MGE Energy (MGEE) Risk Analysis

We must attract, train, and retain a workforce to meet current and future needs. Events such as an aging workforce without sufficient replacement workers, mismatch of skill sets to future needs, labor market conditions, evolving employee culture expectations, or unavailability of contract resources may lead to operating challenges and increased costs. Some of the challenges include lack of resources, loss of knowledge, and time required for replacement employees to develop necessary skills. Failure to identify qualified replacement employees could increase costs as a result of decreased productivity and increased safety incidents. If we are unable to attract and retain an appropriately qualified workforce, our operations could be negatively affected. We are also subject to multiple collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 314 employees. Future negotiation of these collective bargaining agreements could lead to work stoppages or other disruptions to our operations, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Changes to the availability of coal and the means to transport coal could: - Affect our operating costs due to increased costs associated with lower levels of owned generation or the need for alternate coal supply or transportation,- Limit the ability to generate electricity if the plant operator is unable to arrange timely deliveries of adequate supplies of coal, and - Result in potentially higher costs for replacement purchased power as well as potential lost market sales opportunities. A significant portion of our electric generating capacity is dependent on coal. Demand for coal has been, and may continue to be, impacted by prevailing prices for natural gas and coal plant closures and may affect mine performance. Consequently, we are exposed to the risk that counterparties to these contracts will not be able to fulfill their obligations. Disruption in the delivery of fuel, including disruptions as a result of transportation delays, weather, labor relations, force majeure events, or environmental regulations affecting any of our fuel suppliers, has affected, and could in the future affect our ability to generate electricity at our facilities at the desired level. Should counterparties fail to perform, or other unplanned disruptions occur, we may be forced to fulfill the underlying obligation at higher prices. The Columbia plant operator has been, and the plant operators may be, forced to reduce generation at our jointly-held coal units, which would cause us to replace this generation through additional power purchases from third parties. These factors may also affect the terms under which any of the existing coal supply or transportation agreements are renewed or replaced upon the expiration of their current terms.

If corporate tax rates or policies are changed, we may be required to take material charges against earnings. If tax rates are increased, there could be timing delays before regulated rates provide for recovery of those tax increases in revenues. In addition,certain IRS tax policies, such as tax normalization and Treasury Regulations and guidance issued in connection with the IRA, may impact our ability to economically deliver certain types of resources relative to market prices. There is uncertainty regarding whether and how the current and future Presidential administrations or U.S. Congress will address tax policy and regulation. We have historically reduced our consolidated federal and state income tax liability with the use of various tax credits under the applicable tax codes. We may not be able to fully use tax credits if our future federal and state taxable income and related income tax liability is insufficient to permit their use or if we are unable to transfer tax credits to a third party. In addition, any future disallowance of some or all of those tax credits as a result of legislation or an adverse determination by one of the applicable taxing jurisdictions could materially affect our tax obligations and financial results. The IRA introduced new labor requirements that are conditions to qualification for renewable tax credits. Failure to meet these requirements on renewable projects that began construction after January 28, 2023, could result in a significant reduction in the amount of renewable tax credits, which could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Our utility business currently owns and operates renewable energy generating facilities. These facilities produce PTC and ITC used to reduce our federal tax obligations. The amount of tax credits we earn depends on the date the qualifying generating facilities are placed in service and various operating and economic factors, including facility generation, transmission constraints, unfavorable trends in pricing for wind or solar energy, adverse weather conditions, the breakdown or failure of equipment, and the applicable tax credit rate. These factors could significantly reduce the PTC and ITC produced by our wind or solar farms, resulting in increased federal income tax expense. We could also be forced to replace lost generation capacity with additional power purchases from third parties, potentially leading to increased costs. Any of the considerations mentioned above could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations, which could be material depending upon the cause of the disruption and its duration. There is also uncertainty as to when or how credit rating agencies, capital markets, the FERC, or state public utility commissions will treat impacts of any future federal or state tax regulation. These impacts could subject us to credit rating downgrades. In addition, certain financial metrics used by credit rating agencies, such as our funds from operations-to-debt percentage, could be negatively impacted by future rulings.

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations that affect the manner in which we conduct business, including capital expenditures, operating costs, and potential liabilities. There is uncertainty regarding whether and how the current and future Presidential administrations will address climate change-related matters, including restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon. While it is difficult to know the extent of possible legislation or regulatory activity, there may be an increase in the number and scope of environmental laws and regulations aimed at carbon sources, including fossil-fueled generation and the transportation of natural gas. These possible changes, as well as evolving consumer sentiment, have affected and may continue to affect our business plans, make them more costly, or expose us to liabilities for past, present, or future operations. Numerous environmental laws and regulations govern many aspects of our present and future operations. These include: air emissions limits and reporting; ambient air quality standards; water quality; water intake and discharges; wetlands; solid and hazardous waste; handling and disposal of hazardous substances; protection of endangered resources, such as threatened and endangered species, protection of cultural resources and archaeological sites; remediation and management of contaminated sites; and control of potential pollution from electric and gas construction sites. These evolving regulations have affected us, and may continue to affect us by, among other items: - Introducing uncertainty into our planning and capital expenditures processes, as changes in requirements may affect the timing and choice of compliance methods and require costly revisions to prior plans and commitments. - Imposing or modifying limits on the operations of our facilities in order to meet restrictions on air emissions, water use or water discharges. - Requiring capital expenditures and changes in operating procedures and costs as a result of the need to install additional pollution controls or more advanced technology or equipment at new or existing facilities. - Mandating increasing purchases of renewable energy, which affects the use of existing generation, and energy efficiency initiatives, which affect revenues.

MGE Energy's and MGE's operations are affected by local, national and worldwide economic conditions. The consequences of a prolonged period of reduced economic activity may include lower demand for energy, uncertainty regarding energy prices and the capital and commodity markets, and increased credit risk. A decline in energy consumption may adversely affect our revenues and future growth. Increased credit risk reflects the risk that our retail customers will not pay their bills in a timely manner or at all, which may lead to a reduction in liquidity and an eventual increase in bad debt expense. Higher levels of development and business activity within our service area generally increases the number of customers and their use of electricity and gas. Likewise, recessionary economic conditions generally have an adverse impact on our results of operations. Our business activities, including those of our subsidiaries, are concentrated in the State of Wisconsin. Changes in our local economy could negatively impact the financial condition of our customers, the growth opportunities available to us and our subsidiaries, and our results from operations. More recently, our operations have been impacted by domestic and global supply chain disruptions which are delaying the delivery of materials, equipment, and other resources that are critical to our business operations and projects under construction, including our renewable energy projects. Supply interruptions could affect our ability to operate and maintain our system and ability to implement our long-term goals. Inflation has also increased prices of equipment, materials, employee wages and benefits, and other resources. Inflationary pressures in the economy could lead to higher expenses which may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

The credit markets have experienced disruption and uncertainty. To the extent that such issues affect the ability or willingness of credit providers or investors to participate in the credit markets or particular types of investments, or affect their perception of the risk associated with particular types of investments, our cost of borrowing could be affected. Furthermore, if we are unable to access the capital and credit markets on favorable terms, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity and our ability to repay or refinance our debt. We also rely on our credit ratings to access the credit markets. If our credit ratings are downgraded for any reason, borrowing costs would increase, the number of potential investors could decrease, or we could be required to provide additional credit assurance, including cash collateral, to contract counterparties.

Our revenues and the timing of the recovery of our costs could be adversely affected by improvements in power generation, storage, and use technology. Advancements in power generation technology, including commercial and residential solar generation installations and commercial micro turbine installations, are improving the cost-effectiveness of customer self-supply of electricity. Improvements in energy storage technology, including batteries and fuel cells, could also better position customers to meet their around-the-clock electricity requirements. It is possible that legislation or regulations could be adopted supporting the use of these technologies that permit third-party sales from such facilities, and allow these facilities to interconnect to our distribution system. Improvements in the energy efficiency of lighting, appliances, and equipment will also affect energy consumption by customers. Customers could engage in individual conservation efforts by voluntarily reducing their consumption of electricity through changes in energy use and through the use of more energy efficient lighting, appliances, and equipment. Such developments could reduce customer purchases of electricity but may not necessarily reduce our investment and operating requirements due to our obligation to serve customers, including those self-supply customers whose equipment has failed for any reason to provide the power they need whether due to inadequate on-site resources, restricted operating hours, or equipment failure. In addition, since a portion of our costs are recovered through charges based upon the volume of power delivered, a reduction in electricity deliveries will affect the timing of our recovery of those costs and may require changes to our rate structures.

We operate in a highly engineered industry that requires the continued operation of sophisticated information technology systems and network infrastructure to manage our finances, operate our control facilities, provide electric and gas service to our customers, and enable compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Our generation and distribution facilities and computer-based systems and other infrastructure or physical assets are vulnerable to interruption, the introduction of viruses, malware, ransomware, security breaches, terrorist-style attacks, fire, power loss, system malfunction, network outages, unauthorized access, and other events that may be beyond our control. System interruptions or failures, whether isolated or more widespread, could impact our ability to provide service to our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance. Generation, transmission systems, and natural gas pipelines are part of an interconnected system. Therefore, a disruption caused by the impact of a cyber security incident on the regional electric transmission grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure or other fuel sources of our third-party service providers' operations, could also negatively impact our business. Our business includes the collection and retention of personally identifiable information of our customers, shareholders, and employees, who expect that we will adequately protect such information. In some cases, we outsource certain functions to vendors that could be targets of cyber attacks. A significant theft, loss, or fraudulent use of personally identifiable information may cause our business reputation to be adversely impacted and could lead to potentially large costs to notify and protect the impacted persons and subject us to legal claims, fines, or penalties. We maintain security measures to protect our information technology and control systems, network infrastructure and other assets. While we have not been subject to cyber incidents that have had a material impact on operations to date, the safeguards we have may not always be effective due to the evolving nature of cyber attacks. Moreover, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. We cannot guarantee that the protections we have in place will be completely successful in the event of a cyber attack. If the technology systems were to fail or be breached by a cyber attack, and not be recovered in a timely fashion, we may be unable to fulfill critical business functions, equipment may fail to work and confidential data could be compromised, any additional costs may not be recoverable in rates, or may exceed cyber insurance limits, or may not be covered by cyber insurance and could adversely impact our results of operations.

Weather conditions, accidents, and catastrophic events can result in damage or failures of equipment or facilities and disrupt or limit our ability to generate, transmit, transport, purchase, or distribute electricity and gas. Efforts to repair or replace equipment and facilities may take place over prolonged periods or may be unsuccessful. We may also be unable to make the necessary improvements to our operational system, causing service interruptions. Furthermore, our facilities are interconnected with third-party transmission providers. Damage to or failures of these providers' equipment or facilities is out of our control but could lead to service interruptions. Any resulting interruption of services would result in lost revenues and additional costs. Lack of gas or decreased gas pressure from interstate pipeline systems may result in unexpected energy interruptions and may lead to additional costs for alternative energy sources. We are also exposed to the risk of accidents or other incidents that could result in damage to or destruction of our facilities or damage to persons or property. Such issues could adversely affect revenues or increase costs to repair and maintain our systems.