Robert Kleczynski
Analyst · Goldman Sachs
Thank you, Calvin, and good morning, everyone. I appreciate the comments, and I'm excited to step into this role. I also want to thank Jeanne for her partnership through the transition and for the strong foundation she has built. I look forward to continuing to work closely with her and to engaging with many of you at EEI next month. Today, I'll cover the third quarter financial results and outlook, provide an update on our regulatory agenda and the opportunities Calvin just discussed and finish with our balance sheet and financing progress. Starting on Slide 5, we present our quarter-over-quarter adjusted operating earnings walk. Exelon earned $0.87 per share in the third quarter of 2026 compared to $0.86 per share in the third quarter of 2025. Including rounding, the $0.01 increase was primarily driven by $0.06 from approved distribution and transmission rates net of depreciation, $0.01 of AFUDC, $0.01 of weather and $0.03 attributable to lower costs in the quarter. This is largely offset by $0.07 related to storm activity and $0.04 in interest and tax expenses. These results are ahead of our expectations outlined in the second quarter call. Primarily due to favorable weather and the timing of O&M spend, we continue to deliver customer-focused investments that support top quartile reliability while managing costs and timing within our full year plan. Based on our performance through the third quarter, we are narrowing our full year operating earnings to $2.85 to $2.91 per share with the goal of delivering at the midpoint or better. Our fourth quarter outlook assumes approved distribution and transmission rates, the absence of onetime items from 2025, fair and reasonable outcomes in our proceedings and normal weather and storm activity along with the reversal of timing. Finally, we reaffirm our expectation of annualized adjusted operating earnings growth near the top end of our 5% to 7% range from 2025 through 2029. That outlook is supported by our $41.7 billion capital plan, 7.9% rate base growth, disciplined cost management and a balanced financing plan to maintain strong investment-grade credit metrics. Turning to Slide 6. We continue to make solid progress across our regulatory agenda. Our approach remains focused on recovering prudent investments that support safe and reliable service while being responsive to customer affordability and the priorities of our jurisdictions. Starting in Maryland, the Public Service Commission issued a final order in Pepco's electric base rate case in August, approving a $50.9 million revenue requirement increase based on a 9.4% ROE and a 50.5% equity ratio with new rates effective August 10. Also in Maryland, the commission issued its final order in the Lessons Learned proceeding at the start of October, recognizing a continued role for forward-looking ratemaking with greater transparency and customer protections. We look forward to participating in the upcoming forward test year study alongside the commission and stakeholders to help shape the approach that supports affordability and reliability for customers across the state. BGE's electric distribution rate case continues to progress on schedule. On October 16, BGE filed rebuttal testimony, and we look forward to continue to support the prudency of the investments made to maintain a safe and reliable grid for our customers. Evidentiary hearings are scheduled for November ahead of the final order expected in January 2027. In Delaware, Delmarva Power's electric base rate case remains on track with the final order expected in the third quarter of 2027. As permitted by Delaware law, DPL expects to implement interim rates at 75% of its request in December, subject to refund. Finally, ComEd reached a settlement with all parties in its annual reconciliation proceeding at a delivery adjustment amount of $205 million and agreed-upon draft order was filed on October 1. A final order is expected by December 20. The grid plan also remains on track with administrative law judge filing of a proposed order this month, recommending an approval of the plan with modification, and order is expected by December 15. As filed, the plan is expected to deliver $51.5 billion of customer benefits, more than 3x its approximately $15.3 billion cost while supporting reliability, accommodating significant load growth and advancing Illinois energy policy objectives. Across these proceedings, our approach remains consistent. We are investing to support reliability, resiliency and customer needs while remaining focused on affordability and cost discipline. Turning to Slide 7. Let me provide some additional detail on the transmission and storage opportunities Calvin outlined. Importantly, these opportunities are incremental to our current plan, and we will pursue them with the same disciplined risk-adjusted approach we apply across the business. Starting with transmission. As we discussed on our fourth quarter call, we see an additional $12 billion to $17 billion of investment opportunity over the next decade beyond our plan. That opportunity is driven by increasing the reliability and resiliency of aging infrastructure and evolving generation mix, growing demand and the need for more flexible grid. We have also had success in competitive transmission, including approximately $1.2 billion of Exelon investment approved in PJM's RTEP window last year. We will continue to compete in open windows in PJM and other RTOs, and we expect more of those opportunities ahead. Storage is also a growing opportunity that is unique and practical solution to the current supply crisis. With regulated storage, we have certainty that projects get built and control over how -- when and how they're deployed. Customers benefit as well through lower capacity prices and the flow-through of tax benefits to smooth rate impacts. We currently see 1.5 to 3.5 gigawatts or approximately $3 billion to $7 billion of potential storage investment beyond our plan. Across several of our jurisdictions, competitive markets have not delivered the level of new supply that states are seeking. We are well positioned to help close that gap as states evaluate how best to meet their storage and resource adequacy goals. The opportunity we have identified represents only a portion of what states are targeting, leaving room for a range of solutions. We view utility-owned storage as one option alongside competitive development, not a replacement for it. Today, three of our states, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, allow for utility ownership of storage as a resiliency asset. And our project in New Jersey is a good example of the value these solutions can provide. The 500-megawatt project at Atlantic City Electric developed with Invenergy will represent the single largest battery storage installation in PJM and is expected to deliver more than $700 million in net benefits to customers. The New Jersey BPU is moving forward with its review, and we expect a final order late in the first quarter of 2027. Taken together, transmission and storage represent practical solutions to address the needs we see across our jurisdictions and meaningful potential upside to our current plan. We'll pursue those opportunities where the customer need is clear, the economics are attractive and the appropriate approvals and recovery mechanisms are in place. Finally, turning to Slide 8. I'll conclude with an update on our balance sheet, which remains core to our strategy and essential to funding the investments our customers need on cost-effective terms. We have now completed 100% of our planned 2026 debt financing, mitigating our exposure to interest rate volatility for the year. Looking ahead, we continue to take steps to derisk our plan, leveraging our pre-issuance hedging strategy to help reduce our exposure to future rate volatility, limiting the earnings impact of a 50 basis point increase in rates to approximately $0.01 a share. On equity, we have priced approximately 30% of our $3.4 billion of planned equity needs through 2029 via four contracts under our ATM program, including all $850 million of our 2026 needs, which we expect to settle by December 15. Our credit metric outlook remains strong with average metrics of approximately 14% through 2029, roughly 200 basis points above Moody's downgrade threshold and about 100 basis points above S&P's providing the financial flexibility to fund our capital plan and pursue future opportunities. We remain confident in our ability to deliver value for our customers and shareholders through disciplined execution, a strong balance sheet and investments that support reliable, resilient and affordable energy. Thank you. I'll now turn the call back to Calvin for closing remarks.