Xcel Energy (XEL) 10-K2020 FY Annual report

The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically at http://www.sec.gov. The information on Xcel Energy’s website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference in, this annual report on Form 10-K.

Xcel Energy intends to make future announcements regarding Company developments and financial performance through its website, www.xcelenergy.com, as well as through press releases, filings with the SEC, conference calls and webcasts.

Except for the historical statements contained in this report, the matters discussed herein are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements, including the 2021 EPS guidance, long-term EPS and dividend growth rate objectives, future sales, future bad debt expense, future operating performance, estimated base capital expenditures and financing plans, projected capital additions and forecasted annual revenue requirements with respect to rider filings, and expectations regarding regulatory proceedings, as well as assumptions and other statements are intended to be identified in this document by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “possible,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Actual results may vary materially. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking information.

The following factors, in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2020 (including risk factors listed from time to time by Xcel Energy Inc. in reports filed with the SEC, including “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K hereto), could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: uncertainty around the impacts and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; operational safety, including our nuclear generation facilities; successful long-term operational planning; commodity risks associated with energy markets and production; rising energy prices and fuel costs; qualified employee work force and third-party contractor factors; ability to recover costs; changes in regulation and subsidiaries’ ability to recover costs from customers; reductions in our credit ratings and the cost of maintaining certain contractual relationships; general economic conditions, including inflation rates, monetary fluctuations and their impact on capital expenditures and the ability of Xcel Energy Inc. and its subsidiaries to obtain financing on favorable terms; availability or cost of capital; our customers’ and counterparties’ ability to pay their debts to us; assumptions and costs relating to funding our employee benefit plans and health care benefits; our subsidiaries’ ability to make dividend payments; tax laws; effects of geopolitical events, including war and acts of terrorism; cyber security threats and data security breaches; seasonal weather patterns; changes in environmental laws and regulations; climate change and other weather; natural disaster and resource depletion, including compliance with any accompanying legislative and regulatory changes; and costs of potential regulatory penalties.

Xcel Energy’s clean energy leadership extends to our natural gas distribution system as we work to keep our methane emissions rate below 0.2%. Our plans include the following:

Xcel Energy is committed to providing programs that customers want and value. We continue to expand renewable offerings and promote cost savings and conservation programs, in which we have invested over $2 billion in the past decade.

Xcel Energy is transforming our electric grid to accommodate increased levels of renewables and distributed energy resources and continues to offer customers directly sourced renewable energy solutions. We are also working to develop new programs for C&I customers who desire higher than standard service reliability, with the goal being to make it both easy and affordable for business customers to meet their resiliency needs.

Additionally, we have partnered with policymakers, state agencies and innovative partners to develop nation-leading electric vehicle solutions for our customers. Our electric vehicle plans include residential, fleet and public charging offerings. In 2020, our residential, flat-fee subscription service pilot won Public Utility Fortnightly’s Smartest Transportation Electrification Project award. Xcel Energy has full or pilot electric vehicle programs underway in Minnesota, Colorado and Wisconsin, including our $110 million, three-year Colorado plan which was approved in December 2020.

In 2020, we set an ambitious goal to power 1.5 million electric vehicles across our service territory by 2030, which is estimated to save customers $1 billion in fueling costs and cut carbon emissions by nearly 5 million tons annually by 2030.

Affordability is foundational to our strategy. Our goal is to keep bill increases at or below the rate of inflation. Xcel Energy has kept residential bills relatively flat since 2013.

Our states benefit from strong wind and solar capacity factors. This geographic advantage, coupled with renewable tax credits and avoided fuel costs, enables Xcel Energy to increase its investment in renewables while saving customers money. We call this our “Steel for Fuel” strategy. From 2017 to 2020, we added nearly 3,000 MW of wind to our system while delivering approximately $430 million in fuel savings to our customers.

Xcel Energy continues to control O&M expense without compromising reliability or safety. Since 2014, total O&M has remained flat and we expect annual growth to remain below 1% through 2025 as declines in base O&M offset approximately $100 million of incremental wind O&M. We are continuing to prudently invest in appropriate areas and remain committed to taking costs out of the business through ongoing improvements in processes and technology.

Successful execution of our strategy, along with our disciplined approach to growth, investments, operations and management of environmental, social and corporate governance issues, positions Xcel Energy to continue delivering a competitive TSR.

Social

We work to foster economic sustainability and continued affordability by partnering with communities, policymakers and customers to build facilities, foster job growth and attract new businesses. In 2020, Xcel Energy completed 20 economic development projects across our service territory. Additionally, 71% of Xcel Energy’s supply chain spend was local.

In addition to our annual giving, in 2020 Xcel Energy further supported our communities by committing the net gain of nearly $20 million from our Mankato plant sale to short and long-term corporate giving.

Safety is embedded in our values and governance practices, and Xcel Energy is focused on preventing life-altering injuries. All employees have “stop work authority” to keep each other, our customers and the public safe. Through our Safety Always approach, employees are encouraged to share experiences and learn from events to help protect themselves, their coworkers and the public.

Xcel Energy’s success depends on our ability to actively implement programs to attract, hire, develop and retain skilled employees. Our workforce strategy is designed to put the best talent in place, create a culture that motivates employees to lead the way in achieving our clean energy goals and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Xcel Energy has implemented a strategic, data-driven approach to workforce and succession planning, which includes best practices in learning and development. Additionally, Xcel Energy partners with educational and community organizations to attract and hire diverse employees who reflect the communities we serve. Also, hiring veterans is a key focus of our workforce strategy, with approximately 10% of employees having served in the military. Xcel Energy offers its employees a competitive benefits package which includes: performance-based compensation, healthcare benefits, recognition programs and an employee development program that emphasizes ongoing coaching.

Xcel Energy views diversity, equity and inclusion as an integral part of who we are, how we operate and how we see our future. We are committed to an inclusive culture where diversity is celebrated and employees are treated equitably. Our senior leadership team leads by example, fostering an inclusive work environment, which recognizes the need for crucial conversations on diversity. Additionally, Xcel Energy supports an inclusive environment by offering company-wide trainings on topics addressing microinequities and unconscious bias. We hold ourselves accountable and measure our progress through corporate scorecard metrics that include, among other things, employee feedback in our engagement survey Inclusion Index.

Governance

For decades, Xcel Energy has fostered a culture of compliance and ethical conduct. Our Code of Conduct serves as the foundation that all employees, contractors and the Board of Directors are expected to follow, along with corporate policies that establish rules and guidelines in areas such as safety, environmental leadership, diversity, community giving and political contributions.

Xcel Energy has a diverse and qualified Board of Directors, with eight members elected within the past five years.

We consistently set aggressive goals and hold ourselves accountable to our customers, communities and investors. Xcel Energy instituted Board of Directors oversight of environmental performance in 2000 and was among the first U.S. utilities to tie carbon reduction directly to executive compensation over fifteen years ago.

In 2020, 60% of annual incentive pay was tied to safety and system reliability. In 2021, we added an incentive-based metric to reinforce our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Xcel Energy has clear Board of Directors committee oversight for safety and our human capital strategy, including diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Owned and Purchased Energy Generation — 2020

Solar PPA(s):

Plans for our remaining Colorado coal fleet will be outlined when PSCo submits its 2021 resource plan, which is expected to be filed in March 2021.

Xcel Energy has 22 natural gas plants with approximately 7,900 MW of total 2020 net summer dependable capacity.

Natural gas supplies, transportation and storage services for power plants are procured to provide an adequate supply of fuel. Remaining requirements are procured through a liquid spot market. Generally, natural gas supply contracts have variable pricing that is tied to natural gas indices. Natural gas supply and transportation agreements include obligations for the purchase and/or delivery of specified volumes or payments in lieu of delivery.

Notable upcoming projects:

Distribution

Distribution lines allow electricity to travel at lower voltages from substations directly to homes and businesses. Xcel Energy has a vast distribution network, owning and operating approximately 210,000 conductor miles of distribution lines across our eight-state service territory, both above ground and underground.

To continue providing reliable, affordable electric service and enable more flexibility for customers, we are working to digitize the distribution grid, while at the same time keeping it secure. Over the five year project, Xcel Energy plans to invest approximately $1.8 billion implementing new network infrastructure, smart meters, advanced software, equipment sensors and related data analytics capabilities.

These investments will further improve reliability and reduce outage restoration times for our customers, while at the same time enabling new options and opportunities for increased efficiency savings. The new capabilities will also enable integration of battery storage and other distributed energy resources into the grid, including electric vehicles.

See Item 2 - Properties for further information.

Xcel Energy is subject to public policies that promote competition and development of energy markets. Xcel Energy’s industrial and large commercial customers have the ability to generate their own electricity. In addition, customers may have the option of substituting other fuels or relocating their facilities to a lower cost region.

Customers have the opportunity to supply their own power with distributed generation including solar generation and in most jurisdictions can currently avoid paying for most of the fixed production, transmission and distribution costs incurred to serve them.

Several states have incentives for the development of rooftop solar, community solar gardens and other distributed energy resources. Distributed generating resources are potential competitors to Xcel Energy’s electric service business with these incentives and federal tax subsidies.

The FERC has continued to promote competitive wholesale markets through open access transmission and other means. Xcel Energy’s wholesale customers can purchase their output from generation resources of competing suppliers or non-contracted quantities and use the transmission systems of the utility subsidiaries on a comparable basis to serve their native load.

FERC Order No. 1000 established competition for construction and operation of certain new electric transmission facilities. State utility commissions have also created resource planning programs that promote competition for electric generation resources used to provide service to retail customers.

Xcel Energy Inc.’s utility subsidiaries have franchise agreements with cities subject to periodic renewal; however, a city could seek alternative means to access electric power or gas, such as municipalization.

While each utility subsidiary faces these challenges, Xcel Energy believes their rates and services are competitive with alternatives currently available.

See Item 7 for discussion of public utility regulation.

Our facilities are regulated by federal and state agencies that have jurisdiction over air emissions, water quality, wastewater discharges, solid wastes and hazardous substances. Certain Xcel Energy activities require registrations, permits, licenses, inspections and approvals from these agencies. Xcel Energy has received necessary authorizations for the construction and continued operation of its generation, transmission and distribution systems. Our facilities operate in compliance with applicable environmental standards and related monitoring and reporting requirements. However, it is not possible to determine when or to what extent additional facilities or modifications of existing or planned facilities will be required as a result of changes to regulations, interpretations or enforcement policies or what effect future laws or regulations may have. We may be required to incur expenditures in the future for remediation of MGP and other sites if it is determined that prior compliance efforts are not sufficient.

Environmental costs include amounts for nuclear plant decommissioning and payments for storage of spent nuclear fuel, disposal of hazardous materials and waste, remediation of contaminated sites, monitoring of discharges to the environment and compliance with laws and permits with respect to emissions.

Costs charged to operating expenses for nuclear decommissioning, spent nuclear fuel disposal, environmental monitoring and remediation and disposal of hazardous materials and waste were approximately:

Average annual expense of approximately $465 million from 2021 – 2025 is estimated for similar costs. The precise timing and amount of environmental costs, including those for site remediation and disposal of hazardous materials, are unknown. Additionally, the extent to which environmental costs will be included in and recovered through rates may fluctuate.

Capital expenditures for environmental improvements were approximately:

See Item 7 for discussion of capital expenditures and funding sources.

Management also identifies and analyzes risk through the business planning process, development of goals and establishment of key performance indicators, including identification of barriers to implementing Xcel Energy’s strategy. The business planning process also identifies likelihood and mitigating factors to prevent the assumption of inappropriate risk to meet goals.

Management communicates regularly with the Board of Directors and key stakeholders regarding risk. Senior management presents and communicates a periodic risk assessment to the Board of Directors, providing information on the risks that management believes are material, including financial impact, timing, likelihood and mitigating factors. The Board of Directors regularly reviews management’s key risk assessments, which includes areas of existing and future macroeconomic, financial, operational, policy, environmental and security risks.

Additionally, compliance with existing and potential new regulations related to the operation and maintenance of our natural gas infrastructure could result in significant costs. The PHMSA is responsible for administering the DOT’s national regulatory program to assure the safe transportation of natural gas, petroleum and other hazardous materials by pipelines. The PHMSA continues to develop regulations and other approaches to risk management to assure safety in design, construction, testing, operation, maintenance and emergency response of natural gas pipeline infrastructure. We have programs in place to comply with these regulations and systematically monitor and renew infrastructure over time, however, a significant incident or material finding of non-compliance could result in penalties and higher costs of operations.

Our natural gas and electric transmission and distribution operations are dependent upon complex information technology systems and network infrastructure, the failure of which could disrupt our normal business operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to process transactions and provide services.

Our utility operations are subject to long-term planning and project risks.

Most electric utility investments are planned to be used for decades. Transmission and generation investments typically have long lead times and are planned well in advance of in-service dates and typically subject to long-term resource plans. These plans are based on numerous assumptions such as: sales growth, customer usage, commodity prices, economic activity, costs, regulatory mechanisms, customer behavior, available technology and public policy. Xcel Energy’s long-term resource plan is dependent on our ability to obtain required approvals, develop necessary technical expertise, allocate and coordinate sufficient resources and adhere to budgets and timelines.

In addition, the long-term nature of both our planning and our asset lives are subject to risk. The electric utility sector is undergoing significant change (e.g. increases in energy efficiency, wider adoption of distributed generation and shifts away from fossil fuel generation to renewable generation). Customer adoption of these technologies and increased energy efficiency could result in excess transmission and generation resources, downward pressure on sales growth, and potentially stranded costs if we are not able to fully recover costs and investments.

Changing customer expectations and technologies are requiring significant investments in advanced grid infrastructure, which increases exposure to technology obsolescence. Additionally, evolving stakeholder preference for lower emissions from generation sources and end-uses, like heating, may put pressure on our ability to recover capital investments in natural gas generation and delivery.

The magnitude and timing of resource additions and changes in customer demand may not coincide with evolving customer preference for generation resources and end-uses, which introduces further uncertainty into long-term planning. Efforts to electrify the transportation and building sectors to reduce GHG emissions may result in higher electric demand and lower natural gas demand over time. Additionally, multiple states may not agree as to the appropriate resource mix, which may lead to costs to comply with one jurisdiction that are not recoverable across all jurisdictions served by the same assets.

We are subject to longer-term availability of inputs such as coal, natural gas, uranium and water to cool our facilities. Lack of availability of these resources could jeopardize long-term operations of our facilities or make them uneconomic to operate.

Our subsidiary, NSP-Minnesota, is subject to the risks of nuclear generation.

NSP-Minnesota has two nuclear generation plants, PI and Monticello. Risks of nuclear generation include:

The NRC has authority to impose licensing and safety-related requirements for the operation of nuclear generation facilities, including the ability to impose fines and/or shut down a unit until compliance is achieved. NRC safety requirements could necessitate substantial capital expenditures or an increase in operating expenses. In addition, the INPO reviews NSP-Minnesota’s nuclear operations. Compliance with the INPO’s recommendations could result in substantial capital expenditures or a substantial increase in operating expenses.

If a nuclear incident did occur, it could have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Furthermore, non-compliance or the occurrence of a serious incident at other nuclear facilities could result in increased industry regulation, which may increase NSP-Minnesota’s compliance costs.

Our profitability depends on the ability of our utility subsidiaries to recover their costs and changes in regulation may impair the ability of our utility subsidiaries to recover costs from their customers.

We are subject to comprehensive regulation by federal and state utility regulatory agencies, including siting and construction of facilities, customer service and the rates that we can charge customers.

The profitability of our utility operations is dependent on our ability to recover the costs of providing energy and utility services and earning a return on capital investment. Our rates are generally regulated and are based on an analysis of the utility’s costs incurred in a test year. The utility subsidiaries are subject to both future and historical test years depending upon the regulatory jurisdiction. Thus, the rates a utility is allowed to charge may or may not match its costs at any given time. Rate regulation is premised on providing an opportunity to earn a reasonable rate of return on invested capital.

There can also be no assurance that our regulatory commissions will judge all the costs of our utility subsidiaries to be prudent, which could result in disallowances, or that the regulatory process will always result in rates that will produce full recovery.

Overall, management believes prudently incurred costs are recoverable given the existing regulatory framework. However, there may be changes in the regulatory environment that could impair the ability of our utility subsidiaries to recover costs historically collected from customers, or these subsidiaries could exceed caps on capital costs required by commissions and result in less than full recovery.

Xcel Energy may have direct credit exposure in our short-term wholesale and commodity trading activity to financial institutions trading for their own accounts or issuing collateral support on behalf of other counterparties. We may also have some indirect credit exposure due to participation in organized markets, (e.g. California Independent System Operator, SPP, PJM Interconnection, LLC, MISO and Electric Reliability Council of Texas), in which any credit losses are socialized to all market participants. We have additional indirect credit exposure to financial institutions from letters of credit provided as security by power suppliers under various purchased power contracts. If any of the credit ratings of the letter of credit issuers were to drop below investment grade, the supplier would need to replace that security with an acceptable substitute. If the security were not replaced, the party could be in default under the contract.

Increasing costs of our defined benefit retirement plans and employee benefits may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

We have defined benefit pension and postretirement plans that cover most of our employees. Assumptions related to future costs, return on investments, interest rates and other actuarial assumptions have a significant impact on our funding requirements of these plans. Estimates and assumptions may change. In addition, the Pension Protection Act sets the minimum funding requirements for defined benefit pension plans. Therefore, our funding requirements and contributions may change in the future. Also, the payout of a significant percentage of pension plan liabilities in a single year, due to high numbers of retirements or employees leaving, would trigger settlement accounting and could require Xcel Energy to recognize incremental pension expense related to unrecognized plan losses in the year liabilities are paid. Changes in industry standards utilized in key assumptions (e.g., mortality tables) could have a significant impact on future obligations and benefit costs.

Increasing costs associated with health care plans may adversely affect our results of operations.

Increasing levels of large individual health care claims and overall health care claims could have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Health care legislation could also significantly impact our benefit programs and costs.

We must rely on cash from our subsidiaries to make dividend payments.

Investments in our subsidiaries are our primary assets. Substantially all of our operations are conducted by our subsidiaries. Consequently, our operating cash flow and ability to service our debt and pay dividends depends upon the operating cash flows of our subsidiaries and their payment of dividends.

Our subsidiaries are separate legal entities that have no obligation to pay any amounts due pursuant to our obligations or to make any funds available for dividends on our common stock. In addition, each subsidiary’s ability to pay dividends depends on statutory and/or contractual restrictions which may include requirements to maintain minimum levels of equity ratios, working capital or assets.

If the utility subsidiaries were to cease making dividend payments, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock or otherwise meet our financial obligations could be adversely affected. Our utility subsidiaries are regulated by state utility commissions, which possess broad powers to ensure that the needs of the utility customers are met. We may be negatively impacted by the actions of state commissions that limit the payment of dividends by our utility subsidiaries.

The potential for terrorism has subjected our operations to increased risks and could have a material effect on our business. We have already incurred increased costs for security and capital expenditures in response to these risks. The insurance industry has also been affected by these events and the availability of insurance may decrease. In addition, insurance may have higher deductibles, higher premiums and more restrictive policy terms.

A disruption of the regional electric transmission grid, interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure or other fuel sources, could negatively impact our business, brand and reputation. Because our facilities are part of an interconnected system, we face the risk of possible loss of business due to a disruption caused by the actions of a neighboring utility.

We also face the risks of possible loss of business due to significant events such as severe storms, severe temperature extremes, wildfires (particularly in Colorado), widespread pandemic, generator or transmission facility outage, pipeline rupture, railroad disruption, operator error, sudden and significant increase or decrease in wind generation or a workforce disruption.

In addition, major catastrophic events throughout the world may disrupt our business. Xcel Energy participates in a global supply chain, which includes materials and components that are globally sourced. A prolonged disruption could result in the delay of equipment and materials that may impact our ability to reliably serve our customers.

A major disruption could result in a significant decrease in revenues and additional costs to repair assets, which could have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Xcel Energy participates in grid security and emergency response exercises (GridEx). These efforts, led by the NERC, test and further develop the coordination, threat sharing and interaction between utilities and various government agencies relative to potential cyber and physical threats against the nation’s electric grid.

A cyber incident or security breach could have a material effect on our business.

We operate in an industry that requires the continued operation of sophisticated information technology, control systems and network infrastructure. In addition, we use our systems and infrastructure to create, collect, use, disclose, store, dispose of and otherwise process sensitive information, including company data, customer energy usage data, and personal information regarding customers, employees and their dependents, contractors, shareholders and other individuals.

Xcel Energy’s generation, transmission, distribution and fuel storage facilities, information technology systems and other infrastructure or physical assets, as well as information processed in our systems (e.g., information regarding our customers, employees, operations, infrastructure and assets) could be affected by cyber security incidents, including those caused by human error. The utility industry has been the target of several attacks on operational systems and has seen an increased volume and sophistication of cyber security incidents from international activist organizations, Nation States and individuals.

Cyber security incidents could harm our businesses by limiting our generating, transmitting and distributing capabilities, delaying our development and construction of new facilities or capital improvement projects to existing facilities, disrupting our customer operations or causing the release of customer information, all of which would likely receive state and federal regulatory scrutiny and could expose us to liability.

The Biden Administration has also announced a one year suspension of new oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands to allow for a review of oil and gas leasing regulations. The form of these regulations is uncertain, but, depending on the requirements imposed in the short and long term, they could impose substantial costs on our oil and gas customers or result in substantial increases to the cost of fuel we use in our electricity and gas businesses.

Many states and localities continue to pursue their own climate policies. The steps Xcel Energy has taken to date to reduce GHG emissions, including energy efficiency measures, adding renewable generation or retiring or converting coal plants to natural gas, occurred under state-endorsed resource plans, renewable energy standards and other state policies.

We may be subject to climate change lawsuits. An adverse outcome could require substantial capital expenditures and possibly require payment of substantial penalties or damages. Defense costs associated with such litigation can also be significant and could affect results of operations, financial condition or cash flows if such costs are not recovered through regulated rates.

If our regulators do not allow us to recover all or a part of the cost of capital investment or the O&M costs incurred to comply with the mandates, it could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Increased risks of regulatory penalties could negatively impact our business.

The Energy Act increased civil penalty authority for violation of FERC statutes, rules and orders. The FERC can impose penalties of up to $1.3 million per violation per day, particularly as it relates to energy trading activities for both electricity and natural gas. In addition, NERC electric reliability standards and critical infrastructure protection requirements are mandatory and subject to potential financial penalties. Also, the PHMSA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal agencies have the authority to assess penalties.

In the event of serious incidents, these agencies may pursue penalties. In addition, certain states have the authority to impose substantial penalties. If a serious reliability, cyber or safety incident did occur, it could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations, with which compliance could be difficult and costly.

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations that affect many aspects of our operations, including air emissions, water quality, wastewater discharges and the generation, transport and disposal of solid wastes and hazardous substances. Laws and regulations require us to obtain permits, licenses, and approvals and to comply with a variety of environmental requirements.

Environmental laws and regulations can also require us to restrict or limit the output of facilities or the use of certain fuels, shift generation to lower-emitting facilities, install pollution control equipment, clean up spills and other contamination and correct environmental hazards. Failure to meet requirements of environmental mandates may result in fines or penalties. We may be required to pay all or a portion of the cost to remediate sites where our past activities, or the activities of other parties, caused environmental contamination.

Virtually all of the utility plant property of the operating companies is subject to the lien of their respective first mortgage bond indentures.

Electric utility overhead and underground transmission and distribution lines (measured in conductor miles) at Dec. 31, 2020: