Northwest Natural Holding Co 8-K, filed Oct 26, 2021
Northwest Natural Holding Co (NWN)
8-K
2021-10-26
For: 2021-10-21
View Original
Added on
April 08, 2026
About this 8-K
Northwest Natural Holding Co filed this 8-K on October 26, 2021, reporting on events of October 21, 2021.
Items reported
- Item 8.01: Other events
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: | |||||||||||
| Registrant | Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||
| Northwest Natural Holding Company | |||||||||||
| Northwest Natural Gas Company | None | ||||||||||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). | ||||||||||||||
| Northwest Natural Holding Company | Emerging growth company | |||||||||||||
| Northwest Natural Gas Company | Emerging growth company | |||||||||||||
| If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. | ☐ | |||||||||||||
| Item 8.01 | Other Events. | ||||
As previously disclosed, on December 18, 2020, Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Natural Holding Company (NW Holdings), filed a request for a general rate increase with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). Approximately 90,000 or 12% of NW Natural’s customers are in, and approximately 10% of NW Natural’s revenues are derived from, Washington. The remainder of customers and revenues are in Oregon.
On July 27, 2021, NW Natural, Staff of the WUTC, Alliance of Western Energy Consumers, and The Energy Project, which comprise all of the parties to the rate case other than the Public Counsel Unit of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, filed a settlement with the WUTC that addressed all issues in the rate case (Comprehensive Settlement). On October 21, 2021, the WUTC approved the Comprehensive Settlement (Order).
The Order provides for an annual revenue requirement increase over two years, consisting of a 6.4% or $5.0 million increase in the first year beginning November 1, 2021 (Year One), and up to a 3.5% or $3.0 million increase in the second year beginning November 1, 2022 (Year Two). The revenue requirement increase for Year Two includes the addition to rate base of capital projects expected to be placed in-service by November 1, 2022 and is subject to a review and adjustments according to actual costs incurred and any additional direct offsetting factors. Under the terms of the Order, NW Natural will provide customers with an estimated $2.3 million offset to rates spread over the two years via suspension of amortization of a regulatory asset associated with NW Natural’s energy efficiency programs and via application of proceeds from the sale of real property in Oregon, which is expected to reduce the Year One rate increase to approximately 5.1% or $4.0 million and the Year Two rate increase to approximately 3.4% or $2.8 million. This two-year rate plan and mitigating provisions were intended to balance the need to recover long-planned investments that support continued safe and reliable service to customers with the need to maintain affordable rates, especially during the challenging times and economic environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The increase is based upon the following assumptions:
•Cost of capital of 6.814%; and
•Average rate base of $194.7 million, an increase of $20.9 million since the last rate case for capital expenditures already expended at the time of filing, with an additional expected $31.2 million increase in Year One, and an additional expected $21.4 million increase in Year Two, with the increases in Year One and Year Two relating to expected capital expenditures in those years.
The Order does not specify the underlying inputs to the cost of capital, including capital structure and return on equity.
New rates authorized by the Order are scheduled to take effect November 1, 2021.
Forward-Looking Statements
This report, and other presentations made by NW Holdings or NW Natural from time to time, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "assumes," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "estimates," "expects" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the following: plans, objectives, assumptions, expectations, estimates, timing, goals, strategies, expenses, future events, investments, targeted capital structure, cost of capital, return on equity, average rate base, financial results, financial position, revenue requirement, system reliability, safety, service territory, customer
growth, customer rates and the timing and magnitude of any rate changes, rate offsets and mitigation, revenues and earnings, capital expenditures and investments, performance, timing, outcome, or effects of rate cases or other regulatory proceedings, mechanisms, approvals or recoveries, regulatory prudence reviews, anticipated regulatory actions or filings, effects, extent, severity and duration of COVID-19 and resulting economic disruption, and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts.
Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. You are therefore cautioned against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future operational, economic or financial performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are discussed by reference to the factors described in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors", and Part II, Item 7 and Item 7A "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk" in the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Part I, Items 2 and 3 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk", and Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors", in the quarterly reports filed thereafter.
All forward-looking statements made in this report and all subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by or on behalf of NW Holdings or NW Natural, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and NW Holdings and NW Natural undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. The signature for each undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and its subsidiaries.
| NORTHWEST NATURAL HOLDING COMPANY | ||||||||
| (Registrant) | ||||||||
| Dated: | October 26, 2021 | /s/ Shawn M. Filippi | ||||||
| Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||
| NORTHWEST NATURAL GAS COMPANY | ||||||||
| (Registrant) | ||||||||
| Dated: | October 26, 2021 | /s/ Shawn M. Filippi | ||||||
| Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||