PPL (PP9) Risk Analysis

Our regulated utility businesses face many of the same risks, in addition to those risks that are unique to each of the Kentucky Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated and Rhode Island Regulated segments. Set forth below are risk factors common to the regulated segments, followed by sections identifying separately the risks specific to each of these segments. 18 The business and capital investment plans of PPL depend, in part, on the continued growth and viability of data centers and large load customers in its service territories. PPL is anticipating increases in load demand, creating a business need for new power generating resources and transmission facilities. Much of this demand is driven by interconnecting with and providing power to data centers and large load customers to serve an increasingly digital economy and to support artificial intelligence. The business and capital investment plans of PPL are focused on meeting these current and projected needs. If these increased demands for electricity do not occur as projected or are not sustained as projected, for any reason, it could affect PPL's financial condition. Our profitability is highly dependent on our ability to recover the costs of providing energy and utility services to our customers and earn an adequate return on our capital investments. Regulators may not approve the rates we request and existing rates may be challenged. The rates we charge our utility customers must be approved by one or more federal or state regulatory commissions, including the FERC, KPSC, VSCC, PAPUC and RIPUC. Although rate regulation is generally premised on the recovery of prudently incurred costs and a reasonable rate of return on invested capital, there can be no assurance that regulatory authorities will consider all of our costs to have been prudently incurred or that the regulatory process by which rates are determined will always result in rates that achieve full or timely recovery of our costs or an adequate return on our capital investments. Federal or state agencies, intervenors and other permitted parties may challenge our current or future rate requests, structures or mechanisms, and ultimately reduce, alter or limit the rates we receive. The requests for rate increases and the frequency of rate cases could face resistance from customers and other stakeholders, especially in a rising cost environment. Although our rates are generally regulated based on an analysis of our costs incurred in a base year or on future projected costs, the rates we are allowed to charge may or may not match our costs at any given time. Our regulated utility businesses are subject to substantial capital expenditure requirements over the next several years, which may require rate increase requests to the regulators in the future. If our costs are not adequately recovered through rates, it could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Our utility businesses are subject to significant and complex governmental regulation. In addition to regulating the rates we charge, various federal and state regulatory authorities regulate many aspects of our utility operations, including: •the terms and conditions of our service and operations; •financial and capital structure matters, and issuance of securities; •siting, construction and operation of facilities; •mandatory reliability and safety standards under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and other standards of conduct; •accounting, depreciation and cost allocation methodologies; •tax matters; •affiliate transactions; •acquisition, retirement and disposal of utility assets; and •various other matters, including energy efficiency. Such regulations or changes thereto may subject us to higher operating costs or increased capital expenditures and failure to comply could result in sanctions or possible penalties which may not be recoverable from customers. Our regulated businesses undertake significant capital projects and these activities are subject to unforeseen costs, delays or failures, as well as risk of inadequate recovery of resulting costs. The regulated utility businesses are capital intensive and require significant investments in energy generation (in the case of LG&E and KU) and transmission, distribution and other infrastructure projects, including providing service to new data centers and large load customers, constructing projects for environmental compliance and maintaining system reliability. The completion of these projects without delays or cost overruns is subject to risks in many areas, including: •approval, licensing and permitting; •land acquisition and the availability of suitable land; •skilled labor or equipment shortages; •construction problems or delays, including disputes with third-party intervenors; •increases in commodity prices or labor rates; •potential supply chain disruptions or delays; and19 •contractor performance. PPL is anticipating increases in load demand, creating the need for new power generating resources and transmission facilities. A substantial portion of this demand is driven by the current and projected power needs of data centers to serve an increasingly digital economy and to support artificial intelligence. Extending service to these facilities necessitates significant capital expenditures, which in turn requires sufficient access to sources of capital. These additional capital needs, the increased concentration of business within a single industry based on emerging technologies, and uncertainties regarding the actual capacity required to satisfy the projected new demands of these new industries creates risks for PPL. Ensuring that incremental revenues from these projected new demands cover incremental costs and risks is critical to PPL and its relationship to its existing customers. While contracts with new large load customers typically include provisions for early termination payments, minimum bills, and financial security, these contracts may not fully protect PPL against all risks. Changes in industry practice or advances in the related technologies could reduce the demand for electricity to power data centers or other large load facilities. Additionally, these industries may experience a business downturn, which could cause the loss of current or potential customers or may weaken the financial condition and creditworthiness of existing customers. If anticipated demand growth does not materialize, PPL could experience unrecovered capital investments. Conversely, if demand grows more rapidly than projected, PPL may face challenges in securing adequate generation and transmission capacity and maintaining service reliability. Failure to complete our capital projects on schedule or on budget, or at all, could adversely affect our financial performance, operations and future growth if such expenditures are not granted rate recovery by our regulators. We are or may be subject to costs of remediation of environmental contamination at facilities that are currently owned by us or that are owned or operated by our former subsidiaries. We may be subject to liability for the costs of environmental remediation of property now or formerly owned by us with respect to substances that we may have generated regardless of whether the liabilities arose before, during or after the time we owned or operated the facilities. We also have current or previous ownership interests in sites associated with the production of manufactured gas for which we may be liable for additional costs related to investigation, remediation and monitoring of these sites. Remediation activities associated with our former manufactured gas plant operations are one source of such costs. Citizen groups or others may bring litigation regarding environmental issues including claims of various types, such as property damage, personal injury and citizen challenges to compliance decisions on the enforcement of environmental requirements, which could subject us to penalties, injunctive relief and the cost of litigation. We cannot predict the amount and timing of future expenditures (including the potential or magnitude of fines or penalties) related to such environmental matters, although they could be material.