El Paso Electric Announces Third Quarter Financial Results

October 29, 2009 7:00 AM EDT

EL PASO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- El Paso Electric (NYSE: EE):

Overview

    --  For the third quarter 2009, EE reported net income of $33.9 million, or
        $0.76 basic and diluted earnings per share. In the third quarter of
        2008, EE reported net income of $33.1 million, or $0.74 basic and
        diluted earnings per share.
    --  For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, EE reported net income of
        $59.0 million, or $1.31 basic and diluted earnings per share. Net income
        for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 was $66.8 million, or $1.49
        and $1.48 basic and diluted earnings per share, respectively.

"We were very pleased with the increase in earnings this quarter as growth in non-fuel retail revenues offset declines in off-system sales margins and deregulated Palo Verde Unit 3 revenues reflecting lower market power prices," said David W. Stevens, Chief Executive Officer. "The increase in retail non-fuel revenues reflected not only hotter summer weather in 2009, but also growth in the number of customers served showing the strength of our local economy. In addition, due to our strong quarter, stable outlook, and improving capital markets, we purchased approximately 751,000 shares of our common stock in the third quarter of 2009."

Earnings Summary

The table and explanations below present the major factors affecting 2009 net income relative to 2008 net income.


               Quarter Ended                      Nine Months Ended

                           After-Tax                           After-Tax
               Pre-Tax                 Basic      Pre-Tax                  Basic
                           Net                                 Net
               Effect                  EPS        Effect                   EPS
                           Income                              Income

September 30,              $ 33,074    $ 0.74                  $ 66,796    $ 1.49
2008

Changes in:

Retail
non-fuel base  $ 10,887      6,859       0.15     $ 9,842        6,200       0.14
revenue

Interest and
investment       1,551       1,407       0.03       (2,120  )    (1,687 )    (0.04 )
income

Interest on      387         244         -          (5,051  )    (3,182 )    (0.07 )
long-term debt

Retained
margins on       (3,077 )    (1,939 )    (0.04 )    (10,084 )    (6,353 )    (0.14 )
off-system
sales

Deregulated
Palo Verde       (2,803 )    (1,766 )    (0.04 )    (6,626  )    (4,175 )    (0.10 )
Unit 3
revenues

Administrative   (2,379 )    (1,499 )    (0.03 )    (1,494  )    (941   )    (0.02 )
and general

Palo Verde O&M   (1,175 )    (740   )    (0.02 )    (47     )    (30    )    -

Fossil Fuel      (551   )    (347   )    (0.01 )    1,977        1,245       0.03
Plant O&M

AFUDC and
capitalized      (376   )    (279   )    -          1,169        1,270       0.03
interest

Other                        (1,082 )    (0.02 )                 (171   )    (0.01 )

September 30,              $ 33,932    $ 0.76                  $ 58,972    $ 1.31
2009



Third Quarter 2009

Earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 when compared to the same period last year were positively affected by:

    --  Higher retail non-fuel base revenues in 2009 primarily due to a 13.6%
        increase in kWh sales to residential customers and a 6.1% increase in
        kWh sales to public authorities.
    --  Increased interest and investment income primarily due to a decrease of
        $2.5 million in impairments and losses on equity securities in our Palo
        Verde decommissioning trust funds in the third quarter of 2009 when
        compared to the third quarter of 2008.

Earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 when compared to the same period last year were negatively affected by:

    --  Lower retained margins on off-system sales as lower market prices
        resulted in reduced margins per MWh and a 20% decline in MWh sold in the
        third quarter of 2009 compared to the third quarter of 2008.
    --  Decreased revenues from retail sales of deregulated Palo Verde Unit 3
        power due to lower proxy market prices in the third quarter of 2009
        compared to the same period in 2008.
    --  Increased administrative and general expense due to increased accruals
        for employee incentive compensation and increased pension and benefits
        costs related to increased costs of postretirement benefits and medical
        insurance.
    --  Increased Palo Verde administrative and general expense partially offset
        by a decrease in operating costs at all three units in the third quarter
        of 2009 when compared to the same period last year.

Year to Date

Earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 when compared to the same period last year were positively affected by:

    --  Higher retail non-fuel base revenues in 2009 primarily due to a 5.8%
        increase in kWh sales to residential customers and a 2.5% increase in
        kWh sales to public authorities partially offset by a 13.5% decrease in
        kWh sales to large commercial and industrial customers.
    --  Lower O&M costs at our fossil-fueled generating plants as more planned
        major maintenance was performed in the first nine months of 2008 than
        was performed in the first nine months of 2009.
    --  Increased AFUDC and capitalized interest in 2009 due to higher balances
        of construction work in progress subject to AFUDC partially offset by
        lower capitalized interest on nuclear fuel due to lower interest rates.

Earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 when compared to the same period last year were negatively affected by:

    --  Lower retained margins on off-system sales primarily as a result of
        reduced margins per MWh due to lower market power prices.
    --  Decreased revenues from retail sales of deregulated Palo Verde Unit 3
        power due to lower proxy market prices and lower sales due mostly to a
        planned refueling outage in April and May 2009.
    --  Increased interest expense on long-term debt as a result of the June
        2008 issuance of $150 million of 7.5% Senior Notes and higher interest
        rates on pollution control bonds partially offset by lower interest
        rates on the revolving credit facility used to finance nuclear fuel.
    --  An increase in impairments and losses on equity securities in our Palo
        Verde decommissioning trust funds in 2009 compared to 2008.

Retail Non-fuel Base Revenues

Retail non-fuel base revenues increased by $10.9 million, pre-tax, or 8.1% in the third quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 reflecting a 13.6% increase in kWh sales to residential customers and a 6.1% increase in kWh sales to other public authorities. Increased kWh sales to residential customers in the third quarter of 2009 are the result of hotter summer weather and 1.8% growth in the average number of customers served. During the third quarter of 2009, cooling degree days were 40% above the same period in 2008 and 11% above the 10-year average. Kilowatt-hour sales to public authorities reflected higher sales to Ft. Bliss and White Sands Missile Range. Sales to small commercial and industrial customers were also positively affected by the hotter summer weather. The increase in revenues was partially offset by recession-related declines in revenues from large commercial and industrial customers of 3.0%. The third quarter non-fuel base revenues and kilowatt-hour sales are provided by customer class on page 10 of the release.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, retail non-fuel base revenues increased by $9.8 million, pre-tax, or 2.7% primarily reflecting an increase of 5.8% in kWh sales to residential customers and a 2.5% increase in kWh sales to public authorities. These increases reflected the hotter summer weather in 2009 as well as increased sales to Ft. Bliss and White Sands Missile Range. Cooling degree days in 2009 were 23% higher than in 2008 and 8% above the 10-year average. The increase in kWh sales to residential customers also reflects growth of 1.7% in the average number of customers served. These increases were partially offset by a recession-related decline in sales to large commercial and industrial customers. Revenues from large commercial and industrial customers decreased 7.4% in the nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Nine months ended non-fuel base revenues and kilowatt-hour sales are provided by customer class on page 12 of the release.

Palo Verde Operations

We own approximately 633 MW (undivided interest) of generating capacity in the three generating units at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, operated by Arizona Public Service Company. The operation of Palo Verde not only affects our ability to make off-system sales but also impacts fuel costs to native load customers and represents a significant portion of our non-fuel operation and maintenance expenses. Palo Verde generation accounted for 62% of total Company generation in the nine months ended September 30, 2009. Megawatt-hours (MWh) generated by Palo Verde increased 6.3% in the nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. In addition, Palo Verde operation and maintenance expenses were virtually the same in the nine months ended September 30, 2009 as the same period in 2008.

Off-system Sales

We make off-system sales in the wholesale power markets when competitively priced excess power is available from our generating plants and purchased power contracts. The table below shows off-system sales in MWh and the pre-tax margins realized and retained by us from sales for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008:


                                Quarter Ended         Nine Months Ended

                                September 30,         September 30,

                                2009       2008       2009         2008

MWh sales                         715,641    891,632    2,408,122    2,568,437

Total margins (in thousands)    $ 3,035    $ 7,139    $ 10,900     $ 24,314

Retained margins (in thousands) $ 2,278    $ 5,355    $ 8,178      $ 18,262



For the quarter ended September 30, 2009, retained margins from off-system sales decreased approximately $3.1 million, pre-tax, over the corresponding period in 2008. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, our retained margins decreased $10.1 million, pre-tax, over the corresponding period in 2008. These decreases were primarily due to reduced margins per MWh as a result of lower average market prices for power. The table below shows on a per MWh basis, pre-tax revenues, costs and margins from off-system sales for 2009 and 2008.


                    Average  Average         Pre-Sharing

Quarter Ended       Revenue  Cost of Energy  Average Margin

                    Per MWh  Per MWh         Per MWh

March 31, 2008      $ 66.07  $ 52.60         $ 13.47

June 30, 2008       $ 88.78  $ 84.89         $ 3.89

September 30, 2008  $ 71.07  $ 63.07         $ 8.00

March 31, 2009      $ 36.49  $ 30.13         $ 6.36

June 30, 2009       $ 35.43  $ 33.63         $ 1.80

September 30, 2009  $ 39.61  $ 35.37         $ 4.24



Capital and Liquidity

We maintain a strong capital structure and cash position to support required investments in electric utility plant. Our capital structure at September 30, 2009 included 47% common stock equity and 53% debt including long-term debt, financing obligations, and the current portion of long-term debt and financing obligations. At September 30, 2009, our liquidity included $121.5 million in cash and cash equivalents, most of which was invested in federally insured accounts.

Cash flows from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were $213.5 million compared to $114.3 million in the corresponding period in 2008. The primary factor affecting the increased cash flow was the collection of retail fuel revenues in 2009 in excess of fuel expenses. The difference between fuel revenues and fuel expense is deferred for refund (over-recoveries) or surcharge (under-recoveries) to customers in the future. Cash flow from operations in the nine months ended September 30, 2009, included $59.7 million of fuel over-recoveries of which $31.9 million offset previous under-collections of fuel costs. In addition prior to their termination in May 2009, we collected $16.3 million of deferred fuel under-recoveries, including $1.3 million in interest, through two fuel surcharges implemented in 2008. At September 30, 2009, we had a net fuel over-recovery balance of $27.8 million, including a $23.1 million over-recovery in Texas, a $4.5 million over-recovery in New Mexico, and a $0.2 million over-recovery from our FERC customer. On October 22, 2009, we received approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to refund fuel over-recoveries through August 2009 of $16.8 million with interest to customers in November and December 2009. Over-recoveries in New Mexico and from our FERC customer will be refunded through fuel adjustment clauses during 2009.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, our primary capital requirements were for the construction and purchase of electric utility plant and purchases of nuclear fuel. Capital requirements for new electric plant were $145.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to $141.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008. Cash flows from operations funded all of our capital requirements through the first nine months of 2009.

We finance our nuclear fuel inventory through a trust that borrows under our $200 million credit facility to acquire and process nuclear fuel. Borrowings under the credit facility for nuclear fuel were $113.0 million as of September 30, 2009 and $92.2 million as of September 30, 2008. Up to $120 million of the credit facility may be used to finance nuclear fuel. Amounts not drawn for nuclear fuel are available for general corporate purposes. No borrowings were outstanding at September 30, 2009 for general corporate purposes.

We believe that we will have adequate liquidity through our current cash balances, cash from operations, and our credit facility to meet all of our anticipated cash requirements through 2009 based on current projections. We anticipate the need for additional external funds to finance capital requirements in the second half of 2010. We could seek to issue additional long-term debt or obtain funds through our existing or an additional credit facility to finance capital requirements. In September 2009, we received approval from the FERC to enter into an additional credit facility within the next two years to supply additional liquidity.

During the third quarter of 2009, EE repurchased 751,235 shares of common stock in the open market at an aggregate cost of $12.9 million. No shares of common stock were repurchased during the first or second quarters of 2009. As of September 30, 2009, approximately 770,131 shares remain available for repurchase under the currently authorized program.

2009 Earnings Guidance

We are revising our 2009 earnings guidance to a range of $1.35 to $1.55 per basic share from a range of $1.00 to $1.50 per basic share.

Conference Call

A conference call to discuss third quarter 2009 earnings is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, October 29, 2009. The dial-in number is 866-793-1307 with a conference ID of 1404122. The conference leader will be Steven P. Busser, Vice President -Treasurer and Chief Risk Officer of EE. A replay will run through November 12, 2009 with a dial-in number of 866-837-8032 and a conference ID of 949181. The conference call and presentation slides will be webcast live on EE's website found at http://www.epelectric.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the call.

Safe Harbor

This news release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) increased prices for fuel and purchased power and the possibility that regulators may not permit EE to pass through all such increased costs to customers or to recover previously incurred fuel costs in rates; (ii) fluctuations in off-system sales margins due to uncertainty in the economy power market and the availability of generating units; (iii) our rates in Texas following the five-year moratorium on rate increases which ends June 30, 2010; (iv) uncertainties and instability in the general economy and the resulting impact of EE's sales and profitability; (v) unanticipated increased costs associated with scheduled and unscheduled outages; (vi) the size of our construction program and our ability to complete construction on budget and on time; (vii) costs at Palo Verde; (viii) deregulation of the electric utility industry; (ix) possible increased costs of compliance with environmental or other laws, regulations and policies; (x) possible income tax and interest payments as a result of audit adjustments proposed by the IRS; (xi) uncertainties and instability in the financial markets and the resulting impact on EE's ability to access the capital and credit markets; and (xii) other factors detailed by EE in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EE's filings are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission or may be obtained through EE's website, http://www.epelectric.com. Any such forward-looking statement is qualified by reference to these risks and factors. EE cautions that these risks and factors are not exclusive. EE does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of EE except as required by law.


El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Quarter Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

(In thousands except for per share data)

(Unaudited)

                                          2009       2008         Variance

Operating revenues, net of energy
expenses:

Base revenues                             $ 146,828  $ 135,599    $ 11,229   (a)

Off-system sales margins, net of sharing    2,278      5,355        (3,077 )

Deregulated Palo Verde Unit 3 proxy         3,156      5,959        (2,803 )
market pricing

Other                                       6,807      6,395        412

Operating Revenues Net of Energy            159,069    153,308      5,761
Expenses

Other Operating Expenses:

Other operations and maintenance            45,474     40,969       4,505

Palo Verde operations and maintenance       21,710     20,535       1,175

Taxes other than income taxes               13,595     13,219       376

Other income (deductions)                   876        (669    )    1,545

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,            79,166     77,916       1,250    (b)
Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization               19,196     18,832       364

Interest on long-term debt                  12,194     12,581       (387   )

AFUDC and capitalized interest              3,791      4,167        (376   )

Other interest expense                      67         (592    )    659

Income Before Income Taxes                  51,500     51,262       238

Income tax expense                          17,568     18,188       (620   )

Net Income                                $ 33,932   $ 33,074     $ 858

Basic Earnings per Share                  $ 0.76     $ 0.74       $ 0.02

Diluted Earnings per Share                $ 0.76     $ 0.74       $ 0.02

Weighted average number of shares           44,588     44,726       (138   )
outstanding

Weighted average number of shares and       44,637     44,869       (232   )
dilutive potential shares outstanding

(a) Base revenues exclude fuel recovered through New Mexico base rates of $21.2
million and $20.3 million, respectively.

(b) EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is not a substitute for net
income or other measures of financial performance in accordance with GAAP.




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

(In thousands except for per share data)

(Unaudited)

                                     2009          2008          Variance

Operating revenues, net of energy
expenses:

Base revenues                        $ 373,212     $ 363,041     $ 10,171    (a)

Off-system sales margins, net of       8,178         18,262        (10,084 )
sharing

Deregulated Palo Verde Unit 3 proxy    10,149        16,775        (6,626  )
market pricing

Other                                  17,746        15,564        2,182

Operating Revenues Net of Energy       409,285       413,642       (4,357  )
Expenses

Other Operating Expenses:

Other operations and maintenance       126,256       125,719       537

Palo Verde operations and              70,641        70,594        47
maintenance

Taxes other than income taxes          38,623        37,318        1,305

Other income (deductions)              (2,040  )     (509    )     (1,531  )

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,       171,725       179,502       (7,777  ) (b)
Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization          55,581        56,223        (642    )

Interest on long-term debt             38,314        33,263        5,051

AFUDC and capitalized interest         12,872        11,703        1,169

Other interest expense                 319           (35     )     354

Income Before Income Taxes             90,383        101,754       (11,371 )

Income tax expense                     31,411        34,958        (3,547  )

Net Income                           $ 58,972      $ 66,796      $ (7,824  )

Basic Earnings per Share             $ 1.31        $ 1.49        $ (0.18   )

Diluted Earnings per Share           $ 1.31        $ 1.48        $ (0.17   )

Weighted average number of shares      44,709        44,791        (82     )
outstanding

Weighted average number of shares
and dilutive potential shares          44,739        44,965        (226    )
outstanding

(a) Base revenues exclude fuel recovered through New Mexico base rates of $53.0
million and $53.0 million, respectively.

(b) EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is not a substitute for net
income or other measures of financial performance in accordance with GAAP.




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Cash Flow Summary

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

(In thousands and Unaudited)

                                                     2009          2008

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income                                           $ 58,972      $ 66,796

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash

provided by operations:

Depreciation and amortization of electric plant in     55,581        56,223
service

Deferred income taxes, net                             (2,257   )    12,792

Other                                                  22,348        24,330

Change in working capital items:

Net recovery (deferral) of fuel revenues               74,656        (46,704  )

Other                                                  4,212         901

Net cash provided by operating activities              213,512       114,338

Cash flows from investing activities:

Cash additions to utility property, plant and          (145,465 )    (141,880 )
equipment

Cash additions to nuclear fuel                         (34,613  )    (19,473  )

Proceeds from sale of investment in debt securities    -             16,000

Decommissioning trust funds                            (4,600   )    (7,967   )

Other                                                  (3,906   )    (8,396   )

Net cash used for investing activities                 (188,584 )    (161,716 )

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from exercise of stock options                236           1,004

Repurchase of common stock                             (12,854  )    (9,892   )

Financing obligations                                  19,365        9,233

Proceeds from issuance of long-term notes payable      -             148,719

Other                                                  (1,782   )    (2,217   )

Net cash provided by financing activities              4,965         146,847

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents              29,893        99,469

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period       91,642        4,976

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period           $ 121,535     $ 104,445

Cash interest payments                               $ 33,941      $ 25,424




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Quarter Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

Sales and Revenues Statistics

                                                      Increase (Decrease)

                          2009           2008         Amount         Percentage

MWh sales:

Retail:

Residential                 779,282        686,247      93,035       13.6  %

Commercial and              667,321        655,669      11,652       1.8   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              278,158        295,298      (17,140  )   (5.8  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             419,487        395,313      24,174       6.1   %
authorities

Total retail sales          2,144,248      2,032,527    111,721      5.5   %

Wholesale:

Sales for resale            18,215         14,981       3,234        21.6  %

Off-system sales            715,641        891,632      (175,991 )   (19.7 %)

Total wholesale sales       733,856        906,613      (172,757 )   (19.1 %)

Total MWh sales             2,878,104      2,939,140    (61,036  )   (2.1  %)

Operating revenues (in
thousands):

Non-fuel base revenues:

Retail:

Residential               $ 64,833       $ 57,485     $ 7,348        12.8  %

Commercial and              50,017         48,714       1,303        2.7   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              9,358          9,648        (290     )   (3.0  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             21,867         19,341       2,526        13.1  %
authorities

Total retail non-fuel       146,075        135,188      10,887       8.1   %
base revenues

Wholesale:

Sales for resale            753            411          342          83.2  %

Total non-fuel base         146,828        135,599      11,229       8.3   %
revenues

Fuel revenues:

Recovered from customers    59,373         58,791       582          1.0   %
during the period (a)

Under (over) collection     (23,038   )    15,784       (38,822  )   -
of fuel

New Mexico fuel in base     21,171         20,317       854          4.2   %
rates

Total fuel revenues         57,506         94,892       (37,386  )   (39.4 %)

Off-system sales            28,349         63,371       (35,022  )   (55.3 %)

Other                       8,215          7,937        278          3.5   %

Total operating revenues  $ 240,898      $ 301,799    $ (60,901  )   (20.2 %)

Off-system sales (in
thousands):

Gross margins             $ 3,035        $ 7,139      $ (4,104   )   (57.5 %)

Retained margins            2,278          5,355        (3,077   )   (57.5 %)

Average number of retail
customers:

Residential                 326,816        321,004      5,812        1.8   %

Commercial and              36,158         35,977       181          0.5   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              50             51           (1       )   (2.0  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             4,938          4,902        36           0.7   %
authorities

Total                       367,962        361,934      6,028        1.7   %

Number of retail
customers (end of
period):

Residential                 327,178        321,519      5,659        1.8   %

Commercial and              36,319         35,961       358          1.0   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              48             51           (3       )   (5.9  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             4,942          4,929        13           0.3   %
authorities

Total                       368,487        362,460      6,027        1.7   %

Weather statistics:                                   10 Yr Average

Heating degree days         2              1            1

Cooling degree days         1,601          1,147        1,441

(a) Excludes $8.4 million in 2008 of prior periods deferred fuel revenues
recovered through Texas fuel surcharges.




El Paso Electric Company

Quarter Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

Generation and Purchased Power Statistics

                                                          Increase (Decrease)

                                2009         2008         Amount      Percentage

Generation and purchased power
(MWh):

Palo Verde                      1,379,943    1,332,861    47,082      3.5   %

Four Corners                    168,755      210,587      (41,832 )   (19.9 %)

Gas plants                      782,861      835,924      (53,063 )   (6.3  %)

 Total generation               2,331,559    2,379,372    (47,813 )   (2.0  %)

Purchased power                 726,433      730,239      (3,806  )   (0.5  %)

 Total available energy         3,057,992    3,109,611    (51,619 )   (1.7  %)

Line losses and Company use     179,888      170,471      9,417       5.5   %

 Total                          2,878,104    2,939,140    (61,036 )   (2.1  %)

Palo Verde capacity factor      100.6     %  96.8      %  3.8     %

Four Corners capacity factor    83.3      %  91.6      %  (8.3    %)




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

Sales and Revenues Statistics

                                                      Increase (Decrease)

                          2009           2008         Amount         Percentage

MWh sales:

Retail:

Residential                 1,837,915      1,736,637    101,278      5.8   %

Commercial and              1,726,286      1,731,243    (4,957   )   (0.3  %)
industrial, small

Commercial and              756,333        874,392      (118,059 )   (13.5 %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             1,126,864      1,099,000    27,864       2.5   %
authorities

Total retail sales          5,447,398      5,441,272    6,126        0.1   %

Wholesale:

Sales for resale            47,173         40,734       6,439        15.8  %

Off-system sales            2,408,122      2,568,437    (160,315 )   (6.2  %)

Total wholesale sales       2,455,295      2,609,171    (153,876 )   (5.9  %)

Total MWh sales             7,902,693      8,050,443    (147,750 )   (1.8  %)

Operating revenues (in
thousands):

Base revenues:

Retail:

Residential               $ 153,097      $ 144,457    $ 8,640        6.0   %

Commercial and              133,569        132,887      682          0.5   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              25,926         27,995       (2,069   )   (7.4  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             58,985         56,396       2,589        4.6   %
authorities

Total retail base           371,577        361,735      9,842        2.7   %
revenues

Wholesale:

Sales for resale            1,635          1,306        329          25.2  %

Total base revenues         373,212        363,041      10,171       2.8   %

Fuel revenues:

Recovered from customers    157,281        144,420      12,861       8.9   %
during the period (a)

Under (over) collection     (59,679   )    58,556       (118,235 )   -
of fuel

New Mexico fuel in base     52,975         53,042       (67      )   (0.1  %)
revenues

Total fuel revenues         150,577        256,018      (105,441 )   (41.2 %)

Off-system sales            89,430         186,970      (97,540  )   (52.2 %)

Other                       21,764         20,415       1,349        6.6   %

Total operating revenues  $ 634,983      $ 826,444    $ (191,461 )   (23.2 %)

Off-system sales (in
thousands):

Gross margins             $ 10,900       $ 24,314     $ (13,414  )   (55.2 %)

Retained margins            8,178          18,262       (10,084  )   (55.2 %)

Average number of retail
customers:

Residential                 325,300        319,709      5,591        1.7   %

Commercial and              35,946         35,737       209          0.6   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              49             53           (4       )   (7.5  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             4,935          4,876        59           1.2   %
authorities

Total                       366,230        360,375      5,855        1.6   %

Number of retail
customers (end of
period):

Residential                 327,178        321,519      5,659        1.8   %

Commercial and              36,319         35,961       358          1.0   %
industrial, small

Commercial and              48             51           (3       )   (5.9  %)
industrial, large

Sales to public             4,942          4,929        13           0.3   %
authorities

Total                       368,487        362,460      6,027        1.7   %

Weather statistics                                    10 Yr Average

Heating degree days         1,114          1,275        1,266

Cooling degree days         2,651          2,160        2,453

(a) Excludes $16.3 million and $13.3 million, respectively, of prior periods
deferred fuel revenues recovered through Texas fuel surcharges.




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008

Generation and Purchased Power Statistics

                                                          Increase (Decrease)

                                2009         2008         Amount      Percentage

Generation and purchased power
(MWh):

Palo Verde                      3,826,096    3,598,148    227,948     6.3   %

Four Corners                    554,711      495,099      59,612      12.0  %

Gas plants                      1,796,812    2,126,202    (329,390 )  (15.5 %)

Total generation                6,177,619    6,219,449    (41,830  )  (0.7  %)

Purchased power                 2,168,446    2,300,865    (132,419 )  (5.8  %)

Total available energy          8,346,065    8,520,314    (174,249 )  (2.0  %)

Line losses and Company use     443,372      469,871      (26,499  )  (5.6  %)

Total                           7,902,693    8,050,443    (147,750 )  (1.8  %)

Palo Verde capacity factor      94.0      %  87.8      %  6.2      %

Four Corners capacity factor    85.7      %  71.9      %  13.8     %




El Paso Electric Company and Subsidiary

Financial Statistics

At September 30, 2009 and 2008

(In thousands, except number of shares, book value per share, and ratios)

Balance Sheet                                    2009            2008

Cash and temporary investments                   $ 121,535       $ 104,445

Common stock equity                              $ 754,921       $ 712,086

Long-term debt, net of current portion             739,686         739,641

Financing obligations, net of current portion      75,175          70,918

Total capitalization                             $ 1,569,782     $ 1,522,645

Current portion of long-term debt and financing  $ 37,842        $ 21,330
obligations

Number of shares - end of period                   44,236,250      44,826,941

Book value per common share                      $ 17.07         $ 15.89

Common equity ratio                                47.0       %    46.1       %

Debt ratio                                         53.0       %    53.9       %




    Source: El Paso Electric


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