2011 Annual Report - OTCIQ.com

In Sweden, owners of nuclear facilities are liable for damages
resulting from accidents occurring in those nuclear facilities
and for accidents involving any radioactive substances connected
to the operation of those facilities. The liability per
incident as of December 31, 2011, was limited to SEK 3,189 million,
or €358 million (2010: SEK 3,143 million, or €351 million).
This amount must be insured according to the Law Concerning
Nuclear Liability. The necessary insurance for the affected
nuclear power plants has been purchased. On July 1, 2010, the
Swedish Parliament passed a law that requires the operator
of a nuclear power plant in operation to have liability insurance
or other financial security in an amount equivalent to
€1.2 billion per facility. As of December 31, 2011, the conditions
enabling this law to take effect were not yet in place.
The Generation global unit operates nuclear power plants
only in Germany and Sweden. Accordingly, there are no additional
contingencies comparable to those mentioned above.
Other Financial Obligations
In addition to provisions and liabilities carried on the balance
sheet and to the reported contingent liabilities, there also
are other mostly long-term financial obligations arising mainly
from contracts entered into with third parties and related
parties, or on the basis of legal requirements.
As of December 31, 2011, purchase commitments for investments
in intangible assets and in property, plant and equipment
amounted to €8.3 billion (2010: €7.4 billion). Of these commitments,
€3.2 billion are due within one year. This total mainly
includes financial obligations for as yet outstanding investments
in connection with new power plant construction pro jects
and modernizations of existing generation assets, as well as
with ex ploration and gas infrastructure projects, particularly
at the Generation, Renewables, Gas, Germany, Russia and
Sweden units. On December 31, 2011, the obligations for new
power plant construction reported under these purchase
commitments totaled €4.0 billion. They also include the obligations
relating to the construction of wind power plants.
CEO Letter
E.ON Stock
Combined Group Management Report
Consolidated Financial Statements
Corporate Governance Report
Supervisory Board and Board of Management
Tables and Explanations
Additional financial obligations arose from rental and tenancy
agreements and from operating leases. The corresponding
minimum lease payments are due as broken down in the
table below:
E.ON as Lessee—Operating Leases
Minimum lease payments
€ in millions
2011 2010
Due within 1 year 264 243
Due in 1 to 5 years 818 579
Due in more than 5 years 1,093 940
Total 2,175 1,762
The expenses reported in the income statement for such
contracts amounted to €273 million (2010: €263 million). Furthermore,
a lease-leaseback arrangement for power plants
has resulted in cash flows, which are financed by restricted,
offsetting investments totaling approximately €0.5 billion
(2010: €0.4 billion) that are congruent in terms of amounts,
maturities and currencies. The arrangement expires in 2030.
Additional long-term contractual obligations in place at the
E.ON Group as of December 31, 2011, relate primarily to the
purchase of fossil fuels such as natural gas, lignite and hard
coal. Financial obligations under these purchase contracts
amounted to approximately €325.6 billion on December 31, 2011
(€22.7 billion due within one year).
Gas is usually procured on the basis of long-term purchase
contracts with large international producers of natural gas.
Such contracts are generally of a “take-or-pay” nature. The
prices paid for natural gas are normally tied to the prices of
competing energy sources, as dictated by market conditions.
The conditions of these long-term contracts are reviewed at
certain specific intervals (usually every three years) as part
of contract negotiations and may thus change accordingly. In
the absence of an agreement on a pricing review, a neutral
board of arbitration makes a final binding decision. Financial
obligations arising from these contracts are calculated based
on the same principles that govern internal budgeting. Furthermore,
the take-or-pay conditions in the individual contracts
are also considered in the calculations.
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