Back to GetFilings.com

Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission File No. 1-8796

QUESTAR CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (801) 324-5000

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:
None

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of registrants' knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ý    No o

        Aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold as of the last business day of the Registrant's most recently completed second quarter (June 30, 2004) $3,227,858,281.

        On February 28, 2005, 84,701,901 shares of the registrant's common stock, without par value, were outstanding.

        Documents Incorporated by Reference. Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III. The sections of the Proxy Statement labeled "Committee Report on Executive Compensation" and "Cumulative Total Shareholder Return" are expressly not incorporated into this document.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This report includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included or incorporated by reference in this report, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "expect," "intend," "project," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "forecast," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Although these statements are made in good faith and are reasonable representations of Questar Corporation's (Questar or the Company) expected performance at the time, actual results may vary from management's stated expectations and projections due to a variety of factors.

        Important assumptions and other significant factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements include:

        Questar subsidiaries find, produce, and sell natural gas, oil and NGL. Natural gas, oil and NGL prices are volatile and, therefore, Questar revenues, cash flow and earnings can be volatile. The Company cannot predict future natural gas, oil and NGL price movements, which are subject to forces beyond our control such as:

•

Domestic and foreign supply of natural gas and oil;



•

Regional basis due to pipeline-capacity constraints;



•

Domestic and global economic conditions;



•

Weather;



•

Domestic and foreign government regulations;



•

The price and availability of alternative fuels;



•

The price and availability of drilling rigs and other materials and services.

        The Company uses financial contracts to hedge its exposure to volatile energy prices and to protect cash flow, returns on capital, net income and credit ratings from downward commodity-price movements. While hedging reduces the impact of declining prices, it may also limit future revenues from favorable price movements. Questar believes the Company's regulated businesses—interstate natural gas transmission and retail gas distribution—and its Wexpro subsidiary generate revenues that are not significantly sensitive to short-term fluctuations in energy prices.

        Questar's profitability depends not only on prevailing prices for natural gas and oil, but also the Company's ability to find, develop and acquire gas and oil reserves that are economically recoverable. Substantial capital expenditures are required to find, develop and acquire gas and oil reserves to replace those depleted by production.

        Questar Exploration and Production's proved natural gas and oil-reserve estimates are prepared annually by independent reservoir-engineering consultants. Gas and oil-reserve estimates are subject to numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of proved reserves, projecting future rates of production and timing of development expenditures. The accuracy of these estimates depends on the quality of available data and on engineering and geological interpretation and judgment. Reserve estimates are imprecise and will change as additional information becomes available. Estimates of economically recoverable reserves and future net cash flows prepared by different engineers, or by the same engineers at different times may vary significantly. Results of subsequent drilling, testing and production may cause either upward or downward revisions of previous estimates. In addition the estimates of future net revenues from proved reserves and the present value of those reserves are based upon certain assumptions about production levels, prices and costs, which may change. The volumes considered to be commercially recoverable fluctuate with changes in prices and operating costs. The meaningfulness of such estimates depends on the accuracy of the assumptions upon which they were based. Actual results may differ materially from the estimated results.

        Drilling is a high-risk activity. Operating risks include: blow-outs; fire; unexpected drilling conditions such as uncontrollable flows of gas, oil, formation water or drilling fluids; abandonment costs; explosions; pipe, cement or casing failures; oil spills; natural gas leaks; pipeline ruptures; and discharges of toxic gases. The Company could incur substantial losses as a result of injury or loss of life; environmental damage; destruction of property; fines; or curtailment of operations. The Company maintains insurance against some, but not all, of these potential risks and losses.

        Questar and its subsidiaries are subject to federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and tend to become more onerous over time. In addition to the costs of compliance, the Company may incur substantial costs to take corrective actions at both owned and previously owned facilities. Accidental spills and leaks requiring cleanup may occur in the ordinary course of business. As standards change, the Company may incur significant costs in cases where past operations followed practices that were considered acceptable at the time but that now require remedial work to meet current standards. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in fines, significant costs for remedial activities, or injunctions.

        Questar and its subsidiaries must comply with numerous and complex regulations governing their activities on federal and state lands in the Rocky Mountain region, notably the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. Federal and state agencies frequently impose conditions on the Company's activities. These restrictions tend to become more stringent over time, and can limit or prevent the Company from exploring for, finding and producing natural gas and oil on its Rockies leasehold. Certain environmental groups oppose drilling on some of the Company's federal and state leases.

        Questar Pipeline's natural gas-transmission and storage operations are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 and the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978. The FERC has authority to: (1) set rates for natural gas transmission, storage, and related services; (2) set rules governing business relationships between the pipeline subsidiary and its affiliates; (3) approve new pipeline and storage-facility construction; and (4) establish policies and procedures for accounting, purchase, sale, abandonment and other activities. FERC policies may adversely affect Questar Pipeline profitability.

        Questar Gas's natural gas-distribution business is regulated by the Public Service Commission of Utah (PSCU) and the Public Service Commission of Wyoming (PSCW). These commissions set rates for distribution services and establish policies and procedures for services, accounting, purchase, sale and other activities. PSCU and PSCW policies may adversely affect Questar Gas profitability.

        Both Questar Pipeline and Questar Gas must incur significant costs to comply with new federal pipeline-safety regulations enacted in December 2002. Questar Pipeline and Questar Gas may also be affected by possible future regulations requiring the tracking, reporting and reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions.

        Questar results may also be negatively affected by: changes in general economic conditions; changes in regulation; availability and economic viability of gas and oil properties for sale or exploration; creditworthiness of counterparties; rate of inflation and interest rates; assumptions used in business combinations; weather and natural disasters; changes in customers' credit ratings; competition from other forms of energy, other pipelines and storage facilities; effects of accounting policies issued periodically by accounting standard-setting bodies; terrorist attacks or acts of war; changes in the business or financial condition of the Company; changes in credit ratings; and availability of financing for Questar and its subsidiaries.

FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT, 2004

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

General

        The registrant, Questar Corporation, is a natural gas-focused energy company with three principal lines of business—gas and oil exploration and production, interstate gas transmission, and retail-gas distribution. Questar Market Resources (Market Resources) subsidiaries engage in gas and oil exploration, development and production, gas gathering and processing, wholesale gas and oil marketing, and gas storage. Questar Pipeline Company (Questar Pipeline) provides interstate natural gas transmission, storage and gas-processing and treating services. Questar Gas Company (Questar Gas) conducts retail natural gas distribution. In addition, corporate and other operations include other services and activities.

        Questar was organized in 1984 and became a publicly held entity when the shareholders of Questar Gas (then known as Mountain Fuel Supply Company) approved a corporate reorganization. Questar was created to provide organizational and financial flexibility and to achieve a more clearly defined separation of utility and nonutility activities. Questar is a holding company, as that term is defined in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, because Questar Gas is a natural gas utility. Questar, however, qualifies for and claims an exemption from provisions of the act applicable to registered holding companies.

        Market Resources is a subholding company that owns Questar Exploration and Production Company (Questar E&P), Wexpro Company (Wexpro), Questar Gas Management Company (Gas Management) and Questar Energy Trading Company (Energy Trading). Questar Pipeline and Questar Gas are the Company's two principal regulated subsidiaries.

        Questar conducts most of its operations through subsidiaries. The parent-holding company performs certain management, legal, tax, administrative and other services for its subsidiaries. The corporate-organization structure and major subsidiaries are summarized below.

        See Note 17 in Item 8 of this report for financial information concerning Questar's lines of business that contribute 10% or more of consolidated revenues.

Glossary of Commonly Used Terms

SEC Filings and Website Information

        Questar, Market Resources, Questar Gas and Questar Pipeline file annual, quarterly, and current reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Questar also regularly files proxy statements and other documents with the SEC. Investors can read and copy any materials filed with the SEC at its Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, and can obtain information about the operations of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0300. The SEC also maintains a website that contains information filed electronically that can be accessed over the Internet at www.sec.gov.

        Investors can also access financial and other information for Questar at the Company's website at www.questar.com. Questar's website contains Statements of Responsibility for Board Committees, Corporate Governance Guidelines and its Business Ethics Policy.

        Questar and each of its reporting subsidiaries make available, free of charge, through the website copies of Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to such reports and all reports filed by executive officers and directors under Section 16 of the Exchange Act reporting transactions in Questar securities. Access to these reports is provided as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with the commission.

Narrative Description of Business

        The Company has three major subsidiaries—Market Resources, Questar Pipeline and Questar Gas. The following description of each subsidiary's business should be read in conjunction with Item 7. of this report.

Market Resources, General

        Market Resources is Questar's primary growth driver. Market Resources has four major subsidiaries: Questar E&P acquires, explores for, develops and produces gas and oil; Wexpro manages, develops and produces cost-of-service reserves for affiliated company, Questar Gas; Gas Management provides gas-gathering and processing services for affiliates and third parties; and Energy Trading markets equity and third-party gas and oil, provides risk-management services, and through its wholly owned limited liability company (LLC), Clear Creek Storage Company, LLC, owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir.

Questar E&P, General

        Questar E&P operates in two core areas—the Rocky Mountain region of Wyoming, Utah and Colorado and the Midcontinent region of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. The company has a large inventory of identified development-drilling locations primarily at properties near Pinedale, Wyoming, and in the Uinta Basin of Utah. The company continues to conduct exploratory drilling to determine commerciality of its inventory of undeveloped leaseholds located primarily in the Rocky Mountain region, including assessment of deeper reservoirs beneath currently producing horizons. In the Midcontinent, Questar E&P has several active development projects, including an ongoing coalbed methane-development project in eastern Oklahoma and a tight-sands gas-development project in northwest Louisiana. Questar E&P seeks to maintain geographical and geological diversity with its two core regions. The company has in the past and may in the future pursue acquisition of producing properties through purchase of assets or corporate entities to expand its presence in its core areas or create a new core area.

        Questar E&P increased year-end 2004 proved reserves 24% to 1,434 bcfe versus 1,159 bcfe at the end of 2003. Reserve additions included a 295 bcfe net increase at Pinedale related primarily to the approval of 20-acre well spacing.

        Questar E&P's primary focus is natural gas. Natural gas comprised about 88.6% of Questar E&P's proved reserves. Approximately 56% of year-end 2004 total-proved reserves were classified as proved developed producing. The largest concentration of proved-undeveloped reserves is at the Pinedale development project, where approximately 541 bcfe are classified as proved undeveloped.

E&P, Risk Management

        Questar E&P focuses primarily on lower-risk development drilling. In addition Market Resources has established policies and procedures for managing commodity-price risks through the use of derivatives. Market Resources hedges commodity prices to support credit ratings and to protect returns on invested capital, cash flow and earnings from downward movements in commodity prices. However, these arrangements usually limit future gains from favorable price movements. Market Resources may hedge up to 100% of its production from proved-developed reserves when commodity prices are attractive. Market Resources also manages market-access risk by building the necessary infrastructure, particularly gathering and processing facilities, to move company production to an interstate pipeline. See Item 7A. for more information.

        The availability of regional pipeline capacity can also significantly affect gas prices. The Rocky Mountain region is the fastest growing major producing region in the United States. Regional gas production exceeds regional gas consumption, particularly during the nonheating season. Only about 20% of the gas produced in the Rockies is consumed by local markets. When Rockies production exceeds available pipeline capacity, Rockies basis—the difference between gas prices at the Henry Hub (the national market benchmark) and sales prices in the Rockies—widens, resulting in lower realized prices for producers. The expansion of the Kern River Pipeline in May 2003 added 0.9 bcf of daily capacity from the Rocky Mountain area to markets in the western U.S. This expansion helped alleviate a transportation shortfall that adversely affected Rockies gas prices though much of 2002 and the first half of 2003. The start-up in 2005 of a new 0.56-bcf-per-day pipeline, connecting Cheyenne, Wyoming to Greensburg, Kansas, may reduce basis risk for Rockies producers but also increase basis risk for Midcontinent producers.

E&P, Competition and Customers

        Questar E&P faces competition in every part of its business, including the acquisition of reserves and leases. Its longer-term growth strategy depends, in part, on its ability to purchase reasonably priced reserves and develop them in a low-cost and efficient manner. Competition is particularly intense when prices are high, as has been the case in recent years.

        Questar E&P, through Energy Trading, sells natural gas production to a variety of customers, including pipelines, gas-marketing firms, industrial users and local-distribution companies. It regularly evaluates counterparty credit and may require financial guarantees from parties that fail to meet its credit criteria. Energy Trading sells company crude-oil production to refiners, remarketers and other companies, including some with pipeline facilities near company producing properties. In the event pipeline facilities are not available, Energy Trading transports crude oil by truck to storage, refining or pipeline facilities.

E&P, Regulation

        Questar E&P's operations are subject to various government controls and regulation at the federal, state and local levels. Questar E&P must obtain permits to drill and produce; maintain bonding requirements to drill and operate wells; submit and implement spill-prevention plans; and file notices relating to the presence, use, and release of specified contaminants incidental to gas and oil production. Questar E&P is also subject to various conservation matters, including the regulation of the size of drilling and spacing units, the number of wells that may be drilled in a unit and the unitization or pooling of gas and oil properties.

        Most Questar E&P leases in the Rocky Mountain area are granted by the federal government and administered by federal agencies. Development of Pinedale leasehold acreage is subject to the terms of certain winter-drilling restrictions. During the last two years, Questar E&P has been working with federal and state officials in Wyoming to obtain authorization for limited winter-drilling activities and has developed innovative measures, such as drilling multiple wells from a single location, to minimize the impact of its activities on wildlife and the habitat. The presence of wildlife and potential endangered species could limit access to public lands. Various wildlife species inhabit Market Resources leaseholds at Pinedale and in other areas. Current federal regulations restrict activities during certain times of the year on portions of Market Resources leaseholds due to wildlife activity and/or habitat. Some species that are known to be present may be listed under federal law as endangered or threatened. Such listing could have a material impact on access to Market Resources leaseholds in certain areas or during periods when the particular species is present.

Wexpro, General

        Wexpro has generated steady growth and predictable earnings through a business model that is unique in the energy industry. Wexpro develops gas and oil on certain producing properties for Questar Gas under the terms of a comprehensive agreement, the Wexpro Agreement. Under the Wexpro Agreement, Wexpro recovers its costs plus a return on its investment. See Note 15 in Item 8 of this report for more information on the Wexpro Agreement.

        Wexpro natural gas production is delivered to Questar Gas at a price equal to Wexpro's cost-of-service. Wexpro production and operated reserves are not included in Questar E&P production and reserves, which are referred to as nonregulated production and reserves. Wexpro cost-of-service gas, plus the gas attributable to royalty-interest owners, satisfied 47% of Questar Gas's system requirements during 2004. The average wellhead cost (net of revenue credits) of Questar Gas's cost-of-service gas in 2004 was $2.71 per dth, which was lower than Questar Gas's average cost for field-purchased gas.

Wexpro Regulations

        Wexpro's gas and oil-development and production activities are subject to the same type of regulation as Questar E&P. Wexpro is also subject to oversight by the Utah Division of Public Utilities. The division retains an outside consultant to assess the prudence of Wexpro's activities.

        Wexpro also owns oil-producing properties. Under terms of the Wexpro Agreement, revenues from crude-oil sales offset operating expenses and provide Wexpro with a return on its investment. Surplus revenues, after recovery of expenses and Wexpro's return on investment, are divided between Wexpro (46%) and Questar Gas (54%).

Gas Gathering and Processing, General

        Gas Management provides gas-gathering and processing services to affiliates and third-party producers, primarily in the Rocky Mountain region. Gas Management also owns 50% of Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC (Rendezvous), a joint venture that operates gas-gathering facilities in western Wyoming. Rendezvous gathers natural gas for Pinedale Anticline and Jonah producers for delivery to various interstate pipelines. Rendezvous plans to build a new gathering line from Black's Fork plant to a connection with the Kern River Pipeline. Under a contract with Questar Gas, Gas Management gathers cost-of-service volumes produced from properties operated by Wexpro.

        Gas Management's processing margins are based on the difference between the market price for natural gas and the market value of the NGL extracted from the gas stream (commonly referred to as the "frac spread"). Gas Management may hedge NGL prices to protect processing margins. To reduce margin risk Gas Management has restructured many of its processing agreements with producers from "keep-whole" contracts to "fee-based" contracts. (A keep-whole contract insulates producers from NGL-and gas-price risk while a fee-based contract eliminates commodity-price risk for the plant owner.)

Gas and Oil Marketing and Trading, Risk Management and Underground Storage, General

        Energy Trading markets natural gas, oil and NGL. It combines gas volumes purchased from third parties and equity production (production from affiliates) to build a flexible and reliable portfolio. As a wholesale-marketing entity, Energy Trading concentrates on markets in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains and Midwest that are close to reserves owned by affiliates or accessible by major pipelines. It contracts for firm-transportation capacity on pipelines and firm-storage capacity at Clay Basin (a large baseload-storage facility owned by Questar Pipeline).

        Energy Trading uses derivatives to manage commodity-price risk. Energy Trading primarily uses fixed-price swaps to secure a known price for a specific volume of company production. Energy Trading does not engage in speculative hedging transactions. See Notes 1 and 10 included in Item 8 and Item 7A of this report for additional information relating to hedging activities.

        Energy Trading pays Questar E&P index prices for production volumes on which the latter calculates and pays royalties. Energy Trading then resells such volumes and bears profit-and-loss risk. In addition to contracting for storage capacity at Clay Basin, Energy Trading, through its wholly owned subsidiary Clear Creek Storage Company, LLC, owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir in southwestern Wyoming. It uses owned and leased-storage capacity together with firm-transportation capacity to take advantage of price differentials and arbitrage opportunities.

Questar Pipeline, General

        Questar Pipeline is an interstate pipeline company that provides natural gas-transportation and underground storage services in the Rocky Mountain states of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. As a "natural gas company" under the Natural Gas Act of 1938, Questar Pipeline and certain subsidiary pipeline companies are regulated by the FERC as to rates and charges for storage and transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, construction of new facilities, and extensions or abandonments of service and facilities, accounting and other activities.

        Questar Pipeline and its subsidiaries own 2,497 miles of interstate pipeline with total daily capacity of 2,892 Mdth. Questar Pipeline's core-transmission system is strategically located in the Rocky Mountain area near large reserves of natural gas in six major Rocky Mountain producing areas. Questar Pipeline transports natural gas from these producing areas to other major pipeline systems and to the Questar Gas distribution system. In addition to this core system, Questar Pipeline, through a subsidiary, owns and operates the Southern Trails Pipeline, a 488-mile line that extends from the Blanco hub in the San Juan Basin to just inside the California state line.

        Questar Pipeline owns and operates the Clay Basin storage facility, the largest underground- storage reservoir in the Rocky Mountain region. Through a subsidiary, Questar Pipeline also owns gathering lines and a processing plant in Price, Utah, which provides heat-content-management services for Questar Gas and carbon-dioxide processing for third parties.

Questar Pipeline, Risk Management

        Questar Pipeline faces risks from changes in regulatory practice, credit risk of firm-capacity holders, damage to pipelines from third parties or natural causes, and bypass by other pipelines or gathering lines In its storage operations, Questar Pipeline faces risks associated with performance of storage reservoirs or storage facilities.

        Questar Pipeline mitigates these risks by actively participating in FERC regulatory proceedings, monitoring customer credit ratings and exercising its tariff rights including the requirement of prepayments, marking underground pipelines, monitoring construction activities near its facilities, and monitoring the performance of underground-storage facilities.

        Questar Pipeline faces risk of recontracting firm capacity as contract terms expire. Questar Pipeline's transportation system is nearly fully subscribed and firm contracts had a weighted-average remaining life of 9.3 years as of December 31, 2004. All of Questar Pipeline storage capacity is fully subscribed with a weighted-average remaining life of 7.4 years as of December 31, 2004.

Questar Pipeline, Customers, Growth and Competition

        Questar Gas remains Questar Pipeline's largest single transportation customer. During 2004, Questar Pipeline transported 116.5 MMdth for Questar Gas compared to 105.7 MMdth in 2003. Questar Gas has reserved firm-transportation capacity of 951 Mdth per day under long-term contracts, or about 60% of Questar Pipeline's reserved capacity, during the three coldest months of the year. Questar Pipeline's primary transportation agreement with Questar Gas will expire on June 30, 2017.

        Questar Pipeline also transported 220.5 MMdth for nonaffiliated customers to pipelines owned by Kern River Pipeline, Northwest Pipeline, Colorado Interstate Gas, TransColorado, WIC and other systems. Questar Pipeline may be adversely affected by proposals before the FERC to establish natural gas-quality standards, specifically for hydrocarbon dew point. Questar Pipeline's tariff provides a higher hydrocarbon dew-point specification than other systems, which requires less processing by producers before natural gas volumes are delivered into Questar Pipeline's system. Other interstate pipelines require lower dew-point gas. As a consequence, Questar Pipeline must incur higher costs to blend lower dew-point-processed gas with wet gas and in some instances isolate processed gas for delivery to other pipelines. In effect, Questar Pipeline currently provides a bundled gas-transportation and dew-point-management service for its shippers. Questar Pipeline may need to restructure its tariff to unbundle these services.

        During 2005, Questar Pipeline will expand its southern system in central Utah. This expansion, scheduled to be in service by the fourth quarter of the year, will add 102 Mdth of daily capacity under long-term contracts. Questar Pipeline received FERC approval for the expansion in January 2005. During 2004 Questar Pipeline installed a lateral pipeline to a power plant near Mona, Utah. This lateral will be in service during the first quarter of 2005. These projects will add about $0.04 cents per share to 2006 earnings, the first full year of operations.

        During 2003, Questar Pipeline increased its capacity for deliveries to Kern River by 150 Mdth per day through a new interconnect at Roberson Creek in southwestern Wyoming. Questar Pipeline also completed its Tie Line 112 expansion in late 2003. Questar Gas holds long-term contracts for 52 Mdth per day on this new line, which is expandable to 180 Mdth per day with additional compression. Tie Line 112 provided critical incremental supplies and operating flexibility during a period of record demand in early 2004.

        Rocky Mountain producers, marketers and end-users seek capacity on transmission systems that move gas to California (Kern River), the Pacific Northwest (Northwest Pipeline) or Midwestern markets (WIC, Colorado Interstate Gas). Questar Pipeline provides access for many producers to these third-party pipelines. Some parties, including Gas Management, an affiliate of Questar Pipeline, are building gathering lines that allow producers to make direct connections to competing pipeline systems.

        Questar Pipeline seeks to extend and expand its core pipeline and storage business. Questar Pipeline and other pipelines have proposed projects to connect Piceance Basin (northwest Colorado) gas supplies with pipelines moving gas east out of Wyoming. Questar Pipeline is conducting an open season to assess possible market support for these new projects. Questar Pipeline is also assessing the feasibility of a gas-storage project in western Wyoming.

        In mid-2002 a Questar Pipeline subsidiary placed the eastern segment of the Southern Trails pipeline into service. The eastern segment extends from the San Juan basin to the California border. Capacity on this segment is fully committed under contracts that expire in mid-2008. Current market rates for transportation between these receipt and delivery points are less than current contract rates. When the existing contracts expire, Questar Pipeline's subsidiary may have to lower rates to recontract capacity on this pipeline, which would reduce revenues and earnings.

        Questar Pipeline has thus far failed to secure long-term contracts for the western segment of Southern Trails, which extends from the California border to Long Beach, California. Questar Pipeline has been working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to develop a gas pipeline to serve a power-generation facility. LADWP budgeted funds to acquire a gas pipeline and issued a request for proposal in October 2004. Questar Pipeline responded to this request with a proposal to complete conversion and sell the western segment to LADWP. On February 28, 2005, LADWP notified Questar Pipeline of its intent to pursue the proposal, although it is uncertain whether negotiations will be successful. Conversion of the segment and extension to LADWP's power-generation facilities will require significant additional investment on the order of $45 to $55 million.

Questar Pipeline, Regulation

        FERC Order No. 2004, which defines standards of conduct for transmission providers, became effective on September 22, 2004. These rigorous new affiliate rules are designed to ensure that transmission-system employees function independently from employees of marketing and energy affiliates. In addition, a transmission provider must treat all transmission customers on a nondiscriminatory basis and will not be allowed to operate its transmission system to benefit its marketing or energy affiliates. Based on clarification from the FERC, Questar Pipeline has determined that Market Resources' affiliates, except Gas Management, are marketing or energy affiliates. Questar Gas is not an energy affiliate. Questar Pipeline and other Questar companies have adopted new procedures to comply with this order.

        Questar Pipeline is required to comply with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. This act and rules issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) require interstate pipelines and local-distribution companies to implement a 10-year program of risk analysis, pipeline assessment and remedial repair for transmission pipelines located in high-consequence areas such as population centers. Questar Pipeline filed a compliance plan with the FERC during 2004. Questar Pipeline estimates the annual compliance cost at $1 million, not including pipeline replacement, if necessary.

        During the fourth quarter of 2004, Questar Pipeline received a FERC order in a case involving the annual Fuel Gas Reimbursement Percentage (FGRP). The FERC previously granted Questar Pipeline's request to increase the FGRP effective January 1, 2004. In its order, the FERC approved the FGRP but also ruled that Questar Pipeline is required to credit to transmission customers proceeds from selling natural gas liquids recovered from its dew-point facilities at the Kastler plant in northeastern Utah. See Item 7. of this report for additional information about the FGRP.

Clay Basin Storage Gas

        Questar Pipeline continues to investigate a potential discrepancy of up to 9 bcf between the book volume of cushion gas at Clay Basin and cushion-gas volumes implied by pressure-survey data obtained in recent field tests. The current book volume of the cushion gas is 61.5 bcf with a value of $99.7 million. Questar Pipeline has not determined if any gas is missing from the reservoir. Analysis to date has not revealed any leaks or gas migration out of the reservoir. Additional reservoir tests and analysis, including reservoir modeling, are under way to identify the cause and may continue for several years. See Item 7. of this report.

Questar Gas, General

        Questar Gas distributes natural gas as a public utility in Utah, southwestern Wyoming and a small portion of southeastern Idaho. As of December 31, 2004, Questar Gas was serving 794,117 sales and transportation customers. Questar Gas is the only nonmunicipal gas-distribution utility in Utah, where over 96% of its customers are located. Questar Gas has the necessary regulatory approvals to serve these areas granted by the PSCU and PSCW and the Public Utility Commission of Idaho. It also has long-term franchises granted by communities and counties within its service area.

Questar Gas, Growth

        Questar Gas's growth is tied to the economic growth of Utah and southwestern Wyoming. It has over 90% of the load for residential space heating and water heating in Utah. During 2004, Questar Gas added 23,623 customers, a 3.1% increase.

Questar Gas, Risk Management

        Questar Gas faces the same risks as other local-distribution companies. These risks include revenue variations based on seasonal changes in demand, sufficient gas supplies, declining residential usage per customer, adequate distribution facilities and adverse regulatory decisions. Questar Gas's sales to residential and commercial customers are seasonal, with a substantial portion of such sales made during the heating season. The typical residential customer in Utah (defined as a customer using 115 dth per year) consumes over 77% of total gas requirements in the coldest six months of the year. Questar Gas, however, has a weather-normalization mechanism for its general-service customers. This mechanism adjusts the nongas portion of a customer's monthly bill as the actual heating-degree days in the billing cycle are warmer or colder than normal. This mechanism reduces dramatic fluctuations in any given customer's monthly bill from year to year and reduces fluctuations in Questar Gas's gross margin.

        Questar Gas minimizes its supply risks by owning natural gas-producing properties. During 2004, it satisfied 47% of its system requirements with the cost-of-service gas and associated royalty-interest volumes produced from such properties. Wexpro produces the gas from these properties, which is then gathered by Gas Management and transported by Questar Pipeline. Questar Gas had estimated proved cost-of-service natural gas reserves of 531.1 bcf as of year-end 2004 compared to 434.4 bcf a year earlier.

        Questar Gas also has a balanced and diversified portfolio of gas-supply contracts for volumes produced in the Rocky Mountain states of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. Questar Gas has regulatory approval to include costs associated with hedging activities in its balancing account for pass-through treatment.

        Questar Gas has designed its distribution system and annual gas-supply plan to handle design-day demand requirements. It periodically updates its design-day demand, the volume of gas that firm customers could use during extremely cold weather. For the 2004-05 heating season, Questar Gas used a design-day demand of 1,077 Mdth for firm-customers.

        Questar Gas has long-term contracts with Questar Pipeline for transportation capacity and storage capacity at Clay Basin and three peak-day facilities. It also contracts to take deliveries at several locations on the Kern River Pipeline that runs through Utah.

        During 2004, Questar Gas placed a new customer-information system in service, replacing a 30-year-old legacy system. The new system cost $20 million and should increase Questar Gas's efficiency, reduce technology costs and provide better information to customers.

Questar Gas, Regulation

        As a public utility, Questar Gas is subject to the jurisdiction of the PSCU and PSCW. Natural gas sales and transportation services are made under rate schedules approved by the two regulatory commissions. Questar Gas is authorized to earn a return on equity of 11.2% in Utah and 11.83% in Wyoming. Both the PSCU and PSCW permit Questar Gas to recover gas costs through a balancing-account procedure and to reflect natural gas-price changes on a periodic, generally semi-annual, basis. Questar Gas has also received permission from the PSCU and PCSW to reflect in its gas costs specified costs associated with hedging contracts.

        At year-end 2002, the PSCU issued an order in Questar Gas's general rate case approving a stipulation that reflected a test year primarily based on November 2002 rate base, expenses and customers, and changed its accounting for contributions in aid of construction.

        On August 1, 2003, the Utah Supreme Court issued an order reversing an August 2000 decision made by the PSCU concerning certain natural gas-processing costs incurred by Questar Gas. The court ruled that the PSCU did not comply with its statutory responsibilities and regulatory procedures when approving a stipulation in Questar Gas's 1999 general-rate case. The stipulation permitted Questar Gas to collect $5.0 million per year, a portion of the processing costs, through May 2004. The Committee of Consumer Services, a Utah state agency, appealed the PSCU's decision because the PSCU did not explicitly address whether the costs were prudent.

        As a result of the court's order, Questar Gas recorded a liability for a potential refund to gas-distribution customers. A total liability of $29.0 million, including $4.1 million recorded in the first nine months of 2004, reflects revenue received for processing costs and interest from June 1999 through September 2004.

        On August 30, 2004, after hearings held in May 2004, the PSCU ruled that Questar Gas failed to prove prudence in contracting for gas processing in response to the changes in the heat content of its gas supply. The PSCU rejected the stipulation, denied the request for rate recovery and ordered the refund of costs previously collected in rates. Since Questar Gas had accrued a liability for the refund, the order did not have a material impact on earnings for the third quarter of 2004. In addition, the order did not have a material impact on the creditworthiness, cash flow or liquidity of Questar or Questar Gas. Questar Gas reduced its rates on September 1, 2004, to eliminate the collection of gas-processing costs and, on October 1, 2004, began refunding previously collected costs, plus interest, over a 12-month period as ordered by the PSCU. As of December 31, 2004, Questar Gas had a liability of $20.6 million of remaining refunds to customers.

        On September 16, 2004, Questar Gas filed a petition with the PSCU for reconsideration or clarification of the August 30, 2004, order. On October 20, 2004, the PSCU declined to reconsider its order but clarified that its order did not preclude recovery of ongoing and certain past processing costs. Ongoing processing costs are approximately $6 million per year.

        Questar Gas has requested ongoing rate coverage for gas-processing costs in its pass-through filings but is not currently collecting these costs in rates. The PSCU has conducted several technical conferences to determine how to resolve issues of managing the heat content of the gas supply. On January 31, 2005, Questar Gas filed a rate request with the PSCU to recover $5.7 million per year of gas-processing costs through its gas-balance account.

        Questar Gas has significant relationships with affiliates that have allowed it to lower its costs and improve efficiency. These affiliate relationships, however, are subject to increased oversight by regulatory commissions for evidence of subsidization and above-market payments.

        Questar Gas is subject to the requirements imposed by the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 administered by the DOT. The act requires Questar to develop an integrity-management plan and assess on a recurring basis the integrity of its high-pressure lines in "high consequence" areas. Questar Gas estimates that it may be required to spend $4 to $5 million per year to comply with the new requirements. The PSCU has allowed Questar Gas to record incremental-operating costs to comply with this act as a regulatory asset until the next rate case or three years, whichever is sooner.

Questar Gas, Competition

        Questar Gas is a public utility and currently has no direct competition from other distributors of natural gas for residential and commercial customers. It has historically enjoyed a favorable price comparison with other energy sources used by residential and commercial customers except coal and occasionally fuel oil. It provides transportation service to industrial customers that can buy volumes of gas directly from others. Questar Gas makes low margins on this transportation service, but could lose customers to Kern River.

Corporate and Other Operations

        Historically, Questar's other operations included information-technology and communication services (Questar InfoComm); web-hosting and data centers (Consonus); commercial real-estate management (Interstate Land); and well-head gas analysis and automation, field compression and engine maintenance (Energy Services). During 2004, Questar reorganized these activities to refocus attention on primary business units. Questar has no plans to enlarge the scope of these activities. The Company reorganized its information-technology services to eliminate duplication and increase efficiency. The majority of information-technology employees and assets were transferred to the separate business units. Consonus has never fulfilled its business purpose and has significantly retrenched its operations. Interstate Land was merged with Questar InfoComm during 2004. Energy Services is focusing on well-head gas analysis and automation.

Environmental Matters

        See Item 3. Legal Proceedings in this report for a discussion of the Company's environmental matters.

Employees

        At January 1, 2005, the Company had 2,136 employees, including 563 in Market Resources, 173 in Questar Pipeline, 1,243 in Questar Gas, and 157 in corporate and other operations.

Executive Officers

        The following individuals are serving as executive officers of the Company:

        There is no "family relationship" between any of the listed officers or between any of them and the Company's directors. The executive officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. There is no arrangement or understanding under which the officers were selected.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

Exploration and Production

        Reserves—Questar E&P. The following table sets forth Questar E&P's estimated proved reserves, the estimated future net revenues from the reserves and the standardized measure of discounted net cash flows as of December 31, 2004. The U.S. reserves were collectively estimated by Ryder Scott Company; Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., H. J. Gruy and Associates, Inc. and Malkewicz Hueni Associates Inc., independent reservoir-engineering consultants. Estimates of Canadian reserves were prepared by Gilbert Laustsen Jung Associates Ltd, and Sproule Associates Limited, independent reservoir engineers. Questar E&P does not have any long-term supply contracts with foreign governments or reserves of equity investees or of subsidiaries with a significant minority interest. All properties are located in the United States.

(1)

Estimated future net revenue represents estimated future gross revenue to be generated from the production of proved reserves, using average year-end 2004 prices of $5.50 per Mcf for natural gas

and $40.60 per bbl for oil and NGL combined, net of estimated production and development costs (but excluding the effects of general and administrative expenses; debt services; depreciation, depletion and amortization; and income tax expense).

(2)

The standardized measure of discounted net cash flows prepared by the Company represent the present value of estimated future net revenues after income taxes, discounted at 10%.

        Estimates of proved reserves and future net revenues are made at year end, using sales prices estimated to be in effect as of the date of such reserve estimates and are held constant throughout the remaining life of the properties (except to the extent a contract specifically provides for escalation). Year-end prices do not include the effect of hedging. Estimated quantities of proved reserves and future net revenues are affected by natural gas and oil prices, which have fluctuated widely in recent years. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating natural gas and oil reserves and their estimated values, including many factors beyond the control of the producer.

        Questar E&P's reserve statistics for the years ended December 31, 2000, through 2004, are summarized below.

*

Does not include cost-of-service reserves managed, developed and produced by Wexpro for Questar Gas.

        Finding costs measure the costs of finding, developing and acquiring new proved reserves. The production-replacement ratio measures company success at replacing production during a specific period. If the production-replacement ratio is greater than 100%, the Company added or replaced more reserves than it produced for the same period. These non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors interested in analyzing Questar's performance, but may not be directly comparable with similar information disclosed by other gas and oil companies.

        In 2004 gas and oil reserves increased 24%, after production and sales of producing properties, to 1,434 bcfe versus a 4% increase in 2003 to 1,159 bcfe. Questar E&P's production-replacement ratio was 366% in 2004 and 149% in 2003. Net reserve additions, revisions, purchases and sales in place totaled 379 bcfe in 2004 and 138 bcfe in 2003. Questar E&P's five-year average finding cost of proved reserves per Mcfe was $0.83, $0.84 and $0.85 in 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. The 66% increase in reserves at the Pinedale Anticline was attributable to the 20-acre downspacing.

        Questar E&P's proved reserves by major operating areas at December 31, 2004 and 2003 follow.

        Reserves—Cost-of-Service.    The following table sets forth (i) Questar Gas's estimated cost-of-service proved natural gas reserves (which are managed, developed and delivered by Wexpro under the terms of the settlement agreement); and (ii) Wexpro's proved-oil reserves (the income from which is shared with Questar Gas pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement). The estimates were made by Wexpro's reservoir engineers as of December 31, 2004. All properties are located in the United States.

        Since the gas reserves operated by Wexpro are delivered to Questar Gas at cost of service, and any net income from oil properties remaining after recovery of expenses and Wexpro's contractual return on investment under the settlement agreement is divided between Wexpro and Questar Gas, SEC guidelines with respect to standard economic assumptions are not applicable. The SEC anticipated such potential difficulty and provides that companies may give appropriate recognition to differences arising because of the effect of the ratemaking process. Accordingly, Wexpro's reservoir engineers used a minimum producing rate or maximum well-life limit to determine the ultimate quantity of reserves attributable to each well.

        Reference should be made to Note 19 included in Item 8 of this report for additional information pertaining to both the Questar E&P's proved reserves and the company's cost-of-service reserves as of the end of each of the last three years.

        In addition to this filing, Questar E&P and Wexpro will each file estimated reserves as of December 31, 2004, with the Energy Information Administration in the Department of Energy on Form EIA-23. Although the companies use the same technical and economic assumptions when they prepare the EIA-23, they are obligated to report reserves for all wells they operate, not for all wells in which they have an interest, and to include the reserves attributable to other owners in such wells.

        Production.    The following table sets forth the net production volumes, the average sales prices per Mcf of gas, per barrel of oil and of NGL produced, and the production cost per Mcfe for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. Production costs include direct-lifting costs (labor, repairs and maintenance, materials, supplies and workovers), administrative costs of production offices, insurance and property and severance taxes, but are exclusive of depreciation and depletion applicable to capitalized-lease acquisitions, exploration and development expenditures. Questar E&P's Canadian properties were sold in the last quarter of 2002.