(San Francisco, CA) – PG&E
Corporation (NYSE: PCG) announced today that two non-operating items
in the second quarter will offset a small portion of the substantial
prior charges recorded for unrecovered wholesale power and transition
costs at its Pacific Gas and Electric Company unit, which stood
at about $5.2 billion after tax as of March 31, 2001. The items
are estimated to total between $500 million to $600 million and
will be reflected in the Corporation’s quarterly earnings report
on August 1, 2001.
The company’s second quarter
financial results will include the impact of (1) the actual charges
from the California Independent System Operator (ISO) for power
the ISO purchased in March 2001, which were lower than previous
projections, and (2) estimated income associated with the termination
of bilateral power sales contracts with Pacific Gas and Electric
Company. Due to the earlier write-off of the company's regulatory
balancing accounts related to unrecovered wholesale power and transition
costs, the total amount of these items will flow through to its
income statement as non-operating income.
In the second quarter, the
company will account for the difference between actual ISO charges
for March power purchases and the estimated ISO charges that the
company recorded in the first quarter, which were based on the information
then available from the ISO. The difference between the estimated
charges and the actual charges will be reflected as a non-operating
item for the second quarter. The company continues to assert that
it is not responsible for ISO purchases made during the first quarter.
However, it was required under applicable accounting rules to record
those charges in its first quarter results, pending resolution of
the issue.
Second quarter results will
also account for the termination of certain bilateral power purchase
contracts by the counterparties, who were entitled to do so in the
event of a decline in the utility's credit quality. The contracts
require that the market value of the contracts be settled upon termination.
The estimated value of the contracts will be reflected as a non-operating
item.
The company said the reconciliation
of the actual and estimated ISO charges, and the estimated value
of the terminated bilateral contracts will offset a small portion
of the massive charges it recorded for uncollected wholesale power
and transition costs in the fourth quarter of 2000 and the first
quarter of 2001. Notwithstanding the offset, the company estimates
that its net undercollection remains at approximately $4.6 billion
to $4.7 billion after tax.
The company also noted that
actual results for the second quarter may be affected by many factors,
including the extent to which more information is revealed about
the recently released California Department of Water Resources revenue
requirements and the impact such revenue requirements may have on
the utility’s financial condition and results of operations.
As previously announced,
the company will report its financial results for the second quarter
on August 1, 2001, before the market opens. A conference call with
the financial community will be held to discuss the results that
morning at 9:00 AM Pacific time. The call will be open to the public
on a listen-only basis via webcast. Please visit our website at
www.pgecorp.com for more information
and instructions for accessing the webcast. A replay of the webcast
will also be available on the company's website following the call.