Fortis Inc. (NYSE:FTS) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Jocelyn Perry: Maurice, this is Jocelyn. Yes, we do hedge cash flows. We actually go out 2 years about and 100% of our cash flows. And — but you’re right, with the rates where they are today, we’re always watching that, and we hedge a little more sometimes and we hedge a little less sometimes. And it does impact earnings, but particularly, we watch it around cash flows. So we used to do it actually 1 year out, but we moved to 2 years a few years ago. And we continue to watch it, and we continue to change as the rates change.

Maurice Choy: And can I ask what rate you’ve hedged those 2 years of cash flows at?

Jocelyn Perry: Well, I’d have to get that average rate. It’s actually a good rate today because we’ve been in the market recently. So — but I’d have to get the specific rate for that. We have a lot of little hedges that we put in place.

Maurice Choy: Thank you very much. And get well soon Dave. You do sound good, I will say.

David Hutchens: I’m okay in the lower register.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Rob Hope from Scotiabank.

Robert Hope: I was hoping you could give some additional color on the Tucson IRP, which will be filed in the coming days. Maybe can you just talk about how it has changed with the IRP and whether we could see some upside or downside in your CapEx plan depending on kind of the eventual outcome of the transition there.

David Hutchens: So Rob, I’d love to give you a bunch of details on that, but we’re just around the corner from releasing that publicly, and we really don’t want to front run our commissioners in the process. So those — that filing and all the details and comments that we’ll make around that are just around the corner. So I’d ask for your patience and then call us back, and we’ll give you as much information as you’d like on that.

Robert Hope: Sounds good. And then maybe a follow-up there. How are you dealing with some of the supply chain issues that we’re seeing there? Are you seeing them improve? Or are there still some headwinds? And how are you managing kind of the supply entities right now?

David Hutchens: So far, we haven’t really seen that impact because we’re kind of doing mean we’re not doing a whole ton of any one thing. So we’re not dependent on some huge amount of panels or wind or batteries, et cetera. It’s a very balanced portfolio approach that we’re doing. So we have not, to date, as we sit here today, feel like we have any issues there. Now obviously, those change as we go forward, and we’ll be watching that. But I think we’re going to be just fine.

Operator: And your next question comes from the line of Mark Jarvi from CIBC Capital Markets.

Mark Jarvi: So I just wanted to come back to the comments around higher interest rates. And Jocelyn, you mentioned about the holding company debt. Just at the operating subsidiaries, where are you feeling the most, I guess, pressure from a regulatory lag or, I guess, little leakage on interest rates versus deemed debt? And where will we see a carryover of that impact into 2024, if at all?

Jocelyn Perry: Thanks, Mark. Yes, I — so most of our utilities actually have mechanisms to capture the interest rate changes from year-to-year, like ITC and Alberta and B.C., but the one — I think you’ve already hit it. The one that there is a lag is at UNS. So until they go in for their next rate case, well then, they we set any new debt issuances that they have done. So I would say, in large part, most of our utilities actually have those mechanisms, but that’s probably the one area where it’s — and it’s small, right? It will be a small impact relative to Fortis.

Mark Jarvi: Anyway you can kind of put some metrics around that or quantify it to the level?