Exhibit 99.1
National Grid USA Companies’
Incentive Thrift Plan I
Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits for the Year Ended December 31, 2021
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Contents
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 1-2 | |||
Financial Statements | ||||
Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 | 3 | |||
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits for the Year Ended December 31, 2021 | 4 | |||
Notes to Financial Statements | 5 –15 |
NOTE: | Supplemental schedules required by Section 2520.103-10 of the Department of Labor’s Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 have been omitted because they are not applicable. |
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP CLAconnect.com |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Retirement Plans Committee and Plan Participants
National Grid USA Companies’
Incentive Thrift Plan I
Brooklyn, New York
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits of National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I (the Plan) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related statement of changes in net assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the changes in net assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Emphasis of Matter
As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Retirement Plans Committee of National Grid USA Service Company, Inc. approved the merger of National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I into National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan II effective December 31, 2021. As of the effective date of the merger, the ongoing plan was renamed National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan. Our opinion is not modified with respect to this matter.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Plan’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Plan in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Plan is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Plan’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
CLA is an independent member of Nexia International, a leading, global network of independent accounting and consulting firms. See nexia.com/member-firm-disclaimer for details. |
Retirement Plans Committee and Plan Participants
National Grid USA Companies
Incentive Thrift Plan I
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ CliftonLarsonAllen LLP |
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP |
We have served as the Plan’s auditor since 2007. |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
June 24, 2022 |
National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits
December 31, 2021 and 2020
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Investments, at fair value | $ | — | $ | 2,572,541,325 | ||||
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Plan interest in Master Trust | — | 324,173,456 | ||||||
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Receivables: | ||||||||
Notes receivable from participants | — | 25,415,328 | ||||||
Employer contributions receivable | — | 1,152,828 | ||||||
Dividends | 2,199,540 | 2,248,540 | ||||||
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Total receivables | 2,199,540 | 28,816,696 | ||||||
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Liabilities | ||||||||
Due to affiliated plan | (2,199,540 | ) | — | |||||
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Net assets available for benefits | $ | — | $ | 2,925,531,477 | ||||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Changes in net assets attributed to: | ||||
Investment income: | ||||
Net appreciation in fair value of investments | $ | 341,445,219 | ||
Interest and dividend income | 16,383,092 | |||
Net investment income from Master Trust | 4,474,744 | |||
Other additions | 1,976,399 | |||
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Total investment income | 364,279,454 | |||
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Interest income on participant notes receivable | 1,020,675 | |||
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Contributions: | ||||
Employee contributions | 101,696,347 | |||
Employer contributions | 57,874,902 | |||
Rollover contributions | 17,203,563 | |||
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Total contributions | 176,774,812 | |||
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Distributions: | ||||
Benefits paid to participants | (203,304,860 | ) | ||
Fees | (600,348 | ) | ||
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Total distributions | (203,905,208 | ) | ||
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Net increase before transfer of assets to a related Plan | 338,169,733 | |||
Net transfer of assets to Incentive Thrift Plan | (3,263,701,210 | ) | ||
Net assets available for benefits: | ||||
Beginning of year | 2,925,531,477 | |||
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End of year | $ | — | ||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Note 1. | Description of the Plan |
The following description of the National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I (the “Plan”) provides only general information. Participants should refer to the Plan document for a more complete description of the Plan’s provisions.
Plan Description
The Plan was established effective January 1, 1980, pursuant to the authorization of the Board of Directors of certain subsidiaries of the New England Electric System (“NEES”), to provide a long-range program of systematic savings for eligible employees (the “Participants”). The Plan was renamed National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I upon the merger between National Grid plc and NEES on March 22, 2000, at which time NEES was renamed National Grid USA.
Employees of participating subsidiaries of National Grid USA (collectively, the “Employers” or the “Company”) are immediately eligible to participate in the Plan upon employment, but will not receive Employer Matching Contributions (“Matching Contributions”) from the Employers until the first of the month following three months of service. Certain individuals are not eligible to participate in the Plan, including but not limited to leased employees, interns, co-op students, summer students, and independent contractors or individuals paid by an agency or party other than the Company, or any employee covered under a collective bargaining agreement.
The Plan was prepared in conformity with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”).
The plan administrators are the Retirement Plans Committee of National Grid USA Service Company, Inc. (the “Administrator”). The Board of Directors of National Grid plc has the governing authority to amend the Plan, but has delegated certain amending authority to the Board of Directors of National Grid USA Service Company, Inc. (“Service Company”).
Vanguard serves as record keeper of the Plan. The Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company is trustee and custodian for all assets and Participant accounts with the exception of the Master Trust and the self directed brokerage accounts. TD Ameritrade is the custodian for the self directed brokerage accounts. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“Wells Fargo”) was the Master Trustee and custodian for the assets of the Plan related to investments in the Galliard Stable Value Fund. The Galliard Stable Value Fund was closed on October 31, 2021, and its holdings were invested in the Fidelity Managed Income Portfolio.
The Master Trust was terminated effective October 31, 2021. There were residual cash transactions until December 31, 2021 to liquidate the balance of the Master Trust.
The Plan was amended to merge it into the National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan II effective December 31, 2021. At that time the ongoing plan was renamed “National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan”. Effective August 1, 2021 there was a change to automatic enrollment whereby non-collectively bargained employees are automatically enrolled at 8 percent of eligible compensation.
The Plan has evaluated subsequent events for recognition or disclosure through June 24, 2022, the date the financial statements were issued.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Contributions
The Plan is a defined contribution plan. An eligible employee can make Elective Contributions through Contribution Agreements (also known as “Salary Reduction Agreements” or “Elective Contributions”) to have from 1 percent to 50 percent of their eligible compensation contributed to the Plan on their behalf. Participants can choose whether their Elective Contributions to the Plan will be calculated on their Base Pay or All Pay.
Base Pay is defined as the Participant’s regular pay, prior to any salary reductions for Elective Contributions to the Thrift Plan, and any other salary reductions under the Health Care Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Dependent Care Reimbursement Account or for Company health care coverage.
Base Pay excludes all other forms of compensation, including supplemental disability income, amounts deferred under other plans, reimbursements of expenses, incentive pay, commissions, options, payments made in lieu of vacation days or under short- or long-term disability provisions, awards, overtime, premiums, and any other additional forms of earnings (including Company contributions to or under any other employee benefit plan, such as health insurance, pension, or severance pay).
All Pay is Base Pay, as defined above, plus overtime, commissions, premium pay, and any incentive pay.
The annual employee pre-tax Elective Contributions by each Participant were subject to Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) limits of $19,500 in 2021 and 2020, respectively, for employees who did not attain age 50 by the end of the plan year. For employees who did attain age 50 by the last day of the plan year, the annual maximum pre-tax contribution was $26,000 for 2021 and 2020.
Participants can also elect to contribute up to 15 percent of their pay on an after-tax basis. The total amount of Elective Contributions (pre-tax and after-tax) may not exceed 50 percent of pay (further subject to the combined IRS annual contribution limit, adjusted periodically by law, which was $58,000 for 2021 and $57,000 for 2020).
New employees with funds held under a previous employer’s qualified plan are permitted to roll over eligible amounts from such funds into the Plan.
Participants may allocate their account balances in any whole percentage without restriction on the frequency of subsequent reallocations subject to investment fund short-term trading restrictions.
Active or former employees who are Participants and who receive a lump sum distribution from a Company qualified pension plan (National Grid USA Companies’ Final Average Pay Pension Plan, Niagara Mohawk Pension Plan, KeySpan Retirement Plan and Retirement Income Plan of KeySpan Corporation) may roll the lump sum proceeds into the Plan to the extent the proceeds qualify for rollover under the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”). The total amount rolled over from these Plans in 2021 was $2,337,490.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Company Core Contributions
Participants hired or rehired on January 1, 2011 or later are eligible for Company Core Contributions, which begin the 1st of the month following 3 months of service. The Company calculates a Participant’s Core Contribution each payroll period, based on actual compensation for that payroll period. The contribution is a percentage of pay based on the Participant’s total points as set forth in the plan documents as of January 1 of the plan year. The contribution schedule is as follows:
Points | Core Contribution (% of Pay) | |
< 45 | 4% | |
45 - 54 | 5% | |
55 - 64 | 6% | |
65 - 74 | 7% | |
75 + | 8% |
Core Contributions are based on All Pay. Participants will have an account established for them at Vanguard. Core contributions will be made to the account even if Participants do not contribute to the Plan.
Unless elected otherwise, Core Contributions will be automatically invested in the Qualified Default Investment Alternative which is the Vanguard Target Retirement Trust Select closest to the year in which the Participant will attain age 65. Once enrolled, Participants can change the investment allocation at any time.
Company Matching Contributions
The Company matches 50 percent of the first 8 percent Participants contribute (pre-tax and after-tax contributions) to the Plan up to the annual IRS compensation limit. Matching Contributions are based on All Pay, as a ratio of the Participant’s Elective Contribution dollar amount and their All Pay. All Matching Contributions are invested in the same investments elected by the Participant for their employee contributions unless otherwise directed by the Participant. The Company performs an annual “true-up” calculation following the end of each year to determine the maximum amount of Company Matching Contributions based on participant’s contributions made over the entire year. If any amount is due, it is deposited into the participant’s account. The 2021 employer contribution receivable for this true up contribution was deposited into the National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan subsequent to the merger.
Automatic Enrollment
New hires are automatically enrolled 45 days after the hire date at 6 percent of their All Pay. Effective on August 1, 2021, collectively bargained employee will continue to be automatically enrolled at 6 percent of their All Pay, and non-collectively bargained employees will be automatically enrolled at 8 percent of their All Pay. Participant contributions will be defaulted to the Plan’s QDIA if a Participant does not select their own investments. The automatic enrollment can be reversed within the first 90 days of the enrollment date and all money in the account returned to the Participant. After the first 90 days of enrollment, the automatic enrollment can be reversed but any money already contributed to the account cannot be returned to the Participant.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Automatic Increase
Participants may elect an automatic increase of 1 to 3 percent of their pre-tax Contributions each year. A participant can elect to make the automatic increase effective at any time during the year and is capped at 50 percent of eligible compensation. It is not available for after-tax Contributions.
Participant Accounts
Each Participant’s account is credited with the Participant’s Contribution, allocations of (a) the Matching Contributions, (b) Company Core contributions (if applicable), and (c) allocations of plan earnings, net of fees. Allocations are based on Participant earnings, account balances or specific participant transactions, as defined. The benefit to which a Participant is entitled is the benefit that can be provided from the Participant’s vested account.
Vesting
Participants are immediately vested in their Elective Contributions plus actual earnings thereon. Upon termination of employment (if you are vested) or upon the determination of an employee’s disability being total and permanent, a Participant or a Participant’s beneficiary (in the case of death) is entitled to receive the full amount in the Participant’s account. Participants will be 100 percent vested in employer match, Company Core, and employer non-elective contributions on the earlier to occur of: (i) the Participant’s completion of three (3) years of service with the Company; (ii) the Participant’s attainment of Normal Retirement Age (age 65) (iii) the death of the Participant; (iv) the disability of the Participant if the Participant is receiving disability benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act; or (v) the termination or partial termination of the Plan.
Notes Receivable from Participants
An employee can obtain a loan from the Plan from such Participant’s account. The minimum loan allowed is $1,000. A loan cannot exceed the lesser of 50 percent of the Participant’s account balance or $50,000. The $50,000 limit is further limited by the Participant’s highest outstanding loan balance within the twelve months preceding the loan request. The loans are secured by the balance in the Participant’s account. Loans must be repaid over a period of one to five years (up to fifteen years for the purchase of a primary residence) by means of payroll deductions. The loan interest rate is set at the time Participants apply for a loan based on the rate established by the Administrator. Interest rates at December 31, 2021 ranged from 3.25 percent to 10.50 percent. Participants who leave the Company or are on an unpaid leave of absence can continue to repay their outstanding loan balance through the remaining amortization period directly to Vanguard.
A default of the loan will occur if the loan balance is not paid off by the end of the quarter following the quarter in which the missed payment was due or the loan is not paid in full by the contractual maturity date. In the event of default, the outstanding balance of the loan and any unpaid accrued interest is deemed to have been distributed to the Participant. Interest continues to be tracked following a default solely for determining the amount available for a subsequent loan. Deemed distributions are included in the Loan Fund’s investment balance until the employee has been terminated. Upon termination the defaulted loan balance is deducted from the Plan. There were cumulative deemed distributions of $652,765 and $536,445 as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Payment of Benefits
Participants qualify for a distribution of their entire account balance when the Participant ends employment (including at retirement), becomes totally and permanently disabled or reaches age 59 1/2. Participants who qualify for a distribution may receive an immediate lump sum, defer payment, or receive the value of their account in cash installments. If a Participant defers receipt of benefits, their funds will remain invested in the investment funds of their choice. They may make investment transfers in the same manner as any active Participant.
The Plan allows automatic lump-sum distributions if the value of the Participant’s vested account balance is less than $1,000 and the Participant is no longer employed by the Company. The Participant must consent to the distribution if the present value is more than $1,000.
Unless Participants choose otherwise, their account balance remains in the Plan until they attain age 72. At that time, Participants are required to receive minimum required distributions beginning on April 1 of the following year. Participants can elect a total or partial distribution from their account(s) at any time following separation of service. In addition, Participants may: 1) receive account balances in annual, semi-annual, quarterly or monthly installments, to be paid over a period not to exceed their life expectancy. Once installments begin, the amount of each payment is determined by dividing the Participant account balance at the time of payment by the number of installments remaining to be paid; 2) receive account balances in a series of substantially equal periodic payments (paid at least annually for their life expectancy); or 3) elect to receive distributions in any amount a Participant wishes, beginning and ending at their discretion.
The Plan allows Qualified Non-elective Contributions to the extent such contributions are necessary to satisfy the nondiscrimination requirement under the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”). Following separation from service prior to age 55, a Participant may elect to receive a partial distribution from his or her account or a total distribution at any time; such Participant may also defer receipt of his or her benefit until the latest date permitted under the IRC.
Forfeitures
Forfeiture accounts are maintained to hold any Employer contributions and earnings thereon that were deposited as a result of a Participant’s separation from service prior to becoming fully vested. In addition, forfeitures from prior plan mergers and uncashed Participant checks are held in the Plan forfeiture accounts.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, forfeited non-vested accounts totaled $0 and $791,192, respectively. These accounts may be used to reduce future Employer contributions and pay plan administration expenses as described in the plan document. During the year ended December 31, 2021, $1,365,777 of forfeited non-vested accounts were used to reduce Employer contributions.
Note 2. | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Basis of Accounting
The financial statements of the Plan have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and changes therein, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Investment Valuation and Income Recognition
Investments are reported at fair value. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Plan’s Investment Committee determines the Plan’s valuation policies utilizing information provided by the trustees. See Note 9 for discussion of fair value measurements.
Purchases and sales of securities are recorded on a trade-date basis. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Net appreciation includes the gains and losses on investments bought and sold as well as held during the year.
Expenses
Management fees and operating expenses are charged to plan Participants and are reflected as a reduction of investment return in each of the investment options of the Plan. Such management fees and operating expenses are deducted from income earned on a daily basis. Fees related to the administration of notes receivable from participants are charged directly to the participant’s account and are included in administrative expenses.
Notes Receivable from Participants
Notes receivable from Participants are measured at their unpaid principal balance plus any accrued but unpaid interest. Related fees are recorded as administrative expenses and are expensed when they are incurred. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. No allowance for credit losses has been recorded as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Payment of Benefits
Benefit payments to, and withdrawals by Participants, are recorded when paid.
Note 3. | Plan Termination |
The Company had the right to discontinue its contributions at any time and to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA. In the event of plan termination, any unallocated assets of the Plan would have been allocated to Participant accounts and distributed in such a manner as the Company determined, and participants would have become 100 percent vested in their Company contributions. As noted in Note 1, the Plan merged into the National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan effective December 31, 2021.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Note 4. | Tax Status |
The IRS has determined and informed the Company by a letter dated October 18, 2017, that the Plan was designed in accordance with applicable sections of the IRC. The Plan has since been amended, however, the plan administrator and the Plan’s counsel believe that the Plan is designed and currently being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the IRC. Therefore, no provision for income taxes has been included in the Plan’s financial statements. To the best of its knowledge, the Company believes that the Plan is currently in compliance with the provisions of the IRC.
U.S. GAAP requires management to evaluate tax positions taken by the Plan and recognize a tax liability if the Plan has taken an uncertain position that more likely than not would not be sustained upon examination by the IRS. The Plan is subject to routine audits by taxing jurisdictions; however, there are currently no audits for any tax periods in progress.
Note 5. | Related Party and Party-In-Interest Transactions |
Section 3(14) of ERISA defines a party-in-interest to include among others, fiduciaries or employees of the Plan, any person who provides services to the Plan or an employer whose employees are covered by the Plan. Accordingly, loans to Participants and investments in American Depositary Receipts of National Grid plc are considered party in interest transactions. Moreover, the Plan’s investment options include mutual funds and collective trust funds managed by Vanguard.
Certain administrative functions are performed by officers or employees of the Company. No such officer or employee receives compensation from the Plan.
Note 6. | Administration of Plan Assets |
The trustee and custodian of the Plan hold the Plan’s assets. Contributions are held and managed by the trustee and custodian, who invest cash received, interest and dividend income and make distributions to Participants.
Note 7. | Plan Administrative and Consulting Expenses |
Some administrative expenses for the Plan are paid by the Company. The trustee was paid $519,558 in administration fees out of plan assets for administering and consulting related to the Plan during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Note 8. | Master Trust |
A portion of the Plan’s investments were in the Master Trust until its closure on October 31,2021. It was established for the investment of assets of the Plan and the National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan II. Each participating retirement plan had a divided interest in the Master Trust. The assets of the Master Trust were held by Wells Fargo. The Master Trust was closed in contemplation of the merger of the two Plans, which occurred on December 31, 2021.
The value of the Plan’s interest in the Master Trust is based on the beginning of the year value of the Plan’s interest in the trust plus actual contributions and allocated investment income less actual distributions and allocated administrative expenses. Investment income and administrative expenses relating to the Master Trust are allocated to the individual plans based upon the amount of the time the Plan’s assets were invested in the Master Trust.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
The Master Trust was terminated effective October 31, 2021, and therefore there were no assets in the Master Trust as of December 31, 2021.
The following table summarizes the net investment income of the Master Trust for the year ended December 31, 2021:
2021 | ||||
Investment income: | ||||
Interest income | $ | 9,555,988 | ||
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The following table presents the net assets of the Master Trust as of December 31, 2020:
December 31, 2020 | ||||||||
Master Trust Balances | Plan’s Interest in Master Trust Balances | |||||||
Investments, at fair value: | ||||||||
Collective Trust Fund | $ | 691,727,796 | $ | 324,301,781 | ||||
Accrued expenses | 273,714 | 128,325 | ||||||
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Total | $ | 691,454,082 | $ | 324,173,456 | ||||
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Refer to Note 9 for description of the valuation methodologies used.
The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Master Trust’s assets at fair value as of December 31, 2020:
Master Trust Assets at Fair Value as of December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Total | |||||||||||||
Collective trust fund | $ | — | $ | 324,301,781 | $ | — | $ | 324,301,781 | ||||||||
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
Note | 9. Fair Value Measurements |
The framework for measuring fair value provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under authoritative guidance are described as follows:
Level 1 - Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Plan has the ability to access.
Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, such as:
• | quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; |
• | quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets; |
• | inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability; |
• | inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means. |
If the asset or liability has a specified (contractual) term, the Level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
Level 3 - Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.
The asset or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques maximize the use of relevant observables and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.
The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for assets measured at fair value. There have been no changes in methodologies used as of December 31, 2021 or 2020:
Common stock: Investments in the National Grid American Depositary Receipts (which trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE” under the symbol “NGG”) are valued according to the closing price on the NYSE.
Mutual funds are valued at the daily closing prices as reported by the funds. Mutual funds held by the Plan are open-end mutual funds that are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These funds are required to publish their daily net asset value (“NAV”) and to transact at that price. The mutual funds held by the Plan are deemed to be actively traded.
The collective trusts are valued at the NAV of units of the bank collective trust. NAV is a readily determinable fair value and is the basis for current transactions. Participant transactions (purchases and sales) may occur daily. If the Plan initiates a full redemption of the collective trust, the issuer reserves the right to temporarily delay withdrawal from the trust in order to ensure that securities liquidations will be carried out in an orderly business manner.
Self-directed brokerage funds consist primarily of mutual funds that are valued at the daily closing prices as reported by the funds. Additionally, there is an FDIC insured interest bearing deposit account.
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following tables set forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Plan’s assets at fair value as of December 31, 2020 excluding the Plan’s interest in the Master Trust. There were no investments within the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2021.
Assets at Fair Value as of December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Total | |||||||||||||
Collective trust funds | $ | — | $ | 2,362,458,172 | $ | — | $ | 2,362,458,172 | ||||||||
Common stock | 117,169,908 | — | — | 117,169,908 | ||||||||||||
Mutual funds | 76,306,831 | — | — | 76,306,831 | ||||||||||||
Self-directed brokerage funds | 16,606,414 | — | — | 16,606,414 | ||||||||||||
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Total investments subject to the fair value hierarchy | $ | 210,083,153 | $ | 2,362,458,172 | $ | — | $ | 2,572,541,325 | ||||||||
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Note 10. | Risks and Uncertainties |
The Plan invests in various investment securities. Investment securities are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate, market and credit risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect Participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits.
Note 11. | Reconciliation of Financial Statements to Form 5500 |
The following is a reconciliation of net assets available for benefits per the financial statements to the Form 5500 as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Net assets available for benefits per the financial statements | $ | — | $ | 2,925,531,477 | ||||
Less notes receivable from participants in transit | — | — | ||||||
Less employer contributions receivable | — | — | ||||||
Less dividends receivable | — | — | ||||||
Less deemed distributions | — | (536,445 | ) | |||||
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Net assets available for benefits per the Form 5500 | $ | — | $ | 2,924,995,032 | ||||
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National Grid USA Companies’ Incentive Thrift Plan I
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following is reconciliation of the change in net assets per the financial statements to the Form 5500 for the year ended December 31, 2021:
2021 | ||||
Change in net assets available for benefits per the financial statements | $ | 338,169,733 | ||
Change in deemed distributions | (116,321 | ) | ||
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Change in net assets available for benefits per the Form 5500 | $ | 338,053,412 | ||
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