countries that have ratified it to substantially reduce their GHG emissions, including CO2. To date, compliance with the Kyoto Protocol and the EU ETS has not had a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol. In the United States, there currently is no federal legislation imposing a mandatory GHG emission reduction programs (including for CO2) affecting the electric power generation facilities of the Companys subsidiaries. However, federal GHG legislation was previously proposed in the United States Congress that, if it had been enacted, would have constrained GHG emissions, including CO2, and/or imposed costs on the Company that could have been material to our business or results of operations. Although there currently is no federal GHG legislation, the EPA has adopted regulations pertaining to GHG emissions that require new sources of GHG emissions of over 100,000 tons per year, and existing sources planning physical changes that would increase their GHG emissions by more than 75,000 tons per year, to obtain
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new source review permits from the EPA prior to construction or modification. The EPA may in the future propose regulations that would apply to modified or existing EUSGUs. However, the EPA has not yet announced a timetable for such regulations.
Such regulations could increase our costs directly and indirectly and have a material adverse effect on our business and/or results of operations. See Item 1.Business of this Form 10-K for further discussion about these environmental agreements, laws and regulations.
At the state level, RGGI, a cap-and-trade program covering CO2 emissions from electric power generation facilities in the Northeast, became effective in January 2009, and California has adopted comprehensive legislation and regulations that requires mandatory GHG reductions from several industrial sectors, including the electric power generation industry. See Item 1.Business of this Form 10-K for further discussion about the United States state environmental regulations we face. At this time, other than with regard to RGGI (further described below) and the proposed Hawaii regulations relating to the collection of fees on GHG emissions, the Company cannot estimate the costs of compliance with United States federal, regional or state CO2 emissions reduction legislation or initiatives, due to the fact that most of these proposals are not being actively pursued or are in the early stages of development and any final regulations or laws, if adopted, could vary drastically from current proposals, or in the case of California, due to the fact that we anticipate such costs will be passed through to our offtakers under the terms of existing tolling agreements.
The RGGI program became effective in January 2009. The first regional auction of RGGI allowances needed to be acquired by power generators to comply with state programs implementing RGGI was held in September 2008, with subsequent auctions occurring approximately every quarter. Our subsidiary in Maryland is our only subsidiary that was subject to RGGI in 2012. Of the approximately 39.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 emitted in the United States by our subsidiaries in 2012 (ownership adjusted), approximately 1.4 million metric tonnes were emitted by our subsidiary in Maryland. While CO2 emissions from businesses operated by subsidiaries of the Company are calculated globally in metric tonnes, RGGI allowances are denominated in short tons. (1 metric tonne equals 2,200 pounds and 1 short ton equals 2,000 pounds.) For forecasting purposes, the Company has modeled the impact of CO2 compliance based on a three-year average of CO2 emissions for its business that is subject to RGGI to the extent that it may not be able to pass through compliance costs. The model includes a conversion from metric tonnes to short tons as well as the impact of some market recovery by merchant plants and contractual and regulatory provisions. The model also utilizes a price of $1.93 per allowance under RGGI. The source of this allowance price estimate was the clearing price in the recent RGGI allowance auction held in December 2012. Based on these assumptions, the Company estimates that the RGGI compliance costs could be approximately $3 million for 2013. Given the fact that the assumptions utilized in the model may prove to be incorrect, there is a significant risk that our actual compliance costs under RGGI will differ from our estimates by a material amount and that our model could underestimate our costs of compliance.
In addition to government regulators, other groups such as politicians, environmentalists and other private parties have expressed increasing concern about GHG emissions. For example, certain financial institutions have expressed concern about providing financing for facilities which would emit GHGs, which can affect our ability to obtain capital, or if we can obtain capital, to receive it on commercially viable terms. Further, rating agencies may decide to downgrade our credit ratings based on the emissions of the businesses operated by our subsidiaries or increased compliance costs which could make financing unattractive. In addition, plaintiffs have brought tort lawsuits against the Company because of its subsidiaries GHG emissions. Unless the United States Congress acts to preempt such suits as part of comprehensive federal legislation, additional lawsuits may be brought against the Company or its subsidiaries in the future. While the litigation mentioned has been dismissed, it is impossible to predict whether similar future lawsuits are likely to prevail or result in damages awards or other relief. Consequently, it is impossible to determine whether such lawsuits are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
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Furthermore, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, physical risks from climate change could include, but are not limited to, increased runoff and earlier spring peak discharge in many glacier and snow-fed rivers, warming of lakes and rivers, an increase in sea level, changes and variability in precipitation and in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Physical impacts may have the potential to significantly affect the Companys business and operations, and any such potential impact may render it more difficult for our businesses to obtain financing. For example, extreme weather events could result in increased downtime and operation and maintenance costs at the electric power generation facilities and support facilities of the Companys subsidiaries. Variations in weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity also would be expected to affect the energy needs of customers. A decrease in energy consumption could decrease the revenues of the Companys subsidiaries. In addition, while revenues would be expected to increase if the energy consumption of customers increased, such increase could prompt the need for additional investment in generation capacity. Changes in the temperature of lakes and rivers and changes in precipitation that result in drought could adversely affect the operations of the fossil fuel-fired electric power generation facilities of the Companys subsidiaries. Changes in temperature, precipitation and snow pack conditions also could affect the amount and timing of hydroelectric generation.
In addition to potential physical risks noted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there could be damage to the reputation of the Company and its subsidiaries due to public perception of GHG emissions by the Companys subsidiaries, and any such negative public perception or concerns could ultimately result in a decreased demand for electric power generation or distribution from our subsidiaries. The level of GHG emissions made by subsidiaries of the Company is not a factor in the compensation of executives of the Company.
If any of the foregoing risks materialize, costs may increase or revenues may decrease and there could be a material adverse effect on the electric power generation businesses of the Companys subsidiaries and on the Companys consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Tax legislation initiatives or challenges to our tax positions could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our subsidiaries have operations in the United States and various non-United States jurisdictions. As such, we are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the United States federal, state and local governments and of many non-United States jurisdictions. From time to time, legislative measures may be enacted that could adversely affect our overall tax positions. There can be no assurance that our effective tax rate or tax payments will not be adversely affected by these initiatives. In addition, United States federal, state and local, as well as non-United States, tax laws and regulations are extremely complex and subject to varying interpretations. There can be no assurance that our tax positions will be sustained if challenged by relevant tax authorities.
We and our affiliates are subject to material litigation and regulatory proceedings.
We and our affiliates are parties to material litigation and regulatory proceedings. See Item 3.Legal Proceedings below. There can be no assurances that the outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position.
The SEC is conducting an informal inquiry relating to our restatements.
We have been cooperating with an informal inquiry by the SEC Staff concerning our past restatements and related matters, and have been providing information and documents to the SEC Staff on a voluntary basis. Although we have not received correspondence regarding this inquiry for some time, we have not been advised that the matter is closed. Because we are unable to predict the outcome of this inquiry, the SEC Staff may disagree with the manner in which we have accounted for and reported the financial impact of the adjustments to
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previously filed financial statements and there may be a risk that the inquiry by the SEC could lead to circumstances in which we may have to further restate previously filed financial statements, amend prior filings or take other actions not currently contemplated.
ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS |
None.
ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES |
We maintain offices in many places around the world, generally pursuant to the provisions of longand short-term leases, none of which we believe are material. With a few exceptions, our facilities, which are described in Item 1 of this Form 10-K, are subject to mortgages or other liens or encumbrances as part of the projects related finance facility. In addition, the majority of our facilities are located on land that is leased. However, in a few instances, no accompanying project financing exists for the facility, and in a few of these cases, the land interest may not be subject to any encumbrance and is owned outright by the subsidiary or affiliate.
ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
The Company is involved in certain claims, suits and legal proceedings in the normal course of business. The Company has accrued for litigation and claims where it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company believes, based upon information it currently possesses and taking into account established reserves for estimated liabilities and its insurance coverage, that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings and actions is unlikely to have a material adverse effect on the Companys financial statements. It is reasonably possible, however, that some matters could be decided unfavorably to the Company and could require the Company to pay damages or make expenditures in amounts that could be material but cannot be estimated as of December 31, 2012.
In 1989, Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. (Eletrobrás) filed suit in the Fifth District Court in the State of Rio de Janeiro (FDC) against Eletropaulo Eletricidade de São Paulo S.A. (EEDSP) relating to the methodology for calculating monetary adjustments under the parties financing agreement. In April 1999, the FDC found for Eletrobrás and in September 2001, Eletrobrás initiated an execution suit in the FDC to collect approximately R$1.3 billion ($626 million) from Eletropaulo (as estimated by Eletropaulo) and a lesser amount from an unrelated company, Companhia de Transmissão de Energia Elétrica Paulista (CTEEP) (Eletropaulo and CTEEP were spun off from EEDSP pursuant to its privatization in 1998). In November 2002, the FDC rejected Eletropaulos defenses in the execution suit. Eletropaulo appealed and in September 2003, the Appellate Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro (AC) ruled that Eletropaulo was not a proper party to the litigation because any alleged liability had been transferred to CTEEP pursuant to the privatization. In June 2006, the Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) reversed the Appellate Courts decision and remanded the case to the FDC for further proceedings, holding that Eletropaulos liability, if any, should be determined by the FDC. Eletropaulos subsequent appeals were dismissed. In February 2010, the FDC appointed an accounting expert to determine the amount of the alleged debt and the responsibility for its payment in light of the privatization, in accordance with the methodology proposed by Eletrobrás. Eletropaulo filed an interlocutory appeal with the AC asserting that the expert was required to determine the issues in accordance with the methodology proposed by Eletropaulo, and that Eletropaulo should be entitled to take discovery and present arguments on the issues to be determined by the expert. In April 2010, the AC issued a decision agreeing with Eletropaulos arguments and directed the FDC to proceed accordingly. However, in December 2012, the FDC disregarded the ACs decision that the parties were entitled to full discovery and an expert appraisal of the issues prior to the resolution of the case and, instead, issued a decision finding Eletropaulo liable for the debt. The AC subsequently granted Eletropaulos request to suspend the execution suit in the FDC and thereafter annulled the FDCs decision. The case will now return to the FDC for proceedings in accordance with the ACs April 2010 decision. If the FDC again finds Eletropaulo
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liable for the debt, after the amount of the alleged debt is determined, Eletrobrás will be entitled to resume the execution suit in the FDC. If Eletrobrás does so, Eletropaulo will be required to provide security for its alleged liability. In that case, if Eletrobrás requests the seizure of such security and the FDC grants such request, Eletropaulos results of operations may be materially adversely affected and, in turn the Companys results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, in February 2008, CTEEP filed a lawsuit in the FDC against Eletrobrás and Eletropaulo seeking a declaration that CTEEP is not liable for any debt under the financing agreement. In December 2012, the FDC dismissed the lawsuit. Eletropaulo believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims asserted against it and will defend itself vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In September 1996, a public civil action was asserted against Eletropaulo and Associação Desportiva Cultural Eletropaulo (the Associação) relating to alleged environmental damage caused by construction of the Associação near Guarapiranga Reservoir. The initial decision that was upheld by the Appellate Court of the State of São Paulo in 2006 found that Eletropaulo should repair the alleged environmental damage by demolishing certain construction and reforesting the area, and either sponsor an environmental project which would cost approximately R$1 million ($488 thousand) as of December 31, 2012, or pay an indemnification amount of approximately R$15 million ($7 million). Eletropaulo has appealed this decision to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Appellate Court. Following the Supreme Courts decision, the case is being remanded to the court of first instance for further proceedings and to monitor compliance by the defendants with the terms of the decision.
In August 2001, the Grid Corporation of Orissa, India, now Gridco Ltd. (Gridco), filed a petition against the Central Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Ltd. (CESCO), an affiliate of the Company, with the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC), alleging that CESCO had defaulted on its obligations as an OERC-licensed distribution company, that CESCO management abandoned the management of CESCO, and seeking interim measures of protection, including the appointment of an administrator to manage CESCO. Gridco, a state-owned entity, is the sole wholesale energy provider to CESCO. Pursuant to the OERCs August 2001 order, the management of CESCO was replaced with a government administrator who was appointed by the OERC. The OERC later held that the Company and other CESCO shareholders were not necessary or proper parties to the OERC proceeding. In August 2004, the OERC issued a notice to CESCO, the Company and others giving the recipients of the notice until November 2004 to show cause why CESCOs distribution license should not be revoked. In response, CESCO submitted a business plan to the OERC. In February 2005, the OERC issued an order rejecting the proposed business plan. The order also stated that the CESCO distribution license would be revoked if an acceptable business plan for CESCO was not submitted to and approved by the OERC prior to March 31, 2005. In its April 2, 2005 order, the OERC revoked the CESCO distribution license. CESCO has filed an appeal against the April 2, 2005 OERC order and that appeal remains pending in the Indian courts. In addition, Gridco asserted that a comfort letter issued by the Company in connection with the Companys indirect investment in CESCO obligates the Company to provide additional financial support to cover all of CESCOs financial obligations to Gridco. In December 2001, Gridco served a notice to arbitrate pursuant to the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996 on the Company, AES Orissa Distribution Private Limited (AES ODPL), and Jyoti Structures (Jyoti) pursuant to the terms of the CESCO Shareholders Agreement between Gridco, the Company, AES ODPL, Jyoti and CESCO (the CESCO arbitration). In the arbitration, Gridco appeared to be seeking approximately $189 million in damages, plus undisclosed penalties and interest, but a detailed alleged damage analysis was not filed by Gridco. The Company counterclaimed against Gridco for damages. In June 2007, a 2-to-1 majority of the arbitral tribunal rendered its award rejecting Gridcos claims and holding that none of the respondents, the Company, AES ODPL, or Jyoti, had any liability to Gridco. The respondents counterclaims were also rejected. In September 2007, Gridco filed a challenge of the arbitration award with the local Indian court. In June 2010, a 2-to-1 majority of the arbitral tribunal awarded the Company some of its costs relating to the arbitration. In August 2010, Gridco filed a challenge of the cost award with the local Indian court. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses to the claims asserted against it and will defend itself vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
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In early 2002, Gridco made an application to the OERC requesting that the OERC initiate proceedings regarding the terms of OPGCs existing PPA with Gridco. In response, OPGC filed a petition in the Indian courts to block any such OERC proceedings. In early 2005, the Orissa High Court upheld the OERCs jurisdiction to initiate such proceedings as requested by Gridco. OPGC appealed that High Courts decision to the Supreme Court and sought stays of both the High Courts decision and the underlying OERC proceedings regarding the PPAs terms. In April 2005, the Supreme Court granted OPGCs requests and ordered stays of the High Courts decision and the OERC proceedings with respect to the PPAs terms. The matter has been awaiting further hearing. However, in December 2012, the parties executed a settlement agreement amending the PPA and resolving the dispute. The amended PPA is subject to regulatory approval.
In March 2003, the office of the Federal Public Prosecutor for the State of São Paulo, Brazil (MPF) notified Eletropaulo that it had commenced an inquiry related to the BNDES financings provided to AES Elpa and AES Transgás and the rationing loan provided to Eletropaulo, changes in the control of Eletropaulo, sales of assets by Eletropaulo and the quality of service provided by Eletropaulo to its customers, and requested various documents from Eletropaulo relating to these matters. In July 2004, the MPF filed a public civil lawsuit in the Federal Court of São Paulo (FSCP) alleging that BNDES violated Law 8429/92 (the Administrative Misconduct Act) and BNDESs internal rules by: (1) approving the AES Elpa and AES Transgás loans; (2) extending the payment terms on the AES Elpa and AES Transgás loans; (3) authorizing the sale of Eletropaulos preferred shares at a stock-market auction; (4) accepting Eletropaulos preferred shares to secure the loan provided to Eletropaulo; and (5) allowing the restructurings of Light Serviços de Eletricidade S.A. and Eletropaulo. The MPF also named AES Elpa and AES Transgás as defendants in the lawsuit because they allegedly benefited from BNDESs alleged violations. In May 2006, the FCSP ruled that the MPF could pursue its claims based on the first, second, and fourth alleged violations noted above. The MPF subsequently filed an interlocutory appeal with the Federal Court of Appeals (FCA) seeking to require the FCSP to consider all five alleged violations. Also, in July 2006, AES Elpa and AES Transgás filed an interlocutory appeal with the FCA, which was subsequently consolidated with the MPFs interlocutory appeal, seeking a transfer of venue and to enjoin the FCSP from considering any of the alleged violations. In June 2009, the FCA granted the injunction sought by AES Elpa and AES Transgás and transferred the case to the Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro. In May 2010, the MPF filed an appeal with the Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) challenging the transfer. In November 2012, the SCJ ruled that the lawsuit must be returned to the FCSP. AES Elpa and AES Brasiliana (the successor of AES Transgás) believe they have meritorious defenses to the allegations asserted against them and will defend themselves vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that they will be successful in their efforts.
AES Florestal, Ltd. (Florestal), had been operating a pole factory and had other assets, including a wooded area known as Horto Renner, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (collectively, Property). Florestal had been under the control of AES Sul (Sul) since October 1997, when Sul was created pursuant to a privatization by the Government of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. After it came under the control of Sul, Florestal performed an environmental audit of the entire operational cycle at the pole factory. The audit discovered 200 barrels of solid creosote waste and other contaminants at the pole factory. The audit concluded that the prior operator of the pole factory, Companhia Estadual de Energia Elétrica (CEEE), had been using those contaminants to treat the poles that were manufactured at the factory. Sul and Florestal subsequently took the initiative of communicating with Brazilian authorities, as well as CEEE, about the adoption of containment and remediation measures. The Public Attorneys Office has initiated a civil inquiry (Civil Inquiry n. 24/05) to investigate potential civil liability and has requested that the police station of Triunfo institute a police investigation (IP number 1041/05) to investigate potential criminal liability regarding the contamination at the pole factory. The parties filed defenses in response to the civil inquiry. The Public Attorneys Office then requested an injunction which the judge rejected on September 26, 2008, and the Public Attorneys office no longer has a right to appeal the decision. The environmental agency (FEPAM) has also started a procedure (Procedure n. 088200567/059) to analyze the measures that shall be taken to contain and remediate the contamination. Also, in March 2000, Sul filed suit against CEEE in the 2nd Court of Public Treasure of Porto Alegre seeking to register in Suls name the Property that it acquired through the privatization but that remained
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registered in CEEEs name. During those proceedings, AES subsequently waived its claim to re-register the Property and asserted a claim to recover the amounts paid for the Property. That claim is pending. In November 2005, the 7th Court of Public Treasure of Porto Alegre ruled that the Property must be returned to CEEE. CEEE has had sole possession of Horto Renner since September 2006 and of the rest of the Property since April 2006. In February 2008, Sul and CEEE signed a Technical Cooperation Protocol pursuant to which they requested a new deadline from FEPAM in order to present a proposal. In March 2008, the State Prosecution office filed a Class Action against AES Florestal, AES Sul and CEEE, requiring an injunction for the removal of the alleged sources of contamination and the payment of an indemnity in the amount of R$6 million ($3 million). The injunction was rejected. The above-referenced proposal to FEPAM with respect to containing and remediating the contamination was delivered on April 8, 2008. FEPAM responded by indicating that the parties should undertake the first step of the proposal which would be to retain a contractor. In its response, Sul indicated that such step should be undertaken by CEEE as the relevant environmental events resulted from CEEEs operations. In October 2011, the State Prosecution Office presented a new request to the court of Triunfo for an injunction against Florestal, Sul and CEEE for the removal of the alleged sources of contamination and remediation, and the court granted the injunction against CEEE but did not grant injunctive relief against Florestal or Sul. CEEE appealed such decision, and the State of Rio Grande do Sul Court of Appeals upheld the decision. As required by the injunction, CEEE has started the removal and disposal of the contaminants, which is ongoing, and Sul is not at risk to bear any of such remediation costs, which are estimated to be approximately R$14.7 million ($7 million). In November 2012, the inspections performed by the court expert and supervised by Sul confirmed that CEEE is fulfilling the injunction by removing the contaminants. The case is in the evidentiary stage awaiting the production of the courts expert opinion on several matters, including which of the parties had utilized the products found in the area.
In January 2004, the Company received notice of a Formulation of Charges filed against the Company by the Superintendence of Electricity of the Dominican Republic. In the Formulation of Charges, the Superintendence asserts that the existence of three generation companies (Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Itabo, S.A. (Itabo), Dominican Power Partners, and AES Andres BV) and one distribution company (Empresa Distribuidora de Electricidad del Este, S.A. (Este)) in the Dominican Republic, violates certain cross-ownership restrictions contained in the General Electricity Law of the Dominican Republic. In February 2004, the Company filed in the First Instance Court of the National District of the Dominican Republic an action seeking injunctive relief based on several constitutional due process violations contained in the Formulation of Charges (Constitutional Injunction). In February 2004, the Court granted the Constitutional Injunction and ordered the immediate cessation of any effects of the Formulation of Charges, and the enactment by the Superintendence of Electricity of a special procedure to prosecute alleged antitrust complaints under the General Electricity Law. In March 2004, the Superintendence of Electricity appealed the Courts decision. In July 2004, the Company divested any interest in Este. The Superintendence of Electricitys appeal is pending. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims asserted against it and will defend itself vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In February 2008, the Native Village of Kivalina and the City of Kivalina, Alaska, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the Company and numerous unrelated companies, claiming that the defendants alleged GHG emissions have contributed to alleged global warming which, in turn, allegedly has led to the erosion of the plaintiffs alleged land. The plaintiffs assert nuisance and concert of action claims against the Company and the other defendants, and a conspiracy claim against a subset of the other defendants. The plaintiffs seek to recover relocation costs, indicated in the complaint to be from $95 million to $400 million, and other unspecified damages from the defendants. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the case, which the District Court granted in October 2009. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In September 2012, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Courts decision. The plaintiffs subsequent petition for en banc review was denied by the Ninth Circuit. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims asserted against it and will defend itself vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
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In March 2009, AES Uruguaiana Empreendimentos S.A. (AESU) in Brazil initiated arbitration in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against YPF S.A. (YPF) seeking damages and other relief relating to YPFs breach of the parties gas supply agreement (GSA). Thereafter, in April 2009, YPF initiated arbitration in the ICC against AESU and two unrelated parties, Companhia de Gas do Esado do Rio Grande do Sul and Transportador de Gas del Mercosur S.A. (TGM), claiming that AESU wrongfully terminated the GSA and caused the termination of a transportation agreement (TA) between YPF and TGM (YPF Arbitration). YPF seeks an unspecified amount of damages from AESU, a declaration that YPFs performance was excused under the GSA due to certain alleged force majeure events, or, in the alternative, a declaration that the GSA and the TA should be terminated without a finding of liability against YPF because of the allegedly onerous obligations imposed on YPF by those agreements. In addition, in the YPF Arbitration, TGM asserts that if it is determined that AESU is responsible for the termination of the GSA, AESU is liable for TGMs alleged losses, including losses under the TA. In April 2011, the arbitrations were consolidated into a single proceeding. The hearing on liability issues took place in December 2011, and thereafter the arbitrators took those issues under consideration. AESU believes it has meritorious claims and defenses and will assert them vigorously; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In April 2009, the Antimonopoly Agency in Kazakhstan initiated an investigation of the power sales of Ust-Kamenogorsk HPP (UK HPP) and Shulbinsk HPP, hydroelectric plants under AES concession (collectively, the Hydros), for the period from January through February 2009. The Antimonopoly Agency determined that the Hydros abused their market position and charged monopolistically high prices for power from January through February 2009. The Agency sought an order from the administrative court requiring UK HPP to pay an administrative fine of approximately KZT 120 million ($1 million) and to disgorge profits for the period at issue, estimated by the Antimonopoly Agency to be approximately KZT 440 million ($3 million). No fines or damages have been paid to date, however, as the proceedings in the administrative court have been suspended due to the initiation of related criminal proceedings against officials of the Hydros. In the course of criminal proceedings, the financial police have expanded the periods at issue to the entirety of 2009 in the case of UK HPP and from January through October 2009 in the case of Shulbinsk HPP, and sought increased damages of KZT 1.2 billion ($8 million) from UK HPP and KZT 1.3 billion ($9 million) from Shulbinsk HPP. The Hydros believe they have meritorious defenses and will assert them vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that they will be successful in their efforts.
In October 2009, AES Mérida III, S. de R.L. de C.V. (AES Mérida), one of our businesses in Mexico, initiated arbitration against its fuel supplier and electricity offtaker, Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), seeking a declaration that CFE breached the parties power purchase agreement (PPA) by supplying gas that did not comply with the PPAs specifications. Alternatively, AES Mérida requested a declaration that the supply of such gas by CFE is a force majeure event under the PPA. CFE disputed the claims. Although it did not assert counterclaims, in its closing brief CFE asserted that it is entitled to a partial refund of the capacity charge payments that it made for power generated with the out-of-specification gas. In July 2012, the arbitral Tribunal issued an award in AES Méridas favor. In December 2012, CFE initiated an action in Mexican court seeking to nullify the award. AES Mérida believes it has meritorious defenses in that action; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful.
In October 2009, IPL received a Notice of Violation (NOV) and Finding of Violation from the EPA pursuant to the CAA Section 113(a). The NOV alleges violations of the CAA at IPLs three primarily coal-fired electric generating facilities dating back to 1986. The alleged violations primarily pertain to the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) requirements under the CAA. Since receiving the letter, IPL management has met with EPA staff regarding possible resolutions of the NOV. At this time, we cannot predict the ultimate resolution of this matter. However, settlements and litigated outcomes of similar cases have required companies to pay civil penalties, install additional pollution control technology on coal-fired electric generating units, retire existing generating units, and invest in additional environmental projects. A similar outcome in this case could have a material impact to IPL and could, in turn, have a material
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impact on the Company. IPL would seek recovery of any operating or capital expenditures related to air pollution control technology to reduce regulated air emissions; however, there can be no assurances that it would be successful in that regard.
In November 2009, April 2010, December 2010, April 2011, June 2011, August 2011, and November 2011, substantially similar personal injury lawsuits were filed by a total of 49 residents and decedent estates in the Dominican Republic against the Company, AES Atlantis, Inc., AES Puerto Rico, LP, AES Puerto Rico, Inc., and AES Puerto Rico Services, Inc., in the Superior Court for the State of Delaware. In each lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that the coal combustion byproducts of AES Puerto Ricos power plant were illegally placed in the Dominican Republic from October 2003 through March 2004 and subsequently caused the plaintiffs birth defects, other personal injuries, and/or deaths. The plaintiffs did not quantify their alleged damages, but generally alleged that they are entitled to compensatory and punitive damages and the Company is not able to estimate damages, if any, at this time. The AES defendants moved for partial dismissal of both the November 2009 and April 2010 lawsuits on various grounds. In July 2011, the Superior Court dismissed the plaintiffs international law and punitive damages claims, but held that the plaintiffs had stated intentional tort, negligence, and strict liability claims under Dominican law, which the Superior Court found governed the lawsuits. The Superior Court granted the plaintiffs leave to amend their complaints in accordance with its decision, and in September 2011, the plaintiffs in the November 2009 and April 2010 lawsuits did so. The AES defendants again moved for partial dismissal of those amended complaints, and in May 2012, the Superior Court ruled on the motion in the November 2009 lawsuit, dismissing the plaintiffs claims for future medical monitoring expenses but declining to dismiss their claims under Dominican Republic Law 64-00. The Superior Court has not yet ruled on the motion for partial dismissal of the April 2010 lawsuit. The AES defendants filed an answer to the November 2009 lawsuit in June 2012. The Superior Court has stayed the remaining six lawsuits, as well as any subsequently filed similar lawsuits. The Superior Court has also ordered that, for the present, discovery will proceed only in the November 2009 lawsuit and will be limited to causation and exposure issues. The AES defendants believe they have meritorious defenses and will defend themselves vigorously; however, there can be no assurances that they will be successful in their efforts.
On December 21, 2010, AES-3C Maritza East 1 EOOD, which owns a 670 MW lignite-fired power plant in Bulgaria, made the first in a series of demands on the performance bond securing the construction Contractors obligations under the parties EPC Contract. The Contractor failed to complete the plant on schedule. The total amount demanded by Maritza under the performance bond was approximately 155 million. The Contractor obtained an injunction from a lower French court purportedly preventing the issuing bank from honoring the bond demands. However, the Versailles Court of Appeal canceled the injunction in July 2011, and therefore the issuing bank paid the bond demands in full. In addition, in December 2010, the Contractor stopped commissioning of the power plants two units, allegedly because of the purported characteristics of the lignite supplied to it for commissioning. In January 2011, the Contractor initiated arbitration on its lignite claim, seeking an extension of time to complete the power plant, an increase to the contract price, and other relief, including in relation to the bond demands. The Contractor later added claims relating to the alleged unavailability of the grid during commissioning. Maritza rejected the Contractors claims and asserted counterclaims for delay liquidated damages and other relief relating to the Contractors failure to complete the power plant and other breaches of the EPC Contract. Maritza also terminated the EPC Contract for cause and asserted arbitration claims against the Contractor relating to the termination. The Contractor asserted counterclaims relating to the termination. The Contractor is seeking approximately 240 million ($317 million) in the arbitration, unspecified damages for alleged injury to reputation, and other relief. The arbitral hearing on the merits was scheduled for March 2013, but recently was rescheduled by the arbitrators to a date to be determined. Maritza believes it has meritorious claims and defenses and will assert them vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
On February 11, 2011 AES Eletropaulo received a notice of violation from São Paulo States Environmental Authorities for allegedly destroying 0.32119 hectares of native vegetation at the Conservation Park of Serra do Mar (Park), without previous authorization or license. The notice of violation asserted a fine of approximately
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R$1 million ($510,370) and the suspension of AES Eletropaulo activities in the Park. As a response to this administrative procedure before the São Paulo State Environmental Authorities (São Paulo EA), AES Eletropaulo timely presented its defense on February 28, 2011 seeking to vacate the notice of violation or reduce the fine. In December 2011, the São Paulo EA declined to vacate the notice of violation but recognized the possibility of 40% reduction in the fine if AES Eletropaulo agrees to recover the affected area with additional vegetation. AES Eletropaulo has not appealed the decision and is now discussing the terms of a possible settlement with the São Paulo EA, including a plan to recover the affected area by primarily planting additional trees. In March 2012, the State of São Paulo Prosecutors Office of São Bernando do Campo initiated a Civil Proceeding to review the compliance by AES Eletropaulo with the terms of any possible settlement. AES Eletropaulo has had several meetings and field inspections to settle the details of the recovery project. AES Eletropaulo is currently awaiting the approval of the recovery project by the Park Administrator.
In May 2011, a putative class action was filed in the Mississippi federal court against the Company and numerous unrelated companies. The lawsuit alleges that greenhouse gas emissions contributed to alleged global warming which, in turn, allegedly increased the destructive capacity of Hurricane Katrina. The plaintiffs assert claims for public and private nuisance, trespass, negligence, and declaratory judgment. The plaintiffs seek damages relating to loss of property, loss of business, clean-up costs, personal injuries and death, but do not quantify their alleged damages. The Company is unable to estimate the alleged damages at this time. These and other plaintiffs previously brought a substantially similar lawsuit in the federal court but failed to obtain relief. In October 2011, the Company and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit. In March 2012, the federal court granted the motion and dismissed the lawsuit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The appeal is fully briefed. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and will defend itself vigorously in this lawsuit; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In February 2011, a consumer protection group, S.O.S. Consumidores (SOSC), filed a lawsuit in the State of Săo Paulo Federal Court against Eletropaulo and all other distribution companies in the State of Săo Paulo, claiming that the distribution companies had overcharged customers for electricity. SOSC asserts that the distribution companies tariffs had been incorrectly calculated by the Brazilian Regulatory Agency (ANEEL). ANEEL corrected the alleged error in May 2010. There are separate proceedings against ANEEL to determine whether the tariffs had been properly calculated. SOSC has moved for an injunction requiring tariffs to be corrected from the effective dates of the relevant concession contracts. Electropaulo has opposed that request on the ground that it did not wrongfully collect amounts from its customers, since its tariff was calculated in accordance with the concession contract with the Federal Government and ANEELs rules. If it does not prevail in the lawsuit, Eletropaulo estimates that its liability to customers could be approximately R$855 million ($417 million). Electropaulo believes it has meritorious defenses and will defend itself vigorously in this lawsuit; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In June 2011, the São Paulo Municipal Tax Authority (the Municipality) filed 60 tax assessments in São Paulo administrative court against Eletropaulo, seeking approximately R$1.2 billion ($586 million) in services tax (ISS) that allegedly had not been collected on revenues for services rendered by Eletropaulo. Eletropaulo estimates that, with interest, the amount at issue has increased to approximately R$2 billion ($1 billion). Eletropaulo has challenged the assessments on the ground that the revenues at issue were not subject to ISS. Eletropaulo believes it has meritorious defenses to the assessments and will defend itself vigorously in these proceedings; however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in its efforts.
In August 2012, Fondo Patrimonial de las Empresas Reformadas (FONPER) (the Dominican instrumentality that holds the Dominican Republics shares in Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Itabo, S.A. (Itabo)) filed a criminal complaint against certain current and former employees of AES. The criminal proceedings include a related civil component initiated against Coastal Itabo, Ltd. (Coastal) (the AES affiliate shareholder of Itabo) and New Caribbean Investment, S.A. (NCI) (the AES affiliate that manages Itabo). FONPER asserts claims relating to the alleged mismanagement of Itabo and seeks approximately $270 million in
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damages. The Dominican District Attorney has accepted the criminal complaint and is investigating the allegations set forth therein. In September 2012, one of the individual defendants responded to the criminal complaint, denying the charges and seeking an immediate dismissal of same. Further, in August 2012, Coastal and NCI initiated an international arbitration proceeding against FONPER and the Dominican Republic, seeking a declaration that Coastal and NCI have acted both lawfully and in accordance with the relevant contracts with FONPER and the Dominican Republic in relation to the management of Itabo. Coastal and NCI also seek a declaration that the criminal complaint is a breach of the relevant contracts between the parties, including the obligation to arbitrate disputes. Coastal and NCI further seek damages from FONPER and the Dominican Republic resulting from their breach of contract. FONPER and the Dominican Republic have denied the claims. The AES defendants believe they have meritorious claims and defenses, which they will assert vigorously; however there can be no assurance that they will be successful in their efforts.
ITEM 4. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES |
Not applicable.
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ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Stock Repurchase Program
The Companys Board of Directors recently increased the share buyback authorization by $300 million, all of which is available. Under the program, the Company may repurchase stock through a variety of methods, including open market repurchases and/or privately negotiated transactions. There can be no assurances as to the amount, timing or prices of repurchases, which may vary based on market conditions and other factors. The Program does not have an expiration date and it can be modified or terminated by the Companys Board at any time.
During the year ended December 31, 2012, shares of common stock repurchased under this plan totaled 24,790,384 at a total cost of $301 million plus a nominal amount of commissions (average of $12.16 per share including commissions), bringing the cumulative total purchases under the program to 58,715,189 shares at a total cost of $680 million, which includes a nominal amount of commissions (average of $11.58 per share including commissions).
There were no repurchases of common stock in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Our common stock is currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol AES. The closing price of our common stock as reported by the NYSE on February 20, 2013, was $11.37, per share. The Company repurchased 24,790,384, 25,541,980 and 8,382,825 shares of its common stock in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The following tables set forth the high and low stock prices and cash dividends declared for the periods indicated:
2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
Sales Prices | Cash Dividends | Sales Prices | ||||||||||||||||||
High | Low | Declared | High | Low | ||||||||||||||||
First Quarter |
$ | 14.01 | $ | 11.85 | $ | | $ | 13.40 | $ | 11.99 | ||||||||||
Second Quarter |
13.25 | 11.64 | | 13.50 | 12.03 | |||||||||||||||
Third Quarter |
12.94 | 10.83 | 0.04 | 13.20 | 9.22 | |||||||||||||||
Fourth Quarter |
& |