Scana Corp (SCG) Earnings Report: Q3 2015 Conference Call ... · Scana Corp (SCG) Earnings Report:...
Transcript of Scana Corp (SCG) Earnings Report: Q3 2015 Conference Call ... · Scana Corp (SCG) Earnings Report:...
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
EventDescription:Q32015EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:8.11BPriceasofEventDate:57.28
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ScanaCorp(SCG)EarningsReport:Q32015ConferenceCallTranscriptThefollowingScanaCorpconferencecalltookplaceonOctober29,2015,03:00PMET.Thisisatranscriptofthatearningscall:
CompanyPart icipants
SusanWright;SCANACorporation;DirectorFinancialPlanning&IRJimmyAddison;SCANACorporation;CFOSteveByrne;SCANACorporation;COOofSCE&GKevinMarsh;SCANACorporation;CEO
OtherPart icipants
AndrewWeisel;MacquarieCapitalSecurities;AnalystJulienDumoulin-Smith;UBS;AnalystJimvonRiesemann;MizuhoSecuritiesUSA;AnalystTravisMiller;Morningstar;AnalystPaulPatterson;GlenrockAssociates;AnalystFelixCarmen;VisiumAssetManagement;AnalystMichaelLapides;GoldmanSachs;AnalystDanJenkins;StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard;AnalystMitchellMoss;LordAbbett;AnalystDavidFishman;GoldmanSachs;Analyst
MANAGEMENTDISCUSSIONSECTION
Operator :
Atthistime,IwouldliketowelcomeeveryonetotheSCANACorporationconferencecall.
(OperatorInstructions)
Asareminder,thisconferencecallisbeingrecordedonThursday,October,.Anyonewhodoesnotconsenttothetapingmaydropofftheline.
Atthistime,IwouldliketoturnthecallovertoSusanWright,DirectorofFinancialPlanningandInvestorRelations.Pleasegoahead,ma'am.
SusanWright (DirectorFinancialPlanning&IR):
Thankyou.Welcometoouranalystscall.Asyouknow,earliertodayweannouncedfinancialresultsforthethirdquarterofandearlierintheweekwereleasedanupdateonoursettlementwithaconsortiumregardingdisputesonournewnuclearproject.
JoiningusonthecalltodayareJimmyAddison,SCANA'sChiefFinancialOfficer;SteveByrne,ChiefOperatingOfficerofSCE&G;andKevinMarsh,ourCEO.Duringthecall,Jimmywillprovideanoverviewofourfinancialresults,Stevewillprovideanupdateofournewnuclearproject,andKevinwillcoverthekeypointsofoursettlement.Afterourcomments,wewillrespondtoyourquestions.TheslidesandtheearningsreleasereferencedtointhiscallareavailableatSCANA.com.
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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Additionally,wepostinformationrelatedtoournewnuclearprojectandotherinvestorinformationdirectlytoourwebsiteatSCANA.com.OnSCANA'shomepagethereisayellowboxcontaininglinkstothenucleardevelopmentandotherinvestorinformationsectionsofthewebsite.Itispossiblethatsomeoftheinformationthatwewillbepostingfromtimetotimemaybedeemedmaterialinformationthathasotherwisebecomepublic.Youcansignupfore-mailalertsundertheinvestorsectionofSCANA.comtonotifyyouwhenthereisanewpostinginthenucleardevelopmentand/orotherinvestorinformationsectionsofthewebsite.
Finally,beforeIturnthecallovertoJimmy,Iwouldliketoremindyouthatcertainstatementsthatmaybemadeduringtoday'scallareconsideredforward-lookingstatementsandaresubjecttoanumberofrisksanduncertaintiesasshownonslide.TheCompanydoesnotrecognizeanobligationtoupdateanyforward-lookingstatements.Additionally,wemaydisclosecertainnon-GAAPmeasuresduringthispresentation,andtherequiredRegGinformationcanbefoundintheinvestorsectionofourwebsiteunderwebcastsandpresentations.I'llnowturnthecallovertoJimmy.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thanks,Susan,thankyouallforjoiningustoday.I'llbeginourcallbythankingthoseofyouwhoreachedouttousduringthehistoricrainfallandfloodingthathitSouthCarolinaearlierthismonth.Itwasandcontinuestobeatryingtimeforastateandweappreciateyourthoughtsandprayersasthingscontinuetoprogress.Whileoursystemwasrestoredveryquickly,thepropertydamageofthecitizensofSouthCarolinawilltakealongtimetorestoreand,tragically,severalliveswerelostandfamiliesalteredforever.
Nowonslide,we'llbeginourearningsdiscussion.GAAPearningsinthethirdquarterofwere$.forsharecomparedto$.pershareinthesamequarter.Theimprovedresultsinthethirdquarteraremainlyattributabletohigherelectricmarginsdueprimarilytoservethe,aBaseLoadReviewActrateincrease,andcustomergrowth,aswellaslowerdepreciationexpenseasIwilldiscussshortly.Thesewerepartiallyoffsetbylowergasmargins,primarilyduetolostgasmarginsof$.pershareresultingfromthesaleofCGT,anincreaseinO&Mexpense,andexpectedincreasesinCapEx-relateditems,includinginterestandsharedilution.Notethatabnormalweathercontributed$.pershareand$.pershareofadditionalelectricmargininthethirdquartersofandrespectively.
SCE&Gperiodicallyconductsdepreciationstudiesrelatedtoelectricplanttobetterdeterminetheproperannualdepreciationaccrualrates.Anewdepreciationstudyperformedearlierthisyearresultedintheadoptionofdepreciationrateswhichproducedanannualdecreasetodepreciationexpenseofapproximately$million.ThePSCauthorizedSCE&GtoimplementthenewdepreciationrateseffectiveJanuary,,andattheCompany'srequest,theretroactive$.millioncreditfromtheapplicationofthenewratesfromJanuarythroughJuneofthisyearhasbeenusedtooffsetaportionofthedeferredfuelbalancerelatedtoitsretailelectricoperations.Forthethirdquarterof,andallsubsequentperiods,theincrementalreductiontodepreciationexpensewillflowthroughincome.Pleaseturntoslide.
Earnings-per-sharefortheninemonthsendedSeptember,,were$.versus$.in.TheimprovedresultsaremainlyattributabletothenetoftaxgainsonthesalesofCGTandSCI,higherelectricmarginsdueprimarilytoaBaseLoadReviewActrateincreaseandcustomergrowth,aswellaslowerdepreciationexpenseasdescribedearlier.Thesewerepartiallyoffsetbylowerelectricmarginsduetoweatherfromthefirstquarter,lowergasmarginsprimarilyduetolostgasmarginsof$.pershareresultingfromthesaleofCGT,anincreaseinO&Mexpense,andexpectedincreasesinCapEx-relateditemsincludinginterest,propertytaxes,andsharedilution.Althoughelectricmarginsreflectedanegative$.pershareduetoweatheryear-over-year,abnormalweatherincreasedelectricmarginsby$.pershareyear-to-datecomparedto$.persharein.
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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SlideshowsearningsonaGAAPadjusted,weather-normalizedbasis.Earningsinthethirdquarterofwere$.persharecomparedto$.pershareinthesamequarterof.Year-to-dateSeptember,earningswere$.pershareincomparedto$.pershareintheprioryear.Asareminder,GAAPadjustedweather-normalizedEPSexcludestheimpactofabnormalweatheronelectricmarginsandthenetoftaxgainsonthesaleofCGTandSCIfromthefirstquarterof.Baseduponourresultstodateandourexpectationsforthebalanceoftheyear,wearereaffirmingourGAAPadjustedweather-normalizedearningsguidanceof$.to$.pershare.
Nowonslide,I'dliketobrieflyreviewresultsforourprincipallinesofbusiness.OnaGAAPbasis,SouthCarolinaElectric&GasCompany'sthirdquarterearningswereup$.comparedtothesameperiodof.Increasesinearningsweredueprimarilytoweather,thecontinuedrecoveryoffinancingcoststhroughtheBLRAandcustomergrowth.Theapplicationofthepreviouslymentionednewdepreciationratesalsopositivelycontributedtoearningsforthequarter.TheseitemswereoffsetbyincreasesinO&Mexpensesandexpensesrelatedtoourcapitalprogram,includinginterestexpenseandshare[dilutions].
Year-to-dateearningswerehigherby$.,dueprimarilytothesamedriversasthequarterwiththeexceptionofweather.PSNCEnergyreportedaseasonallossof$.pershareinthethirdquarterofcomparedtoalossof$.pershareinthesamequarteroftheprioryear,primarilyduetoincreasedO&M,depreciation,andpropertytaxes,partiallyoffsetbycustomergrowth.Year-to-dateearningsare$.persharecomparedto$.pershareintheprioryear.
SCANAenergy,ourretailnaturalgasmarketingbusinessinGeorgia,showedadecreaseinthird-quarterearningsof$.pershareinoverthesamequarteroflastyear,primarilyduetoincreasedO&M.Forthenine-monthperiodendedSeptember,earningswereup$.pershare.
OnaGAAPbasis,SCANA'scorporateandotherbusinessesreportedalossof$.pershareinthethirdquarterof,consistentwiththeprioryear.LowerinterestexpenseattheHoldingCompanyandincreasedmarginsinourmarketingbusinesswereprimarilyoffsetbyforegoneearnings,contributionsfromthesubsidiariesthatweresoldduringthefirstquarterofthisyear.Forthenine-monthperiod,thesebusinessesreportedearningspershareof$.incomparedto$.in.ExcludingthenetoftaxgainsonthesalesofCGTandSCIof$.pershare,GAAPadjustedweather-normalizedEPSwasdown$.fromtheprioryear,againduetoforgoneearningsfromthesaleofthebusinessesearlierthisyear.
Iwouldnowliketotouchoneconomictrendsinourserviceterritoryonslide.Sofarin,companieshaveannouncedplanstoinvestover$billionwiththeexpectationofcreatingoverjobsinourCarolinasterritories.We'reexcitedbythecontinuousgrowthinourserviceterritoriesastheCarolinascontinuetobeseenasafavorablebusinessenvironment.Atthebottomoftheslide,youcanseethenationalunemploymentratealongwiththeratesforthethreestateswhereSCANAhasapresence,andthenSCE&Gelectricterritory.SouthCarolina'sunemploymentrateisnowat.%andtherateinSCE&G'selectricterritoryisestimatedat.%.Ofparticularinterest,andattestingtoourstatestrongeconomicgrowth,approximately,moreSouthCaroliniansareworkingtodaythanayearago.
Slidepresentscustomergrowthandelectricsalesstatistics.Onthetophalfoftheslideisthecustomergrowthrateforeachofourregulatedbusinesses.SCE&G'selectricbusinessaddedcustomersatayear-over-yearrateof.%.OurregulatedgasbusinessesinNorthandSouthCarolinaaddedcustomersatanacceleratedrateof.%and.%respectively.Wecontinuetoseeverystrongcustomergrowthinourbusinessesandintheregion.
Thebottomtableoutlinesouractualandweather-normalizedkilowatthoursalesforthemonthsendedSeptember,.Overall,weather-normalizedtotalretailsaleswereup.%ona-monthendedbasis.Wecontinuetobeencouragedbythestrongindustrialexpansionthathasinturnledtostrongsalesgrowthnotonlyintheindustrialsector,butalsointheresidentialandcommercialmarkets.Now,pleaseturnto
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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slide,whichrecapsaregulatoryratebaseandreturns.
Thepiechartontheleftpresentthecomponentsofourregulatedratebaseofapproximately$.billion.Asdenotedinthetwoshadesofblue,approximately%ofthisratebasisisrelatedtotheelectricbusiness.Intheblockontheright,youwillseeSCE&G'sbaseelectricbusinessinwhichwe'realloweda.%returnonequity.TheearnedreturnforthemonthsendedSeptemberinthebaseelectricbusinessisapproximately.%,meetingourstatedgoalofearningareturnof%orhighertopreventtheneedfornon-BLRArelatedbaserateincreasesduringthepeaknuclearconstructionyears.Wecontinuetobepleasedwiththeexecutionofourstrategy.OurregulatedgasbusinessesintheCarolinascontinuetoperformwell.We'reallowedareturnonequityof.%and.%inSouthandNorthCarolina,respectively.
Slide%presentsourCapExforecast.ThisforecasthasbeenupdatedtoreflectourmostcurrentCapExprojectionsforand,andisnowinclusiveofourestimates.ThisforecastalsoreflectstheCompany'scurrentestimateofnewnuclearspendingthrough,includinganestimateoftheimpactofthesettlementwithaconsortium,whichKevinwilladdresslater.Atthebottomoftheslidewerecaptheestimatednewnuclear[equip]fromJulythroughJunetocorrespondtotheperiodsonwhichtheBLRArateincreasesarehistoricallycalculated.
Now,pleaseturntoslidetoreviewourupdatedestimatedfinancingplanthrough.Asareminder,onMayofthisyearSCE&Gissued$millionof-yearbondsat.%.AlsoinJanuary,weissuedapproximately$millioninequitythroughour(k)anddrillplansbeforeturningofftheplanstonewshares.Byacquiringsharesontheopenmarkettosatisfytheneedsoftheseplans,wecanfurtherutilizethecashproceedsfromthesalesofCGTandSCI.Wedonotanticipatetheneedforfurtherequityissuancesuntilandwillturnbackonthe(k)anddrillplanstosatisfythoseneeds.
Onthedebtside,andbaseduponcashflowsandplannedconstructionpaymentstodate,wehavedeferred$millionofQplanneddebtissuancesandacceleratedsomeissuancesfromtheoutyearstobetteralignwiththeirexpectedfundingneeds.ThisplanalsoanticipatesdebttobeissuedatPSNCtofunditsanticipatedCapExspending.Whiletheseareourbestestimatesofincrementaldebtandequityissuances,itisunlikelymusicianswilloccurisexactlyaspresentedastheyaresubjecttochangesinourbodyneedsforplannedprojectexpensesandwecontinuetoadjustthefinancingtomatchtherelatedCapExona/debtandequitybasis.
Now,I'dliketodiscussourearningsguidanceandrelatedassumptionsasshownonslide.OurGAAPadjusted,weather-normalizedpreliminaryearningsguidanceis$.pershareto$.pershareandourinternaltargetis$pershare.Duetothecyclicalnatureofourbusiness,weexpecttoearnapproximately%ofthisamountinthefirstquarter,approximately%ineachofthethirdandfourthquarters,andtheremaining%inthesecondquarter.Incomputingthisguidancerange,wehaveincludedtheimpactofabaserateincreasefromournewnuclearfilingundertheBLRA,theaccretiveimpactofthesalesofCGTandSCI,andourviewoftheeconomy.ThisguidancealsoincorporatestheCapExandfinancingplanswepresentedearlier.
Weforecastelectriccustomergrowthtobeatapproximately.%,offsettingourassumptionthatcustomeraverageuseofelectricitywillbeslightlylowerin.Weanticipateoverallweather-normalizedretailelectricsalesgrowthfortodeclinebyapproximately.%.Weexpectoperatingandmaintenanceexpensestobeapproximately%higherinthanwhereweprojecttofinishfortheendof.WealsoexpectcontinuedgrowthintheCapEx-relatedcostofpropertytaxes,depreciation,andinterest.
Fortheremainderof,exclusiveofthetaxesonthegainsonthesalesofthesubsidiariesandlookingoutinto,weprojectaneffectivetaxrateofapproximately%.Wecontinuetobecautiouslyoptimisticaboutourlong-termviewandarereaffirmingGAAPadjusted,weather-normalizedaverageannualgrowthguidanceasweplantodeliver%to%earningsgrowthoverthethreetofiveyearsusingabaseof's
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
EventDescription:Q32015EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:8.11BPriceasofEventDate:57.28
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GAAPadjustedweather-normalizedEPSof$.pershare.Hopefully,thiswillprovideyouwithsomeclarityofourviewofasyouupdateyourmodels.I'llnowturnthecallovertoStevetoprovideanupdateonournuclearproject.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Thanks,Jimmy.IwouldliketobeginbyaddressingtheimpactthattherecentrainfallandfloodinginSouthCarolinahadonthenewnuclearconstructionproject.Asyouprobablyhavealreadyseenonourwebsite,weestimatethatthisweathereventresultedinalossofaboutfourdaysofworkeffort.Iwantedtoclarifythattheconstructionschedulehasacontingencyforweatherdelaysandotherevents,sothisdayshouldnotimpacttheplannedin-servicedatesforthenewunits.Wehavehadverylittleweatherimpacttodate,whichiswhythiseventshouldnothaveanimpactontheproject.Pleaseturntoslide.
IwouldnowliketoaddressthePublicServiceCommissionofSouthCarolina'sunanimousapprovalofthepetitionthatSCE&GfiledinMarchofthisyear,seekingapprovaltoupdatetheconstructionmilestonescheduleaswellasthecapitalcostscheduleforthetwonewnuclearunits.Theapprovalofthepetition,alongwiththesettlementagreemententeredintowiththeSouthCarolinaofficeofregulatorystaffandtheSouthCarolinaEnergyUsersCommittee,adjustedthecommissionapprovedsubstantialcompletiondatestoJuneofforunitandJuneofforunit.Thisagreementalsoallowedfortheinclusionofincrementalcapitalcoststhattotaled$millionandrevisedtheallowedreturnonequityto.%from%forcalculatingperspectiverevisedratesundertheBLRAonorafterJanuary,.
Movingontosomeoftheactivitiesatthenewnuclearconstructionsite.SlidepresentsanaerialphotoofthesitefromJune.ThisphotogivesyouaviewofthelayoutofthesiteandIhavelabeledbothunitsandaswellasmanyoftheareasthatmakeupwhatwecalltheconstructiontabletop.Onslideyoucanseeapictureoftheunitnuclearisland.InthispictureyoucanseemoduleCAontheleftsideoftheslidealongwiththecontainmentvesselfirstringwhichhasbeenplacedonandweldedtothelowerbowl.IfyoulookthroughthepersonnelandequipmenthatchopeningsinthecontainmentvesselringyoucanseesuperstructuremoduleCAwhichis,asyourecall,wasplacedbackinJuly.Wecontinuetomakeprogresswiththefabricationandcomplacentofcontainmentvesselstructuremodules.
Slidepresentsaschematicviewofthefive,largestructuremoduleslocatedinsidethecontainmentvessel.ThisexplodedviewofCAthroughgivesyouabetterfeelforhowtheyfitspatiallyinsidesaidcontainmentvessel.Asyoumayknow,wehavenowplacedCA,CA,andCAforunit.
SlideshowsapictureofCAwhichwillbethenextstructuralmoduleplacedintheUnityoucontainmentvessel.ModuleCAisawallsectionthatformspartofthein-containmentforfuelingwaterstoragetank.Asyouseehere,allfivesubmoduleshavebeenassembledandCAisnowstructurallycompleteandhasbeenmovedoutsideofthemoduleassemblybuilding,orMAB.Thismodulescheduledtoreplacesometimeduringthefirsthalfof.
SlideshowsapictureofCA,whichisthewestwallofthein-containmentrefuelingwaterstoragetank.FourofCA'ssubmodulesareonsiteandthreehavebeenfabricatedintheMAB.
Slideshowsapictureoftheunitnuclearisland.ModuleCAplacedinsideofthecontainmentvessellowerbowlbackinJuneandtheauxiliarybuildingwalls,asyoucansee,continuetotakeform.
SlideshowsanaerialviewofthelowprofileforcoolingtowersfromJune.Threeofthefourcookingtowersarenowstructurallycompletewiththefourth,Bravoshownonthisslide--sorry,shownonslide,beingabout%complete.Pleasenowturntoslide.
Hereyoucanseetheplacementoftheconcretefoundationfortheunitturbobuildingfirstbay.The-footthickbasemattookhourstopourandconsistedofcubicyardsofconcrete.Thisfirstbayisthetransition
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fromthe[ox]buildingtotheturbinebuilding.
Slideshowsthecompletedunittransformerbays.Thesetransformerbaysareconstructedwithreinforcingbarandconcreteandserveasafirewallpartiallyenclosingthetransformers.TheseninetransformerbaysforunitwerecompletedduringAugust.
Componentscontinuetoarriveonsite.OnslideyoucanseesomepicturesoftheunitpressurizerarrivinginthePortofCharleston.Itwasthentransferredviarailcartothesite.Pressurizedwillbe(inaudible)insidethecontainmentvesselandwillbeusedtocontrolthepressureandthereactantcoolantsystem.
Pleasenowturntoslide.Aswementionedduringoursecond-quartercallwefiledourannualrequestforrevisedratesundertheBLRAinMay.Inresponsetothatrequest,inSeptemberthePSCimprovedanincreaseof$.million.ThenewratesareeffectiveforbillsrenderedonorafterOctober.OurBLRAfilingsforareshownatthebottomoftheslide,andasyoucanseeinAugustwefiledourquarterlystatusreportonournewnuclearprojectwiththecommissionandtheofficeofregulatorystaffforthesecondquarterof.WeintendtofileaquarterlystatusreportforthethirdquarterinNovember.I'llnowtothecallovertoKevin.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Thanks,Steve.I'mgladtobewithyoutodaytoprovidesomedetailsinconnectionwithouramendmenttotheEPCagreementforthenewAPunitsattheV.C.Summersiteweannouncedearlierthisweek.Anumberofthekeypointsaresummarizedonslide.
Asyouknow,theseplantswerebeingconstructedunderanEPCagreementwithaconsortiumofWestinghouseandChicagoBridgeandIronSubsidiaries,StoneandWebster.WestinghousehasannouncedthatittendstoacquireStoneandWebsterfromCB&I.Followingthatacquisition,StoneandWebsterwillcontinuetobepartytotheEPCagreementbutasasubsidiaryofWestinghouseinsteadofCB&I.TheamendmenttotheEPCagreementallowsCB&Itoexititsguaranteedobligationtotheproject.ObligationsundertheEPCagreementarejointandseveralobligationsofWestinghouseandStoneandWebsterandtheOctoberamendmentprovidesforToshibaCorporation,theparentcompanyofWestinghouse,toreaffirmit'saguaranteeoftheWestinghousepaymentobligation.
InexchangeforthereleaseoftheCB&Iguarantee,theamendmentoftheEPCcontract,andanoptiontofixprojectcosts,SCE&G,SanteeCooper,andWestinghousehaveagreedtoafullresolutionandsettlementofsubstantiallyallknownclaimsanddisputesoutstandingundertheEPCagreement.Underthisamendment,SCE&GhasagreedtopayWestinghouseincrementalcapitalcostsofcostofapproximately$millionoverthe$.billionapprovedinthePublicServiceCommission'srecentordernumber-.This,alongwithestimatedescalationandAFUDC,wouldbringthetotalgrossconstructioncostoftheprojecttoapproximately$.billion.TheamendmentalsorevisestheguaranteedsubstantialcompletiondatesofunitsandtoAugust,andrespectively.
SCE&Gshareofliquidateddamageswouldincreasefrom$millionto$million.Thenewliquidateddamagesaretiedtothenewguaranteedsubstantialcompletiondatesandtheeligibilityoftheunitstoearnfederalproductiontaxcredits.Westinghousealsohastheopportunitytoearn,fromSCE&G,completionbonusesofapproximately$millionor$.millionforeachunit,dependingonthetimingoftheplantsbeenplacedandtheservice.Inaddition,thisamendmentprovidesSCE&GforitselfanditsagentforSanteeCooper,anexclusiveandirrevocableoptionuntilNovember,,tofurtheramendtheEPCagreementtofixthetotalamountremainingtobepaidfortheentirescopeofworkontheprojectafterJune,,atapproximately$.billion,whichisSCE&G's%portionof$.billion.ThisfixedpriceoptionresultinSCE&GpayingWestinghouseincrementalprojectcostsofapproximately$millionoverthepreviousescalatedamountapprovedbythePSCof$.billion.Combinedwithestimated
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escalationandAFUDC,thiswouldbringthetotalgrossconstructioncostoftheprojecttoapproximately$.billion.
Ifthefixedpriceoptionisexercised,SCE&G'sshareofthedelayrelatedliquidateddamagesamountspreviouslyreferredtowouldthenbecappedatapproximately$millionor$millionperunit.ThecompletionbonustobepaidbySCE&Gwiththisoptionisapproximately$millionor$.millionforeachunit,dependingonthetimingoftheplantsbeingplacedinservice.Ourteamworkedveryhardtoincludetheunilateralfixedpriceoptionintothissettlement.Wewillbeevaluatingthepotentialbenefitsofthisoptionoverthenextseveralmonths.Ifelected,thisoptionwouldfixallcoststoWestinghouseatanapproximate%increaseoverthecurrentPSCapprovedbudget.We,alongwithourpartner,SanteeCooper,believethisoptionhassignificantvalue.
Onceourevaluationofthisoptioniscomplete,wewilldiscusswiththeSouthCarolinaofficeofregulatorystaff,ourconclusionregardingourdecisionwhethertoexercisetheoptionandmakeafilingwiththePublicServiceCommissionofSouthCarolina.Animportantpartoftheamendmentisthedevelopmentofanew,revisedconstructionpaymentmilestoneschedule.Overthenextfivemonths,oruntilthenewpaymentscheduleisagreedupon,SCE&Gwillmakemonthlypaymentsofapproximately$millionpermonth,ofwhichourshareis$million.Thereafter,paymentswillbemadetoWestinghousebasedonconstructionmilestonesachieved.
Afterthismilestonescheduleisagreedupon,andifthefixedpriceoptionisselectedandapproved,ourCapExscheduleJimmyreviewedonslide,willbeupdatedandourfinancingschedulewillbeconformedaswell.TheamendmentalsomodifiestheEPCagreementtoexplicitlydefinewhatconstitutesachangeinlawtoreducethelikelihoodofcertaincommercialdisputes.Adisputeresolutionboardwillbeestablishedforresolutionofdisputesastherequirementorabilitytobringsuitbeforesubstantialcompletionoftheprojecthasbeeneliminated.
Finally,I'mexcitedtohaveFluorCorporationinvolvedintheproject.FluorwasestablishedinSouthCarolinaandhasadeepnuclearpedigreewiththisnucleardivisionbeingheadquarteredinGreenville,SouthCarolina.We'vehadalongrelationshipwithFluorandbelievetheyhaveanexcellentrecordofdeliveringoncommitments.Thatconcludesourpreparedremarksandwewillnowbegladtorespondtoanyquestionsyoumighthave.
QUESTIONS&ANSWERS
Operator :
Wewillnowbeginaquestionandanswersession.
(OperatorInstructions)
AndrewWeiselofMacquarieCapital.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Hi,goodafternoon,guys.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Hey,Andrew.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Firstquestionisanoptiontoswitchfixedcostfortheconstruction.Whatwouldbesomeofthereasonsnottodoit?Youmentionedalotofthebenefits.Whatmightbesomereasonswhyyouwouldn'texercise
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itandwhendoyouthinkyoumightmakethatdecision?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Well,we'llmakethedecisionofthenexttomonths.Wehavemonthstomakethefinaldecision.WewanttotakesometimetoletFluorgetacclimatedtotheproject,havethemlookattheprojectschedule,thetimetableassociatedwiththecompletiondatesandgettheiropinioncombinedwithourevaluationofhowtheyintendtoapproachthecompletionoftheprojectsowecanevaluatetheoptionwe'reandaretoday,whichistocompletetheprojectwiththetargetpricingalongwithfixedandfirm.
Thebulkoftheprojectlefttobedoneisinthetargetcategory,whichmeanswepaythecostofthattheyincur.Thatisimportanttousbecausewewanttogettheirfeedbackontheachievementofthemilestonesandwhatriskswethinkwemayhavethere.Wethinkwe'vestrengthenedourriskpositiontherebecausewe'veincreasedtheLD'sontheprojectsignificantly.Ithinkitissixtimesifwegoundertheexistingoptiontoday.Oncewegetachancetofullyevaluatetheschedule,thenewcompletiondatesalongwiththeiroversightandourcompletetheevaluation,Ithinkwe'llbeinabetterpositiontomakethatdecision.
Wecertainlythinkthatfixedpriceoptionisveryappealing.Weworkedhardtonegotiatethatoptionintooursettlementbecauseitdoesgivesusadditionalprotectionsforrisingcost.Certainlyinterestratesandprojectedescalationratesbetweennowandthetimewemakethatdecisionwillhaveanimpactonwhichwaywemightgo.Wejustneedsomemoretimetoevaluatethatmorefully.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Okay,butitsoundslikeyou'releaningtowardtakingthatoptionorisittoosoon?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
No,Iwouldn'tmakethatdecisiontoday.Istillthinkit'sveryappealing.Itcertainlygivesusabackstopifweweretobecomfortablewithexistingoption,butIdon'twanttoleavetheimpressionthatwe'vemadethatdecisiontodaybecausewewantthattimetoevaluatewheretheprojectisgoing,towhatwethinkinterestratesmightdointhefuture,whatimpacttheycanhaveonescalationandjusttheoveralltimeschedule.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Gotit.Okay.Nextquestionismyunderstandingsofaryourpaymentschedulehasn'treallybeenbasedonthecompletionofmilestones,soyou'llneedtohaveatrue-upofwhathasbeenpaidsofar.Areyouexpectingtobeaheadorbehind?Inotherwords,areyouexpectingtogetsomecashbackfromcostoverrunstoday?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
We'recertainlynotaheadontheschedulebecausethatwasoneofthethingsthatdrove--thatwasbehindmanyofthe(inaudible)ontheprojectthatweresolvedwiththisamendment.Intheoriginalagreement,thereweretwotypesofpaymentstobemade.Someofthosewerebasedontime,justpassingthetimetableontheschedule,andothersbasedonactualworkdone.Thatgottobefairlycontentiousbecausewefeltlikeinsomecircumstanceswewerebeingbilledforworkthatwasnotbeingcompletedconsistentwiththeschedulewehadagreedtointheoriginalcontract.Whatthisamendmentdoesisitresolvesthosedifferences,soeverythingthathasbeenpaidtodateIthinkI'mconfidentinsayingthatwasforworkthat'sactuallybeenperformedontheproject.We'recertainlynotaheadofschedule.
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Sowhatwe'lldoiswe'regoingtoworkwithWestinghouseandFluorverycarefullytocomeupwithanewconstructionpaymentmilestoneschedule.Itwilltakeaboutfivemonthstodothat,we'veestimated,soduringthattimeon%basiswe'llbepaying$millionandthenattheendofsixmonthsthatwillbetruedupsowewon'tbeaheadorbehindatthatpoint,andthenfromthatpointononceweagreetotheschedule,paymentswillbemadeasmilestonesareachieved.Andthatwillbeverysimplyifthework'sdonethey'llbepaid.Iftheworkisnotdoneinaccordancewiththeschedule,regardlessofhowmuchtimehaspassed,therewillnotbeapaymentrequiredfromus.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Andthat$millionis%basis,soour%sharewillbe$million.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
That'sright.Thanks,Steve.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Okayandallofthatisembeddedinthefinancingslideyoushowed?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Itis,Andrew.SowhatwedidinupdatingthatscheduleissimplytooktheformulathatKevinandStevejustalludedtoandrecastthefirstsevenmonthsaccordingtothatbasisandthenextfivemonthsofwejustusedanestimateofwhatwehadthereexisting.Sowehaveatleastimproveditorwhatweknowforthosefirstfivetosevenmonths.We'rejustgoingtoneedtorefresheverythingoncewegettothatpointwherewe'rereadytotakethisbeforethecommissionandwewillrefreshourCapExandfinancingscheduleatthatpoint.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Okay,great.Lastly,isitsafetoassumethatthefinancingplan,equityinparticular,assumesnobonusdepreciation?Whatwouldthatlooklikeifyoudohaveanextension?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Bonusdepreciationisintheballparkof$millionayear.That'sthevalueofittousandyouareright,itdoesnotassumethat.
AndrewWeisel(Analyst-MacquarieCapitalSecurities):
Great,thankyouverymuch.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thanks,Andrew.
Operator :
JulienDumoulin-SmithofUBS.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Goodafternoon.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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Goodafternoon.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
So,withthedepreciationbenefitsinearningsnowhelpingyou,Isupposeyoutellme,drivetowardsclosetoyourauthorizedROE,howareyouthinkingaboutyourearningsgrowthratehere?Obviouslyit'sbetterthanthe%to%.Justthinkingmore[mathematically]here.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Firstofall,wedohavehistoricallydoneandaformalcommitmentwiththecommissiontorefreshourdepreciationrateseveryfiveyearsorso.Andthat'ssimpleenoughtodoandgetintotherateprocesswhenyouhaveaninflation-relateddrivenratecaseeverytwo,three,fouryears.SincewehavethestrategyofstayingoutofanybaserateincreasesotherthantheBLRA,weweregettingonoutsideofthattimeframe,sowerefreshedit,wenttothecommission,askedthemtoapproveit,theydidandwehaveimplementedthatnowforandforward.So,itiskindofaone-timeresetifyouwill.
Ultimately,itwillallbekindofputbackintothewholerateprocessatsomepointdowntheroadaftertheBLRAisoverandthenewunitsareinplace.Inthemeantimeyoucouldsaywemightbeontheupperedgeorslightlyoutsidethebandintheveryshortrun,butthatguidanceisathree-tofive-yearintermediatebandandnotjustaone-yearband.Idon'tknowthatthatreallyputsusoutsideofthatthree-tofive-yearbandbecauseweresetthateveryyear.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Butjusttoclarifyrealquickly,intermsofearningyourROEnextyear,there'snoreasonwhythisstepupthatyou'reseeingwiththedepreciationstudythat'sarealsustainablebenefitaccruingtoyouguys?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Itis.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Untilthenextratecasepresumably,asyousaid?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
That'srightandeverythinggetsresetthen,butwe'recomfortablewithourstrategyofearninginthat%to.%rangeonthebaseelectricbusinessforthenextthreeyearsbasedonwhatweknowtoday,obviously.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Gotit.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Basedonwhatweknowtoday,obviously.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Right.Andthenletmecutbacktothesalesgrowthexpectation.DidIhearyourightinsayingaslightdeclinenextyearinthebaselineforecastfortheguidance?Andcanyouexpandonwhythatmightbegiventheyear-to-dateexperience?
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JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes,becausetheyear-to-dateexperienceisinconsistentwiththelasttwoyears.Ifwewereconfidentthatweweregoingtogetgrowthyear-over-yearfromtowewouldhavemoreupside.Honestly,IhopeweexperiencethatbecausethatisagreatsignaloftheeconomyinSouthCarolinaifthatisthecase.Butatthispointourbestmodelingsaysthatforthefirsttimeitwillbealmostawashbetweentheincrementalmarginfromnewcustomersoffsetbytheslightmargindeclinefromallcustomersduetoenergyefficiency,etcetera.Honestly,that'sagoodsignforusbecauseasourwholeindustryhasdealtwiththelastseveralyears,thecustomergrowthhasbeenoverwhelmedbytheefficiencyandthedeclineinaverageuse.We'regladwe'rebacktobeabletoprojectthebreakevenandIhopewehavethechallengethatyoualludedtobecausethat'sgoodnewsfortheeconomy.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Right.Andthereisnospecificcustomerclassherethatyou'rehighlightingthatwoulddrivethat,right?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
No,butthepredominanceofitisintheresidentialcommercialclasses.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Right.Absolutely.Alright.Great.Thankyou.Congratsagain.
Operator :
JimvonRiesermannofMizuhoSecurities.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Hey,guys.Congratulationsonthesettlement.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thankyou,Jim.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Ijustwantedtofollow-uponsomeofJulien'squestions.Howmuchisthedepreciationeffectsupposedimpactfourthquarterearnings?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Jim,it'sabouta$.perquarterrunrate,so$.ayear.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Okay.Andthen--soIguessafollowupquestiontothatisyourtrailingis,what,$[]to$[]andyourinternalmidpointbeforewas$[]onaweather-normalizedbasis.Doyouexpecttohitthatnumber?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Doexpecttohitwhichnumber?
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
The$[]number,yourinternaltargetnumber?
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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JimmyAddison (CFO):
Wedo.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Okay.Secondly,switchingovertothesettlement,arethebonuspaymentsincludedinthecapitalcostsorarethoseincremental?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Theywouldbeincremental,Jim.Theyarenotincludedinthebasecostwedisclosedintheamendment.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Arethoseshareholderbornorcustomerborn?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thathasnotbeendetermined.We'llbebeforethecommissionandhaveachancetoexplainbothoftheseoptionsandthenwhichonewechoosetogowith.Sincewedon'tknowexactlywhetherornotthosewillbepaidoutatorwhatamountstheymightbepaidoutinforoneorbothunitsbecauseitisdoneonaperunitbasis,wecan'texactlydetermineifit'sgoingtobepaid.Wewouldliketohavetheseprojectscompletedontimeandhavethataniceproblemtohave.Wewilladdressthatwiththecommission.Iamlikelytobeaskedbythecommissionhowweperceivethatandmyrecommendationwouldbewewaituntiltheendoftheprojecttoseewhatfinalcostscomein.Thatisourmostlikelyrecommendationtothecommissionsincewecan'tdetermineexactlywhatthatwouldbetoday.Thatmightbeinfluencedbywhichoptionwetake,too.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Haveyouguyschattedwithratingagenciesyet?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Yes.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Whatwastheresponse?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Well,theyhavenotpublishedanythingyet.Iexpecttheywillinthenearterm,butjusttocharacterizetheoildiscussionsIthinkitwasgenerallyneutraltopositivewitheachofagencies.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Okay.Andthenlastlycouldyoujusttalkabouthowtherisksgetrebukedfromunderthesettlement?Imeanobviouslyyouabsolvedsomeofyourownriskthatyoubore,buthowmuch--whatsortofriskwouldyousaythatyoustillretainandtheriskthattheconstructionconsortiumretains?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Well,Iwouldsayourriskprofileundereitheroptionissignificantlyenhanced.Undertheexistingoptionwe'veresolvedalloftheseoutstandingissueseliminatestheriskofpotentiallitigationonthoseissues
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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andtherisksjustinherentgoingthroughthatprocessovertime.Ithinkthefactthatwesignificantlyraisedtheliquidateddamagesgivesusalotmoreprotection.Undertheexistingcontractualarrangement,ourliquidateddamagesaresixtimeswhattheywereintheoriginalcontract.Westillbeartheriskofpotentialincreasedescalationandjustincreasedinterestexpenseduringthattimeonthetargeteddollarsandthemajorityofdollarstobespentbetweennowandthecompletionoftheprojectareinthattargetbucket.ButIthinkwhenyouaddallofthosetogether,ourriskprofileiscertainlyreducedfromwhereitwasbeforewesignedtheamendment.
Onthefixedpriceoptionthatwehaveinfrontofus,IthinkthatreallyenhancesourriskprofilebecauseweshiftthatescalationriskbacktoWestinghouseandnotonlyriskbutthechangesinlaworchangeordersthatmightbeassociatedwiththeproject.We'vestillgotincentivespayableundereitheroptionthatwouldencouragethemtocompletetheunitsometime.Anythingthathelpsthathappeninaccordancewiththescheduleandtheguaranteedcompletiondateswouldlowerourriskprofile.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Jim,thisisSteve.Iwouldgiveoneamplificationtothat.UndereitherscenarioIthinkwe'veenhancedourriskprofilebecausewherewegetintocommercialdisputeswiththeconsortiumtoday,theylargelyrevolvearoundthedefinitionofachangeinlaw,andtheywouldusethetermregulatory-drivenchange,andthelanguagearoundchangeswe'veworkedonandincorporatedintothisagreementsignificantlyrestrictswhatwouldbeallowedasaregulatory-drivenchange,sowecertainlyimproveditfromthatperspective.Wealsohaveacontract,EPCcontract,rememberthatwassignedinabout,early,andthatwasbasedonthattimeoncurrentrevisionofthedesigncertificationdocument,orDCD,whichwasrev.Wearelicensedtorev.Sotheysubmittedacoupleofrevisionsbetweensigningitandthefinalapproval.Sothathascausedussomecommercialissuesintheinterim.WeresolvedthatdisagreementbyupdatingthecontractDCDrevwhichiswhatwearelicensedto.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
And,Jim,justsoweallgettopitchinonthisone.Oneotherfromafinancialperspective.Undertheoldagreementanytimewedisputedaninvoicewepaid%ofit,asyouareaware.Underthenewarrangement,ifwedisputeitwedon'tpayanythingandwegetafairlyrapidresolutionfromaresolutionboard.So,wethinkthatisamuchbettersituation,too,togetallthepartiestothetableandofcoursethereisonelesspartytogettothetablethantherewasinthepast.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Soletmeasklikeaworstcasebasis-typequestion.HasFluorandWestinghouselookedatthequalityworkthathasbeendonebyCB&I?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes,IthinkthatFluorhasnothadanopportunitytolookatthequality.Fluorwillnottakeoveruntilthedealiseffective.Thereisaperiodoftimeorregulatoryapprovalsofthedeal,standardstuff,perhapscomplicatedslightlybythefactthatToshibaisaforeignentity,sothereareregulatoryapprovalsthatneedtotakeplace.Thatiswhywethinkthatwillbeabouta-daywindowandthatiswhenFluorwillhavetheirfirstopportunitytoassessthingslikequality.ButWestinghousehashadanopportunitytoassessqualityashaveourfolks,andsowedon'tjustrelyonthequalityfromthevendor,inthiscaseCB&I.Wehaveourownqualitygroup,ourownqualityinspectors,andwesendourfolksnotjustofthesitebutwewillsendthemtofacilitiesthataremanufacturingcomponents,whetheritbeCB&Iorsomebodyelse,andwesendthemwhetheritisdomesticallyorinternationally,ourQAQCinspectorshavealotofstampsontheirpassports.WewillbeabletoassureFluorofthequalityoftheconstructionsofar.
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JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Soyou'rehappywiththequality,sothere'sgoingtobenoahhamomentiswhatyouaresaying?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Wedon'tanticipateanyahhamoments.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Thankyou,Jim.
Operator :
TravisMillerofMorningstar.
T ravisMiller (Analyst-Morningstar):
Thankyou,thatafternoon.Iwaswonderingonthisregulatorystuffintermsofasettlement,howmuchwereregulatorsinvolvedinthis?Eitheratthefederallevel,nuclearlevel,thestatelevel,wasanybodyinvolvedandwhatdoesthatmakeupintermsofregulatoryinvolvement?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Theywerenotdirectlyinvolvedinthenegotiations.Certainlywebriefedtheofficeofregulatorystaffbeforewemadeafinalannouncementofthesettlementagreement.Itwasourcommitmenttothecommissionwhenwewereintherethisyeartalkingaboutthecontractchangesandgettingtheapprovalsatthetimefortheexistingcontractthatwewouldcomebacktothemandletthemknowofanychangesinthestatusoftheproject.Weexpecttobebeforethecommissionhereinthenearfutureandtheex-partecommunicationwhichisthequickestwayforustogetinfrontofthemandeducatethemonmoreofthedetailsofthecontractualamendmentsinvolvedandhowtheoptionswouldworkfortheCompanygoingforward.Andofcourseoncewemakeafinaldecisionwe'dbeobligatedtogobackandmakethatfilingtoadjustthetimetablesandtheguaranteed--excuseme,andthecostassociatedwithit.
T ravisMiller (Analyst-Morningstar):
Okay.Youansweredmostofmysecondquestionthereintermsoftheregulatoryprocessthere.Isthereachancethatregulatorscoulddenyasettlement,sayitisnotincustomer'sinterest?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Certainlytheyhavegotthatoption.Everytimewegoin,ourcommissionhasbeenverysupportiveofwhatwe'vedoneonthisprojectinthepast.TheyviewitascriticalnotjusttoprovideenergytocustomersofSouthCarolinabutasakeycomponentofourresponsetotheDcleanpowerplants,soitisnotjustusbutalsoforourpartner,SanteeCooper.Sowefeellikewe'rewithintheguidelinesofthechallengesputbeforeustotrytocompletetheproject.Dependingonwhichoptionweelect,wewillgobackandpresentourcasetothecommissionastowhywedecidedtocontinuedownthesamepathorwhywebelieveitisthebestinteresttoelectthefixedoption.Theygenerallylistentoourtestimonyandevaluatedthatandmadeafairdecision.Icertainlycan'tguaranteethatbutIfeellikewewoulddoagoodjobexplainingourpositiontothecommissioninawaythattheycouldmakeaveryfairevaluationofourelection.
T ravisMiller (Analyst-Morningstar):
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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Okay.Andwhatkindoftimelinewouldthatbeon?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Whenwemakethedecision,oncewemakethefilingtheyhavesixmonthstorenderadecision.Soifweweretomakeadecision,forexample,toelectthefixedpriceoptioninearlyJunenextyear,theywouldhavetomakethatdecisionbyearlyDecember.Soit'sasix-monthwindowfromstarttofinish.
T ravisMiller (Analyst-Morningstar):
Gotit.Thankssomuch.Iappreciateit.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes,sir.
Operator :
PaulPattersonofGlenrockAssociates.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Goodafternoon.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Hey,Paul.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Doesthefixedpriceoptionscoverallmaterialsandlabororjustsomeofthem?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
ItcoversallremainingworktobedoneunderthecontractfromnoworactuallyfromJuneuntilcompletion.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Soitcoverseverything?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Okay.Andthenisthereanychangeinyourfinancingexpectationsoranythingasaresultofifyoudidmovetothefixedprice?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Paul,letmegobackandaddonethingtomypreviousanswer.Itdoescoverconstructioncosts.Westillhavetransmissionworktobedone,butthatisincludedinthetotalexpectedprojectcostsweprovided,sothosenumbersareallincludedintherebecausethetransmissionisoutsideoftheEPCcontractaswellasowner'scost.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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Ontoyournextquestionaboutfinancing.Nochangeinourphilosophyof/debtandequity.WejustneedtogetthroughtheprocessofreassessingFluor,makingouroptionchoice,goingtothecommissionandgettingthatapprovalhopefully,andthenrecastingthepaymentsaccordinglyandconformourfinancingscheduletothat.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Okay.Andthenthere'ssomefabricationdiscussionofmovingthefabricationfromFloridatootherplaces.Isthataffectedbytheamendedagreement?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Paul,thisisSteve.ThediscussionaboutthefacilityinFloridathatwasfabricatingsomeofthesubmodules,thatwasgoingtobethecasewhetherwestayedundertheexistingcontractorgoundereitherthetwooptionsthatwe'reproposing.Sothere'safacilityinFloridaandtheyaremovingthatworkfromthatfacilityinFloridabacktotheLakeCharlesfacilityforthetrailingunit,andfortheleadingunitwe'reactuallytakingthosecomponentstooursiteandwe'refinishingthesubmodulefabricationtherebeforewefathomintothelargermodules.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Whyisthat?Whyisitbeingmoved?Whatwasthereasonforthechange?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Ithinkitistwothings.One,thatfacilityhadsomeissuesbetweenthemselvesandCB&Iand,secondly,theyhadalotofworktodo,thingswerebackingup.Theydidhavesomequalityissueswhiletheycameuptospeedandwejustthinkwecandoitmoreexpeditiouslyatoursite.
PaulPatterson (Analyst-GlenrockAssociates):
Okay,great.Thankssomuch.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Thanks,Paul.
Operator :
FelixCarmenofVisiumAssetManagement.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
Hi.Goodafternoon.Congratulationsonthequarter.Sorryifthiswasalreadyasked.Ijustwantedtoclarify.Inourguidancenumber,whatareweassumingforthebaseelectricbusiness?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Wehaven'tbeenexplicitaboutanROE,buttodaywe'reatabout.%andwe'recomfortablewe'llbeinthatbandof%to.%forthenextthreeyearsbasedonourassumptionstodate.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
Soisitokaytoassumethatthenexttimewefollowratecasetherewouldbeafterthethree-yearcycle?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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Weclearlysetourstrategytonotfileabaserateincreasewhilewe'redoingthesenuclearpeakconstructionyearsso,yes,thatisasafeassumption.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
Okay,thankyou.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Share.
Operator :
MichaelLapidesofGoldmanSachs.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Hey,guys.CongratsonthearrangementwithWestinghouse,Toshibaetcetera.Itsoundslikeagreatdealandlookforwardtochattingwithyouaboutinmoredetail.Acoupleofminorquestions.Firstofall,canyougiveusanupdateonhownuclearCapExisprogressing?Inoticedthetabledidnothavenumbersonitandjustwantedtoseerelativetoyourlastdisclosurewhetherthere'sbeenanychangetobeexpectedspendthisyearontheproject?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes,Michael,wearealittlebehind.OurexpectedspendthereI'dsayinthe$millionorsorange.Idon'tknowalotofthatwillbemadeupbetweenobviouslywithonlyacouplemonthsleftinthetransitiongoingonnow,butthat'skindofwherewearethroughtheyear,yeartodate.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit.Okay.Soweshouldbringdownournumberalittlebitandjustassumethatisembeddedineitherthe-timelineorinthelastyearorsooftheproject?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Youcaninyourassumptions.Iwouldtellyouthatfromourbasisitisinourguidancebothforand.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit,okay.RealquickontheDNAstudyandtheimpact,IwanttomakesureI'mcapturingtheEPSimpactofthiscorrectly.So,nextyearwhatistheincrementalEPSimpactinthatyou'renotgoingtorecognizein?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
About$.willimpactandanincremental$.inforanaggregate$.andthatwillbetherunrateforforward.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit.IwanttomakesureItiethatbackbecauseintheslidedeckitmentions$.inthisquarterinthirdquarter.Isthatjust--it'snotthefull$.becauseoftheratecreditthatwasdoneorthereductionthatwasdoneonthedeferredfuelbalance?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
That'sexactlyright.Wedidrecordthreequarters'worthinintothirdquarterbecauseitappliedbackto
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January,butthefirsttwoquarterswenttooffsetthefuelsoyouonlygotnetincomeimpactofonequarterinthroughtheQrecording.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit.Lastthing.InlookingattheCapExscheduletheutilityCapExinNorthCarolinaatthegasutilitythere,itseemslikeit'sagoodbithigherwhenwegetouttoand.Canyoutalkaboutthat,talkaboutthetimingandplansforpotentialratecasefilingsandhowyouwouldorarethereothermechanismsthatcangiveyougreatreliefafterspendingandsignificantcapitallevelthere?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Obviouslythelowpriceofnaturalgasisdrivenalotofopportunityforindustryforelectricgenerationfromgasplants,etcetera,andthathascertainlybeenthecaseinNorthCarolina.Wehavehadalotofopportunitiesthathavepoppedup.Wehaveexecutedsomecontractsinthelastquarterortwothathavedriventhisneedtoenhanceourexistingplanstogrowthetransmissionsystem,sothat'swhatreallydrivingthesenumbers.Clearlyitisstartingtodrivedowntheearnedreturnandsoitwilldrivetheneedforarateproceedingitsometimeinthefuture.We'venotmadeanyfinaldecisionsonthat,butIexpectwewillhavesomeannouncementaroundthatin.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit.Somaybeacaseinimplementedinoracaseinimplementedin,kindofsomewhereinthattimehorizon?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Again,haven'tmadeanyfinaldecisionsbuttodayIwouldsayit'smorelikelyyourfirstscenariothanthesecond.
MichaelLapides (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Gotit.Okay.Thanks,guys.Muchappreciated.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Sure.
Operator :
DanJenkinsofStateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Hi,goodafternoon.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Hi,Dan.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
JustfollowingonMichael'squestionsthereontheCapExchanges.Iwaslookingattheprior(inaudible-audiolow)itlookslikewasupbyabout$million--no,about$millionandisupbyabout$millionversuswhatyouhadinlastquarter'sslides.Wasthatduetotheadditionaldelaysoristhatduetoworknotgettingdoneinthat'spushedintoorhowshouldIthinkaboutthat?
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JimmyAddison (CFO):
Dan,areyoutalkingaboutthetotalCapExbecausethenumbersIhavearethatweareupabout$millionforanddownabout$millionforoverall?
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
I'mlookingatthebottomofthetotalestimatedcapitalexpendituresatthebottom.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Weareonlyattoabout--sorry,yougoahead.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
SotheslideI'mlookingatlastquarterversusestimatedat[]andforhad[]?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
ThatisnotwhatIhaveinfrontofme.Wewillhavetoclearthatup.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
ThisiswhatI--Ijustpulleditupfromthewebsite.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Letmegiveyoualittlecoloronwhatwehavechanged.So,we'vemadethebestestimatewecanonthenuclear,asIdescribedearlierforbasedupontherevisedagreement.TheotherthingwehavedoneistherearereductionsintheSCE&GbaseelectricbusinessjustbaseduponourcommitmenttoscrubtheCapExforthatbusinessandtrytoavoidanybaseelectricrateincreases.TheothersignificantchangeisaddingtheCapExtotheNorthCarolinagassystem,PSNCEnergy,andsowehadabout$millioninand$millioninfromPSNC.Sothosearethethreelargechanges.For,$milliondowninelectric,[]upatPSNC,and[]upinnuclear.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Okay.ThenIhadaquestiononslideonthecustomersalesandcustomergrowth.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Againlookingatlastquarter's(inaudible-audiotoolow),Irealizetheseare--I'mlookingatthetableatthebottomforkilowatthours.Irealizethisismonthsendingnumbers,buttherearebigchangesandtheweathernormalizedsotheresidentialwentfrombasicallynegativebasispointstopositiveandcommercialfrompositivetopositive,andthenconverselyindustrialwentfrom.%downto.%,soareyouseeingthatkindofbigchangesfromquartertoquarterorwhat?Canyougiveusmorecoloronwhat'sgoingoninthebandfromthevariouscustomersegments?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
WeareseeingthatkindofchangefromquartertwoquarterandIwouldtellyouthatitprobablyhasmoretodowiththeslidebeforethatontheeconomythananythingelseinouropinion.Letmegiveyoualittle
CompanyName:SCANACorpCompanyTicker:SCGSector:Utilit iesIndustry:Utilit ies
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moredepthonthat.SoasIsaidinmyearlierpreparedcomments,thereare,moreSouthCaroliniansworkingtodaythantherewereayearago.Theunemploymentratehasdroppedfrom.%to.%,butthatonlytellspartofthestory.Theworkforcehasexpanded%.So,iftheworkforcewerethesameleveltodaythatitwereayearago,theunemploymentratewouldbelessthan%inSouthCarolina.
Sotheindustrialrecruitmentinthestatehasbeenarealhomerun.Ourgovernorhasmadethatcentraltoherplatformandshehasbeenextremelysuccessful,andwe'veseenitintheRNCmarketsasaresultofthat.Now,contrastthattoNorthCarolinawheretheworkforcehasexpanded.%contrastedtoGeorgiawhereit'sactuallyslightlydown,almostbreakeven,year-over-year.SouthCarolinaisreallygrowing.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Iguesskindoftheconcernthoughisthebigslowdownintheindustrialsectorandwhatthatmightmeangoingforward.Doyoumaybehaveanycolorastowhythatdroppedsomuch?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Idon't.Idon'thaveanyspecificlargeclosingsoranythinglikethatthathasdrivenit,thatI'maware.I'mnottooconcernedaboutthemintheshortrun.Iknowthepipelineofprojectsthatwe'retalkingaboutthatcouldbecomingaroundthecorner.Ijustmetthisweekwithourheadofindustrialareaabouttwonewpotentiallargeprojectsinthearea,soIreallydon'thaveanyspecificconcernthere.Ithinksomeofthosemayberelatedtoreal-timepricingcustomersthatchosetocomeoffthesystemduringtheheatofthesummerratherthanpaysomeofthepricestheymighthavehadtopay.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Okay.Andthenmylastsetofquestionsisrelatedtothenuclearconstructionscheduleandkindofthecriticalpathitems.ItsoundslikemaybeforunititistheCA?Isthatcorrect?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Sayagain,Dan?
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Thecriticalpathitemsbothforunitand,soisthenextoneforunitthatCAthatyousaidisgoingtobeplacedinfirsthalfoforistheresomethingelsebeforethat?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
ThenextoneofthestructuralmodulestobeplacedwillbeCAyoumentioned.Thecriticalpathrightnowontheunitreallyisstillrunningthroughtheshieldbuildingandwedidplacethefirstrowofthoseshieldbuildingpanelslastquarterandweanticipatedoingsomemoreofthoseinthenearfuture,butthecriticalpathfortheunits,reallybothunits,stillrunsthroughtheshieldbuilding.Receivetheshieldbuildingpanels,fituptheshieldbuildingpanels,andthenpouringtheconcreteinthepanelsoncetheyareinplaceandwelded.
DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Whatabout--soforunitisprettymuchthesameasunitoristheregiventhatthereisayeardifferenceinthekindof--?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Dan,it'sbasicallythesamestoryforunit.
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DanJenkins (Analyst-StateofWisconsinInvestmentBoard):
Okay.Thankyouthat'sallIhave.
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Thanks,Dan.
Operator :
MitchellMossofLordAbbett.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Justwantedtogetacoupleclarificationsonthenuclearcosts?Lookingattheslidethatshowsthedifferentoptions,sorryjust(inaudible--audiotoolow).
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Ithinkthatisslide.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Slide,yes.OftheupdatedamountscomparingtheoldordertobeamendedEPC,istherearoughbreakdownhowmuchofthatisrelatedtothetwomonths'delayandthesubstantialcompletedatesversusincreaseinconstructioncostsorotherstuff?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thebiggestpartofthatwouldbeabout$millionamonthandowner'scosts,soapproximately$millionofthatwouldberelatedtothatcategory.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Okay.AndthenifIthinkabouttheaddedcostofgoingfromtheamendedEPCtothefixedpriceoptionitlookslikeit'saround$millionIguessofadditionalprojectcost.IfIdothemathfrompriorpresentation,toCapExisprojectedtobearound$billion.SoshouldIthinkthatthatincremental$millioneffectivelywouldfixtheto?Ifyou'renotgoingtomakeyourdecisionnecessarilyuntillate,theneffectivelyyou'rereallyjustfixingthetoCapEx?
KevinMarsh (CEO):
Well,Mitchell,wearefixingifweelectedthefixedpriceoptionbutitdoesn'ttrackwecorrelatetoanykindofspecificburnrate.Remember,therealdifferenceasyoulookthereatabout$milliondifferenceyoupointout,thatreallyistheriskthatthecontractorwillpriceintofixittous.Sowhatyou'redoingispayingariskpremiumandthey'rehavingtomakeassumptionsaroundthingslikeinflation,whattheescalationratesaregoingtobe.Sothatreallywasanegotiatednumber,butitreallyisreflectiveoftheriskthatnowthecontractorwillhavetotakeoff.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Mitchell,reflectiveofallpaymentsmadeafterJuneofyear.Ifweelectafixedpriceoption,anythingwepaysinceJuneupuntilthetimeweelectthatoptionwegetcreditforit%.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
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Mitchell,theCapExscheduleonpage,wemadeourbestestimateofhowthisamendmentwillaffectthecashflowintheshort-termbutasKevinsaidinhispreparedcomments,oncethismilestonepaymentscheduleisdeveloped,we'regoingtohavetocomefromtheCapExschedulethematterwhichoptionwegowithtomatchthat.SothosenumberswillchangeI'msure,Ijustdon'tknowexactlyhowatthispoint.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Sorry,theywillchangebasedonwhat?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
ThemilestonepaymentschedulethatKevincoveredearlier,developthismilestonepaymentscheduleisgoingtobetiedtospecificmilestonesbeingaccomplishedandthenwe'llperformourCapExandfinancingscheduletothat,dependinguponwhichoptionweelect.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Okay,butoncethefixedpriceoptionisselectedthatmilestonepaymentschedulewon'tmattersomuch?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Themilestonescheduleisreallycriticalbecausewhatwe'regoingtodohereforthenextfourorfivemonthsisdevelopaschedulesothere'sclarityastowhatneedstobecompletedforapaymenttobemadetoWestinghouse.Andsooncethatscheduleiscompleted,there'llbedollarsassignedtothatifwecontinueundertheexistingcontract,andthentherewillbedollarsassignedtothatifweweregoingunderthefixedpricecontract.Sotheschedulewillremaininplaceundereitheroption,butthepaymentsthatgoalongwithitwillbebasedonwhetherwetakethefixedpriceoptionorcontinueundertheoptionwe'reworkingundertoday.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Sotocontractthat,we'renotgoingtomakeanypaymentsinthefutureafterthispaymentscheduleisagreedtobaseduponthecalendar.They'regoingtobebaseduponactualresults.
MitchellMoss (Analyst-LordAbbett):
Okay,okay.Thankyouverymuch.
Operator :
(Operator
JulienDumoulin-SmithofUBS.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Heythereagain.Sorrytofollowuphere.Ijustwantedtoreachbackonthefixedpriceoptionandjustkindofunderstandwherethepotentialliabilitiesstilllieonyoursideifthereisindeedaprotractedschedulehere?Couldyouperhapsgiveusasensealittlebitmore--IknowyoucovereditalittlebitwithPaul,buttotheextentyouhaveatimelineshift,whereareyouresponsible,whatspecificcostsareyouresponsibleforinthefixedpriceoptionthatyou'velaidoutifyouchoosetogothatway?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Okay.Thetotalfixedpriceoptionwouldbe$.billionaswe'velaidoutonslide,thethirdorfourthlinedown.Thatwouldbethetotalexpecttoprojectcost.Ofthat,thecapitalcostportionortheconstruction
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contractEPCcontractwouldbe$.billion.Sotheadditionalamountwouldbeescalationtodateontheexistingworkthat'sbeendoneandthensomeadditionaldollars,theadditional$millionassociatedwiththeschedulemovingouttwomonthsforownerscosts,butthebulkofthatisfixedinthefixedpricecontractandthatwouldbebasedonthatguaranteedsubstantialcompletiondates.SounitAugustandunitAugustandtheliquidateddamagesarekeyedoffeachofthosedatesforspecificunits.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Gotit.Couldyougiveusasenseofhowmuchyouwouldbeexposedtoandbywhatvariablesifyouweretohave,forinstance,theshiftoffofthatAugustanddate?Justtokindofgiveusasenseofthemagnitudethere?Iappreciatethatalotofitwouldbepresumablyfixedbut--.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Julien,thisisSteve.TheonlythingthatwouldbefixedwouldbethethingswewouldberesponsibleforoutsideoftheEPCcontract,sothatwouldbeourowner'scostandthenthetransmission,butwecanfinishthetransmissioneveniftheplantsarenotfinished.So,reallyitcomesdowntojustowner'scost.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Canyoureminduswhatthatispermonth?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Yes,we'relookingatourburnrateonowner'scostsomewhereintherangeof$millionamonth.
JulienDumoulin-Smith (Analyst-UBS):
Gotit,excellent.Well,thankyouagain.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Yes,Sir.
Operator :
JimvonRiesemannofMizuhoSecurities.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
I'mgoingtogobacktodepreciationasecondifyouguysdon'tmind.SowhatweretheassetsthatwerechangedinthedepreciationlinestogetsuchabignumberonanEPSbasis?I'msorryI'veforgottenthat.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Idon'tknowthatyou'veforgottenit,Idon'tthinkit'sbeenpublishedanywhere,butwerefreshedourentirecomprehensivedepreciationstudyacrossthewholeelectricsystem,soincludestheT&Dandthegenerationsystem.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
CanyoubucketwhichmighthavebeengenerationversusT&D?I'mtryingtothinkofwhatyourbiggenerationassetsarebecauseonealreadyhasalong,usefullife,right?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
We'redowntoaboutfivesignificantgeneratingplantsoutsideofnewnuclear.AndsoIreallycan'tgive
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youthebucketsheretoday,Jim.YoucanprobablygotothePSEwebsiteandgetmoredetailsonitpubliclythere.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Okay.
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Bigpicture,Jim.Itistryingtomatchuptherealexpectedlivestothedepreciationscheduleandforexampleatournuclearfacilitieswewouldanticipatethatasopposedtojusta-yearlifeextensionthatwewillbepursuingasecondlifeextension,sothatwouldtakethatplantouttoyearstotal.Andthenwe'reusingactualhistoryonsomeoftheplantswebeenoperatingandwe'reextendingthedepreciationscalesoutonthoseplantstoagainmatchupwithwhatwereallythinkistheusefullife.
JimvonRiesemann (Analyst-MizuhoSecuritiesUSA):
Okay,thatiswhatIwasafter.Thanks,Steve.
Operator :
DavidFishmanofGoldmanSachs.
DavidFishman (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Hey,guys.Thanksfortakingmycall.Ijusthaveaquickfollow-uponwhatMichaelaskedabout.Iwasjustwondering,doesPSNChavehistoricalorforwardtestyears?
SteveByrne (COOofSCE&G):
Historical.
DavidFishman (Analyst-GoldmanSachs):
Historical.Alright.Great.Thankyou.Congratsagain.
Operator :
FelixCarmenofVisiumAssetManagement.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
Justaquickfollow-up.Whenwecomedowntothepointofmakingadecisionbetweenthefixedoptionandthecurrent,woulditmakesensetogetcommissionapprovalpriortochoosingthefixedoptionorhowshouldwethinkaboutthat?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Thewaytheprocesswouldworkiswehaveanobligationtogobacktothecommissionifthere'sachangeintheprice,thecapitalcostschedulethatthey'vealreadyapproved,soeitheroptionwouldrequireustogobacktothe(inaudible)atsomepoint,soweneedtomakeanelectionofwhichoptionwebelieveissuperiorsowecangobacktothecommissionandaskforapprovalofthatoption.Itwouldn'tbelikelythatwewouldgobacktothecommissionandsaytelluswhichoneyoulikeandwe'llhavedownthatroad.They'lllookforustomakeaspecificrecommendationtothem.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
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Andwhencanweexpectthattohappen?
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Wehavemonthsfromtheeffectivedatetomakethatoptionso--excuseme,itrunsthroughNovember,.That'sthespecificdateinthecontract.
FelixCarmen (Analyst-VisiumAssetManagement):
Okay,thankyou.
Operator :
Ladiesandgentlementhatwillconcludeouranswersession.IwouldliketohandtheconferencebackovertoJimmyAddisonforhisclosingremarks.
JimmyAddison (CFO):
Well,thankyouverymuchandcertainlysofarthisyearhasbeenveryeventful.We'reverypleasedwithourprogresswiththeresolutiontothenegotiationsandwithourfinancialresultsforthefirstthreequarters.Wecontinuetofocusonthenewnuclearconstructionandoperatingallofourbusinessinasafeandreliablemanner,andwethankyouallforjoiningustodayandforyourinterestinSCANA.Haveagoodday.
Operator :
Andtheconferencehasnowconcluded.
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