3rd Quarter Earnings Release

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549


FORM 8-K



CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): October 23, 2003



  Exact name of registrant as specified I.R.S.
  in its charter, state of incorporation, Employer
Commission address of principal executive offices, Identification
File Number Telephone Number


1-16305 PUGET ENERGY, INC. 91-1969407
  A Washington Corporation.  
  10885 - N.E. 4th Street  
  Bellevue, Washington 98004-5515  
  (425) 454-6363  


1-4393 PUGET SOUND ENERGY, INC. 91-0374630
  A Washington Corporation  
  10885 - N.E. 4th Street  
  Bellevue, Washington 98004-5515.  
  (425) 454-6363  

ITEM 9. Regulation FD Disclosure

On October 23, 2003 the Company issued the following press release:

Puget Energy reports third quarter earnings
        Bellevue, Wash. (October 23, 2003) — Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD) today reported 2003 third-quarter income for common stock of $9.9 million, or 10 cents per share. In the same period a year ago, Puget Energy’s third quarter results were $6.6 million, or 7 cents per share.
        Puget Sound Energy (PSE), the regulated utility subsidiary of Puget Energy, reported third-quarter 2003 income for common stock of $8.4 million compared with $2.8 million for the same period in 2002. Utility results were driven primarily by customer growth, improved gas margin and lower interest expense, partially offset by higher variable power costs. InfrastruX Group, the unregulated utility construction services subsidiary of Puget Energy, contributed third-quarter 2003 net income of $1.6 million compared with $3.9 million for the 2002 period.
        “PSE continues to enjoy strong customer growth,” said Puget Energy President and CEO Stephen P. Reynolds. “In addition to being pleased with the quarter, I am also pleased with the progress we have made toward meeting our customers’ needs for electricity in the future,” added Reynolds.
        PSE announced yesterday that it has agreed with an affiliate of EPCOR Utilities, Inc. to acquire a 137 megawatt share of the Edmonton, Alberta, company’s 275 megawatt Frederickson Power facility near Tacoma, Washington. The natural gas fired plant began commercial operation last year. PSE’s total investment in the plant will be approximately $80 million, which is lower cost than construction of a new plant. The acquisition, subject to approval by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), could be completed in the first quarter of 2004.

Factors in Third-quarter 2003 Results:

PSE margins contributed 3 cents per share more to the 2003 third quarter than in the comparable period one year ago, as described in detail below.

Reduced PSE interest expense of $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2003 contributed 2 cents per share compared with the same period in 2002, a result of investing the net proceeds from a November 2002 common stock sale in PSE to reduce debt and the refinancing of higher cost securities. Over the last 12 months, PSE has reduced its total debt and debt-like instruments by more than $200 million, demonstrating the company’s commitment to improving PSE’s financial strength.

PSE’s Other Income increased $2.4 million compared with the same period a year ago, adding approximately 2 cents per share. The increase in Other Income is primarily related to lower costs for long-term equity incentive plans and to gains received on corporate owned insurance.

PSE’s energy sales to its utility customers are seasonal, with the highest volume of sales occurring during the heating season in the first and fourth calendar quarters and the lowest sales during the third quarter.

Puget Energy sold approximately $115 million of common stock during the fourth quarter 2002, investing the proceeds in PSE. The dilutive impact of these additional shares reduced earnings by 1 cent per share compared with the third quarter one year ago.

PSE’s common equity ratio was 37.0 percent at September 30, 2003 compared to 32.7 percent at September 30, 2002. PSE is well ahead of the requirement in its July 2002 rate settlement to rebuild its common equity ratio to 39 percent over a 3½- year period, with milestones of 34 percent, 36 percent and 39 percent at the end of 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively.

Puget Energy’s unregulated utility construction services subsidiary, InfrastruX Group, continued to be impacted by the effects of weather and softness in spending by its utility customers, contributing income of $1.6 million in the third quarter of 2003 compared with $3.9 million in the third quarter of 2002. InfrastruX Group’s quarterly results reduced Puget Energy’s income by 2 cents per share in the third quarter of 2003 compared with the same period a year ago.

Utility Electric Margin:
        PSE’s pre-tax electric margin was approximately $2.0 million lower in the third quarter 2003 compared with the third quarter in 2002. The reduction in electric margin primarily reflects $5.8 million of excess variable power costs that PSE absorbed under its PCA mechanism in the third quarter of 2003, offset in part by higher sales of electricity, compared with $1.8 million of excess power costs in the third quarter of 2002.
        The PCA mechanism allows the company to recover variable power costs on a shared basis with its customers if PSE’s costs vary from a normalized level established in electric rates. All significant variable power-supply costs are included in the PCA mechanism (hydroelectric generation variability, market price variability for purchased power and surplus power sales, natural gas and coal fuel price variability, generation unit forced outage risk and wheeling cost variability).
        Under the PCA, PSE’s cumulative maximum pre-tax earnings exposure due to power-supply cost variations over the four year period ending June 30, 2006 is limited to $40 million plus 1 percent of the excess. As previously reported, the Company expects to reach the $40 million cumulative cap under the PCA mechanism by the end of 2003, primarily as a result of below normal hydroelectric conditions in the Pacific Northwest region. PSE’s share of cumulative variable power cost underrecovery under the PCA mechanism, which began on July 1, 2002, was $29.9 million at September 30, 2003.
        PSE’s electric margin represents electrical sales to its retail and transportation customers less the cost of generating and purchasing electric energy sold to customers, including transmission costs to bring electric energy to PSE’s service territory.

Utility Gas Margin:
        PSE’s pre-tax gas margin was approximately $6.5 million higher in the third quarter of 2003 compared with the third quarter of 2002 reflecting continued customer growth coupled with the impact of the $35 million annual increase in the general gas tariff that went into effect in September 2002.
        PSE’s gas margin represents gas sales to its retail and transportation customers less the cost of gas purchased, including costs to bring gas to PSE’s service territory.

2003 Outlook:
        The company reaffirmed its current earnings guidance for its regulated utility subsidiary, PSE, in the range of $1.25 to $1.35 per share, assuming normal weather in the fourth quarter. InfrastruX is expected to contribute less than 5 cents per share to Puget Energy’s 2003 earnings. “While I am disappointed with InfrastruX’s performance in this difficult year for the utility construction services sector, management expects that InfrastruX’s earnings will improve in 2004,” added Reynolds.

Conference Call:
Puget Energy will provide additional information regarding its third-quarter 2003 results during a conference call for analysts scheduled at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT) tomorrow, Friday, October 24, 2003. The call will be broadcast live through a Web cast at www.pse.com by accessing the Investors section of the Web site. The Web cast will be archived and available for replay following the live call. A tape-recorded replay of the call will be available two hours after completion of the conference on October 24 through midnight (ET) Friday, November 7, 2003 by dialing 1-888-286-8010 and entering the conference identification number at 60405169.

_________________

Certain statements contained in this news release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although Puget Energy and Puget Sound Energy believe that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the expected results will be achieved. For additional information concerning certain assumptions, risks, and uncertainties involved in the forward-looking statements contained herein, please refer to Puget Energy’s reports on file with the SEC.





PUGET ENERGY — SUMMARY INCOME STATEMENT
(In thousands, except per-share amounts)

Unaudited Unaudited
Three months ended 9/301 Nine months ended 9/30


  2003   20022   2003   20022


Operating revenues                    
    Electric   $ 343,470   $ 299,443   $ 1,108,664   $ 978,814  
    Gas    78,171    65,788    382,706    524,663  
    Other    93,926    93,245    258,015    234,878  




       Total operating revenues    515,567    458,476    1,749,385    1,738,355  




Operating expenses  
    Purchased electricity    174,937    132,820    606,972    442,731  
    Purchased gas    35,469    31,126    179,795    324,444  
    Electric generation fuel    21,252    16,856    47,415    96,716  
    Residential exchange    (32,894 )  (26,427 )  (122,550 )  (100,139 )
    Unrealized (gain) loss on derivative instruments    905    (335 )  383    (12,083 )
    Utility operations & maintenance    67,682    68,933    211,632    208,505  
    Other operations & maintenance    81,435    76,316    229,072    193,025  
    Depreciation & amortization    59,159    57,190    176,424    170,495  
    Conservation amortization    9,897    4,216    23,914    9,985  
    Taxes other than income taxes    43,176    40,928    147,787    159,843  
    Income taxes    160    (245 )  36,358    34,332  




       Total operating expenses    461,178    401,378    1,537,202    1,527,854  




Operating income    54,389    57,098    212,183    210,501  
Other income (net of tax)    2,663    230    5,614    4,055  




Income before interest charges & minority interest    57,052    57,328    217,797    214,556  
Interest charges  
    Interest expense    44,845    48,439    138,491    147,518  
    Mandatorily redeemable securities interest expense4    1,048    --    1,048    --  




       Total interest charges    45,893    48,439    139,539    147,518  




Minority interest    156    377    106    679  




Net income before cumulative effect of  
    accounting change    11,003    8,512    78,152    66,359  
FAS-143 transition adjustment loss (net of tax)    --    --    169    --  




Net Income    11,003    8,512    77,983    66,359  
Less preferred stock dividend accruals4    1,118    1,940    4,779    5,892  




Income for common stock   $ 9,885   $ 6,572   $ 73,204   $ 60,467  




Common shares outstanding    94,125    87,618    93,930    87,388  
Diluted shares outstanding    94,635    87,975    94,440    87,737  




Basic earnings per common share before  
    cumulative effect of accounting change   $ 0.10   $ 0.07   $ 0.78   $ 0.69  
Cumulative effect of accounting change    --    --    --    --  




Basic earnings per common share   $ 0.10   $ 0.07   $ 0.78   $ 0.69  




Diluted earnings per common share before  
    cumulative effect of accounting change   $ 0.10   $ 0.07   $ 0.77   $ 0.69  
Cumulative effect of accounting change    --    --    --    --  




Diluted earnings per common share3   $ 0.10   $ 0.07   $ 0.77   $ 0.69  





1 Partial-year results may not accurately predict full-year performance, as earnings are significantly affected by weather.
2 Certain amounts previously reported have been reclassified to conform with current year presentations with no effect on net income.
3 Diluted earnings per common share include the dilutive effect of securities related to employee compensation plans.
4 Effective July 1, 2003, SFAS 150, “Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both Liabilities and Equity," requires companies with equity that has characteristics of debt to classify their dividends as interest expense instead of as preferred stock dividends.

PUGET SOUND ENERGY1 — UTILITY OPERATING DATA

Three months ended 9/30 Nine months ended 9/30


  2003   2002   2003   2002


Energy sales revenues ($ in thousands; unaudited)                    
    Electricity  
     Residential   $ 114,544   $ 116,022   $ 442,275   $ 468,069  
     Commercial    135,128    129,394    411,231    399,944  
     Industrial    21,465    22,869    66,306    68,084  
     Other retail sales2    8,175    3,782    (7,090 )  (15,806 )




       Subtotal, retail sales    279,312    272,067    912,722    920,291  
     Transportation2    2,618    4,791    9,229    12,873  
     Sales to other utilities & marketers    52,142    19,841    161,782    50,883  
     Other3    9,398    2,744    24,931    (5,233 )




       Total electricity sales    343,470    299,443    1,108,664    978,814  
    Gas  
     Residential    41,281    33,208    236,672    315,670  
     Commercial    24,599    22,252    108,135    163,711  
     Industrial    5,996    4,947    19,153    28,381  




       Subtotal, retail sales    71,876    60,407    363,960    507,762  
     Transportation    3,643    3,068    10,503    9,024  
     Other    2,652    2,313    8,243    7,877  




       Total gas sales    78,171    65,788    382,706    524,663  




    Total energy sales revenues   $ 421,641   $ 365,231   $ 1,491,370   $ 1,503,477  

Energy sales volumes (Unaudited)  
    Electricity (in mWh)  
     Residential    1,854,841    1,803,389    7,180,292    7,340,492  
     Commercial    2,058,314    1,986,181    6,100,560    5,979,395  
     Industrial    341,076    367,484    1,030,225    1,062,665  
     Other2    73,560    30,009    (186,586 )  (319,042 )




       Subtotal, retail sales    4,327,791    4,187,063    14,124,491    14,063,510  
     Transportation2    521,252    730,959    1,521,366    1,801,715  
     Sales to other utilities & marketers    1,215,015    1,026,461    4,293,359    2,379,170  




       Total mWh    6,064,058    5,944,483    19,939,216    18,244,395  
    Gas (in 000's of therms)  
     Residential    42,353    33,521    315,033    337,893  
     Commercial    34,139    35,530    177,915    207,694  
     Industrial    9,458    9,048    32,968    37,992  
     Transportation    46,152    47,776    155,284    151,532  




       Total gas volumes    132,102    125,875    681,200    735,111  

Margins4 ($ in thousands; unaudited)  
    Electric   $ 139,610   $ 141,564   $ 458,536   $ 437,422  
    Gas    33,606    27,080    161,400    149,401  

Customers served5 (Unaudited)  
    Electricity  
     Residential    856,801    842,170    851,994    838,899  
     Commercial    109,403    103,538    108,118    102,337  
     Industrial    3,947    3,897    3,947    3,929  
     Other    2,084    1,931    2,048    1,891  
     Transportation    16    15    16    15  




       Total electricity customers    972,251    951,551    966,123    947,071  
    Gas  
     Residential    585,947    565,585    580,704    562,539  
     Commercial    47,488    46,347    47,244    46,407  
     Industrial    2,709    2,735    2,721    2,775  
     Transportation    134    129    135    117  




       Total gas customers    636,278    614,796    630,804    611,838  

Weather (Unaudited)  
    Actual heating degree days    135    235    2,832    3,324  
    Normal heating degree days6    238    238    3,068    3,068  

1 Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is the electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Puget Energy.
2 Includes change in unbilled revenues.
3 Includes Conservation Trust collection and sales of non-core gas supplies. As of the third quarter 2003 the Conservation Trust payments to bondholders are no longer shown as a reduction in revenue but as an expense due to the consolidation of the Conservation Trust onto Puget Sound Energy’s books beginning July 1, 2003. There is no impact on net income.
4 Electric margin is electric sales to retail and transportation customers less the cost of generating and purchasing electric energy sold to customers, including transmission costs, to bring electric energy to PSE’s service territory. Gas margin is gas sales to retail and transportation customers less the cost of gas purchased, including gas transportation costs, to bring gas to PSE’s service territory.
5 Quarterly data represents average served during September; Nine months ended data represents average for the nine months ended.
6 Seattle-Tacoma Airport statistics reported by NOAA which are based on a 30-year average, 1971-2000.


PUGET ENERGY — SEGMENT RESULTS
(in thousands)
Three months ended 9/30/03 (Unaudited) Regulated Utility
Operations
InfrastruX Other1 Puget Energy
Total

Revenues     $ 421,641   $ 93,142   $ 784   $ 515,567  
Depreciation and amortization    54,881    4,216    62    59,159  
Income taxes    (1,260 )  1,492    (72 )  160  
Operating income    51,081    3,390    (82 )  54,389  
Interest charges    44,178    1,662    53    45,893  
Net income    9,396    1,616    (9 )  11,003  
Goodwill, net    --    134,692    --    134,692  
Total assets    5,104,096    348,998    78,337    5,531,431  

Three months ended 9/30/02 (Unaudited)   

Revenues   $ 365,231   $ 92,373   $ 872   $ 458,476  
Depreciation and amortization    53,351    3,784    55    57,190  
Income taxes    (3,862 )  3,564    53    (245 )
Operating income    51,002    5,871    225    57,098  
Interest charges    46,876    1,563    --    48,439  
Net income    4,335    3,952    225    8,512  

Nine months ended 9/30/03 (Unaudited)   

Revenues   $ 1,491,370   $ 256,162   $ 1,853   $ 1,749,385  
Depreciation and amortization    164,074    12,176    174    176,424  
Income taxes    35,528    964    (134 )  36,358  
Operating income    206,856    5,236    91    212,183  
Interest charges    135,349    4,119    71    139,539  
Net income    74,939    1,007    2,037    77,983  

Nine months ended 9/30/02 (Unaudited)   

Revenues   $ 1,503,477   $ 229,256   $ 5,622   $ 1,738,355  
Depreciation and amortization    161,024    9,308    163    170,495  
Income taxes    26,102    6,514    1,716    34,332  
Operating income    196,021    12,034    2,446    210,501  
Interest charges    143,558    3,960    --    147,518  
Net income    56,616    7,476    2,267    66,359  

Goodwill at 12/31/02   $ --   $ 125,555   $ --   $ 125,555  
Total assets at 12/31/02    5,208,487    319,248    129,756    5,657,491  

1   Includes the non-regulated subsidiaries of Puget Sound Energy and miscellaneous holding company expenses. The principal non-regulated subsidiary of PSE is a real estate development company.


PUGET SOUND ENERGY — CAPITALIZATION
(In thousands) (Unaudited)
At September 30,
2003
At December 31,
2002

  Amount   %   Amount   %

Short-term debt     $ 9,330   0.2%   $ 30,340  0 .7%
Corporation obligated, mandatorily redeemable  
  securities of subsidiary trust holding solely  
  junior subordinated debentures of the corporation    280,250   7.2%    300,000  7 .6%
Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred Stock and  
  Long-term debt, including current maturities    2,112,700   54.1%    2,136,994  54 .1%
Preferred Stock    60,000   1.5%  60,000    1 .5%
Common Equity    1,443,665   37.0%  1,426,121  36 .1%

Total capitalization including short-term debt   $ 3,905,945   100.0% $ 3,953,455  100 .0%

PUGET SOUND ENERGY   
Unrestricted cash   $17,943        $161,475     

SIGNATURE

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrants have duly caused this report to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

  PUGET ENERGY, INC.

  PUGET SOUND ENERGY, INC.


  /s/ James W. Eldredge
  James W. Eldredge
  Corporate Secretary and Chief Accounting Officer
Date: October 23, 2003