NRG Energy to Acquire Energy Plus Holdings, Adding Immediate Scale and Unique Sales Channel to Expanding Northeast Retail Business

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Energy Plus Holdings LLC, a Philadelphia-based retail electricity and natural gas provider for $190 million in cash. Through its exclusive marketing partnerships with leading loyalty program providers, Energy Plus has a proven ability to successfully enroll attractive customer groups and will provide NRG an effective retail platform to expand its customer services and products in multiple retail markets, particularly the northeast.

“As we launch our retail expansion in the Northeast, Energy Plus adds a highly effective, absolutely unique and essentially non-replicable sales chain to our successful retail energy platform”

The transaction will add immediate scale to NRG’s expanding retail customer base in the Northeast as more than 90% of Energy Plus customers are in states such as New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois. Energy Plus also sells electricity in Texas and natural gas in New York and New Jersey.

“As we launch our retail expansion in the Northeast, Energy Plus adds a highly effective, absolutely unique and essentially non-replicable sales chain to our successful retail energy platform,” said David Crane, NRG President and Chief Executive Officer. “Energy Plus’ direct marketing expertise, exclusive loyalty program partnerships and marketing platform, leveraged with the resources of Reliant and Green Mountain and aligned with the wholesale support provided by NRG’s generation assets, creates a potent retail combination that is well differentiated from the product and service offerings of our competitors.”

With Energy Plus’ leading rewards programs, Reliant’s strength providing smart energy solutions and Green Mountain’s position as the nation’s premier clean energy provider, NRG will offer three distinct retail value propositions. As NRG believes the power industry is entering an era of greater customer choice both in terms of what type of energy people use and who they buy their energy from, the breadth of the Company’s retail operations will enable the Company to become the leading energy provider of choice across competitive electricity markets.

“We believe NRG is the most visionary company in our industry, and are thrilled to become part of the NRG family,” said Richard Vague, Energy Plus Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our employees, partners, customers, and community will benefit greatly from NRG’s investment in the existing Energy Plus business, and from the new, innovative products and services we will collectively bring to the market,” said Kevin Kleinschmidt, Energy Plus President and Chief Operating Officer.

Energy Plus has been one of the fastest-growing energy companies in the United States since it was founded in 2007, driven by its successful rewards programs offered through the company’s rapidly growing network of almost 100 industry-leading partners and associations. With its superior mix of quality service, energy choices and ongoing rewards programs combined with the support of NRG, Energy Plus is poised to continue its tremendous growth serving customers and as a valuable member of the Philadelphia business community.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including from the U.S. Department of Justice (Hart Scott Rodino) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as well as other regulatory notices and closing is expected to occur in October.

About NRG

NRG Energy, Inc. is a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 Index company that owns and operates one of the country’s largest and most diverse power generation portfolios. Headquartered in Princeton, N.J., the Company’s power plants provide 25,000 megawatts of generation capacity—enough to supply approximately 20 million homes. NRG’s retail businesses serve nearly 1.9 million residential, business, commercial and industrial customers. With major investments in solar and wind power, as well as electric vehicle infrastructure, NRG is working to help America transition to a clean energy economy. More information is available at www.nrgenergy.com.

About Energy Plus Holdings LLC

Energy Plus® is one of the nation’s fastest-growing energy companies, supplying electricity services to customers in seven competitive energy states. Energy Plus also offers electricity services through its subsidiary Independence Energy as well as natural gas services in New York and New Jersey through its affiliate Energy Plus Natural Gas LP. As the only company to offer energy choice, superior service, green energy options and an ongoing rewards program to every customer, Energy Plus is becoming the preferred energy company for an increasing number of homes and small businesses. Energy Plus enables consumers to benefit from the money they already spend each month on electricity through a unique rewards program featuring cash back, airline miles, hotel and retail points, and college savings from almost 100 industry-leading partners and associations. Additionally, the company is committed to supporting the environment and offers customers a certified green option. With a focus on the customer, Energy Plus’ reliable services are supported by an in-house call center and customer-friendly policies. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Energy Plus serves Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Texas and most of Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.energypluscompany.com.

Safe Harbor Disclosure

Certain statements contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that include, but are not limited to, the expected synergies of our retail business and other benefits of the acquisition described herein, and typically can be identified by the use of words such as “will,” “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “plan,” “believe” and similar terms Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, general economic conditions, hazards customary in the power industry, weather conditions, competition in retail power markets, the volatility of energy and fuel prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in the wholesale power markets, changes in government regulation of markets and of environmental emissions, the condition of capital markets generally, our ability to access capital markets, unanticipated outages at our generation facilities, adverse results in current and future litigation, and the inability to implement value enhancing improvements to plant and retail operations and companywide processes.

NRG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 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 news 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.