EPCOR Announces 2023 Financial Results

EDMONTON, AB, Feb. 15, 2024 /CNW/ - EPCOR Utilities Inc. (EPCOR) today filed its annual and fourth quarter results for 2023.

"Throughout 2023, EPCOR's people provided reliable utility services to customers across our North American footprint, while maintaining an exceptional safety record and strong operational performance," said John Elford, EPCOR President & CEO. "Financial performance was ahead of expectations across utilities in Canada and the U.S., with steady growth in our regulated utilities and strong performance from commercial development projects."

EPCOR Utilities Inc. - Management's Discussion and Analysis For year ended December 31, 2023 (CNW Group/Epcor Utilities Inc.)

"Our capital investments of nearly $1 billion demonstrates our commitment to improving reliability and meeting increased demands for services on both sides of the border. This includes construction of a new substation at Genesee in Alberta and expansion of a wastewater treatment plant west of Phoenix, to accommodate new industrial and commercial customers. Additionally, we invested in utility infrastructure relocates to support City of Edmonton construction projects, and continued to advance flood mitigation projects to protect water treatment facilities from the impacts of climate change."

"EPCOR's commitment to a sustainable future for communities is also reflected in our financial planning. The Company's $750 million syndicated bank credit facility has been amended to tie our financing costs to achieving goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve gender diversity in the workplace, and deliver affordable services to our customers."

"Considering another year of strong business performance and solid prospects for continued growth, as previously announced, EPCOR will be increasing the dividend to our shareholder to $193 million in 2024. This is an $8 million increase over 2023 and will be the third year in a row where the dividend has grown."

Highlights of EPCOR's financial performance are as follows:

• Net income was $95 million and $361 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, compared with net income of $93 million and $379 million for the comparative periods in 2022, respectively. The increase of $2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to higher Adjusted EBITDA¹ and transmission system access service charge net collections, partially offset by fair value adjustments related to financial electricity purchase contracts. The decrease of $18 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to fair value adjustments related to financial electricity purchase contracts and higher depreciation and finance expenses in 2023, partially offset by higher Adjusted EBITDA¹.
  
  
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ was $256 million and $1,061 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $223 million and $930 million for the comparative periods in 2022, respectively. The increase of $33 million and $131 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, respectively, was primarily due to higher construction activity, higher rates and customer growth, partially offset by higher operating costs.
  
  
• Investment in capital projects was $988 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $920 million for the corresponding year in 2022, increased primarily due to higher capital expenditures on the construction of a new substation to facilitate interconnection of two power generation units in Alberta and construction of a new wastewater treatment facility in Arizona.

1.	Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section in Appendix 1 to this media release.

Management's discussion and analysis and the audited consolidated financial statements are available on EPCOR's website (www.epcor.com) and SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

EPCOR, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, builds, owns and operates electrical, natural gas and water transmission and distribution networks, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and sanitary and stormwater systems in Canada and the United States. EPCOR also provides electricity, natural gas and water products and services to residential and commercial customers. EPCOR, headquartered in Edmonton, is committed to conducting its business and operations safely and responsibly. Environmental stewardship, public health and community well-being are at the heart of EPCOR's mission to provide clean water and safe, reliable energy. EPCOR is one of Alberta's Top 80 Employers, is ranked among Corporate Knights' 2023 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada, and is designated a Utility of the Future Today by the Water Environment Federation.

Appendix 1 Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EPCOR uses earnings before finance expenses, income tax recovery (expense), depreciation and amortization, changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments, transmission system access service charge net collections and other unusual items (collectively, Adjusted EBITDA) to discuss operating results for EPCOR's lines of business. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is not a standardized financial measure under IFRS Accounting Standards and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers.

The reconciliation between Adjusted EBITDA to Net income as reported under IFRS Accounting Standards is shown below:

(Unaudited, $ millions)	Three months ended December 31,				Year ended December 31,
	2023	2022 (restated)^1			2023	2022 (restated)^1
Adjusted EBITDA by Segment
Water Services segment	$        104	$         92			$        436	$        393
Distribution and Transmission segment	59	59			253	248
Energy Services segment	7	19			54	61
North American Commercial Services segment	20	6			105	40
U.S. Regulated Water segment	53	40			180	157
Other	13	7			33	31
Adjusted EBITDA	256	223			1,061	930
Other income	-	2			-	2
Finance expenses	(50)	(46)			(190)	(160)
Income tax expense	(12)	(14)			(20)	(37)
Depreciation and amortization	(112)	(116)			(429)	(409)
Change in fair value of financial electricity purchase contracts^2	2	46			(83)	64
Transmission system access service charge net collections^3	11	(2)			22	(11)
Net income	$        95	$         93			$        361	$        379

1.	During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company realigned its operating segments to reflect the results of an internal reorganization. The reorganization resulted in the formation of a new operating segment, North American Commercial Services, which combines certain previously existing businesses in a new reportable segment. Comparative segmented results for 2022 have been restated to align with the 2023 reportable segment presentation.
2.	The change in fair value of derivative financial instruments represents the change in fair value of financial electricity purchase contracts between the electricity market forward prices and the contracted prices at the end of the reporting period, for the contracted volumes of electricity.
3.	Transmission system access service charge net collections are the difference between the transmission system access service charges paid to the provincial system operators and the transmission system access service charges collected from electricity retailers. Transmission system access service charge net collections are timing differences, which are collected from or returned to electricity retailers as the transmission system access service charges and customer billing determinants are finalized.

SOURCE Epcor Utilities Inc.

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