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| NJR > SEC Filings for NJR > Form 10-Q on 8-May-2009 | All Recent SEC Filings |
8-May-2009
Quarterly Report
Management's Overview
New Jersey Resources Corporation (NJR or the Company) is an energy services holding company providing retail natural gas service in New Jersey and wholesale natural gas and related energy services to customers in states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions to the New England region and Canada through its two principal subsidiaries, New Jersey Natural Gas Company (NJNG) and NJR Energy Services Company (NJRES).
Comprising the Natural Gas Distribution segment, NJNG is a natural gas utility that provides regulated retail natural gas service in central and northern New Jersey and also participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets. NJNG is regulated by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
NJRES comprises the Energy Services segment. NJRES maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts. In addition, NJRES provides wholesale energy services to non-affiliated utility and energy companies.
The retail and other business operations (Retail and Other) includes NJR Energy, an investor in energy-related ventures, most significantly through NJNR Pipeline Company, which holds the Company's 5.53 percent interest in Iroquois Gas and Transmission System, LP (Iroquois), a 412-mile natural gas pipeline from the New York-Canadian border to Long Island, New York, and NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company, which has a 50 percent equity ownership interest in Steckman Ridge GP, LLC and Steckman Ridge, LP (collectively, Steckman Ridge), a planned 17.7 billion cubic foot (Bcf) natural gas storage facility, with up to 12 Bcf working capacity, which is being jointly developed and constructed with a partner in Pennsylvania; NJR Investment Company, which makes energy-related equity investments; NJR Home Services Company (NJRHS), which provides service, sales and installation of appliances; Commercial Realty and Resources Corporation (CR&R), which holds and develops commercial real estate; and NJR Service Corporation (NJR Service), which provides support services to the various NJR businesses.
Net income by business segment and business operations for the three and six months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, are as follows:
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
March 31, March 31,
(Thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
Net income (loss)
Natural Gas Distribution $41,588 117 % $34,170 273 % $64,662 137 % $50,840 119 %
Energy Services (1,011 ) (3 ) (25,947 ) (207 ) (6,625 ) (14 ) (12,797 ) (30 )
Retail and Other (5,060 ) (14 ) 4,312 34 (10,744 ) (23 ) 4,677 11
Total $35,517 100 % $12,535 100 % $47,293 100 % $42,720 100 %
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Assets by business segment and business operations are as follows:
March 31, September 30,
(Thousands) 2009 2008
Assets
Natural Gas Distribution $1,743,326 72 % $1,761,964 67 %
Energy Services 415,503 17 689,992 26
Retail and Other 275,847 12 231,551 9
Intercompany Assets (1) (18,085 ) (1 ) (58,115 ) (2 )
Total $2,416,591 100 % $2,625,392 100 %
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NJRES and NJR Energy account for certain of their derivative instruments used to economically hedge the forecasted purchase, sale and transportation of natural gas at fair value, as required under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (as amended and interpreted, SFAS 133). Effective October 1, 2007, the Company changed the treatment of its physical commodity contracts at NJRES, such that the changes in fair value of new contracts are included in earnings, and are not accounted for using the "normal purchase normal sales" (normal) scope exception of SFAS 133. In addition, effective October 1, 2008, due to changes in the Company's ability to assert physical delivery, the Company is no longer treating physical commodity contracts executed prior to October 1, 2007 as normal. Therefore, all NJRES physical commodity contracts are accounted for at fair value on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, with changes in fair value included as a component of operating revenue and gas purchases, as appropriate, on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. All physical commodity contracts at NJNG and NJR Energy continue to be designated as normal and accounted for under accrual accounting.
The change in fair value of these derivative instruments at NJRES and NJR Energy over periods of time, referred to as unrealized gains or losses, can result in substantial volatility in reported net income under generally accepted accounting principles of the United States of America (GAAP). When a financial instrument settles the result is the realization of these gains or losses. NJRES utilizes certain financial instruments to economically hedge natural gas inventory placed into storage that will be sold at a later date, all of which were contemplated as part of an entire forecasted transaction. GAAP requires that when a financial instrument that is economically hedging natural gas that has been placed into inventory, but not yet sold, has been settled, the realized gain or loss associated with that settlement must be reflected currently in the income statement. While NJRES will recognize the same economic impact from the entire planned transaction, this also leads to additional volatility in NJRES' reported earnings.
Unrealized losses and gains at NJRES and NJR Energy are the result of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments, used to economically hedge future natural gas purchases, sales and transportation. Realized gains and losses at NJRES include the settlement of natural gas futures instruments used to economically hedge natural gas purchases in inventory that have not been sold.
Included in Net income in the table on the previous page for the six-month period ended March 31, 2009 and 2008 are unrealized (losses) in the Energy Services segment of $(16.6) million and $(77.6) million, after taxes, respectively and realized (losses)/gains of $(30.5) and $2.2 million, after taxes, respectively, which are related to derivative instruments that have settled and are designed to economically hedge natural gas that is in storage inventory.
Also, included in Net income above are unrealized (losses)/gains in the Retail and Other segment of $(10.5) million and $3.8 million, after taxes, for the six-month period ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Natural Gas Distribution Segment
Natural Gas Distribution operations have been managed with the goal of growing profitably through several key initiatives including:
Ÿ Earning a reasonable rate of return on the investments in its natural gas distribution system, as well as recovery of all prudently incurred costs in order to provide safe and reliable service throughout NJNG's service territory.
Ÿ Working with the BPU and the Department of the Public Advocate, Division of Rate Counsel (Rate Counsel), on the implementation and continuing review of the Conservation Incentive Program (CIP). The CIP allows NJNG to promote conservation programs to its customers while maintaining protection of its utility gross margin associated with reduced customer usage. CIP usage differences are calculated annually and are recovered one year following the end of the CIP usage year;
Ÿ Managing the new customer growth rate, which is expected to be approximately 1.3 percent over the next two years. In fiscal 2009 and 2010, NJNG currently expects to add, in total, approximately 12,000 to 14,000 new customers. The Company believes that this growth would increase utility gross margin under its base rates as provided by approximately $3.6 million annually, as calculated under NJNG's CIP tariff;
Ÿ Generating earnings from various BPU-authorized gross margin-sharing incentive programs; and
Ÿ Managing the volatility of wholesale natural gas prices through a hedging program designed to keep customers' Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) rates as stable as possible.
Based upon increases in NJNG's operation, maintenance and capital costs, NJNG petitioned the BPU, on November 20, 2007, to increase base rates for its natural gas delivery service. This base rate filing was consistent with NJNG's objectives of providing safe and reliable service to its customers and earning a market-based return.
On October 3, 2008, the BPU unanimously approved and made effective the settlement of NJNG's base rate case. As a result, NJNG received a revenue increase in its base rates of $32.5 million, which is inclusive of an approximate $13 million impact of a change to the CIP baseline usage rate, received an allowed return on equity component of 10.3 percent, reduced its depreciation expense component from 3.0 percent to 2.34 percent and reduced its annual depreciation expense of $1.6 million as a result of the amortization of previously recovered asset retirement obligations.
The CIP allows NJNG to recover utility gross margin variations related to both weather and customer usage. Recovery of such margin variations is subject to additional conditions including an earnings test, which includes a return on equity component of 10.3 percent, and an evaluation of Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS)-related savings achieved. An annual review of the CIP must be filed in June of each year, coincident with NJNG's annual BGSS filing. In October 2007, the BPU provisionally approved NJNG's initial CIP recovery rates, which are designed to recover approximately $15.6 million of accrued margin. In October 2008, the BPU provisionally approved recovery of an additional $6.8 million of accrued margin for the CIP. The total recovery requested of $22.4 million includes amounts accrued and estimated through September 30, 2008. As of March 31, 2009, NJNG has $7.6 million accrued in Regulatory Assets in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. On April 1, 2009, NJNG filed a letter with the BPU requesting a 1-year extension to its CIP through October 1, 2010.
In conjunction with the CIP, NJNG is required to administer programs that promote customer conservation efforts. As of March 31, 2009 and September 30, 2008, the obligation to fund these conservation programs was reflected at its present value of $305,000 and $864,000, respectively in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
In conducting NJNG's business, management focuses on factors it believes may have significant influence on its future financial results. NJNG's policy is to work with all stakeholders, including customers, regulators and policymakers, to achieve favorable results. These factors include the rate of NJNG's customer growth in its service territory, which can be influenced by general economic conditions as well as political and regulatory policies that may impact the new housing market. A portion of NJNG's customer growth comes from the conversion market, which is influenced by the delivered cost of natural gas compared with competing fuels, interest rates and other economic conditions.
As a regulated company, NJNG is required to recognize the impact of regulatory decisions on its financial statements. As a result, significant costs are deferred and treated as regulatory assets, pending BPU decisions regarding their ultimate recovery from customers. The most significant costs incurred that are subject to this accounting treatment include manufactured gas plant (MGP) remediation costs and wholesale natural gas costs. Actual remediation costs may vary from management's estimates due to the developing nature of remediation requirements, regulatory decisions by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and related litigation. If there are changes in the regulatory position on the recovery of these costs, such costs would be charged to income in the period of such determination.
On April 16, 2009, the BPU approved NJNG's AIP Program allowing NJNG to commence construction on its 14 infrastructure projects. NJNG will make a filing for the recovery of infrastructure program investment costs in June 2010 to be effective October 1, 2010. The filing will allow the recovery of costs of the AIP construction activities for the period ending August 31, 2010, including the recovery of NJNG's overall weighted cost of capital.
Due to the capital-intensive nature of NJNG's operations and the seasonal nature of its working capital requirements, significant changes in interest rates can also impact NJNG's results.
Energy Services Segment
NJRES provides unregulated wholesale energy services, including base load natural gas, peaking and balancing services, utilizing physical assets it controls through natural gas pipeline transportation and storage contracts, as well as providing asset management services to customers in states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions and Canada.
NJRES incorporates the following elements to provide for growth, while focusing on maintaining a low-risk operating and counterparty credit profile:
Ÿ Providing natural gas portfolio management services to nonaffiliated utilities and electric generation facilities;
Ÿ Leveraging transactions for the delivery of natural gas to customers by aggregating the natural gas commodity costs and transportation costs in order to minimize the total cost required to provide and deliver natural gas to NJRES' customers by identifying the lowest cost alternative with the natural gas supply, transportation availability and markets to which NJRES is able to access through its business footprint and contractual asset portfolio;
Ÿ Identifying and benefiting from variations in pricing of natural gas transportation and storage assets due to location or timing differences of natural gas prices to generate gross margin; and
Ÿ Managing economic hedging programs that are designed to mitigate adverse market price fluctuations in natural gas transportation and storage commitments.
NJRES views "financial margin" as a financial measurement metric. NJRES' financial margin, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, represents revenues earned from the sale of natural gas less costs of natural gas sold, transportation and storage, and excludes any accounting impact from the change in fair value of derivative instruments designed to hedge the economic impact of its transactions that have not been settled, which represent unrealized gains and losses, and realized gains and losses associated with financial instruments economically hedging natural gas in storage and not yet sold as part of a planned transaction. NJRES uses financial margin to gauge operating results against established benchmarks and earnings targets as it eliminates the impact of volatility in GAAP earnings that can occur prior to settlement of the physical commodity portion of the transactions and therefore is more representative of the overall expected economic result.
NJRES has a portfolio of customers including local distribution companies, industrial companies, electric generators and retail aggregators. Sales to these customers have allowed NJRES to leverage its transportation and storage capacity and manage sales to these customers in an aggregate fashion. This strategy allows NJRES to extract more value from its portfolio of natural gas storage and pipeline transportation capacity through the arbitrage of pricing differences as a result of locational differences or over different periods of time.
NJRES also focuses on creating value from underutilized natural gas assets, which are typically amassed through contractual rights to natural gas transportation and storage capacity. NJRES has developed a portfolio of natural gas storage and transportation capacity in states in the Northeast, Gulf Coast, Mid-continent and Appalachian regions of the United States and eastern Canada. These assets become more valuable when prices change between these areas and across time periods. NJRES seeks to optimize this process on a daily basis as market conditions change by evaluating all the natural gas supplies, transportation and opportunities to which it has access, to find the most profitable alternative to serve its various commitments. This enables NJRES to capture geographic pricing differences across these various regions as delivered natural gas prices change as a result of market conditions. NJRES focuses on earning a financial margin on a single original transaction and then utilizing that transaction, and the changes in prices across the regions or across time periods, as the basis to further improve the initial result.
In a similar manner, NJRES participates in natural gas storage transactions where it seeks to identify pricing differences that occur over time, as prices for future delivery periods at many different delivery points, are readily available. For example, NJRES generates financial margin by locking in the differential between purchasing natural gas at a low current or future price and, in a related transaction, selling that natural gas at a higher current or future price, all within the constraints of its credit and contracts policies. Through the use of transportation and storage services, NJRES is able to generate financial margin through pricing differences that occur over the duration of time the assets are held.
NJRES' portfolio management customers include nonaffiliated utilities and electric generation plants. Services provided by NJRES include optimization of underutilized natural gas assets and basic gas supply functions.
NJRES also participates in park-and-loan transactions with pipeline counterparties, where NJRES will borrow natural gas when there is an opportunity to capture arbitrage value. In these cases, NJRES evaluates the economics of the transaction to determine if it can capture pricing differentials in the marketplace in order to be able to generate financial margin. In evaluating these transactions NJRES will compare the fixed fee it will pay and the resulting spread it can generate when considering the amount it will receive to sell the borrowed gas to another counterparty in relation to the cost it will incur to purchase the gas at a later date for return back to the pipeline. When the transaction allows NJRES to generate a financial margin, NJRES will fix the financial margin by economically hedging the transaction with natural gas futures.
In conducting its business, NJRES mitigates risk by following formal risk management guidelines, including trading limits, approval processes, segregation of duties, and formal contract and credit review and approval procedures. NJRES continuously monitors and seeks to reduce the risk associated with various counterparties credit exposure. The Risk Management Committee (RMC) of NJR oversees compliance with these established guidelines.
Retail and Other Operations
As part of the Retail and Other operations NJR utilizes a subsidiary, NJR Energy Holdings, to develop its investments in natural gas "mid-stream" assets. Mid-stream assets are natural gas transportation and storage facilities. NJR believes that acquiring, owning and developing these mid-stream assets, which operate under a tariff structure that has either a regulated or market-based rate, can provide a significant growth opportunity for the Company. To that end, NJR has ownership interests in Iroquois (regulated rate) and Steckman Ridge (market-based rate), and is actively pursuing other potential opportunities that meet its investment and development criteria. Other businesses included as part of Retail and Other include NJRHS, which provides service, sales and installation of appliances to over 145,000 customers and is focused on growing its installation business and expanding its service contract customer base, and CR&R, which seeks additional opportunities to enhance the value of its undeveloped land.
The financial results of Retail and Other consist primarily of the operating results of NJRHS and equity in earnings attributable to the Company's equity investment in Iroquois, as well as to investments made by NJR Energy, an investor in other energy-related ventures through its operating subsidiaries. Also included within Retail and Other operations is interest income and organizational expenses recorded at NJR.
On June 5, 2008, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Steckman Ridge a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing the ownership, construction and operation of its natural gas storage facility and associated facilities. On April 1, 2009, Steckman Ridge received authorization to place certain injection related facilities into commercial operation. Customers have begun to inject natural gas inventory in preparation for the initial withdrawal season. Construction will continue through the summer of 2009 as more facilities are made ready to support the initial winter season. As of March 31, 2009, NJR has invested $107 million in Steckman Ridge, excluding capitalized interest and other direct costs. Total project costs related to the development of the storage facility are currently estimated at approximately $265 million, of which NJR is obligated to fund 50 percent or approximately $132.5 million. NJR anticipates that Steckman Ridge will seek non-recourse financing upon full completion of the construction and development of its facilities, thereby potentially reducing the final expected recourse obligation of NJR. There can be no assurances that such non-recourse project financing will be secured or available for Steckman Ridge.
Critical Accounting Policies
A summary of NJR's critical accounting policies is included in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2008. NJR's critical accounting policies have not changed materially from those reported in the 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K with the exception of the following:
Derivative Instruments
Derivative activities are recorded in accordance with SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, as amended and interpreted, (SFAS 133) under which NJR records the fair value of derivatives held as assets and liabilities. In addition, NJRES also treats contracts for the purchase or sale of natural gas as derivatives and, therefore, records them at fair value in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, with changes in fair value being recorded as a component of Gas purchases in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
NJRES previously applied the "normal purchase normal sale" (normal) scope exception for certain physical commodity contracts that were executed prior to October 1, 2007 which otherwise qualified as derivatives. Based on current conditions in the credit markets and developments within the natural gas industry, NJRES has determined that the probability of physical delivery with these counterparties could potentially diminish and, therefore, these contracts meet the requirements, outlined in SFAS 133, to continue applying the normal scope exception. As a result, effective October 1, 2008, NJRES will treat these contracts as derivatives and record them at fair value in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, with changes in fair value being recorded as a component of Operating revenues and Gas purchases, as appropriate, in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
Effective October 1, 2008, NJR began applying the provisions of SFAS 157 Fair Value Measurement (see Note 5, Fair Value Measurements). As a result of the adoption of SFAS 157, NJR implemented procedures to evaluate its own credit profile to determine an appropriate valuation adjustment to the recorded amount of its derivative liabilities. NJR uses historical default probabilities corresponding to Standard and Poor's issuer ratings and considers conditions in the credit markets to further adjust the valuation, when deemed appropriate, based on the change in a market index that tracks the credit default swaps of investment grade companies.
Capitalized Financing Costs
NJNG capitalizes an allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC) as a component of Utility plant in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under regulatory rate practices and in accordance with SFAS No. 71, Accounting for the Effects of Certain Types of Regulation, NJNG fully recovers AFUDC through base rates. As a result of the BPU's Base Rate Order issued in October 2008, NJNG implemented certain rate design changes, including a change to its AFUDC calculation. Effective October 3, 2008, NJNG is allowed to recover an incremental cost of equity component during periods when its short-term debt balances are lower than its construction work in progress balance. This results in a non-cash income statement recognition that will also be capitalized as a component of Utility plant.
Guarantees
In fiscal 2009, the Company entered into agreements to lease vehicles over a five-year term, which qualify as operating leases. These agreements contain provisions that could require the Company to make additional cash payments at the end of the term for a portion of the residual value of the vehicles. As a result, the Company has recognized a liability of $275,000 based on the present value of the potential obligation associated with the guarantees. In the event performance under the guarantee is required, the Company's maximum future payment would be $475,000.
Foreign Currency Transactions
NJRES' market area includes Canadian delivery points and as a result it incurs certain natural gas commodity costs and demand fees that are denominated in . . .
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