NiSource is an energy holding company whose subsidiaries provide natural gas, electricity and other products and services to approximately 3.8 million customers located within a corridor that runs from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. NiSource is the successor to an Indiana corporation organized in 1987 under the name of NIPSCO Industries, Inc., which changed its name to NiSource on April 14, 1999.
NiSource is one of the nation’s largest natural gas distribution Companies as measured by number of customers. NiSource’s principal subsidiaries include Columbia, a vertically-integrated natural gas distribution, transmission and storage holding company whose subsidiaries provide service to customers in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast; Northern Indiana, a vertically-integrated gas and electric company providing service to customers in northern Indiana; and Bay State, a natural gas distribution company serving customers in Massachusetts. NiSource derives substantially all of its revenues and earnings from the operating results of its fifteen direct subsidiaries.
NiSource’s business segments are: Gas Distribution Operations; Gas Transmission and Storage Operations; Electric Operations; and Other Operations. Following is a summary of the business for each reporting segment. Refer to Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, for additional information for each segment.
Gas Distribution Operations
NiSource’s natural gas distribution operations serve more than 3.3 million customers in seven states and operate approximately 58 thousand miles of pipeline. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Columbia, NiSource owns five distribution subsidiaries that provide natural gas to approximately 2.2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland. NiSource also distributes natural gas to approximately 792 thousand customers in northern Indiana through three subsidiaries: Northern Indiana, Kokomo Gas and Northern Indiana Fuel and Light. Additionally, NiSource’s subsidiary, Bay State, distributes natural gas to approximately 294 thousand customers in Massachusetts.
Gas Transmission and Storage Operations
NiSource’s Gas Transmission and Storage Operations subsidiaries own and operate nearly 15 thousand miles of interstate pipelines and operate one of the nation’s largest underground natural gas storage systems capable of storing approximately 639 Bcf of natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, Columbia Transmission, Columbia Gulf and Crossroads Pipeline, NiSource owns and operates an interstate pipeline network extending from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Erie, New York and the eastern seaboard. Together, these companies serve customers in 16 northeastern, mid-Atlantic, midwestern and southern states and the District of Columbia.
NiSource’s Gas Transmission and Storage Operations continue to capture growth opportunities leveraging NiSource’s strategically positioned pipeline and storage assets. A number of Gas Transmission and Storage Operations’ new growth projects are designed to support increasing Marcellus Shale production, while the company also has continued to grow and adapt its system to provide critical transportation and storage services to markets across its high-demand service territory. For example:
• In April 2009, storage gas injections began for the Ohio Storage Expansion Project, which increased Gas Transmission and Storage Operations market-area storage capacity by 6.7 billion cubic feet and enhances delivery from two Ohio storage fields.
• In August 2009, Gas Transmission and Storage Operations placed in service its Appalachian Expansion Project, which leverages the company’s existing infrastructure to provide approximately 100,000 Dth per day of new transportation to three key Appalachian producers.
• Gas Transmission and Storage Operations advanced growth projects representing more than $125 million in investment in the Marcellus Shale region during 2009, with potential to provide market access for approximately 600,000 Dth per day of new natural gas supplies.
The Gas Transmission and Storage Operations subsidiaries are also involved in two joint ventures, Millennium and Hardy Storage, which effectively expand their facilities and throughput. Millennium pipeline, which includes 182 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipe across New York’s Southern Tier and lower Hudson Valley, was substantially completed in December 2008 and has the capability to transport up to 525,400 Dth per day of natural gas to markets along its route, as well as to the New York City markets through its pipeline interconnections. Millennium is jointly owned by affiliates of NiSource, DTE Energy and National Grid. Hardy Storage commenced operations in April of 2007, receiving customer injections and withdrawing natural gas from its new underground natural gas storage facility in West Virginia. Hardy Storage has a working storage capacity of 12 Bcf and the ability to deliver 176,000 Dth of natural gas per day. Hardy Storage is a joint venture of subsidiaries of Columbia Transmission and Piedmont.
Electric Operations
NiSource generates, transmits and distributes electricity through its subsidiary Northern Indiana to approximately 457 thousand customers in 20 counties in the northern part of Indiana and engages in wholesale and transmission transactions. Northern Indiana owns four and operates three coal-fired electric generating stations. The three operating facilities have a net capability of 2,574 mw. Northern Indiana also owns and operates Sugar Creek, a CCGT plant with a 535 mw capacity rating, four gas-fired generating units located at Northern Indiana’s coal-fired electric generating stations with a net capability of 203 mw and two hydroelectric generating plants with a net capability of 10 mw. These facilities provide for a total system operating net capability of 3,322 mw. Sugar Creek was purchased in May, 2008 and dispatched into MISO on December 1, 2008. Northern Indiana’s transmission system, with voltages from 69,000 to 345,000 volts, consists of 2,792 circuit miles. Northern Indiana is interconnected with five neighboring electric utilities.
During the year ended December 31, 2009, Northern Indiana generated 85.2% and purchased 14.8% of its electric requirements. Northern Indiana’s Mitchell Station, indefinitely shut down in 2002, is not included in the net capacity of the three coal-fired generation stations. In the electric base rate case Northern Indiana filed in August 2008, Northern Indiana provided testimony that it intends to retire the Mitchell Station, demolish it, and remediate the site to industrial condition, subject to the ability to recover these costs.
Northern Indiana participates in the MISO transmission service and wholesale energy market. The MISO is a nonprofit organization created in compliance with the FERC, to improve the flow of electricity in the regional marketplace and to enhance electric reliability. Additionally, MISO is responsible for managing the energy markets, managing transmission constraints, managing the day-ahead, real-time and FTRs markets and managing the ancillary market. Northern Indiana transferred functional control of its electric transmission assets to MISO and transmission service for Northern Indiana occurs under the MISO Open Access Transmission Tariff.
Other Operations
NiSource has made a decision to significantly scale back the unregulated natural gas marketing activities. The move is part of NiSource’s long-term strategy of focusing on its core regulated businesses. NiSource has notified its current customers of this decision.
Divestiture of Non-Core Assets
In recent years, NiSource sold certain businesses judged to be non-core to NiSource’s strategy. NiSource sold Whiting Clean Energy to BPAE in April 2008 for $216.7 million which included $16.1 million in working capital. In December 2008, NiSource sold Northern Utilities and Granite State Gas for $209.1 million which included $49.1 million in working capital. Columbia Gulf sold a portion of Columbia Gulf’s offshore assets to Tennessee Gas Pipeline in June 2008. Lake Erie Land, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NiSource, sold its Sand Creek Golf Club assets in June 2006, to a private real estate developer. Lake Erie Land is pursuing the sale of certain other real estate assets it owns. NiSource Corporate Services is continuing to work with several potential buyers to sell its Marble Cliff facility. NDC Douglas Properties, a subsidiary of NiSource Development Company, is in the process of exiting some of its low income housing investments.
Business Strategy
NiSource focuses its business strategy on its core, rate-regulated asset-based businesses with virtually 100% of its operating income generated from the rate-regulated businesses. With the nation’s fourth largest natural gas pipeline, the largest natural gas distribution network east of the Rocky Mountains and one of the nation’s largest natural gas storage networks, NiSource operates throughout the energy-intensive corridor that extends from the supply areas in the Gulf Coast through the consumption centers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England and Northeast. This corridor includes over 40% of the nation’s population and close to 50% of its natural gas consumption. NiSource continues to position its assets to meet the corridor’s growing energy needs.
Competition and Changes in the Regulatory Environment
The regulatory frameworks applicable to NiSource’s operations, at both the state and federal levels, continue to evolve. These changes have had and will continue to have an impact on NiSource’s operations, structure and profitability. Management continually seeks new ways to be more competitive and profitable in this changing environment, including providing gas customers with increased choices for products and services.
Natural Gas Competition. Open access to natural gas supplies over interstate pipelines and the deregulation of the commodity price of gas has led to tremendous change in the energy markets. LDC customers and marketers purchase gas directly from producers and marketers and an open, competitive market for gas supplies has emerged. This separation or “unbundling” of the transportation and other services offered by pipelines and LDCs allows customers to purchase the commodity independent of services provided by the pipelines and LDCs. The LDCs continue to purchase gas and recover the associated costs from their customers. NiSource’s Gas Distribution Operations’ subsidiaries are involved in programs that provide customers the opportunity to purchase their natural gas requirements from third parties and use the NiSource Gas Distribution Operations’ subsidiaries for transportation services.
Electric Competition. Northern Indiana currently dispatches all power from its plants into the MISO. Transmission service for Northern Indiana occurs under the MISO Open Access Transmission Tariff.
Financing Subsidiary
NiSource Finance is a wholly-owned, consolidated finance subsidiary of NiSource that engages in financing activities to raise funds for the business operations of NiSource and its subsidiaries. NiSource Finance was incorporated in February 2000 under the laws of the state of Indiana. NiSource Finance’s obligations are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by NiSource.
Other Relevant Business Information
NiSource’s customer base is broadly diversified, with no single customer accounting for a significant portion of revenues.
As of December 31, 2009, NiSource had 7,616 employees of whom 3,261 were subject to collective bargaining agreements.