Hydro One Releases 2009 Second Quarter Financial Results

    TORONTO, Aug. 12 /CNW/ - Hydro One Inc. today released its second quarter
results with net income of $259 million and revenues of $2,393 million for the
six months ended June 30, 2009.
    "We are pleased with our second quarter performance," said Laura Formusa,
President and CEO, Hydro One Inc. "We remain focused on improving
productivity, while strengthening our core transmission and distribution
business."The following are some of our recent key achievements:

    -   In total, in the first six months of the year, we successfully raised
        $600 million of cost effective debt financing through our Medium-Term
        Note Program.

    -   On July 16, 2009, we successfully issued $300 million of 31 year
        notes under our Medium-Term Note Program. The notes mature on July
        16, 2040 and have a coupon rate of 5.49%.

    -   On July 27, 2009, we filed a base shelf prospectus to renew our
        Medium-Term Note Program for another 25 months. The maximum
        authorised principal amount of medium-term notes issuable under this
        program is $3 billion, all of which currently remains available until
        August 2011.

    -   On July 13, 2009, our subsidiary Hydro One Networks Inc., filed a
        cost of service application for 2010 and 2011 distribution rates. The
        application includes investments in the distribution system necessary
        to achieve our company's objectives regarding safety, regulatory and
        environmental compliance, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
        Further, this application includes our distribution investment plan
        to enable renewable generation consistent with the Green Energy and
        Green Economy Act, 2009.

    -   We were recognized by Corporate Knights Magazine as the top Corporate
        Citizen in Canada. The ranking is based on specific indicators
        including diversity, pension plan quality and health, Board of
        Directors independence and aboriginal relations.

    -   Our smart meter program reached the key milestone of one million
        smart meters installed in the homes and businesses of customers. This
        is one of the largest smart meter deployments by a utility in North
        America. We expect our customers will start to convert to time-of-use
        pricing in 2010.

    -   Our customers have achieved annual energy savings of more than 400
        million kilowatt-hours. This is enough electricity to power
        approximately 35,000 homes for a year resulting in greenhouse gas
        emission savings of more than 260,000 tonnes of CO(2). We have
        enlisted about 1.5 million participants in our energy conservation
        efforts to reduce peak demand, shift consumption to off-peak periods,
        and retrofit or install equipment and systems using more energy-
        efficient technologies.Net income was $82 million in the second quarter, lower by $16 million,
or 16%, compared with the second quarter of 2008, and $259 million
year-to-date, representing a $4 million, or 2%, increase over the prior year.
In the quarterly and year-to-date periods, net income was impacted by higher
operation, maintenance and administration expenditures related to work
programs necessary to sustain our transmission and distribution systems. On a
year-to-date basis, operation, maintenance and administration expenditures
were further impacted, in comparison to the prior year, by a one-time
settlement credit in the first quarter of 2008 associated with the transfer of
pension assets to the Inergi LP pension plan. The impact to net income of
increased operation, maintenance and administration requirements on a
year-to-date basis was more than offset by higher distribution tariff revenues
associated with the December 18, 2008 and May 13, 2009 Ontario Energy Board
(OEB) rate decisions in support of necessary work programs, combined with a
reduction in our payments in lieu of corporate income taxes, primarily
resulting from higher capital cost allowance deductions being available on our
information system and smart meter investments.
    Capital expenditures of $719 million for the first six months were higher
by $205 million, or 40%, compared to the previous year. Expenditures to expand
our transmission system increased primarily as a result of a number of
significant inter-area network upgrade projects facilitating new generation or
increased transfer capability from other jurisdictions. These projects include
our Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project; our Southwestern
Ontario Capacitor Banks Project; and work on our Cherrywood to Claireville
Transformer Station Connection. Our Bruce to Milton Project to connect wind
generation and redeveloped nuclear sources in the Huron-Grey-Bruce area,
demonstrates our commitment to connect clean and renewable generation.
Expenditures to sustain our transmission system also increased primarily as a
result of refurbishment and replacement of end-of-life equipment associated
with various station projects and our Spare Transformer Purchase Program. We
have continued our investment in our Claireville Transformer Station Project
to improve reliability and to meet growing demand, which is expected to be
completed this year. Increased capital expenditures within our Distribution
Business reflect ongoing investments within our Smart Meter Program. We
installed approximately 130,000 smart meters during the quarter, bringing our
cumulative program total to about 1,025,000 meters.
    Total revenues for the six-month period were $2,393 million, which were
$116 million, or 5%, higher than the same period last year. Distribution
revenues of $1,789 million were higher primarily due to the recovery of higher
pass through purchased power costs attributed to increases in the OEB's
Regulated Price Plan for residential and other eligible customers. In
addition, distribution revenues were positively impacted by the December 18,
2008 and May 13, 2009 OEB decisions which approved increases in the
distribution tariff rates for our subsidiary, Hydro One Networks Inc. These
tariff rate increases, were implemented on February 1, 2009, and June 1, 2009
respectively. Transmission revenues decreased by $24 million year-to-date
compared to last year primarily due to lower average monthly peak demands and
following the August 28, 2008 and May 28, 2009 OEB transmission rate
decisions.
    During this period, we paid dividends and recorded payments in lieu of
corporate income taxes to the Province of Ontario in the amount of $135
million and $27 million, respectively.CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS

    (Canadian
     dollars
     in millions,    Three months ended              Six months ended
     except as            June 30                         June 30
     otherwise                     $       %                       $       %
     noted)     2009    2008  Change  Change    2009    2008  Change  Change
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Revenues   1,090   1,055      35       3   2,393   2,277     116       5
    Purchased
     power       518     483      35       7   1,184   1,079     105      10
    Operating
     costs       281     255      26      10     524     476      48      10
    Net income    82      98     (16)    (16)    259     255       4       2
    Net cash
     from
     operations  194     255     (61)    (24)    379     484    (105)    (22)
    Average
     Ontario
     60-minute
     peak
     demand
     (MW)(1)  19,615  20,786   (1,171)    (6) 20,901  21,531    (630)     (3)
    Distri-
     bution
     - units
     distributed
     to
     customers
     (TWh)(1)    6.4     6.7     (0.3)    (4)   14.8    15.2    (0.4)     (3)
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    (1) System related statistics are preliminary.Hydro One Inc. is a holding company that operates through its
subsidiaries in electricity transmission and distribution and telecom
businesses. One of its subsidiaries, Hydro One Networks Inc., operates one of
the largest transmission and distribution systems in North America. Hydro One
Inc. is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario. Hydro One's 2009 Second
Quarter Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and
Analysis can be accessed through the following link:
www.hydroone.com/financials.