Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
As generally described in “Commitment and contingencies, in Note 4 on page 20 of HEI’s and Hawaiian Electric’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, in 2010, the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Hawaii (PUC) issued an order approving decoupling, which was implemented by Hawaiian Electric on March 1, 2011, by Hawaiian Electric Light Company, Inc. (Hawaii Electric Light) on April 9, 2012 and by Maui Electric Company, Limited. (Maui Electric) on May 4, 2012. Decoupling is a regulatory model that is intended to facilitate meeting the State of Hawaii’s goals to transition to a clean energy economy and achieve an aggressive renewable portfolio standard. The decoupling model implemented in Hawaii delinks revenues from sales and includes annual rate adjustments for certain other operation and maintenance (O&M) expenses and rate base changes. The decoupling mechanism has three components: (1) a sales decoupling component via a revenue balancing account (RBA), (2) a revenue escalation component via a rate adjustment mechanism (RAM) and (3) an earnings sharing mechanism, which would provide for a reduction of revenues between rate cases in the event the utility exceeds the return on average common equity (ROACE) allowed in its most recent rate case. Decoupling provides for more timely cost recovery and earning on investments
in between rate cases
. Under the decoupling tariff approved in 2011, the annual RAM is accrued and billed from June 1 of each year through May 31 of the following year.
As part of a January 2013 Settlement Agreement with the Consumer Advocate, which was approved by the PUC, for RAM years 2014 2016, Hawaiian Electric was allowed to record RAM revenue beginning on January 1 and to bill such amounts from June 1 of the applicable year through May 31 of the following year (current accrual method). After 2016, the RAM provisions approved in 2011 will again apply to Hawaiian Electric. On November 1, 2016, Hawaiian Electric filed a motion requesting the current accrual method for the RAM that is in place through the end of 2016, be made permanent. Hawaiian Electric’s request was based on a number of factors including changed circumstances since the PUC’s decision on the RAM revenues in 2011, the original intent of decoupling, and consistency with accrual accounting. The filing also requested the implementation of Hawaiian Electric’s current accrual method for RAM revenues for Hawaii Electric Light and Maui Electric beginning in 2017.
On November 28, 2016, the PUC issued an order denying Hawaiian Electric’s request to make the current accrual method permanent, and denied the request to implement the current accrual method for Hawaii Electric Light and Maui Electric. Management presently believes the impact of the November 28 order is equivalent to a reduction of approximately $14 million in pro forma net earnings for Hawaiian Electric in 2017, which in turn equates to an approximately 75 basis points reduction from Hawaiian Electric’s realized 8% ROACE achieved over the last 12 months, assuming all other factors are unchanged. Management will continue to address this matter from an operational and regulatory perspective as it resumes its triennial rate case cycle for each utility unit.
HEI and Hawaiian Electric intend to continue to use HEI's website,
www.hei.com
, as a means of disclosing additional information. Such disclosures will be included on HEI's website in the Investor Relations section. Accordingly, investors should routinely monitor such portions of HEI's website, in addition to following HEI's, Hawaiian Electric's and American Savings Bank, F.S.B.'s (ASB's) press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The information on HEI’s website is not incorporated by reference in this document or in HEI’s or Hawaiian Electric’s SEC filings unless, and except to the extent, specifically incorporated by reference. Investors may also wish to refer to the PUC website at
dms.puc.hawaii.gov/dms
in order to review documents filed with and issued by the PUC. No information on the PUC website is incorporated by reference in this document or in HEI’s and Hawaiian Electric’s other SEC filings.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report may contain “forward-looking statements,” which include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and usually include words such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “predicts,” “estimates” or similar expressions. In addition, any statements concerning future financial performance, ongoing business strategies or prospects or possible future actions are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and the accuracy of assumptions concerning HEI and its subsidiaries, the performance of the industries in which they do business and economic and market factors, among other things. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.
Forward-looking statements in this report should be read in conjunction with the “Forward-Looking Statements”, “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”, and “Risk Factors” discussions (which are incorporated by reference herein) set forth in HEI’s and Hawaiian Electric’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, HEI’s and Hawaiian Electric’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 and HEI’s future periodic reports that discuss important factors that could cause HEI’s results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the report, presentation or filing in which they are made. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, HEI, Hawaiian Electric Company, American and their subsidiaries undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.