NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES TEP is a regulated utility that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 422,000 retail customers in a 1,155 square mile area in southeastern Arizona. TEP also sells electricity to other utilities and power marketing entities, located primarily in the western United States. TEP is a wholly owned subsidiary of UNS Energy, a utility services holding company. UNS Energy is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis. BASIS OF PRESENTATION TEP's consolidated financial statements and disclosures are presented in accordance with GAAP, including specific accounting guidance for regulated operations. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of TEP and its subsidiaries. In the consolidation process, accounts of the parent and subsidiaries are combined and intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. TEP jointly owns several generation and transmission facilities with both affiliated and non-affiliated entities. TEP's proportionate share of jointly-owned facilities is recorded in Utility Plant on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and its proportionate share of the operating costs associated with these facilities is included in the Consolidated Statements of Income. See Note 3 for additional information regarding utility plant. Certain amounts from prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Accounting for Regulated Operations TEP applies accounting standards that recognize the economic effects of rate regulation. As a result, TEP capitalizes certain costs that would be recorded as expense or in AOCI by unregulated companies. Regulatory assets represent incurred costs that have been deferred because they are probable of future recovery in Retail Rates or in rates charged to wholesale customers through transmission tariffs. Regulatory liabilities generally represent expected future costs that have already been collected from customers or amounts that are expected to