ITEM 8.01 Other Events.
On January 20, 2023, Ameren Illinois Company ("Ameren Illinois"), a subsidiary
of Ameren Corporation ("Ameren"), filed a multi-year rate plan ("MYRP") with the
Illinois Commerce Commission ("ICC") to be used in setting base electric
distribution service rates for the calendar years 2024 through 2027. The
following table includes the forecasted revenue requirement, the requested
return on equity ("ROE"), the requested capital structure common equity
percentage, and the forecasted average annual rate base for 2024 through 2027 as
reflected in Ameren Illinois' MYRP:
Requested
Capital Forecasted
Structure Average
Forecasted Common Annual Rate
Revenue Requirement Requested Equity Base
Year (millions) Return on Equity Percentage (billions)
2024 $ 1,282 10.5 % 53.99 % $ 4.3
2025 $ 1,373 10.5 % 53.97 % $ 4.6
2026 $ 1,477 10.5 % 54.02 % $ 5.0
2027 $ 1,556 10.5 % 54.03 % $ 5.3
Under an MYRP, any initial rate increase is permitted to be phased in, with at
least 50% of the first annual period's approved rate increase reflected in rates
in the first annual period and the remaining portion deferred as a regulatory
asset and collected from customers over a period not to exceed two years
beginning within one year after the second annual period's rates are effective.
Ameren Illinois' MYRP filing utilizes this phase-in provision and proposes to
defer 50% of the requested 2024 rate increase of $175 million as a regulatory
asset to be collected from customers in 2026.
The MYRP also allows Ameren Illinois to reconcile its actual revenue requirement
to ICC-approved electric distribution service rates on an annual basis, subject
to a reconciliation cap, which provides that the actual revenue requirement does
not exceed 105% of the annual revenue requirement approved by the ICC. Certain
variations from forecasted costs would be excluded from the reconciliation cap,
including those associated with major storms; new business and facility
relocations; changes in the timing of certain expenditures or investments into
or out of the applicable calendar year; and changes in interest rates, income
taxes, taxes other than income taxes, pension and other post-retirement benefits
costs, and amortization of certain regulatory assets. The reconciliation cap
also excludes costs recovered through riders outside of base rates, such as
riders for electric energy-efficiency investments, power procurement and
transmission services, renewable energy credit compliance, zero emission
credits, certain environmental costs, and bad debt write-offs, among others.
Ameren Illinois' existing riders will remain effective and electric distribution
service revenues would continue to be decoupled from sales volumes under the
MYRP. The actual revenue requirement for a particular year would incorporate
Ameren Illinois' year-end rate base and actual capital structure for such year,
provided that the common equity ratio in such capital structure may not exceed
that approved by the ICC in the MYRP.
Under the MYRP, the ROE approved by the ICC will be subject to annual
adjustments during the four-year period based on seven performance metrics. In
September 2022, the ICC issued an order approving total ROE incentives and
penalties of 24 basis points allocated among the seven performance metrics.
These performance metrics include improvements in service reliability in both
the frequency and duration of outages, a reduction in peak loads, an increased
percentage of spend with diverse suppliers, a reduction in disconnections for
certain customers, and improved timeliness in response to customer requests for
interconnection of distributed energy resources. The ROE incentives and
penalties will apply annually from 2024 through 2027 under the MYRP.
An ICC decision in this proceeding is required by December 2023, with new rates
effective starting in January 2024. Ameren Illinois cannot predict the level of
any electric service rate changes the ICC may approve or whether any rate
changes that may eventually be approved will be sufficient for Ameren Illinois
to recover its costs and earn a reasonable return on its investments when the
rate changes go into effect.
This combined Form 8-K is being filed separately by Ameren Corporation and
Ameren Illinois Company (each a "registrant"). Information contained herein
relating to any individual registrant has been filed by such registrant on its
own behalf. No registrant makes any representation as to information relating to
any other registrant.
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