FS Energy and Power Fund
Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note 5. Distributions (Continued)
As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the gross unrealized appreciation on the Company’s investments, swap contracts and unrealized gain on foreign currency was $72,685 and $100,413, respectively, and the gross unrealized depreciation on the Company’s investments, swap contracts and unrealized loss on foreign currency was $744,849 and $777,199, respectively.
The aggregate cost of the Company’s investments for federal income tax purposes totaled $2,872,886 and $4,165,981 as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The aggregate net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on a tax basis was $(672,164) and $(676,786) as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.
As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had deferred tax assets of $191,954 and $135,803, respectively, resulting from net operating losses and capital losses of the Company’s wholly-owned taxable subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, certain wholly-owned taxable subsidiaries anticipated that they would be unable to fully utilize their deferred tax assets, therefore the deferred tax assets were offset by valuation allowances of $191,954 and $135,803, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company did not record a provision for taxes related to its wholly-owned taxable subsidiaries.
Note 6. Financial Instruments
The Company may trade in financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of its investing activities. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company utilized swap contracts to economically hedge certain risks against natural gas and crude oil price exposure related to certain investments in the Company’s portfolio. While the use of these derivative instruments limits the downside risk of adverse price movements, their use also limits future revenues from upward price movements.
The Company’s fixed price swaps were settled monthly based on differences between the fixed price specified in the contract and the referenced settlement price. When the referenced settlement price was less than the price specified in the contract, the Company received an amount from the counterparty based on the price difference multiplied by the volume. Similarly, when the referenced settlement price exceeded the price specified in the contract, the Company paid the counterparty an amount based on the price difference multiplied by the volume. The prices contained in these fixed price swaps are based on the NYMEX Henry Hub for natural gas and the NYMEX West Texas Intermediate, or NYMEX WTI, for oil. Gas volumes are measured in one million British thermal units, or MMBtus, and oil volumes are measured in barrels, or Bbls. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have any fixed price swap positions.
In addition, the Company entered into oil basis swap positions, which settled on the pricing index to basis differential of Argus Light Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil, or Argus LLS, to NYMEX WTI. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have any oil basis swap positions for Argus LLS.
The fair value of swap contracts (which are not considered to be hedging instruments for accounting disclosure purposes) as of December 31, 2019 are as follows:
| | | December 31, 2019 | |
Instrument | | | Asset(1) | | | Liability(2) | |
Swap Contracts – Crude Oil | | | | $ | 6,262 | | | | | $ | 280 | | |
Swap Contracts – Natural Gas | | | | | 569 | | | | | | — | | |
Total | | | | $ | 6,831 | | | | | $ | 280 | | |
(1)
Reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as: Unrealized appreciation on swap contracts.
(2)
Reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as: Unrealized depreciation on swap contracts.