ITC Holdings (ITC)

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-32576

 

 

 

 

ITC HOLDINGS CORP.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

27175 Energy Way

Novi, Michigan 48377

(Address Of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

(248) 946-3000

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information, statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o     No þ

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2008 was approximately $2.5 billion, based on the closing sale price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange. For purposes of this computation, all executive officers, directors and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are assumed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed an admission that such officers, directors and beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

 

The number of shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, without par value, outstanding as of February 18, 2009 was 49,711,001.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Proxy Statement”) filed pursuant to Regulation 14A are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

 

 

ITC Holdings Corp.

 

Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

INDEX

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Unless otherwise noted or the context requires, all references in this report to:

 

ITC Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries

 

 

Other definitions

 

 

 

 

Overview

 

Our business consists primarily of the operations of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, ITCTransmission, METC and ITC Midwest. In 2002, ITC Holdings was incorporated in the State of Michigan for the purpose of acquiring ITCTransmission. ITCTransmission was originally formed in 2001 as a subsidiary of Detroit Edison, an electric utility subsidiary of DTE Energy, and was acquired in 2003 by ITC Holdings. METC was originally formed in 2001 as a subsidiary of Consumers Energy, an electric and gas utility subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, and was acquired in 2006 by ITC Holdings. ITC Midwest was formed in 2007 by ITC Holdings to acquire the transmission assets of IP&L in December 2007.

 

Through our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, we are engaged in the transmission of electricity in the United States. Our business strategy is to operate, maintain and invest in transmission infrastructure in order to enhance system integrity and reliability and to reduce transmission constraints. By pursuing this strategy, we strive for high reliability of our systems and to improve accessibility to generation sources of choice, including renewable sources. We operate high-voltage systems in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri that transmit electricity from generating stations to local distribution facilities connected to our systems.

 

As electric transmission utilities with rates regulated by the FERC, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries earn revenues through tariff rates charged for the use of their electric transmission systems by our customers, which include investor-owned utilities, municipalities, co-operatives, power marketers and alternative energy suppliers. As independent transmission companies, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to rate regulation only by the FERC. The rates charged by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are established using Attachment O, as discussed in “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Rate Setting and Attachment O.”

 

Development of Business

 

We are pursuing strategic development opportunities for transmission construction related to building super-regional 765 kV transmission facilities to facilitate interconnections for wind generation and other renewable resources. For example, we are pursuing the opportunity to invest in the Green Power Express project, a transmission project that will traverse portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana and would ultimately include approximately 3,000 miles of extra high-voltage (765kV) transmission. The entire project is currently estimated to cost approximately $10 to $12 billion. Portions of the Green Power Express project fall within the service territory of ITC Midwest. ITC Holdings expects to partner with other affected utilities within the Green Power Express project regions and would therefore only invest in a portion of the total project cost. In addition to the Green Power Express project, based on proposals by RTOs, including MISO and the SPP, we are exploring additional strategic opportunities to upgrade the transmission grid within the MISO and SPP regions and surrounding regions with a backbone 765 kV transmission network. Based on the anticipated growth of wind generation resources, we also foresee the need to construct additional transmission facilities that will provide interconnection opportunities for those wind facilities. The backbone 765 kV transmission network, transmission for wind interconnection and for interconnection of other renewable generating facilities may provide additional investment opportunities. The total investment opportunities estimated for our investment in the Green Power Express project, other backbone 765kV transmission networks, wind interconnection and other transmission for other renewable facilities are estimated to be up to $10 billion. Further, we are pursuing the opportunity to invest in two projects in Kansas, known as the Spearville-Knoll-Axtell transmission project (the “KETA Project”) and the Kansas V-Plan transmission project running from Spearville substation near Dodge City to Wichita through subsidiaries of ITC Grid Development. The capital investment for these two projects is anticipated to be between approximately $500 million and $1 billion. In January 2009, we filed an application with the FERC to establish a formula rate for these two

projects and other projects within the SPP region. Additionally, we believe we may have the opportunity to invest approximately $1 billion to $2 billion in other Extra High Voltage Overlay projects that have been identified by the SPP. We are also exploring opportunities to invest up to approximately $1.3 billion to build a new 765 kV transmission facility across the southern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. We cannot predict if or when these investment opportunities will begin, or their duration. Refer to the discussion of risks associated with our strategic development opportunities in “Item 1A Risk Factors — Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ actual capital expenditures may be lower than planned, which would decrease expected rate base and therefore our revenues. In addition, we expect to pursue strategic development opportunities to improve the efficiency and reliability of the transmission grid, but we cannot assure you that we will be able to initiate or complete any of these investments.”

 

Segments

 

We have one reportable segment consisting of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. Additionally, we have other subsidiaries focused primarily on business development activities and a holding company whose activities include corporate debt and equity financings and general corporate activities. A more detailed discussion of our reportable segment including financial information about the segment is included in Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Operations

 

As transmission-only companies, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries function as conduits, allowing for power from generators to be transmitted to local distribution systems either entirely through their own systems or in conjunction with neighboring transmission systems. Third parties then transmit power through these local distribution systems to end-use consumers. The transmission of electricity by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries is a central function to the provision of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial end-use consumers. The operations performed by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries fall into the following categories:

 

 

Asset Planning

 

Our Asset Planning group uses detailed system models and long-term load forecasts to develop our system expansion capital plans. The expansion plans identify projects that would address potential future reliability issues and/or produce economic savings for customers by eliminating constraints.

 

Asset Planning works closely with MISO in the development of our annual system expansion capital plans by performing technical evaluations and detailed studies. As the regional planning authority, MISO reviews regional system improvement projects by its members, including our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries.

 

Engineering, Design and Construction

 

Our Engineering, Design and Construction group is responsible for design, equipment specifications, maintenance plans and project engineering for capital, operation and maintenance work. We work with outside contractors to perform some of our engineering and design and all of our construction, but retain internal technical experts that have experience with respect to the key elements of the transmission system such as substations, lines, equipment and protective relaying systems. This internal expertise allows us to effectively manage outside contractors.

Maintenance

 

We develop and track the preventive maintenance plan to promote a safe and reliable system. By performing preventive maintenance on our assets, we can minimize the need for reactive maintenance, resulting in improved reliability. Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries contract with Utility Lines Construction, which is a division of Asplundh Tree Expert Co., to perform the bulk of their maintenance. The agreements provide us with access to an experienced and scalable workforce with knowledge of our system at an established rate. The agreements are scheduled to terminate on August 29, 2013 and automatically renew for additional five year terms unless terminated by either party.

 

Real Time Operations

 

ITCTransmission and METC

 

System Operations.  From our operations control room facility in Novi, Michigan, transmission system coordinators continuously monitor the performance of the ITCTransmission and METC transmission systems, using state of the art computer and communication systems to perform analysis to plan for contingencies and maintain security and reliability following any unplanned events on the system. Transmission system coordinators are also responsible for the switching and protective tagging function, taking equipment in and out of service to ensure capital construction projects and maintenance programs can be completed safely and reliably.

 

Local Balancing Authority Operator.  Under the functional control of MISO, ITCTransmission and METC operate their electric transmission systems as a combined Local Balancing Authority (“LBA”) area, known as the Michigan Electric Coordinated Systems (“MECS”). From the operations control room facility in Novi, Michigan, our employees perform the LBA functions as outlined in MISO’s Balancing Authority Agreement. These functions include actual interchange data administration and verification and MECS LBA area emergency procedure implementation and coordination.

 

ITC Midwest

 

We had entered into certain operating contracts with IP&L and ATC that govern operations of the transmission system for a period of at least twelve months from the closing of the ITC Midwest acquisition in December 2007. These contracts include the IP&L Transition Services Agreement for operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system and the ATC Operating Agreement for operations services related to the 69 kV and above transmission system. Transmission system operations services include switching and protective tagging to facilitate capital construction projects and maintenance programs, system monitoring, contingency and security analysis, and responding to unplanned incidents on the system. In December 2008, ITC Midwest terminated the ATC Operating Agreement and currently performs these functions in the operations control room facility in Novi, Michigan.

 

Operating Contracts

 

ITCTransmission

 

Detroit Edison operates the electric distribution system to which ITCTransmission’s transmission system connects. A set of three operating contracts sets forth the terms and conditions related to Detroit Edison’s and ITCTransmission’s ongoing working relationship. These contracts include the following:

 

Master Operating Agreement.  The Master Operating Agreement (the “MOA”), dated as of February 28, 2003, governs the primary day-to-day operational responsibilities of ITCTransmission and Detroit Edison and will remain in effect until terminated by mutual agreement of the parties (subject to any required FERC approvals) unless earlier terminated pursuant to its terms. The MOA identifies the control area coordination services that ITCTransmission is obligated to provide to Detroit Edison. The MOA also requires Detroit Edison to provide certain generation-based support services to ITCTransmission.

Generator Interconnection and Operation Agreement.  Detroit Edison and ITCTransmission entered into the Generator Interconnection and Operation Agreement (the “GIOA”), dated as of February 28, 2003, in order to establish, re-establish and maintain the direct electricity interconnection of Detroit Edison’s electricity generating assets with ITCTransmission’s transmission system for the purposes of transmitting electric power from and to the electricity generating facilities. Unless otherwise terminated by mutual agreement of the parties (subject to any required FERC approvals), the GIOA will remain in effect until Detroit Edison elects to terminate the agreement with respect to a particular unit or until a particular unit ceases commercial operation.

 

Coordination and Interconnection Agreement.  The Coordination and Interconnection Agreement (the “CIA”), dated as of February 28, 2003, governs the rights, obligations and responsibilities of ITCTransmission and Detroit Edison regarding, among other things, the operation and interconnection of Detroit Edison’s distribution system and ITCTransmission’s transmission system, and the construction of new facilities or modification of existing facilities. Additionally, the CIA allocates costs for operation of supervisory, communications and metering equipment. The CIA will remain in effect until terminated by mutual agreement of the parties (subject to any required FERC approvals).

 

METC

 

Consumers Energy operates the electric distribution system to which METC’s transmission system connects. METC is a party to a number of operating contracts with Consumers Energy that govern the operations and maintenance of its transmission system. These contracts include the following:

 

Amended and Restated Easement Agreement.  Under the Amended and Restated Easement Agreement (the “Easement Agreement”), dated as of April 29, 2002 and as further supplemented, Consumers Energy provides METC with an easement to the land, which we refer to as premises, on which a majority of METC’s transmission towers, poles, lines and other transmission facilities used to transmit electricity at voltages of at least 120 kV are located, which we refer to collectively as the facilities. Consumers Energy retained for itself the rights to, and the value of activities associated with, all other uses of the premises and the facilities covered by the Easement Agreement, such as for distribution of electricity, fiber optics, telecommunications, gas pipelines and agricultural uses. Accordingly, METC is not permitted to use the premises or the facilities covered by the Easement Agreement for any purposes other than to provide electric transmission and related services, to inspect, maintain, repair, replace and remove electric transmission facilities and to alter, improve, relocate and construct additional electric transmission facilities. The easement is further subject to the rights of any third parties that had rights to use or occupy the premises or the facilities prior to April 1, 2001 in a manner not inconsistent with METC’s permitted uses.

 

METC pays Consumers Energy annual rent of $10.0 million, in equal quarterly installments, for the easement and related rights under the Easement Agreement. Although METC and Consumers Energy share the use of the premises and the facilities covered by the Easement Agreement, METC pays the entire amount of any rentals, property taxes, inspection fees and other amounts required to be paid to third parties with respect to any use, occupancy, operations or other activities on the premises or the facilities and is generally responsible for the maintenance of the premises and the facilities used for electric transmission at its expense. METC also must maintain commercial general liability insurance protecting METC and Consumers Energy against claims for personal injury, death or property damage occurring on the premises or the facilities and pay for all insurance premiums. METC is also responsible for patrolling the premises and the facilities by air at its expense at least annually and to notify Consumers Energy of any unauthorized uses or encroachments discovered. METC must indemnify Consumers Energy for all liabilities arising from the facilities covered by the Easement Agreement.

 

METC must notify Consumers Energy before altering, improving, relocating or constructing additional transmission facilities covered by the Easement Agreement. Consumers Energy may respond by notifying METC of reasonable work and design restrictions and precautions that are

needed to avoid endangering existing distribution facilities, pipelines or communications lines, in which case METC must comply with these restrictions and precautions. METC has the right at its own expense to require Consumers Energy to remove and relocate these facilities, but Consumers Energy may require payment in advance or the provision of reasonable security for payment by METC prior to removing or relocating these facilities, and Consumers Energy need not commence any relocation work until an alternative right-of-way satisfactory to Consumers Energy is obtained at METC’s expense.

 

The term of the Easement Agreement runs through December 31, 2050 and is subject to 10 automatic 50-year renewals after that time unless METC provides one year’s notice of its election not to renew the term. Consumers Energy may terminate the Easement Agreement 30 days after giving notice of a failure by METC to pay its quarterly installment if METC does not cure the non-payment within the 30-day notice period. At the end of the term or upon any earlier termination of the Easement Agreement, the easement and related rights terminate and the transmission facilities revert to Consumers Energy.

 

Amended and Restated Operating Agreement.  Under the Amended and Restated Operating Agreement (the “Operating Agreement”), dated as of April 29, 2002, METC agrees to operate its transmission system to provide all transmission customers with safe, efficient, reliable and non-discriminatory transmission service pursuant to its tariff. Among other things, METC is responsible under the Operating Agreement for maintaining and operating its transmission system, providing Consumers Energy with information and access to its transmission system and related books and records, administering and performing the duties of control area operator (that is, the entity exercising operational control over the transmission system) and, if requested by Consumers Energy, building connection facilities necessary to permit interaction with new distribution facilities built by Consumers Energy. Consumers Energy has corresponding obligations to provide METC with access to its books and records and to build distribution facilities necessary to provide adequate and reliable transmission services to wholesale customers. Consumers Energy must cooperate with METC as METC performs its duties as control area operator, including by providing reactive supply and voltage control from generation sources or other ancillary services and reducing load. The Operating Agreement is effective through 2050 and is subject to 10 automatic 50-year renewals after that time, unless METC provides one year’s notice of its election not to renew.

 

Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement for Ancillary Services.   The Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement for Ancillary Services (the “Ancillary Services Agreement”) is dated as of April 29, 2002. Since METC does not own any generating facilities, it must procure ancillary services from third party suppliers, such as Consumers Energy. Currently, under the Ancillary Services Agreement, METC pays Consumers Energy for providing certain generation-based services necessary to support the reliable operation of the bulk power grid, such as voltage support and generation capability and capacity to balance loads and generation. METC is not precluded from procuring these ancillary services from third party suppliers when available. The Ancillary Services Agreement is subject to rolling one-year renewals starting May 1, 2003, unless terminated by either METC or Consumers Energy with six months prior written notice.

 

Amended and Restated Distribution-Transmission Interconnection Agreement.   The Amended and Restated Distribution-Transmission Interconnection Agreement (the “DT Interconnection Agreement”), dated April 29, 2002, provides for the interconnection of Consumers Energy’s distribution system with METC’s transmission system and defines the continuing rights, responsibilities and obligations of the parties with respect to the use of certain of their own and the other party’s properties, assets and facilities. METC agrees to provide Consumers Energy interconnection service at agreed-upon interconnection points, and the parties have mutual responsibility for maintaining voltage and compensating for reactive power losses resulting from their respective services. The DT Interconnection Agreement is effective so long as any interconnection point is connected to METC, unless it is terminated earlier by mutual agreement of METC and Consumers Energy.

Amended and Restated Generator Interconnection Agreement.  The Amended and Restated Generator Interconnection Agreement (the “Generator Interconnection Agreement”), dated as of April 29, 2002, specifies the terms and conditions under which Consumers Energy and METC maintain the interconnection of Consumers Energy’s generation resources and METC’s transmission assets. The Generator Interconnection Agreement is effective either until it is replaced by any MISO-required contract, or until mutually agreed by METC and Consumers Energy to terminate, but not later than the date that all listed generators cease commercial operation.

 

ITC Midwest

 

IP&L operates the electric distribution system to which ITC Midwest’s transmission system connects. ITC Midwest is a party to a number of operating contracts with IP&L that govern the operations and maintenance of its transmission system. These contracts include the following:

 

Distribution-Transmission Interconnection Agreement.  The Distribution-Transmission Interconnection Agreement (the “DTIA”), dated as of December 17, 2007, governs the rights, responsibilities and obligations of ITC Midwest and IP&L, with respect to the use of certain of their own and the other parties’ property, assets and facilities, and the construction of new facilities or modification of existing facilities. Additionally, the DTIA sets forth the terms pursuant to which the equipment and facilities and the interconnection equipment of IP&L will continue to connect ITC Midwest’s facilities through which ITC Midwest provides transmission service under the MISO Transmission and Energy Markets Tariff. The DTIA will remain in effect until terminated by mutual agreement by the parties (subject to any required FERC approvals) or as long as any interconnection point of IP&L is connected to ITC Midwest’s facilities, unless modified by written agreement of the parties.

 

Large Generator Interconnection Agreement.  ITC Midwest, IP&L and MISO entered into the Large Generator Interconnection Agreement (the “LGIA”), dated as of December 20, 2007, in order to establish, re-establish and maintain the direct electricity interconnection of IP&L’s electricity generating assets with ITC Midwest’s transmission system for the purposes of transmitting electric power from and to the electricity generating facilities. The LGIA will remain in effect until terminated by ITC Midwest or until IP&L elects to terminate the agreement if a particular unit ceases commercial operation for three consecutive years.

 

Transition Services Agreement.  The Transition Services Agreement (the “TSA”), dated as of December 20, 2007, identifies the transmission corporate administration services, the construction and maintenance services, the engineering services and the system operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system that IP&L agreed to provide to ITC Midwest. The TSA also requires IP&L to provide the transition design, planning and implementation relating to those services. In addition to the system operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system, IP&L will provide a limited number of corporate administration services and construction and maintenance services, to ITC Midwest. The initial term of the TSA expired, and ITC Midwest exercised the first of its four options to extend the agreement an additional six months. The first extension will terminate June 30, 2009; however, ITC Midwest has given notice to IP&L that it will require the system operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system and its associated detailed billing service to be extended through December 31, 2009. The agreement can also be terminated by mutual agreement of the parties. Subsequent to the termination of the TSA, ITC Midwest expects to perform the activities covered under the TSA.

 

Operating Agreement.  The Operating Agreement, dated as of December 17, 2007, between ITC Midwest and ATC obligated ATC to provide control, operation and emergency response services as well as providing assistance in the transition of those services to ITC Midwest. The services contemplated by this agreement were only for ITC Midwest’s transmission facilities operating at 69 kV and above. The Operating Agreement was terminated in December 2008 in accordance with its terms, at which time ITC Midwest began performing the activities covered under the Operating Agreement.

Regulatory Environment

 

Regulators and public policy makers have seen the need for further investment in the transmission grid. The growth in electricity generation, wholesale power sales and consumption combined with historically inadequate transmission investment have resulted in significant transmission constraints across the United States and increased stress on aging equipment. These problems will continue without increased investment in transmission infrastructure. Transmission system investments can also increase system reliability and reduce the frequency of power outages. Such investments can reduce transmission constraints and improve access to lower cost generation resources, resulting in a lower overall cost of delivered electricity for end-use consumers. After the 2003 blackout that affected sections of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Ontario, Canada, the Department of Energy (the “DOE”) established the Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution, focused on working with reliability experts from the power industry, state governments, and their Canadian counterparts to improve grid reliability and increase investment in the country’s electric infrastructure. In addition, the FERC has signaled its desire for substantial new investment in the transmission sector by implementing financial incentives, such as increasing the return on equity for transmission-only companies to a level that is greater than that of traditional utilities.

 

The FERC has issued orders to promote non-discriminatory transmission access for all transmission customers. In the United States, electric transmission assets are predominantly owned, operated and maintained by utilities that also own electricity generation and distribution assets, known as vertically integrated utilities. The FERC has recognized that the vertically integrated utility model inhibits the provision of non-discriminatory transmission access and, in order to alleviate this potential discrimination, the FERC has mandated that all transmission systems over which it has jurisdiction must be operated in a comparable, non-discriminatory manner such that any seller of electricity affiliated with a transmission owner or operator is not provided with preferential treatment. The FERC has also indicated that independent transmission companies can play a prominent role in furthering its policy goals and has encouraged the legal and functional separation of transmission operations from generation and distribution operations.

 

On August 8, 2005, the Energy Policy Act was enacted, which requires the FERC to implement mandatory electric transmission reliability standards to be enforced by an Electric Reliability Organization. Effective June 2007, the FERC approved mandatory adoption of certain reliability standards and approved enforcement actions for violators, including fines of up to $1.0 million per day. The NERC was assigned the responsibility of developing and enforcing these mandatory reliability standards. We continually assess our transmission systems against these reliability standards established by the NERC, as well as ReliabilityFirst Corporation (for ITCTransmission and METC) and Midwest Reliability Organization (for ITC Midwest), which are regional entities under the NERC that have been delegated certain authority for the purpose of proposing and enforcing reliability standards. In addition, the FERC has finalized rules under which our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries may qualify for rate incentives to invest in transmission infrastructure. Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries may also be eligible for federal assistance in the siting of such infrastructure. Finally, the Energy Policy Act repealed the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, which was replaced by the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005. It also subjected utility holding companies to regulations of the FERC related to access to books and records, and amended Section 203 of the FPA to provide explicit authority for the FERC to review mergers and consolidations involving utility holding companies in certain circumstances.

 

Federal Regulation

 

As electric transmission companies, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are regulated by the FERC. The FERC is an independent regulatory commission within the DOE that regulates the interstate transmission and certain wholesale sales of natural gas, the transmission of oil and oil products by pipeline, and the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity in interstate commerce. The FERC also administers accounting and financial reporting regulations and standards of conduct for the companies it regulates. In 1996, in order to facilitate open access transmission for participants in wholesale power

markets, the FERC issued Order No. 888. The open access policy promulgated by the FERC in Order No. 888 was upheld in a United States Supreme Court decision State of New York vs. FERC, issued on March 4, 2002. To facilitate open access, among other things, FERC Order No. 888 encouraged investor owned utilities to cede operational control over their transmission systems to ISOs, which are not-for-profit entities.

 

As an alternative to ceding operating control of their transmission assets to ISOs, certain investor-owned utilities began to promote the formation of for-profit transmission companies, which would assume control of the operation of the grid. In December 1999, the FERC issued Order No. 2000, which strongly encouraged utilities to voluntarily transfer operational control of their transmission systems to RTOs. RTOs, as envisioned in Order No. 2000, would assume many of the functions of an ISO, but the FERC permitted greater flexibility with regard to the organization and structure of RTOs than it had for ISOs. RTOs could accommodate the inclusion of independently owned, for-profit companies that own transmission assets within their operating structure. Independent ownership would facilitate not only the independent operation of the transmission systems but also the formation of companies with a greater financial interest in maintaining and augmenting the capacity and reliability of those systems.

 

MISO was formed in 1996 as a voluntary association of electric transmission owners consistent with the principles in FERC Order No. 888. Later, in response to FERC Order No. 2000, MISO evolved into a FERC-approved RTO with an open architecture framework capable of accommodating a variety of business models including independently owned, for-profit transmission companies. MISO, in its role as an RTO, monitors electric reliability throughout much of the Midwest. MISO is responsible for coordinating the operation of the wholesale electric transmission system and ensuring fair, non-discriminatory access to the transmission grid.

 

State Regulation

 

The regulatory agencies in the states where our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ assets are located do not have jurisdiction over rates or terms and conditions of service. However, they do have jurisdiction over siting of transmission facilities and related matters as described below. Additionally, we are subject to the regulatory oversight of various state environmental quality departments for compliance with any state environmental standards and regulations.

 

ITCTransmission and METC

 

Michigan

 

The Michigan Public Service Commission has jurisdiction over the siting of transmission facilities. Additionally, pursuant to Michigan Public Acts 197 and 198 of 2004, ITCTransmission and METC have the right as independent transmission companies to condemn property in the state of Michigan for the purposes of building or maintaining transmission facilities.

 

ITCTransmission and METC are also subject to the regulatory oversight of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and certain local authorities for compliance with all environmental standards and regulations.

 

ITC Midwest

 

Iowa

 

ITC Midwest is not a public utility subject to the IUB’s statutory jurisdiction to regulate a public utility’s rates and services pursuant to Iowa Code ch. 476. Iowa Code ch. 478, however, provides that the IUB has the power of supervision over the construction, operation, and maintenance of transmission facilities in Iowa by any entity, which includes the power to issue franchises. Iowa Code ch. 478 further provides that any entity granted a franchise by the IUB is vested with the power of condemnation in Iowa to the extent the IUB approves and deems necessary for public use.

ITC Midwest also is subject to the regulatory oversight of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and certain local authorities for compliance with all environmental standards and regulations.

 

Minnesota

 

The MPUC does not have jurisdiction to regulate ITC Midwest’s rates or terms and conditions of service. However, the MPUC has jurisdiction over the siting and routing of new transmission lines through Minnesota’s Certificate of Need Process. Transmission companies are also required to participate in the State’s Biennial Transmission Planning Process and are subject to the state’s preventative maintenance requirements. Pursuant to Minnesota law, ITC Midwest has the right as an independent transmission company to condemn property in the State of Minnesota for the purpose of building new transmission facilities.

 

ITC Midwest is also subject to the regulatory oversight of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the MPUC in conjunction with the Department of Commerce, and certain local authorities for compliance with applicable environmental standards and regulations.

 

Illinois

 

The Illinois Commerce Commission (“ICC”) does not have jurisdiction to regulate ITC Midwest’s rates or terms and conditions of service, but the ICC does exercise jurisdiction over siting of new transmission lines.

 

ITC Midwest also is subject to the regulatory oversight of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Pollution Control Board and certain local authorities for compliance with all environmental standards and regulations.

 

Missouri

 

The Missouri Public Service Commission (the “MOPSC”) does not have jurisdiction to regulate the Company’s rates, terms or conditions of service. However, because ITC Midwest is a “public utility” and an “electrical corporation” under Missouri law, the MOPSC has jurisdiction to determine whether ITC Midwest may operate in such capacity. In this regard, on August 30, 2007, the MOPSC granted ITC Midwest a certificate of public convenience and necessity to own, operate and maintain a 161 kV transmission line of approximately 9.5 miles located in Clark County, Missouri which connects the former IP&L’s transmission substation in Keokuk, Iowa with Ameren Energy Generating Company’s transmission substation near Wayland, Missouri. The MOPSC also exercises jurisdiction with regard to other non-rate matters affecting this Missouri asset such as transmission substation construction, general safety and the transfer of the franchise or property.

 

ITC Midwest is also subject to the regulatory oversight of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for compliance with all environmental standards and regulations relating to this transmission line.

 

Sources of Revenue

 

See “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — Operating Revenues” for a discussion of our principal sources of revenue.

 

Seasonality

 

Prior to the implementation of forward-looking Attachment O, effective January 1, 2007 for ITCTransmission and METC, the revenues recognized by these subsidiaries were dependent on monthly peak loads. Revenues and net income varied between periods based on monthly peak loads, among other factors. To the extent that actual conditions during an annual period varied from the data on which the

Attachment O rate was based, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries earned more or less revenue during that annual period and therefore recovered more or less than their respective net revenue requirements. The calculation of net revenue requirement is described in “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Rate Setting and Attachment O — Net Revenue Requirement Calculation.”

 

Under forward-looking Attachment O, as discussed in “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Rate Setting and Attachment O — Forward-Looking Attachment O,” monthly peak loads continue to be used for billing network revenues and continue to affect operating cash flows. However, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries accrue or defer revenues to the extent that their actual net revenue requirement for the reporting period is higher or lower, respectively, than the amounts billed relating to that reporting period. This results in more consistent net income for each quarterly period within a given year, compared to the historical Attachment O method that previously applied to ITCTransmission and METC.

 

Principal Customers

 

Our principal transmission service customers are Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy and IP&L, which accounted for approximately 41.6%, 25.6% and 19.8%, respectively, of our total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2008. One or more of these customers together have consistently represented a significant percentage of our operating revenue. These percentages of total operating revenues of Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy and IP&L include an estimate for the 2008 Attachment O revenue accruals that were included in our 2008 operating revenues, but will not be billed to our customers until 2010. We have assumed that the Attachment O revenues billed to these customers in 2010 would be in the same proportion of the respective percentages of network revenues billed to them in 2008. Our remaining revenues were generated from providing service to other entities such as alternative electricity suppliers, power marketers and other wholesale customers that provide electricity to end-use consumers and from transaction-based capacity reservations. Nearly all of our revenues are from transmission customers in the United States. Although we may have allocated revenues from time to time from Canadian entities reserving transmission over the Ontario or Manitoba interface, these revenues have not been and are not expected to be material to us.

 

Billing

 

MISO is responsible for billing and collection for transmission services and administers the transmission tariff in the MISO service territory. As the billing agent for our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, MISO bills Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy, IP&L and other customers on a monthly basis and collects fees for the use of our transmission systems. MISO has implemented strict credit policies for its members, which include customers using our transmission systems. In general, if these customers do not maintain their investment grade credit rating or have a history of late payments, MISO may require them to provide MISO with a letter of credit or a cash deposit equal to the highest monthly invoiced amount over the previous 12 months.

 

Competition

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries is the only transmission system in its respective service area and, therefore, effectively has no competitors. For our subsidiaries focused on development opportunities for capital projects in other service areas, the incumbent utilities or other entities with transmission development initiatives may compete with us by deciding to pursue capital projects that we are pursuing. Because our subsidiaries are the only transmission companies that are independent from electricity market participants, we believe we are best able to develop these projects in a non-discriminatory manner. However, there are no assurances we will be selected to develop projects that other entities are also pursuing. None of our existing operating revenues relate to these development initiatives, and our development expenses are recorded to operating expenses unless and until the FERC allows us recovery of such expenses and they are probable of recovery.

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2008, we had 392 employees. We consider our relations with our employees to be good.

 

The certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules have been filed as exhibits to this report. The unqualified certification of the Chief Executive Officer as to compliance with New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) corporate governance requirements was filed with the NYSE on June 19, 2008.

 

Environmental Matters

 

Our operations are subject to federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, which impose limitations on the discharge of pollutants into the environment, establish standards for the management, treatment, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials and of solid and hazardous wastes, and impose obligations to investigate and remediate contamination in certain circumstances. Liabilities to investigate or remediate contamination, as well as other liabilities concerning hazardous materials or contamination, such as claims for personal injury or property damage, may arise at many locations, including formerly owned or operated properties and sites where wastes have been treated or disposed of, as well as at properties currently owned or operated by us. Such liabilities may arise even where the contamination does not result from noncompliance with applicable environmental laws. Under a number of environmental laws, such liabilities may also be joint and several, meaning that a party can be held responsible for more than its share of the liability involved, or even the entire share. Environmental requirements generally have become more stringent and compliance with those requirements more expensive. We are not aware of any specific developments that would increase our costs for such compliance in a manner that would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or liquidity.

 

Our assets and operations also involve the use of materials classified as hazardous, toxic or otherwise dangerous. Many of the properties our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries own or operate have been used for many years, and include older facilities and equipment that may be more likely than newer ones to contain or be made from such materials. Some of these properties include aboveground or underground storage tanks and associated piping. Some of them also include large electrical equipment filled with mineral oil, which may contain or previously have contained polychlorinated biphenyls (commonly known as PCBs). Our facilities and equipment are often situated close to or on property owned by others so that, if they are the source of contamination, the property of others may be affected. For example, aboveground and underground transmission lines sometimes traverse properties that we do not own, and, at some of our transmission stations, transmission assets (owned or operated by us) and distribution assets (owned or operated by our transmission customers) are commingled.

 

Some properties in which we have an ownership interest or at which we operate are, and others are suspected of being, affected by environmental contamination. We are not aware of any claims pending or threatened against us with respect to environmental contamination, or of any investigation or remediation of contamination at any properties, that entail costs likely to materially affect us. Some facilities and properties are located near environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands.

 

Claims have been made or threatened against electric utilities for bodily injury, disease or other damages allegedly related to exposure to electromagnetic fields associated with electric transmission and distribution lines. While we do not believe that a causal link between electromagnetic field exposure and injury has been generally established and accepted in the scientific community, if such a relationship is established or accepted, the liabilities and costs imposed on our business could be significant. We are not aware of any claims pending or threatened against us for bodily injury, disease or other damages allegedly related to exposure to electromagnetic fields and electric transmission and distribution lines that entail costs likely to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or liquidity.

Filings Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Our internet address is www.itc-holdings.com. You can access free of charge on our web site all of our reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports. These reports are available as soon as practicable after they are electronically filed with the SEC. Also on our web site are our:

 

 

Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all directors, officers and employees, including our Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer and our Senior Vice President — Finance and Chief Financial Officer. We will post any amendments to the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and any waivers that are required to be disclosed by the rules of either the SEC or the NYSE, on our web site within the required periods. The information on our web site is not incorporated by reference into this report.

 

We will also provide this information in print to any shareholder who requests it.

 

To learn more about us, please visit our web site at www.itc-holdings.com. We use our website as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding us is routinely posted on our web site and is readily accessible.

 

You may also read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington DC, 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address is http://www.sec.gov.

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS.

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

Certain elements of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ cost recovery through rates can be challenged, which could result in lowered rates and/or refunds of amounts previously collected and thus have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We have also made certain commitments to federal and state regulators with respect to, among other things, our rates in connection with recent acquisitions (including ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition) that could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries provide transmission service under rates regulated by the FERC. The FERC has approved our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ use of the rate setting formula under Attachment O, but it has not expressly approved the amount of actual capital and operating expenditures to be used in that formula. In addition, all aspects of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ rates approved by the FERC, including the Attachment O rate mechanism, ITCTransmission’s, METC’s and ITC Midwest’s respective allowed 13.88%, 13.38% and 12.38% rates of return on the actual equity portion of their respective capital structures, and the data inputs provided by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries for calculation of each year’s rate, are subject to challenge by interested parties at the FERC in a proceeding under Section 206 of the FPA. If a challenger can establish that any of these aspects are unjust, unreasonable, unduly discriminatory or preferential, then the FERC will make appropriate prospective adjustments to them and/or disallow any of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ inclusion of

those aspects in the rate setting formula. This could result in lowered rates and/or refunds of amounts collected after the date that a Section 206 challenge is filed.

 

On November 18, 2008, IP&L filed a complaint against ITC Midwest before the FERC under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act. The complaint alleges that: (1) the operations and maintenance expenses and administrative and general expenses projected in the 2009 ITC Midwest rate appear excessive; (2) the true-up amount related to ITC Midwest’s posted network rate for the period through December 31, 2008 will cause ITC Midwest to charge an excessive rate in future years; and (3) the methodology of allocating administrative and general expenses among ITC Holdings’ operating companies was changed, resulting in such additional expenses being allocated to ITC Midwest. The complaint states that it does not challenge ITC Midwest’s Attachment O formula or its planned capital investments. ITC Midwest’s network rate is based on its forward-looking Attachment O rate formula, as approved by FERC, which incorporates ITC Midwest’s projected net revenue requirement and load. Among other things, IP&L’s complaint seeks investigative action by the FERC relating to ITC Midwest’s transmission service charges reflected in its 2009 rate, as well as hearings regarding the justness and reasonableness of the 2009 rate (with the ultimate goal of reducing such rate). The resolution of this proceeding and its ultimate impact on ITC Midwest’s network rate and transmission revenues cannot be determined at this time. Various other parties, including Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy have filed with the FERC as interveners in the matter, such that the outcome of the case could also have an impact on the rates of ITCTransmission and METC. If the FERC issues a decision in this matter which inhibits our ability to recover costs and expenses through our rates or is otherwise adverse to our interests, then our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.

 

The FERC’s order approving our acquisition of METC was conditioned upon ITCTransmission and METC not recovering “merger-related costs” in their rates, as described in the order, unless a separate informational filing is submitted to the FERC. The informational filing, which could be challenged by interested parties, would need to identify those costs and show that such costs are outweighed by the benefits of the acquisition. Determinations by ITCTransmission or METC that expenses included in Attachment O for recovery are not acquisition related costs are also subject to challenge by interested parties at the FERC. If challenged at the FERC and ITCTransmission or METC fail to show that costs included for recovery are not merger-related, this also could result in lowered rates and/or refunds of amounts collected.

 

Under the FERC’s order approving ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition, ITC Midwest has agreed to a hold harmless commitment in which no acquisition premium will be recovered in rates, nor will ITC Midwest recover through transmission rates any transaction-related costs that exceed demonstrated transaction-related savings for a period of five years. If during the five year period ITC Midwest seeks to recover transaction-related costs through Attachment O, ITC Midwest must make an informational filing at the FERC that identifies the transaction-related costs sought to be recovered and demonstrates that those costs are exceeded by transaction-related savings. If challenged at the FERC and ITC Midwest fails to show that transaction-related costs included for recovery do not exceed transaction-related savings, ITC Midwest could be subject to lowered rates and/or refunds of amounts previously collected. Additionally, in Iowa and Minnesota, as part of the regulatory approval process, ITC Midwest committed not to recover the first $15.0 million in transaction-related costs under any circumstances.

 

In the Minnesota regulatory proceeding, ITC Midwest also agreed to build two construction projects intended to improve the reliability and efficiency of our electric transmission system. ITC Midwest agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to complete these projects prior to December 2009 and 2011, respectively. In the event ITC Midwest fails to meet these commitments, the allowed 12.38% rate of return on the actual equity portion of ITC Midwest’s capital structure will be reduced to 10.39% under Attachment O until such time as it completes these projects. Any of the events described above could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Approval of ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition by state regulatory authorities in Iowa may be subject to further challenge. If such proceedings are decided in a manner that is unfavorable to us, all or part of the orders approving ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in Iowa could be reversed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

In September 2007, the IUB issued an order declining to disapprove ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition and terminating the review docket, and ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition was accordingly deemed to be approved by operation of law upon the subsequent expiration in September 2007 of the prescribed statutory period. The IUB order recognized that regulatory approvals in other jurisdictions were required, and stated that material changes in ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition imposed by such approvals could require the submission of a new proposal for IUB review if such changes materially altered the basis for the IUB order. On October 19, 2007, the Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate (the “IOCA”) filed in the Iowa District Court for Polk County a petition for judicial review asking the court to reverse, vacate, and remand to the IUB the IUB’s decision declining to disapprove ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition. A final hearing on the IOCA’s petition for judicial review occurred on August 8, 2008. On September 25, 2008, the IOCA filed an application with the District Court for leave to present additional evidence. On October 3, 2008, the District Court issued a ruling that affirmed the IUB’s decision in all respects and rejected the IOCA’s claimed relief, but failed to address or acknowledge the IOCA’s motion for leave to present additional evidence. Subsequently, on December 11, 2008 the District Court denied the IOCA’s application for leave to present additional evidence and reaffirmed its prior ruling affirming the IUB’s decision and rejecting the IOCA’s claimed relief. On February 13, 2009, the IOCA filed a notice of appeal with the Iowa Supreme Court. If the IOCA’s appeal is ultimately decided in a manner that is unfavorable to us, all or part of the orders approving ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in Iowa could be reversed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ actual capital expenditures may be lower than planned, which would decrease expected rate base and therefore our revenues. In addition, we expect to pursue strategic development opportunities to improve the efficiency and reliability of the transmission grid, but we cannot assure you that we will be able to initiate or complete any of these investments.

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ rate base, revenues and earnings are determined in part by additions to property, plant and equipment when placed in service. We expect ITCTransmission, METC and ITC Midwest to invest approximately $700 million, $1,150 million and $1,050 million, respectively, in their respective systems over the period beginning January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2017. The expected amounts of capital investment over the period beginning January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2017 do not include a total of $150 million for ITCTransmission and METC combined and $250 million at ITC Midwest for estimated transmission network upgrades for generator interconnections due to a high degree of uncertainty on whether these projects will ultimately be built and because they could replace other transmission projects currently being planned. This estimate for transmission network upgrades for generator interconnections could change significantly due to factors beyond our control, such as changes in the MISO queue for generation projects and whether the generator meets the various criteria of Attachment FF of the MISO Transmission and Energy Market Tariff for the project to qualify as a refundable network upgrade, among other factors. For the year ended December 31, 2009, we expect ITCTransmission, METC and ITC Midwest to invest approximately $70 million to $85 million, $110 million to $130 million and $90 million to $110 million, respectively, in their respective systems, which includes estimated capital investments for transmission network upgrades. Additionally, we also expect to spend approximately $30 million at ITC Midwest to purchase and complete construction on a substation and to purchase a transmission line. Our expected capital investments at our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2009 could change significantly due to the uncertainty around capital investments for transmission network upgrades for generator interconnections as described above. If our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ capital expenditures and the resulting in-service property, plant and equipment are lower than anticipated for any reason, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will have a

lower than anticipated rate base thus causing their revenue requirements and future earnings to be potentially lower than anticipated.

 

In addition, we are pursuing broader strategic development investment opportunities for transmission construction related to building super-regional 765 kV transmission facilities, interconnections for wind generation and other renewable resources, and investment opportunities. The incumbent utilities or other entities with transmission development initiatives may compete with us by deciding to pursue capital projects that we are pursuing. These estimates of potential investment opportunities are based primarily on foreseeable transmission needs and general transmission construction costs, not necessarily on particular project cost estimates.

 

Any capital investment at our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries or as a result of our broader strategic development initiatives may be lower than expected due to, among other factors, the impact of actual loads, forecasted loads, regional economic conditions, weather conditions, union strikes, labor shortages, material and equipment prices and availability, our ability to obtain financing for such expenditures, if necessary, limitations on the amount of construction that can be undertaken on our system or transmission systems owned by others at any one time or regulatory approvals for reasons relating to rate construct, environmental, siting, regional planning, cost recovery and other issues or as a result of legal proceedings and variances between estimated and actual costs of construction contracts awarded. Our ability to engage in construction projects resulting from pursuing these initiatives is subject to significant uncertainties, including the factors discussed above, and will depend on obtaining any necessary regulatory and other approvals for the project and for us to initiate construction, our achieving status as the builder of the project in some circumstances and other factors. Therefore, we can provide no assurance as to the actual level of investment we may achieve at our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries or as a result of the broader strategic development initiatives.

 

The regulations to which we are subject may limit our ability to raise capital and/or pursue acquisitions, development opportunities or other transactions or may subject us to liabilities.

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries is a “public utility” under the FPA and, accordingly, is subject to regulation by the FERC. Approval of the FERC is required under Section 203 of the FPA for a disposition or acquisition of regulated public utility facilities, either directly or indirectly through a holding company. Such approval may also be required to acquire securities in a public utility. Section 203 of the FPA also provides the FERC with explicit authority over utility holding companies’ purchases or acquisitions of, and mergers or consolidations with, a public utility. Finally, each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries must also seek approval by the FERC under Section 204 of the FPA for issuances of its securities (including debt securities).

 

We are also pursuing strategic development opportunities for construction of transmission facilities and interconnections with wind generation and other renewable resources. These projects require regulatory approval by the FERC, applicable RTOs and state regulatory agencies. Failure to secure such regulatory approval for new strategic development projects could adversely affect our ability to grow our business and increase our revenues.

 

In addition, we are subject to state and/or local regulations relating to, among other things, facility siting. If we fail to comply with these local regulations, we may incur liabilities for such failure.

 

Changes in federal energy laws, regulations or policies could impact cash flows and could reduce the dividends we may be able to pay our stockholders.

 

Attachment O, the rate formula mechanism used by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries to calculate their respective annual revenue requirements, will be used by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries for that purpose until and unless the FERC determines that such rate formula is unjust and unreasonable or that another mechanism is more appropriate. Such determinations could result from challenges initiated at the FERC by interested parties, by the FERC on its own initiative in a proceeding

under Section 206 of the FPA or by a successful application initiated by any of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries under Section 205 of the FPA. End-use consumers and entities supplying electricity to end-use consumers may attempt to influence government and/or regulators to change the rate setting methodologies that apply to our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, particularly if rates for delivered electricity increase substantially.

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries is regulated by the FERC as a “public utility” under the FPA and is a transmission owner in MISO. We cannot predict whether the approved rate methodologies for any of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will be changed. In addition, the U.S. Congress periodically considers enacting energy legislation that could shift new responsibilities to the FERC, modify provisions of the FPA or provide the FERC or another entity with increased authority to regulate transmission matters. We cannot predict whether, and to what extent, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries may be affected by any such changes in federal energy laws, regulations or policies in the future.

 

If the network load or point-to-point transmission service on our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission systems is lower than expected, the timing of collection of our revenues would be delayed.

 

If the network load or point-to-point transmission service on our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission systems is lower than expected due to weather, a weak economy, changes in the nature or composition of the transmission grids of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries and surrounding areas, poor transmission quality of neighboring transmission systems, or for any other reason, the timing of the collection of our revenue requirement would likely be delayed until such circumstances are adjusted through the true-up mechanism in our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ formula rate mechanism.

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries depends on its primary customer for a substantial portion of its revenues, and any material failure by those primary customers to make payments for transmission services would adversely affect our revenues and our ability to service our debt obligations and affect our ability to pay dividends.

 

ITCTransmission derives a substantial portion of its revenues from the transmission of electricity to Detroit Edison’s local distribution facilities. Detroit Edison accounted for 87.3% of ITCTransmission’s total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2008 and is expected to constitute the majority of ITCTransmission’s revenues for the foreseeable future. Detroit Edison is rated BBB/stable and A3/stable by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Services, Inc., respectively. Similarly, Consumers Energy accounted for 82.8% of METC’s total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2008, and is expected to constitute the majority of METC’s revenues for the foreseeable future. Consumers Energy is rated BBB-/stable and Baa1/stable by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., respectively. Further, IP&L accounted for 85.5% of ITC Midwest’s total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2008 and is expected to constitute the majority of ITC Midwest’s revenues for the foreseeable future. IP&L is rated BBB+/stable and A3/stable by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., respectively. These percentages of total operating revenues of Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy and IP&L include an estimate for the 2008 Attachment O revenue accruals that were included in our 2008 operating revenues, but will not be billed to our customers until 2010. We have assumed that the Attachment O revenues billed to these customers in 2010 would be in the same proportion of the respective percentages of network revenues billed to them in 2008.

 

Any material failure by Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy or IP&L to make payments for transmission services would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and our ability to service our debt obligations, and could impact the amount of dividends we pay our stockholders.

 

METC does not own the majority of the land on which its transmission assets are located. Additionally, a significant amount of the land on which ITCTransmission’s and ITC Midwest’s

assets are located is subject to easements, mineral rights and other similar encumbrances and a significant amount of ITCTransmission’s and ITC Midwest’s other property consists of easements. As a result, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries must comply with the provisions of various easements, mineral rights and other similar encumbrances, which may adversely impact their ability to complete construction projects in a timely manner.

 

METC does not own the majority of the land on which its electric transmission assets are located. Instead, under the provisions of an Easement Agreement with Consumers Energy, METC pays annual rent of $10.0 million to Consumers Energy in exchange for rights-of-way, leases, fee interests and licenses which allow METC to use the land on which its transmission lines are located. Under the terms of the Easement Agreement, METC’s easement rights could be eliminated if METC fails to meet certain requirements, such as paying contractual rent to Consumers Energy in a timely manner. Additionally, a significant amount of the land on which ITCTransmission’s and ITC Midwest’s assets are located is subject to easements, mineral rights and other similar encumbrances and a significant amount of ITCTransmission’s and ITC Midwest’s other property consists of easements. As a result, they must comply with the provisions of various easements, mineral rights and other similar encumbrances, which may adversely impact their ability to complete their construction projects in a timely manner.

 

If ITC Midwest’s operating agreement with IP&L is terminated early, ITC Midwest may face a shortage of labor or replacement contractors to provide the services formerly provided by IP&L.

 

ITC Midwest has an operating service agreement with IP&L, the TSA, which governs the operation of ITC Midwest’s 34.5 kV transmission system. In addition to the system operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system, IP&L provides a limited number of corporate administration, construction and maintenance services to ITC Midwest. The initial term of the TSA expired, and ITC Midwest exercised the first of its four options to extend the agreement an additional six months. The first extension will terminate June 30, 2009; however, ITC Midwest has given notice to IP&L that it will require the system operations services related to the 34.5 kV transmission system and its associated detailed billing service to be extended through December 31, 2009. In May 2009, ITC Midwest plans to issue an official notice to confirm the six month extension of those services and any others that need to be extended. The agreement can also be terminated by mutual agreement of the parties. While this agreement is in place, ITC Midwest will continue to hire and train its own employees and continue to contract with other non-utility owning vendors to provide these services with the eventual goal of replacing IP&L entirely. If the FERC were to terminate this agreement prematurely, or prohibit its renewal, or if this agreement is terminated or fails to be renewed for any other reason at any time when ITC Midwest is unprepared for such termination, ITC Midwest may face difficulty finding a qualified replacement work force to provide such services, which could have a material adverse effect on its ability to carry on its business and on its results of operations.

 

Hazards associated with high-voltage electricity transmission may result in suspension of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ operations or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

 

The operations of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to the usual hazards associated with high-voltage electricity transmission, including explosions, fires, inclement weather, natural disasters, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtime, equipment interruptions, remediation, chemical spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases and other environmental risks. The hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment and environmental damage, and may result in suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. We maintain property and casualty insurance, but we are not fully insured against all potential hazards incident to our business, such as damage to poles, towers and lines or losses caused by outages.

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to environmental regulations and to laws that can give rise to substantial liabilities from environmental contamination.

 

The operations of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, which impose limitations on the discharge of pollutants into the environment, establish standards for the management, treatment, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials and of solid and hazardous wastes, and impose obligations to investigate and remediate contamination in certain circumstances. Liabilities to investigate or remediate contamination, as well as other liabilities concerning hazardous materials or contamination such as claims for personal injury or property damage, may arise at many locations, including formerly owned or operated properties and sites where wastes have been treated or disposed of, as well as at properties currently owned or operated by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. Such liabilities may arise even where the contamination does not result from noncompliance with applicable environmental laws. Under a number of environmental laws, such liabilities may also be joint and several, meaning that a party can be held responsible for more than its share of the liability involved, or even the entire share. Environmental requirements generally have become more stringent in recent years, and compliance with those requirements more expensive.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries have incurred expenses in connection with environmental compliance, and we anticipate that each will continue to do so in the future. Failure to comply with the extensive environmental laws and regulations applicable to each could result in significant civil or criminal penalties and remediation costs. Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ assets and operations also involve the use of materials classified as hazardous, toxic, or otherwise dangerous. Some of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ facilities and properties are located near environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands and habitats of endangered or threatened species. In addition, certain properties in which our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries operate are suspected of being, affected by environmental contamination. Compliance with these laws and regulations, and liabilities concerning contamination or hazardous materials, may adversely affect our costs and, therefore, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, claims have been made or threatened against electric utilities for bodily injury, disease or other damages allegedly related to exposure to electromagnetic fields associated with electric transmission and distribution lines. We cannot assure you that such claims will not be asserted against us or that, if determined in a manner adverse to our interests, would not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to various regulatory requirements. Violations of these requirements, whether intentional or unintentional, may result in penalties that, under some circumstances, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are required to comply with various regulations, including reliability standards established by the NERC, which acts as the nation’s Electric Reliability Organization approved by the FERC in accordance with Section 215 of the FPA. These standards address operation, planning and security of the bulk power system, including requirements in respect of real-time transmission operations, emergency operations, vegetation management, critical infrastructure protection and personnel training. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in monetary penalties as well as non-monetary sanctions. Monetary penalties vary based on an assigned risk factor for each potential violation, the severity of the violation and various other circumstances, such as whether the violation was intentional or concealed, whether there are repeated violations, the degree of the violator’s cooperation in investigating and remediating the violation and the presence of a compliance program. Penalty amounts range from $1,000 to a maximum of $1.0 million per day, depending on the severity of the violation. Non-monetary sanctions include potential limitations on the violator’s activities or operation and placing the violator on a watchlist for major violators. Despite our best efforts to comply and the implementation of a compliance program intended to ensure reliability, there can be no assurance that violations will not occur that would result in material penalties or sanctions. If any of our operating subsidiaries were to violate the NERC

reliability standards, even unintentionally, in any material way, any penalties or sanctions imposed against us could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

 

Acts of war, terrorist attacks and threats or the escalation of military activity in response to such attacks or otherwise may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Acts of war, terrorist attacks and threats or the escalation of military activity in response to such attacks or otherwise may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in unpredictable ways, such as increased security measures and disruptions of markets. Strategic targets, such as energy related assets, including, for example, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission facilities and Detroit Edison’s, Consumers Energy’s and IP&L’s generation and distribution facilities, may be at risk of future terrorist attacks. In addition to the increased costs associated with heightened security requirements, such events may have an adverse effect on the economy in general. A lower level of economic activity could result in a decline in energy consumption, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Risks Related to Our Structure and Financial Leverage

 

ITC Holdings is a holding company with no operations, and unless we receive dividends or other payments from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to pay dividends and fulfill our other cash obligations.

 

As a holding company with no business operations, ITC Holdings’ assets consist primarily of the stock and membership interests in our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries and any other subsidiaries ITC Holdings may have, deferred tax assets relating primarily to federal income tax NOLs and cash on hand. Our only sources of cash to pay dividends to our stockholders are dividends and other payments received by us from time to time from our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries and any other subsidiaries we may have and the proceeds raised from the sale of our debt and equity securities. Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, however, is legally distinct from us and has no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to make funds available to us for the payment of dividends to ITC Holdings’ stockholders or otherwise. The ability of each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries and any other subsidiaries we may have to pay dividends and make other payments to us is subject to, among other things, the availability of funds, after taking into account capital expenditure requirements, the terms of its indebtedness, applicable state laws and regulations of the FERC and the FPA. While we currently intend to continue to pay quarterly dividends on our common stock, we have no obligation to do so. The payment of dividends is within the absolute discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, working capital requirements, capital expenditure requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, anticipated cash needs and other factors that our board deems relevant.

 

We are highly leveraged and our dependence on debt may limit our ability to fulfill our debt obligations and/or to obtain additional financing.

 

We are highly leveraged. As of December 31, 2008, we had approximately $2.2 billion of consolidated indebtedness, consisting of various outstanding debt securities and borrowings under various credit facilities. In addition, we had a total of $340.0 million in revolving credit agreement commitments at December 31, 2008. This capital structure can have several important consequences, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

 

 

We may incur substantial indebtedness in the future. The incurrence of additional indebtedness would increase the leverage-related risks described here.

 

Certain provisions in our debt instruments limit our financial flexibility.

 

Our debt instruments include senior notes, secured notes, first mortgage bonds and revolving credit agreements containing numerous financial and operating covenants that place significant restrictions on, among other things, our ability to:

 

 

The revolving credit agreements, METC’s senior secured notes and ITC Holdings’ senior notes require us to meet certain financial ratios. Our ability to comply with these and other requirements and restrictions may be affected by changes in economic or business conditions, results of operations or other events beyond our control. A failure to comply with the obligations contained in any of our debt instruments could result in acceleration of the related debt and the acceleration of debt under other instruments evidencing indebtedness that may contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions.

Adverse changes in our credit ratings may negatively affect us.

 

Our ability to access capital markets is important to our ability to operate our business. Increased scrutiny of the energy industry and the impact of regulation, as well as changes in our financial performance and the prevailing unfavorable conditions in the capital markets could result in credit agencies reexamining our credit ratings. A downgrade in our credit ratings could restrict or discontinue our ability to access capital markets at attractive rates and increase our borrowing costs. A rating downgrade could also increase the interest we pay under our revolving credit agreements.

 

ITC Holdings’ common stock offering in October 2006 caused us to undergo an “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) which will limit the amount of our federal income tax NOLs that we may use to reduce our tax liability in a given period.

 

As of December 31, 2008, we had estimated federal income tax NOLs of $253.4 million, resulting in part from accelerated depreciation methods for property, plant and equipment for income tax reporting purposes. These federal income tax NOLs may be used to offset future taxable income and thereby reduce our U.S. federal income taxes otherwise payable. Section 382 of the Code imposes an annual limit on the ability of a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” to use its federal income tax NOLs to reduce its tax liability. As a result of the ownership change in October 2006, we are not able to use our pre-ownership change federal income tax NOLs in excess of the limitation imposed by Section 382 for each annual period. Included in the total federal income tax NOLs above are approximately $38.5 million of federal income tax NOLs included in our 2006 consolidated tax return for the entities acquired in the METC acquisition. We will be subject to annual limitations on the use of such federal income tax NOLs as a result of the acquisition of all of the indirect ownership interests in METC by us, as well as limitations resulting from prior transactions by the acquired entities. We have not recorded a valuation allowance relating to our federal income tax NOLs. In the event it becomes more likely than not that any portion of the federal income tax NOLs will expire unused, we would be required to recognize an expense to establish a valuation allowance in the period in which the determination is made. If the expense is significant, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws, Michigan corporate law and our debt agreements may impede efforts by our shareholders to change the direction or management of our company.

 

Our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that might enable our management to resist a proposed takeover. These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a change of control or an acquisition at a price that our shareholders may find attractive. These provisions also may discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our shareholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. The existence of these provisions could limit the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. These provisions include:

 

 

In addition, our revolving credit agreements provide that a change in a majority of ITC Holdings’ board of directors that is not approved by the current ITC Holdings directors or acquiring beneficial ownership of 35% or more of ITC Holdings outstanding common shares will constitute a default under those agreements.

Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation restrict market participants from voting or owning 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our capital stock.

 

Certain of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries have been granted favorable rate treatment by the FERC based on their independence from market participants. The FERC defines a “market participant” to include any person or entity that, either directly or through an affiliate, sells or brokers electricity, or provides ancillary services to MISO. An affiliate, for these purposes, includes any person or entity that directly or indirectly owns, controls or holds with the power to vote 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a market participant. To help ensure that we and our subsidiaries will remain independent of market participants, our Articles of Incorporation impose certain restrictions on the ownership and voting of shares of our capital stock by market participants. In particular, the Articles of Incorporation provide that we are restricted from issuing any shares of capital stock or recording any transfer of shares if the issuance or transfer would cause any market participant, either individually or together with members of its “group” (as defined in SEC beneficial ownership rules), to beneficially own 5% or more of any class or series of our capital stock. Additionally, if a market participant, together with its group members, acquires beneficial ownership of 5% or more of any series of the outstanding shares of our capital stock, such market participant or any shareholder who is a member of a group including a market participant will not be able to vote or direct or control the votes of shares representing 5% or more of any series of our outstanding capital stock. Finally, to the extent a market participant, together with its group members, acquires beneficial ownership of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of any series of our capital stock, our Articles of Incorporation allow our board of directors to redeem any shares of our capital stock so that, after giving effect to the redemption, the market participant, together with its group members, will cease to beneficially own 5% or more of that series of our outstanding capital stock.

 

None.

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES.

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission facilities are located in the lower peninsula of Michigan and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri, and have agreements with other utilities for the joint ownership of specific substations and transmission lines. See Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

ITCTransmission owns the assets of a transmission system and related assets, including:

 

 

ITCTransmission’s First Mortgage Bonds are issued under ITCTransmission’s First Mortgage and Deed of Trust. As a result, the bondholders have the benefit of a first mortgage lien on substantially all of ITCTransmission’s property.

 

METC owns the assets of a transmission system and related assets, including:

 

 

Amounts borrowed under METC’s revolving credit agreement are secured by a first priority security interest on all of METC’s assets through the issuance of senior secured bonds, collateral series, under METC’s first mortgage indenture and the second supplemental indenture thereto.

 

METC does not own the majority of the land on which its assets are located, but under the provisions of its Easement Agreement with Consumers Energy, METC has an easement to use the land, rights-of-way, leases and licenses in the land on which its transmission lines are located that are held or controlled by Consumers Energy. See “Item 1 Business — Operating Contracts — METC — Amended and Restated Easement Agreement.”

 

ITC Midwest owns the assets of a transmission system and related assets, including:

 

 

ITC Midwest’s First Mortgage Bonds were initially issued in January 2008 under ITC Midwest’s First Mortgage and Deed of Trust. As a result, the bondholders have the benefit of a first mortgage lien on substantially all of ITC Midwest’s property.

 

The assets of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are suitable for electric transmission and adequate for the electricity demand in our service territory. We prioritize capital spending based in part on meeting reliability standards within the industry. This includes replacing and upgrading existing assets as needed.

 

 

We are involved in certain legal proceedings from time to time before various courts, governmental agencies, and mediation panels concerning matters arising in the ordinary course of business. These proceedings include certain contract disputes, regulatory matters, and pending judicial matters. We cannot predict the final disposition of such proceedings. We regularly review legal matters and record provisions for claims that are considered probable of loss. The resolution of pending proceedings is not expected to have a material effect on our operations or financial statements in the period they are resolved.

On November 18, 2008, IP&L filed a complaint against ITC Midwest before the FERC under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act. The complaint alleges that: (1) the operations and maintenance expenses and administrative and general expenses projected in the 2009 ITC Midwest rate appear excessive; (2) the true-up amount related to ITC Midwest’s posted network rate for the period through December 31, 2008 will cause ITC Midwest to charge an excessive rate in future years; and (3) the methodology of allocating administrative and general expenses among ITC Holdings’ operating companies was changed, resulting in such additional expenses being allocated to ITC Midwest. The complaint states that it does not challenge ITC Midwest’s Attachment O formula or its planned capital investments. ITC Midwest’s network rate is based on its forward-looking Attachment O rate formula, as approved by FERC, which incorporates ITC Midwest’s projected net revenue requirement and load. Among other things, IP&L’s complaint seeks investigative action by the FERC relating to ITC Midwest’s transmission service charges reflected in its 2009 rate, as well as hearings regarding the justness and reasonableness of the 2009 rate (with the ultimate goal of reducing such rate). The resolution of this proceeding and its ultimate impact on ITC Midwest’s network rate and transmission revenues cannot be determined at this time. We believe that ITC Midwest’s 2009 rate is just and reasonable, that IP&L has not proffered sufficient arguments or reasons for the complaint to be sustained, and that ITC Midwest’s 2009 rate appropriately reflects the commitment of ITC Midwest to improve the performance and reliability of its transmission system. Accordingly, ITC Holdings and ITC Midwest believe that IP&L’s action is without merit and currently intend to contest it vigorously. However, various other parties, including Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy have filed with the FERC as interveners in the matter, such that the outcome of the case could also have an impact on the rates of ITCTransmission and METC. If the FERC issues a decision in this matter which inhibits our ability to recover costs and expenses through our rates or is otherwise adverse to our interests, then our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Refer to Notes 5 and 15 to the consolidated financial statements for a description of other pending litigation.

 

 

None.

PART II

 

 

Stock Price and Dividends

 

Our common stock has traded on the NYSE since July 26, 2005 under the symbol “ITC”. Prior to that time, there was no public market for our stock. As of February 20, 2009, there were approximately 496 shareholders of record of our common stock.

 

The following tables set forth the high and low sales price per share of the common stock for each full quarterly period in 2008 and 2007, as reported on the NYSE and the cash dividends per share paid during the periods indicated.

 

 

 

The declaration and payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of ITC Holdings’ board of directors and depends on various factors, including our net income, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. As a holding company with no business operations, ITC Holdings’ assets consist primarily of the common stock of ITCTransmission, ownership interests in METC and ITC Midwest, ownership interests of our other subsidiaries, deferred tax assets relating primarily to federal income tax NOLs and cash. ITC Holdings’ material cash inflows are only from dividends and other payments received from time to time from its subsidiaries and the proceeds raised from the sale of debt and equity securities. ITC Holdings may not be able to access cash generated by its subsidiaries in order to pay dividends to shareholders. The ability of ITC Holdings’ subsidiaries to make dividend and other payments to ITC Holdings is subject to the availability of funds after taking into account the subsidiaries’ funding requirements, the terms of the subsidiaries’ indebtedness, the regulations of the FERC under FPA, and applicable state laws. The debt agreements to which we are parties contain numerous financial covenants that could limit ITC Holdings’ ability to pay dividends, as well as covenants that prohibit ITC Holdings from paying dividends if we are in default under our revolving credit facilities. Further, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries and each other subsidiary is legally distinct from ITC Holdings and has no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to make funds available to us.

 

If and when ITC Holdings pays a dividend on its common stock, pursuant to our special bonus plans for executives and certain non-executive employees, amounts equivalent to the dividend may be paid to the special bonus plan participants, if approved by the compensation committee. We currently expect these amounts to be paid upon the declaration of dividends on ITC Holdings’ common stock.

 

The board of directors intends to increase the dividend rate from time to time as necessary for the yield to remain competitive, subject to prevailing business conditions, applicable restrictions on dividend payments and the availability of capital resources.

 

The transfer agent for the common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A., P.O. Box 43078 Providence, RI 02940-3078.

 

In addition, the information contained in the Equity Compensation table under “Item 12 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this report is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Stock Repurchases

 

There were no stock repurchases for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

 

 

The following table sets forth our selected historical financial data for the periods indicated. On July 19, 2005, ITC Holdings affected an approximately 3.34-for-one stock split. All amounts and values of common shares and options and per share data in the accompanying financial information have been retroactively adjusted to give effect to the stock split.

The selected financial data presented below should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements and “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe Harbor Statement Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

 

Our reports, filings and other public announcements contain certain statements that describe our management’s beliefs concerning future business conditions and prospects, growth opportunities and the outlook for our business and the electric transmission industry based upon information currently available. Such statements are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Wherever possible, we have identified these forward-looking statements by words such as “will,” “may,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects” and similar phrases. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions our management believes are reasonable. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements, including, among others, the risks and uncertainties disclosed under “Item 1A Risk Factors.”

 

Because our forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control or are

subject to change, actual results could be materially different and any or all of our forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and can be affected by assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors mentioned in our discussion in this report will be important in determining future results. Consequently, we cannot assure you that our expectations or forecasts expressed in such forward-looking statements will be achieved. Actual future results may vary materially. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any of our forward-looking or other statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

 

Overview

 

Through our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, we are engaged in the transmission of electricity in the United States. Our business strategy is to operate, maintain and invest in transmission infrastructure in order to enhance system integrity and reliability and to reduce transmission constraints. By pursuing this strategy, we strive for high reliability of our systems and to improve accessibility to generation sources of choice, including renewable sources. We operate high-voltage systems in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri that transmit electricity from generating stations to local distribution facilities connected to our systems.

 

As electric transmission utilities with rates regulated by the FERC, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries earn revenues through tariff rates charged for the use of their electric transmission systems by our customers, which include investor-owned utilities, municipalities, co-operatives, power marketers and alternative energy suppliers. As independent transmission companies, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are subject to rate regulation only by the FERC. The rates charged by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries are established using Attachment O, as discussed in “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Rate Setting and Attachment O.”

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ primary operating responsibilities include maintaining, improving and expanding their transmission systems to meet their customers’ ongoing needs, scheduling outages on system elements to allow for maintenance and construction, balancing electricity generation and demand, maintaining appropriate system voltages and monitoring flows over transmission lines and other facilities to ensure physical limits are not exceeded.

 

We derive nearly all of our revenues from providing network transmission service, point-to-point transmission service and other related services over our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission systems to investor owned utilities such as Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy, IP&L and to other entities such as alternative electricity suppliers, power marketers and other wholesale customers that provide electricity to end-use consumers and from transaction-based capacity reservations on our transmission systems. Substantially all of our operating expenses and assets support our transmission operations.

 

Significant recent events that influenced our financial position and results of operations and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2008 or may affect future results include:

 

 

 

These items are discussed in more detail throughout Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

Recent Developments

 

Development Activities

 

On January 15, 2009, ITC Great Plains filed an application with the FERC for the approval of a forward-looking formula rate that would apply to ITC Great Plains’ transmission facilities in the SPP region, including Kansas. The approval of the application would provide ITC Great Plains with the regulatory certainty required to make significant transmission investments in the SPP region generally and Kansas in particular. The application seeks approval of a formula transmission rate for ITC Great Plains as an independent transmission company in SPP. The application also seeks incentives for major transmission projects that ITC Great Plains has committed to construct in Kansas, including the KETA Project, which would run from Spearville to a point near Hays, Kansas and then northward to Axtell, Nebraska, and the Kansas V-Plan, which would run from Spearville southward to Comanche County and then on a northeastern track to Wichita. The total capital investment for these two projects is anticipated to be between approximately $500 million and $1 billion. Additionally, the application seeks approval of the recovery of start-up and development expenses of ITC Great Plains and other development expenses relating to the KETA Project and Kansas V-Plan through the recognition of regulatory assets. The total of these expenses for which we have requested regulatory asset treatment is $6.5 million through December 31, 2008. In the event the FERC approves our application and in the period it becomes probable that future revenues will result from the approval, we would record a reduction to operating expenses and recognize the regulatory assets. Federal approval is an essential prerequisite to establishing ITC Great Plains as a new, independent transmission company dedicated to investing in transmission within the SPP region. Although the receipt of approval from the FERC for a rate would be a significant milestone for ITC Great Plains, additional regulatory approvals will be required before ITC Great Plains can commence construction of the projects it has committed to build, including cost allocation for the KETA Project and the Kansas V-Plan. Additionally, we believe we may have the opportunity to invest approximately $1 billion to $2 billion in other extra high voltage overlay projects that have been identified by the SPP other than the KETA Project and the Kansas V-Plan.

 

On February 9, 2009, Green Power Express filed an application with the FERC for approval of a forward-looking formula rate and incentives for the construction of the Green Power Express project, including the approval of a regulatory asset for recovery of development expenses which will enable us to defer recovery of the costs associated with continued development efforts for the project. Over the past year we have worked to identify a network of transmission lines that would facilitate the movement of 12,000 megawatts of power from the wind-abundant areas in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa to Midwest load centers, such as Chicago, southeastern Wisconsin, Minneapolis and other states that demand clean, renewable energy. The Green Power Express project would traverse portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana and is ultimately expected to include approximately 3,000 miles of extra high-voltage (765kV) transmission. The entire project is currently estimated to cost approximately $10 to $12 billion. Portions of the Green Power Express project fall within the service territory of ITC Midwest. ITC Holdings expects to partner with other affected utilities within the Green Power Express project regions and would therefore only invest in a portion of the total project cost. The Green Power Express filing with FERC will be the first of many steps in the process to bring this project to completion to facilitate the delivery of the vast Upper Great Plains renewable wind resources to demand

centers and markets in the industrial Midwest and further east. The Green Power Express project is a portion of our larger vision of a super regional high-voltage transmission backbone.

 

We are also exploring opportunities to invest up to approximately $1.3 billion to build a new 765 kV transmission facility across the southern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

 

Complaint of IP&L

 

On November 18, 2008, IP&L filed a complaint against ITC Midwest before the FERC under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act. The complaint alleges that: (1) the operations and maintenance expenses and administrative and general expenses projected in the 2009 ITC Midwest rate appear excessive; (2) the true-up amount related to ITC Midwest’s posted network rate for the period through December 31, 2008 will cause ITC Midwest to charge an excessive rate in future years; and (3) the methodology of allocating administrative and general expenses among ITC Holdings’ operating companies was changed, resulting in such additional expenses being allocated to ITC Midwest. The complaint states that it does not challenge ITC Midwest’s Attachment O formula or its planned capital investments. ITC Midwest’s network rate is based on its forward-looking Attachment O rate formula, as approved by FERC, which incorporates ITC Midwest’s projected net revenue requirement and load. Among other things, IP&L’s complaint seeks investigative action by the FERC relating to ITC Midwest’s transmission service charges reflected in its 2009 rate, as well as hearings regarding the justness and reasonableness of the 2009 rate (with the ultimate goal of reducing such rate). The resolution of this proceeding and its ultimate impact on ITC Midwest’s network rate and transmission revenues cannot be determined at this time. We believe that ITC Midwest’s 2009 rate is just and reasonable, that IP&L has not proffered sufficient arguments or reasons for the complaint to be sustained, and that ITC Midwest’s 2009 rate appropriately reflects the commitment of ITC Midwest to improve the performance and reliability of its transmission system. Accordingly, ITC Holdings and ITC Midwest believe that IP&L’s action is without merit and currently intend to contest it vigorously. However, various other parties, including Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy have filed with the FERC as interveners in the matter, such that the outcome of the case could also have an impact on the rates of ITCTransmission and METC. If the FERC issues a decision in this matter which inhibits our ability to recover costs and expenses through our rates or is otherwise adverse to our interests, then our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Michigan Sales and Use Tax Audit

 

The Michigan Department of Treasury (the “Department”) currently is conducting a sales and use tax audit of ITCTransmission for the audit period April 1, 2005 through June 30, 2008. The auditor has raised an issue regarding whether ITCTransmission qualifies for the industrial processing exemption from sales and use tax it has taken beginning January 1, 2007. The industrial processing exemption at issue generally provides an exemption from sales and use tax for an industrial processor or a person performing industrial processing activities for or on behalf of an industrial processor for purchases made by such a business of tangible personal property if the property is used or consumed in the conduct of industrial processing activities.

 

Based on an analysis of the industrial processing statutes and ITCTransmission’s business activities, ITCTransmission claims the industrial processing exemption for purchases of tangible personal property that it uses in its electricity transmission activities. The purchases for which ITCTransmission claimed exemption include all purchases of tangible property used in its integrated transmission process, including purchases of property to perform inspection, quality control and testing activities, and to perform planning, scheduling, supervision, or control of transmission and transformation of the high voltage electricity that ITCTransmission receives from Detroit Edison.

 

ITCTransmission has received no formal written or verbal communication indicating that its industrial processing exemption will be denied. However, based on preliminary and informal communications with the Department, it appears likely that the Department will deny the exemption claims and assess additional

sales and use tax against ITCTransmission. If an assessment is issued, ITCTransmission will have administrative appeal rights and, if an administrative appeal is unsuccessful, will have a right to litigate any assessment, assuming certain jurisdictional requirements are satisfied, in either the Michigan Tax Tribunal or the Michigan Court of Claims.

 

ITCTransmission believes that it has a strong position supporting the validity of its industrial processing exemption under the Michigan industrial processing exemption statutes and intends to vigorously defend against any potential denial of such exemption. However, if the Department makes an assessment of sales and use tax based on a denial of ITCTransmission’s industrial processing exemption and an appeal is required, it is reasonably possible that the assessment of additional sales and use tax could be sustained after all administrative appeals and litigation.

 

The amount of sales and use tax liability associated with the exemptions taken by ITCTransmission totals several million dollars. In the event it becomes appropriate to record additional sales and use tax expense relating to this matter, ITCTransmission would record the additional sales and use tax expense primarily as an increase to the cost of property, plant and equipment. These higher sales and use tax expenses would be passed on to ITCTransmission’s customers through higher net revenue requirements and resulting rates.

 

Any penalties and interest relating to this matter would potentially not be passed on through rates. METC has also taken the industrial processing exemption totaling several million dollars for periods still subject to audit since 2005.

 

Iowa Flood Damage

 

As a result of the flooding in Iowa in June of 2008, ITC Midwest suffered damage at three substations located in Cedar Rapids and Mason City, Iowa and was forced to relocate its headquarters in Cedar Rapids to temporary office facilities. The damage caused ITC Midwest to make capital investments of approximately $4.5 million to replace certain property, plant and equipment and perform various maintenance and other expense activities of $1.1 million. We have an insurance policy that covers ITC Holdings and its subsidiaries (including ITC Midwest) for such damages that includes a $1.0 million deductible. In the fourth quarter of 2008, we filed an initial claim under our insurance policy for the flood damage and expect to file additional insurance claims in 2009. As a result of the expected outcome of these claims, we recorded an insurance receivable amount of $2.3 million, net of the deductible, consisting of a $1.7 million reduction in property, plant and equipment and a $0.6 million reduction in operations and maintenance expense. As of December 31, 2008, we had not received any proceeds from this insurance claim. We do not anticipate that any difficulties in collecting the insurance claim would have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position or liquidity, as the capital investment and operations and maintenance expense would be recoverable through the rates of ITC Midwest.

 

Financial Markets

 

We continue to evaluate the impact on us of the recent volatility of the financial markets and the credit crisis affecting the capital markets. We are not able to predict whether we will experience any material adverse impact to our earnings or liquidity if current conditions continue to exist. Refer to the discussion under “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for our short- and long-term financing expectations.

 

Rate Setting and Attachment O

 

Network Transmission Rates

 

Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries operate in different rate zones, in each of which a different transmission service rate is charged. The rates within such joint rate zones are determined using a FERC-approved formulaic rate setting mechanism known as Attachment O. Attachment O is a rate template used by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries as well as most transmission owning members of MISO. Our

Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ component of their respective joint zone rate are set annually under Attachment O and are in effect for the one year period beginning January 1. Under Attachment O, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ component of their respective joint zone rate allows for the recovery of their respective net revenue requirements. Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ net revenue requirements utilized in developing each respective joint zone rate are derived using Attachment O, posted on the MISO Open Access Same-Time Information System each year and are effective without the need to file a rate case with the FERC, although the rate is subject to legal challenge at the FERC.

 

The following table presents our component of joint zone network transmission rates (per kW/month) that are relevant to our results of operations and cash flows since January 1, 2006:

 

 

 

 

Forward-Looking Attachment O

 

On July 14, 2006 and December 21, 2006, the FERC authorized ITCTransmission and METC, respectively, to modify the implementation of its Attachment O formula rate so that, beginning January 1, 2007, ITCTransmission and METC recover expenses and earn a return on and recover investments in property, plant and equipment on a current rather than a lagging basis. As part of the FERC order dated December 3, 2007 approving ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition, the FERC approved ITC Midwest’s request for the use of a forward-looking Attachment O effective January 1, 2008. In periods of capital expansion and increasing rate base, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will recover the costs of these capital investments on a more timely basis than under the previous Attachment O method used by ITCTransmission and METC.

 

Under the forward-looking Attachment O formula, by September 1st of each year, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries use forecasted expenses, additions to in-service property, plant and equipment, point-to-point revenues, network load and other items for the upcoming calendar year to establish their projected net revenue requirements and their component of the billed network rates for service on their systems from January 1 to December 31 of that year. The forward-looking Attachment O formula includes a true-up mechanism, whereby each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will compare its actual net revenue requirements to its billed network revenues for each year after the end of that year. Under forward-looking Attachment O, in the event billed network revenues in a given year are more or less than actual net revenue requirements, which are calculated primarily using information from that year’s FERC Form No. 1, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will refund or collect additional revenues, with interest, within a two-year period such that customers pay only the amounts that correspond to actual net revenue requirements. This annual true-up ensures that our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries recover their allowed costs and earn their allowed returns. For example, the true-up adjustment relating to 2008 is finalized in 2009 upon completion of the 2008 FERC Form No. 1 and will be included in the projected net revenue requirement that is used to establish the rate that will be effective commencing January 1, 2010.

 

Monthly peak loads continue to be used for billing network revenues for our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. Therefore, network load continues to have an impact on cash flows from transmission service, but did not impact operating revenues recognized. Refer to “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies — Revenue

Recognition under Forward-Looking Attachment O” for a discussion of revenue recognition relating to network revenues.

 

Net Revenue Requirement Calculation

 

Each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries separately calculates a net revenue requirement under Attachment O based on its forecasted financial information specific to each company. The following steps illustrate the rate-setting methodology under forward-looking Attachment O:

 

Step One — Establish Projected Rate Base and Calculate Projected Allowed Return

 

Rate base is projected using the average of the 13 projected month-end balances for the months beginning with December 31 of the current year and ending with December 31 of the upcoming year and consists primarily of projected in-service property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation, as well as other items.

 

Projected rate base is multiplied by the projected weighted average cost of capital to determine the projected allowed return on rate base. The weighted average cost of capital is calculated using a projected 13 month average capital structure, the forecasted pre-tax cost of the debt portion of the capital structure and a FERC-approved return of 13.88%, 13.38% and 12.38% for ITCTransmission, METC and ITC Midwest, respectively, on the common equity portion of the forecasted capital structure.

 

Step Two — Calculate Projected Gross Revenue Requirement

 

The projected gross revenue requirement is calculated beginning with the projected allowed return on rate base, as calculated in Step One above, and adding projected recoverable operating expenses and an allowance for income taxes.

 

Step Three — Calculate Projected Net Revenue Requirement

 

After calculating the projected gross revenue requirement in Step Two above, the projected gross revenue requirement is adjusted for any prior year true-up adjustment discussed in Step Four and is reduced for certain revenues, other than network revenues, such as projected point-to-point, regional cost sharing revenues and rental revenues. This net amount represents our projected net revenue requirement and is used to calculate our component of the joint zone network transmission rate to be billed to customers for network transmission service.

 

Step Four — Calculate True-up Adjustment

 

The actual transmission revenues billed for the previous year will be compared to actual net revenue requirement which is based primarily on amounts from the completed FERC Form No. 1. The true-up adjustment that results from the difference between the actual revenue billed and actual net revenue requirement will be added to the upcoming year’s projected net revenue requirement used to determine the upcoming year’s joint zone network transmission rate. For example, the true-up adjustment relating to 2007 was calculated in 2008 upon completion of the 2007 FERC Form No. 1 and was included in the projected net revenue requirement that is used to establish the joint zone network transmission rate that became effective January 1, 2009. Interest is also applied to the true-up adjustment.

 

Illustration of Attachment O Rate Setting.  Set forth below is a simplified illustration of the calculation of ITCTransmission’s component of the joint zone network transmission rate for billing purposes under the Attachment O rate setting mechanism for the period from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009, that was based primarily upon projections of ITCTransmission’s 2009 FERC Form No. 1 data. Amounts below are approximations of the amounts used to establish our projected net revenue requirement in the 2009 ITCTransmission Attachment O filing. ITCTransmission’s component of the joint zone network

transmission rate is calculated by dividing the projected net revenue requirement by the sum of the projected 12 coincident peak network loads divided by 12 months.

 

 

(a) The weighted average cost of capital for purposes of this illustration is calculated as follows:

 

 

 

Trends and Seasonality

 

Network Revenues

 

We expect a general trend of increases in network transmission rates and revenues for our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, although we cannot predict a specific year-to-year trend due to the variability of factors beyond our control. The primary factor that is expected to continue to increase our rates and our actual net revenue requirements in future years is our anticipated capital investment in excess of depreciation as a result of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries long-term capital investment programs. Investments in property, plant and equipment, when placed in service upon completion of a capital project, are added to the rate base of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. Our Regulated Operating

Subsidiaries strive for high reliability of their systems and to improve accessibility to generation sources of choice, including renewable sources. The Energy Policy Act was enacted, which requires the FERC to implement mandatory electric transmission reliability standards to be enforced by an Electric Reliability Organization. Effective June 2007, the FERC approved mandatory adoption of certain reliability standards and approved enforcement actions for violators, including fines of up to $1.0 million per day. The NERC was assigned the responsibility of developing and enforcing these mandatory reliability standards. We continually assess our transmission systems against standards established by the NERC, as well as ReliabilityFirst Corporation (for ITCTransmission and METC) and Midwest Reliability Organization (for ITC Midwest), which are regional entities under the NERC that have been delegated certain authority for the purpose of proposing and enforcing reliability standards. We believe we meet the applicable standards in all material respects, although further investment in our transmission systems is needed to maintain compliance and improve reliability.

 

We also assess our transmission systems against our own planning criteria that are filed annually with the FERC. Based on our planning studies, we see needs to make capital investments to (1) rebuild existing property, plant and equipment; (2) upgrade the system to address demographic changes that have impacted transmission load and the changing role that transmission plays in meeting the needs of the wholesale market, including accommodating the siting of new generation or to increase import capacity to meet changes in peak electrical demand; and (3) relieve congestion in the transmission systems. The following table shows our expected and actual capital investment for each of the Regulated Operating Subsidiaries:

 

 

 

 

Investments in property, plant and equipment could vary due to, among other things, the impact of actual loads, forecasted loads, regional economic conditions, weather conditions, union strikes, labor shortages, material and equipment prices and availability, our ability to obtain financing for such expenditures, if necessary, limitations on the amount of construction that can be undertaken on our systems at any one time, regulatory approvals for reasons relating to rate construct, environmental, siting, regional planning, cost recovery or other issues or as a result of legal proceedings and variances between estimated and actual costs of construction contracts awarded.

 

Seasonality and Attachment O Revenue Accrual

 

Prior to the implementation of forward-looking Attachment O effective January 1, 2007 for ITCTransmission and METC, the revenues recognized by these subsidiaries were dependent on monthly peak loads. Revenues and net income varied between periods based on monthly peak loads, among other factors. To the extent that actual conditions during an annual period varied from the data on which the Attachment O rate was based, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries earned more or less revenue during that annual period and therefore recovered more or less than their respective net revenue requirements.

 

Under forward-looking Attachment O, although the monthly peak loads continue to be used for billing network revenues and continue to affect operating cash flows, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries accrue or defer revenues to the extent that their actual net revenue requirement for the reporting period is higher or lower, respectively, than the amounts billed relating to that reporting period. This results in more consistent net income for each quarterly period within a given year, compared to the historical Attachment O method that previously applied to ITCTransmission and METC.

 

The monthly peak load of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries is affected by many factors, but is generally higher in the summer months when cooling demand is higher. ITCTransmission’s monthly peak loads for the year ended December 31, 2008 were down 10.5% and 5.4% compared to the corresponding totals for 2007 and 2006, respectively. METC’s monthly peak loads for the year ended December 31, 2008 were down 9.0% compared to the corresponding total for 2007. In 2008, ITCTransmission and METC monthly peak loads were lower than what had been forecasted in developing the transmission network rates applicable for 2008 due to cooler than normal weather as well as unfavorable economic factors in Michigan. An unfavorable economy in Michigan that results in lower network loads than what had been forecasted in developing the transmission network rates applicable for 2009 would continue to negatively impact our operating cash flows from network revenues in 2009. Transmission network rates in 2010 at each of our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries will include the Attachment O revenue accrual for the under-recovered amounts relating to 2008, including interest.

Monthly Peak Load (in MW) (a)

 

 

 

 

Significant Components of Results of Operations

 

Revenues

 

We derive nearly all of our revenues from providing network transmission service, point-to-point transmission service and other related services over our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries’ transmission systems to Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy, IP&L and to other entities such as alternative electricity suppliers, power marketers and other wholesale customers that provide electricity to end-use consumers and from transaction-based capacity reservations on our transmission systems. MISO is responsible for billing and collection of transmission services in the MISO service territory. MISO, as the billing agent for our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries, collects fees for the use of our transmission systems, invoicing Detroit Edison, Consumers Energy, IP&L and other customers on a monthly basis. MISO has implemented credit policies for its members’ customers.

 

Network Revenues are generated from network customers for their use of our electric transmission systems during the one hour of monthly peak usage and consist of both billed network revenues and accrued or deferred network revenues as a result of our accounting under forward-looking Attachment O. Refer to “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies — Revenue Recognition under Forward-Looking Attachment O” for a discussion of revenue recognition relating to network revenues. The monthly network revenues billed to customers using our transmission facilities are the result of a calculation which can be simplified into the following:

 

(1) multiply the network load measured in kWs achieved during the one hour of monthly peak usage for our transmission systems by the appropriate monthly tariff rate as calculated under Attachment O by 12 by the number of days in that month; and

 

(2) divide the result by 365.

Point-to-Point Revenues consist of revenues generated from a type of transmission service for which the customer pays for transmission capacity reserved along a specified path between two points on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. Point-to-point revenues also include other components pursuant to schedules under the MISO transmission tariff.

 

Regional Cost Sharing Revenues consist of revenues received from transmission customers associated with network upgrades to our transmission systems that are eligible for regional cost sharing under Attachment FF of the MISO Transmission and Energy Market Tariff (Docket No. ER06-18). Regional cost sharing revenues became applicable for us during 2008.

 

Scheduling, Control and Dispatch Revenues are allocated to our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries by MISO as compensation for the services performed in operating the control area. Such services include processing energy schedule requests, monitoring of reliability data, implementation of emergency procedures, and coordination of the control area operation. Revenues that are allocated by MISO to our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries relating to these services are not determined based on actual expenses incurred by our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. In any given year, our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries may earn more or less scheduling, control and dispatch revenues than our actual expenses incurred.

 

Other Revenues consist of rental revenues, easement revenues, and amounts from providing ancillary services to customers.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Operation and Maintenance Expenses consist primarily of the costs of contractors to operate and maintain our transmission systems and costs for our personnel involved in operation and maintenance activities.

 

Operation expenses include activities related to control area operations, which involve balancing loads and generation and transmission system operations activities, including monitoring the status of our transmission lines and stations. The expenses relating to METC’s Easement Agreement are also recorded within operation expenses.

 

Maintenance expenses include preventive or planned maintenance, such as vegetation management, tower painting and equipment inspections, as well as reactive maintenance for equipment failures.

 

General and Administrative Expenses consist primarily of costs for personnel in our finance, human resources, regulatory, information technology and legal organizations, general office expenses and fees for professional services. Professional services are principally composed of outside legal, audit and information technology services.

 

We capitalize to property, plant and equipment certain general and administrative expenses such as compensation, office rent, utilities, and information technology. These expenses are included in property, plant and equipment on our consolidated statements of financial position.

 

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses consist primarily of depreciation of property, plant and equipment using the straight-line method of accounting. Additionally, this consists of amortization of various regulatory and intangible assets.

 

Taxes other than Income Taxes consist primarily of property taxes and payroll taxes. Additionally, Michigan Single Business Taxes were recorded here through December 31, 2007, prior to the January 1, 2008 effective date of the new Michigan Business Tax that is accounted for as an income tax.

 

Other Operating Income and Expense — Net consists primarily of gains and losses associated with the sale of assets and gains associated with the sale of permanent land easements. Additionally, this item consists of any income recognized for tax gross-ups for taxable contributions in aid of construction received representing the difference between the total taxable income to be reported compared to the present value of tax depreciation of the property constructed using the contribution in aid of construction.

Other items of income or expense

 

Interest Expense consists primarily of interest on long term debt at ITC Holdings and our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries. Additionally, the amortization of debt financing expenses is recorded to interest expense. An allowance for borrowed funds used during construction is included in property, plant and equipment accounts and is a reduction to interest expense.

 

Allowance for Equity Funds Used During Construction (“AFUDC Equity”) is recorded as an item of other income and is included in property, plant and equipment accounts. The allowance represents a return on stockholders’ equity used for construction purposes in accordance with FERC regulations. Assuming all other factors are constant, if construction work in progress balances increase, AFUDC Equity will also increase. The capitalization rate applied to the construction work in progress balance is based on the proportion of equity to total capital (which currently includes equity and long-term debt) and the allowed return on equity for our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries.

 

Income tax provision

 

Income tax provision consists primarily of federal income taxes. Additionally, we record income tax provisions for the various state income taxes we are subject to, including the Michigan Business Tax that became effective for us on January 1, 2008.

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table summarizes historical operating results for the periods indicated:

 

Operating Revenues

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

The following table sets forth the components of and changes in operating revenues:

 

 

Network revenues increased $133.5 million due to ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in December of 2007. Additionally, ITCTransmission and METC recognized additional network revenues of $18.6 million and $16.5 million, respectively, due to higher net revenue requirement as a result of higher rate base, operating expenses and taxes, among other items during 2008 as compared to 2007.

 

The table below represents the calculation of the estimated Attachment O revenue accrual for the year ended December 31, 2008.

 

 

 

 

Point-to-point revenues increased due primarily to ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition resulting in $3.9 million of additional revenues.

 

Scheduling, control and dispatch revenues increased due primarily to ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition resulting in $2.4 million of additional revenues.

Regional cost sharing revenues became applicable for us during 2008. We expect to continue to receive regional cost sharing revenues and the amounts could become more significant in the near future.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

The following table sets forth the components of and changes in operating revenues:

 

 

Network revenues increased by $124.4 million due to the inclusion of amounts for METC for the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to the period of October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006 and $2.5 million due to ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in December of 2007. In addition, network revenues increased by $46.4 million due to increases in the rate used for network revenues at ITCTransmission from $1.594 per kW/month for the period from January through May of 2006 and $1.744 kW/month from June through December of 2006 to $2.099 per kW/month for the year ended December 31, 2007. Network revenues also increased by $10.6 million due to an increase of 5.7% in the network load at ITCTransmission for the year ended December 31, 2007 compared to the same period in 2006.

 

The estimated Attachment O revenue accrual (deferral)-net at ITCTransmission and METC resulted from actual net revenue requirement for the year ended December 31, 2007 that exceeded network revenues billed for the year ended December 31, 2007. The table below represents the calculation of the total Attachment O revenue accrual (deferral)-net for the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

 

 

 

Point-to-point revenues increased due primarily to $7.2 million of additional METC revenues included for the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to the period of October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006. Also, ITCTransmission recognized $4.0 million of additional point-to-point revenues for transmission capacity reservations in 2007 compared to 2006.

Scheduling, control and dispatch revenues increased due primarily to $5.0 million of additional METC revenues included for the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to the period of October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Operation and maintenance expenses

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Operation and maintenance expenses increased due primarily to amounts incurred by ITC Midwest of $27.6 million. ITC Midwest incurred $21.5 million of expenses for transmission structure maintenance, inspections and other maintenance activities. ITC Midwest also incurred transmission system monitoring and control expenses of $4.7 million, primarily under its services agreement with IP&L and operating agreement with ATC and incurred $1.2 million for incentive bonuses for ITC Midwest integration activities. In addition to the increases in operation and maintenance expenses relating to ITC Midwest, METC incurred additional vegetation management expenses of $6.9 million.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Operation and maintenance expenses increased due primarily to the acquisition of METC in October 2006. METC incurred additional expenses of $24.2 million for contractor expenses for substation operations, transmission structure maintenance, vegetation management, inspections, general site maintenance, and maintenance support costs such as tools, equipment rentals and supplies. METC also incurred additional expenses of $7.9 million for easement payments to Consumers Energy, $1.4 million for ancillary services and $0.5 million for asset mapping activities. Operation and maintenance expenses at ITCTransmission increased by $10.3 million primarily due to additional tower painting, vegetation management, transmission structure maintenance, inspections, general site maintenance, and maintenance support costs. We also incurred $1.9 million of additional expenses for transmission system monitoring and control due to the increased activity at our operations facility needed to operate both ITCTransmission’s and METC’s transmission systems during the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to only operating ITCTransmission’s transmission system until METC was acquired in October 2006. Finally, we incurred operation and maintenance expenses of $0.3 million at ITC Midwest during 2007.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

General and administrative expenses increased by $6.4 million due to higher professional advisory and consulting services, $6.3 million due to higher business expenses primarily for information technology support and $1.3 million due to higher compensation and benefits expenses primarily resulting from personnel additions and incentive bonuses for ITC Midwest integration activities, all of which include incremental costs incurred by ITC Midwest. Additionally, we awarded an executive bonus in the form of a deferred stock unit grant resulting in $0.9 million of expense. General and administrative expenses also increased by $4.2 million at ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries for salaries, benefits and general business expenses due to increased development activities, which are not included in the increases explained above.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

The increase in general and administrative expenses consisted of $9.4 million due to higher compensation and benefits expenses primarily resulting from personnel additions for administrative functions needed to support our increased level of activities, $2.2 million due to higher professional advisory and consulting services, $4.9 million due to higher business expenses including information technology support and contract labor and $0.5 million due to higher insurance premiums, all of which include incremental costs incurred as a result of the METC acquisition. In addition, general and administrative

expenses increased by $2.6 million due to expenses under the special bonus plans as described in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements, and due to offering costs of $0.6 million associated with a securities offering by International Transmission Holdings Limited Partnership, formerly our largest shareholder. Expenses also increased by $1.4 million at ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries for salaries, benefits and general business expenses not included in the increases explained above.

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $18.6 million as a result of ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in December 2007. Additionally we recognized additional depreciation expense of $5.4 million and $2.8 million at ITCTransmission and METC, respectively, due primarily to a higher depreciable asset base resulting from property, plant and equipment additions.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased due primarily to the acquisition of METC in 2006 resulting in $17.7 million of depreciation expense associated with property, plant and equipment and amortization expense associated with the METC Regulatory Deferral and the METC ADIT Deferral of $6.2 million in 2007. Additionally, we recognized additional depreciation expense of $6.4 million at ITCTransmission due primarily to a higher depreciable asset base resulting from property, plant and equipment additions. Finally, we recognized $0.5 million of deprecation and amortization expenses at ITC Midwest in 2007.

 

Taxes other than income taxes

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Taxes other than income taxes increased due to additional property tax expenses at ITC Midwest of $6.2 million as a result of ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition in December 2007. Additionally, property tax expenses at ITCTransmission and METC increased by $3.1 million and $0.8 million due primarily to ITCTransmission’s and METC’s capital additions, which are included in the assessments for 2008 personal property taxes. Partially offsetting these increases was a decrease of $2.7 million as a result of the replacement of the Michigan Single Business Tax discussed in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Taxes other than income taxes increased due to property tax expenses of $8.0 million at METC during the year ended December 31, 2007, as compared to $1.5 million for the period October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006. Additionally, property tax expenses at ITCTransmission increased by $3.4 million primarily due to ITCTransmission’s 2006 capital additions, which are included in the assessments for 2007 personal property taxes. Taxes other than income taxes also increased by $0.8 million due to higher payroll taxes.

 

Other operating income and expense — net

 

During the year ended December 31, 2008, METC sold a building resulting in a loss of $0.5 million and ITCTransmission sold a permanent easement of land for a gain of $1.4 million.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2007, ITCTransmission sold a permanent easement of land for a gain of $0.7 million.

Other expenses (income)

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Interest expense increased due primarily to higher borrowing levels to finance capital expenditures and ITC Midwest’s asset acquisition.

 

AFUDC Equity increased due to increased property, plant and equipment expenditures and the resulting higher construction work in progress balances during 2008 compared to 2007.

 

Other expenses increased due primarily to realized and unrealized losses on our trading securities recognized during 2008 from the recent financial market conditions that have caused a decrease in our investment values.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Interest expense increased due primarily to higher borrowing levels to finance capital expenditures and to finance the METC acquisition. Additionally, METC recognized interest expense of $10.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to $2.8 million for the period October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006.

 

AFUDC Equity increased due to increased property, plant and equipment expenditures and the resulting higher construction work in progress balances during 2007 compared to 2006. Additionally, METC recognized AFUDC Equity of $1.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared $0.1 million for the period October 10, 2006 through December 31, 2006.

 

Income Tax Provision

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2008 of 38.1% differed from our 35% statutory federal income tax rate due primarily to the state income tax provision of $9.0 million recorded during the year ended December 31, 2008, partially offset by the tax effects of AFUDC Equity. The state income tax provision is primarily a result of the new Michigan Single Business Tax as discussed in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements. The amount of income tax expense relating to AFUDC Equity is recognized as a regulatory asset and not included in the income tax provision. Our Regulated Operating Subsidiaries include taxes payable relating to AFUDC Equity in their actual net revenue requirements. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2007 of 33.3% differed from our 35% statutory federal income tax rate due primarily to our accounting for the tax effects of AFUDC Equity.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Our effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 of 33.3% and 29.2%, respectively, differed from our 35% statutory federal income tax rate primarily due to our accounting for the tax effects of AFUDC Equity. This accounting treatment became applicable for ITCTransmission and METC during 2006 upon receiving approval to use forward-looking Attachment O. We recognized a $2.7 million and $2.9 million reduction in income tax expense during 2007 and 2006, respectively, due to the recognition of a regulatory asset for AFUDC Equity.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We expect to fund our future capital requirements with cash from operations, our existing cash and cash equivalents, amounts available under our revolving credit agreements (the terms of which are described in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements) and issuances under our Sales Agency Financing Agreement (the “SAFE Agreement”) entered into in June 2008. The SAFE Agreement allows us to issue and sell up to $150 million of our common shares in the market from time to time through June 2011, subject to continued approval from the FERC authorizing ITC Holdings to issue equity, as described in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements. In addition, we may secure additional funding in the