Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Please also refer to Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors”.
INTEREST RATE RISK
Unitil meets its external financing needs, in part, by issuing short-term and long-term debt. The majority of debt outstanding represents long-term notes bearing fixed rates of interest. Changes in market interest rates do not affect interest expense resulting from these outstanding long-term debt securities. However, the Company periodically repays its short-term debt borrowings through the issuance of new long-term debt securities. Changes in market interest rates may affect the interest rate and corresponding interest expense on any new issuances of long-term debt securities. In addition, short-term debt borrowings bear a variable rate of interest. As a result, changes in short-term interest rates will increase or decrease interest expense in future periods. For example, if the average amount of short-term debt outstanding was $25 million for the period of one year, a change in interest rates of 1% would result in a change in annual interest expense of approximately $250,000. The average interest rate on short-term borrowings and intercompany money pool transactions was 6.5%, 6.4%, and 3.3% during 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
COMMODITY PRICE RISK
Although Unitil’s three distribution utilities are subject to commodity price risk as part of their traditional operations, the current regulatory framework within which these companies operate allows for full collection of electric power and natural gas supply costs in rates on a pass-through basis. Consequently, there is limited commodity price risk after consideration of the related rate-making. Additionally, as discussed in the section entitled Rates and Regulation in Part I, Item 1 (Business) and in Note 7 (Commitments and Contingencies) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company has divested its long-term power supply contracts and therefore, further reduced its exposure to commodity risk.
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