Summary
This 8-K filing by Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) and its subsidiary Duke Energy Indiana, Inc. reports a material impairment related to the Edwardsport clean coal gasification plant. The company has updated its cost estimate for the project, increasing it by approximately $174 million to $3.154 billion (excluding AFUDC). This increase is attributed to lower-than-projected revenues from test output and extended testing periods. As a consequence of this cost increase, Duke Energy expects to record a pre-tax charge of approximately $180 million in the third quarter of 2012. This charge will be treated as a special item and excluded from adjusted diluted earnings per share, which is a key consideration for investors assessing ongoing operational performance. The commercial operation date for the plant has also been pushed back from early 2013 to mid-2013.
Key Highlights
- 1Duke Energy Indiana's Edwardsport clean coal gasification plant cost estimate increased by $174 million to $3.154 billion (excluding AFUDC).
- 2The revised estimate is due to lower revenues from test output and extended testing conditions.
- 3A pre-tax charge of approximately $180 million will be recorded in Q3 2012 for this cost increase.
- 4This charge will be treated as a special item and excluded from adjusted diluted earnings per share.
- 5The project's estimated commercial operation date has been delayed to mid-2013 from early 2013.
- 6A settlement agreement caps customer rate recovery at $2.595 billion (including AFUDC through June 30, 2012), subject to regulatory approval.
- 7Recovery of additional AFUDC after June 30, 2012, is subject to specific conditions, with a reduction to 85% after November 30, 2012.