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Exelon Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Results And Initiates 2021 Financial Outlook

Earnings Release Highlights
  • GAAP Net Income of $0.37 per share and Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings of $0.76 per share in the fourth quarter of 2020
  • Exelon to separate its utility and competitive energy businesses, creating two industry-leading companies 
  • Exelon introduces 2021 adjusted (non-GAAP) operating earnings guidance range of $2.60-$3.00 per share, reflecting growth in Utilities, offset by impacts of the February severe weather event, lower realized energy and capacity revenues at Generation
  • Exelon Utilities project capital expenditures of $27 billion over the next four years to benefit its customers, supporting 7.6% annual rate base growth
  • All four utilities ended the year with their best performance ever on customer satisfaction; ComEd and PHI had their best-on-record performances in SAIFI and all utilities ended the year in the top decile
  • BGE received the first multi-year plan order from the Maryland PSC approving BGE’s proposed plan for 2021-2023 to recover capital investments and keep customer rates flat for the first year
  • Generation’s nuclear fleet capacity factor of 95.4% was the company's second highest ever (owned and operated units)

CHICAGO — Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC) today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020.

“Our financial and operational performance remained solid through year-end, with each of our utilities reporting top-quartile reliability and record customer satisfaction scores, our zero-carbon nuclear fleet achieving a near-record capacity factor and our relationships with retail customers remaining durable as we continue to be a leading provider of clean and sustainable energy solutions,” said Joseph Nigro, senior executive vice president and CFO of Exelon. “We also reached $400 million in cost savings -- $150 million more than planned – and reported full-year adjusted earnings above the midpoint of our original guidance range at $3.22 per share. While we are proud of these results, looking ahead we must reckon with the impact of the devastating winter storms that overwhelmed the electric grid and disrupted millions of lives across Texas last week. Though our gas plants routinely plan and train for harsh weather, this was an unprecedented and sustained winter event that caused periodic outages and severe financial impacts. As a result of these and other conditions, we are setting our 2021 earnings guidance range at $2.60-$3.00 per share.”

FOURTH Quarter 2020

Exelon's GAAP Net Income for the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased to $0.37 per share from $0.79 per share in the fourth quarter of 2019. Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings decreased to $0.76 per share in the fourth quarter of 2020 from $0.83 per share in the fourth quarter of 2019. For the reconciliations of GAAP Net Income to Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings, refer to the tables beginning on page 8.

Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings in the fourth quarter of 2020 primarily reflect:
  • Lower utility earnings due to lower allowed electric distribution ROE due to a decrease in treasury rates at ComEd; and unfavorable weather conditions at PECO; partially offset by regulatory rate increases at BGE and PHI; and
  • Lower Generation earnings due to lower realized energy prices; a reduction in load due to COVID-19; increased nuclear outage days; and the absence of research and development income tax benefits recognized in the fourth quarter of 2019; partially offset by higher capacity revenues; lower operating and maintenance expense; and unrealized gains resulting from equity investments that became publicly traded entities in the fourth quarter of 2020.

FULL YEAR 2020

Exelon's GAAP Net Income for 2020 decreased to $2.01 per share from $3.01 per share in 2019. Exelon's Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for 2020 remained consistent with 2019 at $3.22 per share.

Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the full year 2020 primarily reflect:
  • Lower utility earnings due to lower electric distribution earnings from lower allowed ROE due to a decrease in treasury rates, partially offset by higher rate base at ComEd; unfavorable weather conditions at PECO and PHI; higher storm costs related to the June and August 2020 storms at PECO, net of tax repairs, and August 2020 storm at PHI; and higher depreciation and amortization expense at PECO, BGE and PHI due primarily to ongoing capital expenditures; partially offset by regulatory rate increases at BGE and PHI; and an increase in tax repairs deduction at PECO; and
  • Higher Generation earnings due to lower nuclear fuel costs; lower operating and maintenance expense; and unrealized gains resulting from equity investments that became publicly traded entities in the fourth quarter of 2020; partially offset by a reduction in load due to COVID-19; lower realized energy prices; lower capacity revenues; and increased nuclear outage days.

Operating Company Results1

ComEd
ComEd's fourth quarter of 2020 GAAP Net Income and (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings decreased to $134 million from $144 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to lower allowed electric distribution ROE due to a decrease in treasury rates. Due to revenue decoupling, ComEd's distribution earnings are not affected by actual weather or customer usage patterns.

PECO
PECO’s fourth quarter of 2020 GAAP Net Income increased to $130 million from $118 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. PECO’s Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020 increased to $133 million from $119 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to favorable volume and an increase in tax repairs deduction, partially offset by unfavorable weather conditions.

BGE
BGE’s fourth quarter of 2020 GAAP Net Income decreased to $77 million from $99 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. BGE’s Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased to $79 million from $101 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to increased charitable contributions as a result of a commitment in the fourth quarter of 2020 to a multi-year small business grants program and due to various other activity, partially offset by regulatory rate increases. Due to revenue decoupling, BGE's distribution earnings are not affected by actual weather or customer usage patterns.

PHI
PHI’s fourth quarter of 2020 GAAP Net Income increased to $78 million from $65 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. PHI’s Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020 increased to $81 million from $68 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to regulatory rate increases. Due to revenue decoupling, PHI's distribution earnings related to Pepco Maryland, DPL Maryland and Pepco District of Columbia are not affected by actual weather or customer usage patterns.

Generation
Generation's fourth quarter of 2020 GAAP Net Income decreased to $19 million from $397 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Generation’s Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased to $391 million from $427 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to lower realized energy prices, a reduction in load due to COVID-19, increased nuclear outage days, and the absence of research and development income tax benefits recognized in the fourth quarter of 2019, partially offset by higher capacity revenues, lower operating and maintenance expense, and unrealized gains resulting from equity investments that became publicly traded entities in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The proportion of expected generation hedged for the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New York and ERCOT reportable segments as of Dec. 31, 2020, was 94.0% to 97.0% for 2021.

1Exelon’s five business units include ComEd, which consists of electricity transmission and distribution operations in northern Illinois; PECO, which consists of electricity transmission and distribution operations and retail natural gas distribution operations in southeastern Pennsylvania; BGE, which consists of electricity transmission and distribution operations and retail natural gas distribution operations in central Maryland; PHI, which consists of electricity transmission and distribution operations in the District of Columbia and portions of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey and retail natural gas distribution operations in northern Delaware; and Generation, which consists of owned and contracted electric generating facilities and wholesale and retail customer supply of electric and natural gas products and services, including renewable energy products and risk management services.


INITIATES ANNUAL GUIDANCE FOR 2021

Exelon introduced a guidance range for 2021 Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings of $2.60-$3.00 per share. The outlook for 2021 Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for Exelon and its subsidiaries excludes the following items:
  • Mark-to-market adjustments from economic hedging activities;
  • Unrealized gains and losses from NDT funds to the extent not offset by contractual accounting as described in the notes to the consolidated financial statements;  
  • Certain costs related to plant retirements; 
  • Certain costs incurred to achieve cost management program savings;
  • Direct costs related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; 
  • Certain acquisition-related costs; 
  • Costs related to a multi-year Enterprise Resource Program (ERP) system implementation; 
  • Other items not directly related to the ongoing operations of the business; and
  • Generation's noncontrolling interest related to exclusion items.

Recent Developments and FOURTH Quarter Highlights

  • Planned Separation: Exelon announced on Feb. 24, 2021 that its Board of Directors approved a plan to separate its utilities business, comprised of the company’s six regulated electric and gas utilities, and Generation, its competitive power generation and customer-facing energy businesses, creating two publicly traded companies with the resources necessary to best serve customers and sustain long-term investment and operating excellence. The separation gives each company the financial and strategic independence to focus on its specific customer needs, while executing its core business strategy. Exelon is targeting to complete the separation in the first quarter of 2022, subject to final approval by Exelon’s Board of Directors, a Form 10 registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, regulatory approvals, and satisfaction of other conditions.  

  • Impacts of February 2021 Weather Events and Texas-based Generating Assets Outages: Beginning on Feb. 15, 2021, Generation’s Texas-based generating assets within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market, specifically Colorado Bend II, Wolf Hollow II, and Handley, experienced periodic outages as a result of historically severe cold weather conditions. In addition, those weather conditions drove increased demand for service, limited the availability of natural gas to fuel power plants, and dramatically increased wholesale power and gas prices.  
Exelon and Generation estimate the impact to their Net income for the first quarter of 2021 arising from these market and weather conditions to be approximately $560 million to $710 million. The estimated impact includes favorable results in certain regions within Generation’s wholesale gas business. The ultimate impact to Exelon’s and Generation’s consolidated financial statements may be affected by a number of factors, including final settlement data, the impacts of customer and counterparty credit losses, any state sponsored solutions to address the financial challenges caused by the event, and litigation and contract disputes which may result. Exelon expects to offset between $410 million and $490 million of this impact primarily at Generation through a combination of enhanced revenue opportunities, deferral of selected non-essential maintenance, and primarily one-time cost savings.   

Generation used a combination of commercial paper and letters of credit to manage collateral needs and has posted approximately $1.4 billion of collateral with ERCOT as of Feb. 22, 2021. Generation continues to believe it has sufficient cash on hand and available capacity on its revolver, which was $2.4 billion as of Feb. 22, 2021, to meet its liquidity requirements.     
  • Dividend: On Feb. 21, 2021, Exelon’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.3825 per share on Exelon’s common stock for the first quarter of 2021. The dividend is payable on Monday, March 15, 2021, to shareholders of record of Exelon as of 5 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, March 8, 2021. The Board of Directors of Exelon approved an updated dividend policy for 2021. The 2021 quarterly dividend will remain the same as the 2020 dividend of $0.3825 per share.

  • Agreement for Sale of Generation’s Solar Business: On Dec. 8, 2020, Generation entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (“Brookfield Renewable”), for the sale of a significant portion of Generation’s solar business, including 360 megawatts of generation in operation or under construction across more than 600 sites across the United States. Generation will retain certain solar assets not included in this agreement, primarily Antelope Valley. Under the terms of the transaction, the purchase price is $810 million, subject to certain working capital and other post-closing adjustments. The transaction is expected to result in an estimated pre-tax gain ranging from $75 million to $125 million. Completion of the transaction contemplated by the sale agreement is subject to the satisfaction of several closing conditions and is expected to occur in the first half of 2021. 

  • ComEd Distribution Formula Rate: On Dec. 9, 2020, the Illinois Commerce Commission issued an order approving ComEd’s 2021 revenue requirement. The order resulted in a $14 million decrease to the revenue requirement, reflecting a $50 million increase for the initial year revenue requirement for 2021 and a $64 million decrease related to the annual reconciliation for 2019. The revenue requirement for 2021 and the annual reconciliation for 2019 provide for a weighted average debt and equity return on distribution rate base of 6.28%, inclusive of an allowed ROE of 8.38%. The rates were effective on Jan. 1, 2021.

  • BGE Maryland Electric and Natural Gas Rate Case: On Dec. 16, 2020, the Maryland Public Service Commission (MDPSC) approved BGE’s three-year cumulative multi-year plan for 2021 through 2023 to recover capital investments made in late 2019 and planned capital investments from 2020 to 2023. The MDPSC offset the awarded electric and natural gas revenue increases in 2021 with certain tax benefits so customers would see no change in rates. The MDPSC’s order approved an increase in BGE’s electric distribution rates of $39 million in 2022 and $42 million in 2023 reflecting an ROE of 9.5% and an increase in BGE’s annual natural gas distribution rates of $11 million in 2022 and $10 million in 2023 reflecting an ROE of 9.65%. These rates are effective on Jan. 1, 2021. The MDPSC has deferred a decision on whether to use the tax benefits to offset the revenue requirement increases in 2022 and 2023 and BGE cannot predict the outcome.

  • DPL Delaware Natural Gas Base Rate Case: On Jan. 6, 2021, the Delaware Public Service Commission approved an increase in DPL’s annual natural gas distribution rates of $2 million with an effective date of Sept. 21, 2020 and reflecting an ROE of 9.6%. 

  • ACE New Jersey Electric Distribution Base Rate Case: On Dec. 9, 2020, ACE filed an application with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) to increase its annual electric distribution rates by $67 million (before New Jersey sales and use tax), reflecting a requested ROE of 10.3%. ACE currently expects a decision in the fourth quarter of 2021 but cannot predict if the NJBPU will approve the application as filed. ACE intends to put rates into effect on Sept. 8, 2021, subject to refund.

  • Nuclear Operations: Generation’s nuclear fleet, including its owned output from the Salem generating station and 100% of the CENG units, produced 44,230 gigawatt-hours (GWhs) in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with 44,647 GWhs in the fourth quarter of 2019. Excluding Salem, the Exelon-operated nuclear plants at ownership achieved a 96.2% capacity factor for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with 95.0% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Excluding Salem, the number of planned refueling outage days in the fourth quarter of 2020 totaled 57, compared with 64 in the fourth quarter of 2019. There were four non-refueling outage days in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with eight in the fourth quarter of 2019.

  • Fossil and Renewables Operations: The Dispatch Match rate for Generation’s gas and hydro fleet was 98.8% in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with 98.6% in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Energy Capture for the wind and solar fleet was 94.2% in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with 96.2% in the fourth quarter of 2019. The lower performance in the quarter was driven by delays in turbine maintenance at some wind sites.

  • Financing Activities:
    • On Dec. 18, 2020, ExGen Renewables IV (EGR IV), an indirect subsidiary of Generation, entered into a financing agreement for a $750 million nonrecourse senior secured term loan credit facility scheduled to mature on Dec. 15, 2027. The term loan bears interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus 2.75%, subject to a 1.00% LIBOR floor. Generation used the proceeds to repay EGR IV's Nov. 2017 non-recourse senior secured term loan credit facility and to settle the related interest rate swap.


GAAP/Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings Reconciliations

Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020 do not include the following items (after tax) that were included in reported GAAP Net Income:

(in millions)
Exelon
Earnings per
Diluted
Share
 Exelon
 ComEd
 PECO
 BGE
 PHI
 Generation
2020 GAAP Net Income (Loss)
 $0.37
 $360 
 $134 
 $130 
 $77
 $78 
 $19
Mark-to-Market Impact of Economic Hedging Activities (net of taxes of $39 and $38, respectively)
 0.12
 116
 —
 —
 —
 —
 115
Unrealized Gains Related to Nuclear Decommissioning Trust (NDT) Funds (net of taxes of $248)
 (0.27)
 (264)
 —
 —
 —
 —
 (264)
Plant Retirements and Divestitures (net of taxes of $127)
 0.38 
 370
 —
 —
 —
 —
 370
Cost Management Program (net of taxes of $3, $0, $1, and $2, respectively)
 0.01 
 10
 —
 1
 —
 2
 7
COVID-19 Direct Costs (net of taxes of $4, $1, $0, $0, and $3, respectively)
 0.01
 14
 —
 2
 1
 1
 10
Asset Retirement Obligation (net of taxes of $15)
 0.05
 45
 —
 —
 —
 —
 45
Acquisition Related Costs (net of taxes of $1)
 — 
 2
 —
 —
 —
 —
 2
ERP System Implementation Costs (net of taxes of $1, $0, and $1, respectively)
 —
 3
 —
 —
 1
 —
 2
Income Tax-Related Adjustments (entire amount represents tax expense)
 0.01 
 5
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