PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) today reported third quarter 2020 income from continuing operations of $249 million, or $1.02 per diluted common share and Adjusted EBITDA for the Third quarter of $752 million.
“Our business performed well during the important summer months, delivering stable results amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mauricio Gutierrez, NRG President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we move towards the end of the year, we look forward to closing the Direct Energy acquisition and continue advancing our customer-centric strategy.”
Texas: Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $514 million, $67 million lower than third quarter of 2019. This decrease is driven by a reduction of load due to weather and COVID-19 partially offset by lower supply costs resulting from reductions in power and fuel prices.
East: Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $146 million, $3 million higher than third quarter of 2019. This increase is driven by higher gross margins and increased sales of portable power products; partially offset by lower capacity revenues and higher operating expenses.
West/Other: Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $92 million, $24 million higher than third quarter of 2019. This increase is driven by higher gross margin primarily due to MISO uplift payments resulting from out-of-market dispatch during an extreme weather event and increased California resource adequacy pricing, partially offset by lower realized pricing in the West, lower generation from forced outages at Cottonwood facility in 2020 and the sales of emissions in 2019.
As of September 30, 2020, NRG cash was at $0.7 billion, and $2.8 billion was available under the Company’s credit facilities. Total liquidity was $3.5 billion, including restricted cash. Overall liquidity as of the end of the third quarter 2020 was approximately $1.4 billion higher than at the end of 2019, driven by improved cash from operations and the increase in credit facilities of approximately $0.9 billion during the third quarter. This increase in credit facilities reflects mainly the additional liquidity associated with the new Receivables Securitization and Repurchase facilities but excludes the additional commitments to the Company's existing revolving credit facility which become available coincident with the closing of the Direct Energy acquisition.
NRG Strategic Developments
Acquisition of Direct Energy
On July 24, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Centrica to acquire Direct Energy. Direct Energy is a leading retail provider of electricity, natural gas, and home and business energy related products and services in North America.
The Company will pay an aggregate purchase price of $3.625 billion in cash, subject to purchase price adjustment, including a working capital adjustment. The Company updated its financing plan and is now expecting to fund the purchase price using a combination of increased cash on hand and approximately $2.9 billion in newly-issued secured and unsecured corporate debt — a $0.5 billion increase from the previous estimate. The portion of the purchase price previously expected to be funded by $750 million in equity/equity-linked securities is now expected to be funded with a combination of the expected increases of 2020 cash on hand and debt to be repaid in 2021 with future targeted asset sale proceeds.
As part of NRG’s ongoing portfolio optimization strategy, NRG expects to realize a minimum $250 million net proceeds (net of debt repayment associated with assets sold) over the next 6-12 months from ongoing and prospective monetization of non-core assets and businesses. The first $200 million in net proceeds will be used to repay a portion of the increased leverage associated with Direct Energy acquisition in order to maintain investment grade metrics in 2021 and any additional proceeds will be available for capital allocation.
The acquisition remains on track to close by year end 2020. The shareholders of Centrica approved the acquisition on August 20, 2020. The transaction has received approvals under the Canadian Competition Act and early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act has been granted. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of approval under the Federal Power Act.
Increase in collateral facilities to support the acquisition of Direct Energy
During the third quarter, the Company amended its existing credit agreement to, among other things, increase the existing revolving commitments by an aggregate amount of $1,075 million. The increase will become effective upon closing of the Direct Energy acquisition and total revolving commitments available at that time, and subject to usage, will be $3.7 billion.
In September 2020, the Company also entered into a revolving accounts receivable financing facility for an amount up to $750 million, subject to adjustments on a seasonal basis, and an uncommitted repurchase facility related to the Receivable Securitization for up to $75 million.
Finally, as of November 5, 2020, the Company had extended and increased its existing $80 million CDS LC facility by an incremental $87 million.
The incremental liquidity available under these facilities will cover approximately $2.0 billion of the $3.5 billion of incremental collateral needs associated with the Direct Energy acquisition.
Midwest Generation lease buyout
On September 29, 2020, Midwest Generation, LLC closed on the purchase agreement and acquired all of the ownership interests in the Powerton facility and Units 7 and 8 of the Joliet facility, which were being leased through 2034 and 2030, respectively, for approximately $260 million. The Company has initially funded the purchase with cash on hand and expects that before year end NRG will borrow under its Revolving Credit Facility in an amount equal to the operating lease liability of $148 million.
COVID-19
In March 2020, the World Health Organization categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic and the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. Electricity was deemed a 'critical and essential business operation' under various state and federal governmental COVID-19 mandates. NRG had activated its Crisis Management Team ("CMT") in January 2020 to proactively manage the Company's response to the impacts of COVID-19.
NRG continues to remain focused on protecting the health and well-being of its employees, while supporting its customers and the communities in which it operates and assuring the continuity of its operations. In June 2020, summer-critical office employees returned to the offices and safety protocols were successfully implemented. The Company will continue to evaluate additional return to normal work operations on a location by location basis as COVID-19 conditions evolve.
The Company continues to maintain certain restrictions on business travel and face-to-face sales channels, remote work practices remain in place and there are enhanced cleaning and hygiene protocols in all of its facilities. In addition, select essential employees and contractors are continuing to report to plant and certain office locations. The Company also continues to require pre-entry screening, including temperature checks, separation of work crews, additional personal protective equipment for employees and contractors when social distancing cannot be maintained, and a ban on all non-essential visitors. The Company has not experienced any material disruptions in its ability to continue its business operations to date.
2020 and 2021 Guidance
NRG has narrowed the range of its Adjusted EBITDA guidance, while increasing Cash From Operations and Free Cash Flow before Growth Investments (FCFbG) guidance for 2020; NRG is maintaining its Adjusted EBITDA guidance for fiscal year 2021 while lowering its Cash Flow From Operations and FCFbG guidance due to the deferral of certain cash flow items into 2021.
Capital Allocation Update
As part of the Company's long-term capital allocation policy, the return of capital to shareholders during the nine months ending September 30, 2020 was comprised of a quarterly dividend of $.30 per share, or $221 million, and share repurchases of $228 million through August 6, 2020 at an average price of $33.05 per share. Upon completion of the previously announced November 2020 dividend, the total amount of capital returned to shareholders during 2020 will be $523 million.
The Company does not anticipate executing any further share repurchases over the remainder of 2020 and has allocated all of its remaining 2020 excess capital to fund the Direct Energy acquisition.
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.
About NRG
At NRG, we’re bringing the power of energy to people and organizations by putting customers at the center of everything we do. We generate electricity and provide energy solutions and natural gas to more than 3.7 million residential, small business, and commercial and industrial customers through our diverse portfolio of retail brands. A Fortune 500 company, operating in the United States and Canada, NRG delivers innovative solutions while advocating for competitive energy markets and customer choice, and by working towards a sustainable energy future. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.
