Energy Future Holdings

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Coordinates: 32°46′59″N 96°47′57″W / 32.783139°N 96.799106°W / 32.783139; -96.799106

Energy Future Holdings Corporation
Type Private company
Industry Electric utility
Founded Dallas, Texas, U.S (1912)
Headquarters Energy Plaza
Dallas, Texas, U.S
Products Electricity generation, Electricity distribution, Electricity retailing
Owner(s) Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
TPG Capital
Goldman Sachs Capital Partners
Website www.energyfutureholdings.com
TXU Energy Logo
Oncor Logo

Energy Future Holdings Corporation is an electric utility company headquartered in Energy Plaza in Downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. From 1998 to 2007, the company was known as TXU Corporation until its $45 billion leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Texas Pacific Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. That purchase was the largest leveraged buyout in history. As of February 2013, the company has been described as "struggling".[1][2]

The majority of the company's power generation is through coal- and nuclear-power plants.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The company traces its history to the beginnings of electric service in northern Texas. Predecessor companies include Dallas Power & Light (DP&L, founded 1917 with roots dating to 1882), which served the city of Dallas; Texas Electric Service Company (TESCO, founded 1929 with roots dating to 1885), which served Fort Worth and areas west of Abilene; and Texas Power and Light (TP&L, founded 1912), which served other areas of northern and west-central Texas. All three companies were owned by the Electric Bond and Share Company, a subsidiary of General Electric.

DP&L, TP&L and TESCO were connected by a single transmission network in 1932. As such, the three companies were deemed to be an integrated system with the passage of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. In 1945, Texas Utilities was formed as a publicly owned holding company that owned DP&L, TP&L and TESCO. The three operating companies continued to operate separately until 1984, when they were merged into one operating company, called TU Electric ("TU" meaning "Texas Utilities"), in 1984. Following acquisitions of The Energy Group plc in 1998 in the United Kingdom and a power generator in Australia, Texas Utilities became TXU.

[edit] Deregulation

In 1996, TXU merged with the parent company of Lone Star Gas, allowing TXU to become the largest provider of electricity and natural gas in the state of Texas, a maneuver which set the stage for deregulation. In 2002, the state of Texas deregulated the Texas electric market, and TXU lost its monopoly on retail electric sales in northern Texas; Or did it? Under deregulation, electric utility companies were allowed to chose deregulation. Tri-County Cooperative chose to remain a regulated utility. TXU chose to competes statewide against other energy companies such as Champion Energy, Dynowatt, Texas Power, Reliant Energy, Bounce Energy, Direct Energy, Stream Energy, Gexa Energy, Green Mountain Energy, Cirro Energy, and Commerce Energy.

[edit] 2002–2004 divestitures

TXU divested itself of its European holdings in late 2002 mainly due to the collapse of its UK holdings and then its Australian holdings in 2004. Also, in October 2004, TXU sold its natural gas properties to Atmos Energy. TXU's former Australian assets were sold to Singapore Power and then split up, with Singapore Power retaining the distribution businesses (electricity and natural gas distribution networks) in the state of Victoria, while divesting the retail and generation businesses to Hong-Kong-based CLP Group, trading as TRUenergy. On May 18, 2004 TXU and Capgemini then entered a limited partnership to form Capgemini Energy Limited Partnership, a new company that will initially provide business process services and information technology solutions to TXU.

[edit] 2007 buyout

Private equity firms KKR, TPG Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners purchased TXU in 2007; the sale became final on October 10, 2007. As part of the buyout, the electric distribution part of the company is now called Oncor Electric Delivery, the electric generation business is called Luminant, leaving TXU Energy as solely a retail provider of electricity without any electrical distribution or production assets. Luminant owns and operates the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant. The buyout, which left Dallas-based Energy Future with more than $40 billion in debt, was a gamble that natural gas prices would rise and give its coal-fired plants a competitive advantage. Instead, natural gas prices fell sharply.[3] Consequently, EFH has been mired in financial problems since the buyout.

[edit] Subsidiaries

In 2012, financial ties among subsidiaries were substantially severed, securing their financial independence.[1]

[edit] Financial Problems

The upcoming maturity of a significant amount of debt, coupled with sizable financial losses, has many observers predicting that EFH will ultimately file for bankruptcy.[4] The prominent credit-rating firm Moody's has called EFH "a financially distressed company with an untenable capital structure." [5] If the company goes under, it will represent the biggest bankruptcy of a private equity-backed company since the failure of Chrysler Group LLC. [6]

[edit] Environmental Impacts

Energy Future Holdings owns four of the nation’s highest emitting coal-fired power plants, which together account for approximately one quarter of all industrial/utility air pollution reported to Texas regulators. Its Big Brown, Martin Lake, Monticello, and Sandow plants have been the subject of scrutiny by environmental groups for pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, mercury, and sulfur dioxides. The Martin Lake, Big Brown, and Monticello plants rank first, third, and fourth, respectively, in airborne mercury pollution in the entire United States according to company reports submitted to the EPA.[7][8] Such high levels of mercury pollution have drawn criticism for their harmful effects on child development. [9] Furthermore, NOx emissions from EFH’s coal plants help contribute to harmful levels of ozone in the air in Dallas and other parts of east Texas, and ozone pollution can trigger asthma attacks and respiratory problems. [10]

[edit] Beyond TXU Campaign

The Sierra Club and allies launched their "Beyond TXU" campaign to encourage retail electricity customers to switch from EFH’s TXU Energy to other retail electric providers without a connection to the EFH coal fleet. Through a variety of advertisements in the DFW area, coupled with a social media campaign, these groups have encouraged customers to visit www.powertochoose.org, a website administered by the Public Utility Commission of Texas that provides information on retail electric providers.[11] [12]

[edit] Environmental Litigation

EFH and its Luminant subsidiary are the subject of litigation by the Sierra Club for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at the Big Brown Plant, and in 2013 a federal district court judge ruled in favor of Sierra Club on a motion by EFH to stop or slow the case from coming to trial.[13] Similarly, Sierra Club has filed a Clean Air enforcement case against the Martin Lake Plant, and a magistrate judge in that case made a recommendation in 2013 in favor of Sierra Club on an EFH request to stop or slow the case.[14] On July 13, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent EFH's Luminant subsidiary an enforcement notice under the Clean Air Act about alleged violations of the "New Source Review" provisions of the act, for actions taken by Luminant at the Big Brown and Martin Lake plants.[15]

[edit] Property Tax Litigation

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, sued Milam, Freestone, Rusk, and Titus counties in 2011 to challenge the taxable values that the counties had set for Luminant coal plants in each county. As a result of the lawsuits, Luminant reduced its tax liabilities by several hundred million dollars. As significant taxpayers in each county, the decisions have reduced funding to local school districts. Some have suggested that Luminant only sued over property appraisals for coal plant sites that will require pollution upgrades or changes in the near future.[16] [17]

[edit] American Legislative Exchange Council

Lisa A. Sano Blocker, representing Energy Future Holdings, sits on the Private Enterprise Board of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).[18]

[edit] See also

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mike Spector; Matt Wirz (February 9–10, 2013), "Texas Power Giant Could Be Split Up", Ryan Dezember, The Wall Street Journal (paper): B1–B2 
  2. ^ Energy Future Holdings Offers Bankruptcy Plan Apriil 15, 2013 New York Times
  3. ^ Chediak, Mark. "Energy Future Proposes Pre-Packaged Bankruptcy of Some Units". Bloomberg News. 
  4. ^ Lee Loftis, Randy. "Sierra Club steps up campaign against Energy Future Holdings". Dallas Morning News. 
  5. ^ Schnurman, Mitchell. "Debt bomb ticking at Energy Future Holdings". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 
  6. ^ Carey, David. "Biggest LBO Failure Is Energy Future Purgatory for KKR". Bloomberg News. 
  7. ^ Lee Loftis, Randy. "Sierra Club steps up campaign against Energy Future Holdings". Dallas Morning News. 
  8. ^ "SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES BEYOND TXU CAMPAIGN WITH DALLAS AD BUY". Sierra Club. 
  9. ^ "SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES BEYOND TXU CAMPAIGN WITH DALLAS AD BUY". Sierra Club. 
  10. ^ Garland, Jenna. "Sierra Club Launches Beyond TXU Campaign with Dallas Ad Buy". Sierra Club. 
  11. ^ "Beyond TXU Energy". Sierra Club. 
  12. ^ Garland, Jenna. "Sierra Club Launches Beyond TXU Campaign with Dallas Ad Buy". Sierra Club. 
  13. ^ "SIERRA CLUB, ALLIES ISSUE STATEMENT ON COURT RULING AGAINST LUMINANT, BIG BROWN". Sierra Club. 
  14. ^ "Federal Magistrate Judge: Texas Coal Plant Can’t Dodge Clean Air Act". Earth Justice. 
  15. ^ Souder, Elizabeth. "EPA accuses Energy Future Holdings’ Luminant of pollution violations at two coal plants". Dallas Morning News. 
  16. ^ Chubb, Curtis. "Luminant, county settle on taxable property value". Cameron Herald. 
  17. ^ Souder, Elizabeth. "EFH sues four rural counties over coal plant appraisals". Dallas Morning News. 
  18. ^ "Private Enterprise Board | ALEC – American Legislative Exchange Council". American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved 2012-05-10. 

[edit] External links

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