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sales resulting from the milder weather are estimated to have reduced third quarter 2006 earnings by 3 cents per share compared to the prior-year period.
During the third quarter of 2006, total electric sales and related margins improved due to solid organic growth, as well as due to several large industrial customers switching back to Illinois tariff rates because of the expiration of power contracts with suppliers. In addition, interchange revenues and related margins rose during the quarter from 80-percent-owned Electric Energy, Inc. because of the expiration of cost-based power supply contracts at the end of 2005, increased generating plant capacity factors and reduced native load electric sales resulting from the milder summer weather. Lower energy prices in the third quarter of 2006 offset, in part, these positive factors, as on-peak market prices for power declined approximately 40 percent. Energy prices were higher in 2005 as a result of the significant impact of hurricanes and rail disruptions.
Fuel and purchased power costs decreased $11 million in the third quarter of 2006 from the same period in 2005. This was due to improved power plant operations, lower costs of operating in the MISO Day Two energy market and reduced emission allowance costs in the company’s non-rate-regulated generation businesses. These factors more than offset higher coal and related transportation costs in the third quarter of 2006, as compared to the same period in 2005.
In the third quarter of 2005, a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage began at AmerenUE’s Callaway nuclear plant. The lack of a similar outage in the current-year quarter also led to lower fuel and purchased power costs and decreased other operations and maintenance expenses.
Costs associated with the December 2005 breach of the upper reservoir at AmerenUE’s Taum Sauk pumped-storage hydroelectric facility, including a third quarter 2006 settlement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, reduced third quarter 2006 net income by approximately $17 million, or 7 cents per share, compared to the year-ago period.
Ameren’s Missouri regulated operations segment, which includes AmerenUE’s regulated operations, contributed $258 million to Ameren’s net income for the first nine months of 2006, or $88 million less than the year-ago period. The Illinois regulated operations segment, which includes the electric and gas distribution businesses of AmerenCIPS, AmerenCILCO and AmerenIP, contributed $125 million to Ameren’s net income for the first nine months of 2006, or $34 million less than the year-ago period. The non-rate-regulated electric generation segment contributed $100 million to Ameren’s net income for the first nine months of 2006, or $11 million more than the year-ago period. Corporate and other non-rate-regulated activities increased net
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income in the first nine months of 2006 by $3 million as compared to an $8 million reduction of net income in the year-ago period.
Ameren also announced today that it is reaffirming its 2006 non-GAAP earnings guidance, which excludes the nine-month impact of the severe 2006 storms. The company expects non-GAAP 2006 earnings to range between $2.75 and $3.00 per share. The impact of the severe 2006 storms is estimated to be 13 to 15 cents per share. Ameren’s guidance assumes normal weather for the rest of 2006, excludes any impact of the severe 2006 storms, and is subject to, among other things, plant operations, energy market and economic conditions, regulatory and legislative decisions, unusual or otherwise unexpected gains or losses and other risks and uncertainties outlined in Ameren’s Forward-looking Statements.
Ameren will conduct a conference call for financial analysts at 9:00 a.m. (Central Time) on Friday, Nov. 3, to discuss third quarter 2006 earnings and other matters related to the company. Investors, the news media and the public may listen to a live Internet broadcast of the call at www.ameren.com by clicking on "Q3 2006 Ameren Corporation Earnings Conference Call," then the appropriate audio link. A slide presentation will also be available on Ameren’s Web site that reconciles earnings per share for the third quarter and first nine months of 2006 to the same periods in 2005. It also reconciles the 2006 earnings per share guidance to 2005 earnings per share on a comparable share basis. This presentation will be posted in the “Investors” section of the Web site under “Presentations.” The analyst call will also be available for replay on the Internet for one year. Telephone playback of the conference call will also be available beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Central Time), from Nov. 3 through Nov. 10, by dialing, U.S. (800) 405-2236; international (303) 590-3000 and entering the number: 11073979#.
Ameren Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Gary L. Rainwater and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Warner L. Baxter will give a presentation to analysts on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, at the Edison Electric Institute 41st Annual Financial Conference. The presentation will be at 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time (11:45 a.m. Central Time). This presentation is being webcast and can be accessed at www.ameren.com by clicking on "Ameren Corporation at 41st Edison Electric Institute Financial Conference," then the appropriate audio link.