Key Highlights

• Completed drop down to NRG Yield of 311 net MWs of utility-scale solar assets for total cash consideration of $130 million¹
• Reaffirming 2017 Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow before Growth (FCFbG) guidance
• Established the Business Review Committee to make recommendations to the full Board on its stated initiatives
• Offered to NRG Yield remaining 25% interest in NRG Wind TE Holdco, an 814 net MW portfolio of 12 wind facilities
• Commenced construction at Carlsbad Energy Center in the first quarter 2017; COD expected in the fourth quarter of 2018

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2017-- NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) today reported first quarter net loss of $203 million, or $0.52 per diluted common share compared to net income of $47 million, or $0.24 per diluted common share for the first three months of 2016. Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was $412 million and year-to-date cash used by operations totaled $68 million.

“We are pleased to reaffirm our financial guidance amid challenging market conditions this quarter,” said Mauricio Gutierrez, NRG President and Chief Executive Officer. “We remain focused on our strategic priorities of simplifying and streamlining the business, optimizing our portfolio and strengthening the balance sheet.”

¹ Prior to working capital adjustments

^{1.In accordance with GAAP, 2016 results have been restated to include full impact of the assets in the NRG Yield Drop Down transactions which closed on September 1, 2016, and March 27, 2017.
2.Includes mark-to-market gains and losses of economic hedges.}

^{1.See Appendices A-4 through A-5 for Generation regional Reg G reconciliations.
2.In accordance with GAAP, 2016 results have been restated to include full impact of the assets in the NRG Yield Drop Down transactions which closed on September 1, 2016, and March 27, 2017.
3.See Appendices A-1 through A-2 for Operating Segment Reg G reconciliations.}

Generation: First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $111 million, $355 million lower than first quarter 2016 primarily driven by:

• Gulf Coast Region: $117 million decrease due primarily to lower realized energy margins in Texas from lower realized prices, including the impact of hedges, and lower cleared auction prices in PJM resulting in lower capacity revenues in South Central
• East Region: $136 million decrease due to lower capacity prices, lower realized energy margins on lower dispatch, monetization of hedges from 2017 in 2016, and assets sold in 2016; partially offset by reduced operating costs from fewer planned outages and plant deactivations
• West Region: $54 million decrease due to the gain from sale of emissions credits in the first quarter of 2016 and the retirement of Pittsburg on January 1, 2017
• Other Generation: $48 million decrease driven mainly by lower trading results at BETM

Retail: First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $133 million, $23 million lower than first quarter 2016 due primarily to lower margin from mild weather and associated supply costs, which was partially offset by customer growth.

Renewables: First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $25 million, $8 million lower than first quarter 2016 due to a transmission outage at Agua Caliente and lower solar insolation, partially offset by higher generation at Ivanpah.

NRG Yield: First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $184 million, $14 million lower than first quarter 2016 due to a forced outage at El Segundo Energy Center, lower solar and wind resource primarily in California, which led to decreased production, partially offset by the acquisition of the Utah utility-scale solar assets.

Corporate: First quarter Adjusted EBITDA was unchanged from the first quarter 2016 as higher advisory spend incurred to assist the Company in its strategic review as well as advisory services associated with GenOn was offset by lower operating losses at residential solar.

¹ Includes unrestricted cash held at Midwest Generation (a non-guarantor subsidiary), which can be distributed to NRG without limitation.

NRG-Level cash as of March 31, 2017, was $381 million, a decrease of $189 million from December 31, 2016, and $1.4 billion was available under the Company’s credit facilities at the end of the first quarter 2017. Total liquidity was $3.3 billion, including restricted cash and cash at non-guarantor subsidiaries (primarily GenOn and NRG Yield). On February 28, 2017, GenOn drew $125 million on letters of credit under its intercompany revolver with NRG to support the GenOn Mid-Atlantic operating leases; NRG subsequently drew $125 million on its revolver facility to fund the GenOn intercompany draw.

NRG Strategic Developments

On May 1, 2017, NRG offered its remaining 25% interest in NRG Wind TE Holdco, an 814 net MW portfolio of twelve wind projects to NRG Yield. NRG Yield currently owns a 75% interest in the portfolio, which it acquired in 2015. The acquisition is subject to negotiation and approval by NRG Yield's independent directors.

Drop Down to NRG Yield

On March 27, 2017, the Company sold to NRG Yield, Inc.: (i) a 16% interest in the Agua Caliente solar project, representing ownership of approximately 46 net MW of capacity and (ii) NRG's interests in seven utility-scale solar projects located in Utah representing 265 net MW of capacity. NRG Yield Inc. paid cash consideration of $130 million, plus $1 million in working capital adjustments, and assumed non-recourse debt of approximately $463 million².

Business Review Committee

During the quarter, the NRG Board of Directors established the Business Review Committee (BRC). The BRC was established to evaluate and make recommendations to the Board regarding the Company’s (a) operational and cost excellence initiatives, (b) potential portfolio and/or asset de-consolidations, dispositions and optimization, (c) capital structure and allocation and (d) broader strategic initiatives. NRG plans to update the market as soon as practicable following a recommendation from the BRC.

2017 Guidance

NRG is reaffirming its guidance range for fiscal year 2017 with respect to both Adjusted EBITDA and FCF before growth investments.

² Approximately $328 million on balance sheet and $135 million pro-rata share of unconsolidated debt

^{1.Non-GAAP financial measure; see Appendix Tables A-1 through A-5 for GAAP Reconciliation to Net Income that excludes fair value adjustments related to derivatives. The Company is unable to provide guidance for Net Income due to the impact of such fair value adjustments related to derivatives in a given year.}

Capital Allocation Update

On April 7, 2017, NRG declared a quarterly dividend on the company's common stock of $0.03 per share, payable May 15, 2017, to stockholders of record as of May 1, 2017, representing $0.12 on an annualized basis.

The Company’s common stock dividend, debt reduction and share repurchases are subject to available capital, market conditions and compliance with associated laws and regulations.

Earnings Conference Call

On May 2, 2017 NRG will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss these results. Investors, the news media and others may access the live webcast of the conference call and accompanying presentation materials by logging on to NRG’s website at http://www.nrg.com and clicking on “Investors.” The webcast will be archived on the site for those unable to listen in real time.

About NRG

NRG is the leading integrated power company in the U.S., built on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive electric generation portfolio and leading retail electricity platform. A Fortune 200 company, NRG creates value through best in class operations, reliable and efficient electric generation, and a retail platform serving residential and commercial customers. Working with electricity customers, large and small, we continually innovate, embrace and implement sustainable solutions for producing and managing energy. We aim to be pioneers in developing smarter energy choices and delivering exceptional service as our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

Safe Harbor Disclosure

In addition to historical information, the information presented in this communication includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can typically be identified by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “objective,” “projection,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “plan,” “think,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “predict,” “target,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s future revenues, income, indebtedness, capital structure, plans, expectations, objectives, projected financial performance and/or business results and other future events, and views of economic and market conditions.

Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated herein include, among others, GenOn’s and certain of its subsidiaries’ ability to continue as a going concern, general economic conditions, hazards customary in the power production industry and power generation operations, weather conditions (including wind and solar conditions), competition in wholesale power markets, the volatility of energy and fuel prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in the wholesale power markets, the effectiveness of our risk management policies and procedures, changes in government regulations, the condition of capital markets generally, our ability to borrow funds and access capital markets, unanticipated outages at our generation facilities, adverse results in current and future litigation, failure to identify, execute or successfully implement acquisitions, repowerings or asset sales, our ability to implement value enhancing improvements to plant operations and companywide processes, our ability to proceed with projects under development or the inability to complete the construction of such projects on schedule or within budget, risks related to project siting, financing, construction, permitting, government approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements, our ability to progress development pipeline projects, the inability to maintain or create successful partnering relationships, our ability to operate our businesses efficiently including NRG Yield, our ability to retain retail customers, our ability to realize value through our commercial operations strategy and the creation of NRG Yield, the ability to successfully integrate businesses of acquired companies, our ability to realize anticipated benefits of transactions (including expected cost savings and other synergies) or the risk that anticipated benefits may take longer to realize than expected, our ability to close the drop down transactions with NRG Yield, and our ability to execute our capital allocation plan. Debt and share repurchases may be made from time to time subject to market conditions and other factors, including as permitted by United States securities laws. Furthermore, any common stock dividend is subject to available capital and market conditions.

NRG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The adjusted EBITDA, cash from operations, and free cash flow guidance are estimates as of May 2, 2017. These estimates are based on assumptions the company believed to be reasonable as of that date. NRG disclaims any current intention to update such guidance, except as required by law. The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRG’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included in this Earnings press release should be considered in connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRG’s future results included in NRG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

^(a) Excludes deactivation costs of $4 million.
^(b) Excludes reorganization costs of $8 million and integration costs of $1 million.

^(a) Other adj. includes reorganization costs of $8 million and integration costs of $1 million.

^(a) Excludes deactivation costs of $7 million.
^(b) Excludes reorganization costs of $10 million.
^(c) Excludes impairments of $146 million, gain on sale of business of $29 million and gain on debt extinguishment of $11 million.

^(a) Other adj. includes reorganization costs of $10 million.
^(b) Other adj. includes impairments of $146 million, gain on sale of business of $29 million and gain on debt extinguishment of $11 million.

⁽¹⁾ 2016 includes cost-to-achieve expenses associated with the $150 million savings announced on September 2015 call.
⁽²⁾ Includes insurance proceeds of $18 million and $4 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively

^(a) Excludes deactivation costs of $3 million.

^(a) Excludes deactivation costs of $7 million.
^(b) Excludes impairments of $137 million.

^(a) Other adj. includes impairments of $137 million.

⁽¹⁾ Includes insurance proceeds of $18 million.

⁽¹⁾ For purposes of guidance, fair value adjustments related to derivatives are assumed to be zero.
⁽²⁾ Includes deactivation costs, gain on sale of businesses, asset write-offs, impairments and other non-recurring charges.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. These measurements are not recognized in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as an alternative to GAAP measures of performance. The presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that NRG’s future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

EBITDA represents net income before interest (including loss on debt extinguishment), taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is presented because NRG considers it an important supplemental measure of its performance and believes debt-holders frequently use EBITDA to analyze operating performance and debt service capacity. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our operating results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

• EBITDA does not reflect cash expenditures, or future requirements for capital expenditures, or contractual commitments;
• EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, working capital needs;
• EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on debt or cash income tax payments;
• Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and
• Other companies in this industry may calculate EBITDA differently than NRG does, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to use to invest in the growth of NRG’s business. NRG compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. See the statements of cash flow included in the financial statements that are a part of this news release.

Adjusted EBITDA is presented as a further supplemental measure of operating performance. As NRG defines it, Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA excluding impairment losses, gains or losses on sales, dispositions or retirements of assets, any mark-to-market gains or losses from accounting for derivatives, adjustments to exclude the Adjusted EBITDA related to the non-controlling interest, gains or losses on the repurchase, modification or extinguishment of debt, the impact of restructuring and any extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items plus adjustments to reflect the Adjusted EBITDA from our unconsolidated investments. The reader is encouraged to evaluate each adjustment and the reasons NRG considers it appropriate for supplemental analysis. As an analytical tool, Adjusted EBITDA is subject to all of the limitations applicable to EBITDA. In addition, in evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, the reader should be aware that in the future NRG may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in this news release.

Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other users of NRG's financial statements in evaluating its operating performance because it provides an additional tool to compare business performance across companies and across periods and adjusts for items that we do not consider indicative of NRG’s future operating performance. This measure is widely used by debt-holders to analyze operating performance and debt service capacity and by equity investors to measure our operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of operating performance to assist in comparing performance from period to period on a consistent basis and to readily view operating trends, as a measure for planning and forecasting overall expectations, and for evaluating actual results against such expectations, and in communications with NRG's Board of Directors, shareholders, creditors, analysts and investors concerning its financial performance.

Adjusted cash flow from operating activities is a non-GAAP measure NRG provides to show cash from operations with the reclassification of net payments of derivative contracts acquired in business combinations from financing to operating cash flow, as well as the add back of merger, integration and related restructuring costs. The Company provides the reader with this alternative view of operating cash flow because the cash settlement of these derivative contracts materially impact operating revenues and cost of sales, while GAAP requires NRG to treat them as if there was a financing activity associated with the contracts as of the acquisition dates. The Company adds back merger, integration related restructuring costs as they are one time and unique in nature and do not reflect ongoing cash from operations and they are fully disclosed to investors.

Free cash flow (before Growth Investments) is adjusted cash flow from operations less maintenance and environmental capital expenditures, net of funding, preferred stock dividends and distributions to non-controlling interests and is used by NRG predominantly as a forecasting tool to estimate cash available for debt reduction and other capital allocation alternatives. The reader is encouraged to evaluate each of these adjustments and the reasons NRG considers them appropriate for supplemental analysis. Because we have mandatory debt service requirements (and other non-discretionary expenditures) investors should not rely on Free Cash Flow before Growth Investments as a measure of cash available for discretionary expenditures.

Free Cash Flow before Growth Investments is utilized by Management in making decisions regarding the allocation of capital. Free Cash Flow before Growth Investment is presented because the Company believes it is a useful tool for assessing the financial performance in the current period. In addition, NRG’s peers evaluate cash available for allocation in a similar manner and accordingly, it is a meaningful indicator for investors to benchmark NRG's performance against its peers. Free Cash Flow before Growth Investment is a performance measure and is not intended to represent net income (loss), cash from operations (the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure), or liquidity and is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

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Source: NRG Energy, Inc.

NRG Energy, Inc.
Media:
Marijke Shugrue, 609-524-5262
or
Investors:
Kevin L. Cole, CFA, 609-524-4526
or
Lindsey Puchyr, 609-524-4527