Filed by NRG Energy, Inc. pursuant to
Rule 425 of the Securities Act of 1933 and
deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: NRG Energy, Inc.
Commission File No.: 001-15891
NRG Energy, Inc. today issued the following open letter to NRG stockholders regarding Exelon
Corporations unsolicited proposal to exchange 0.485 of its shares for each share of NRG stock.
This open letter has been posted to the Companys website at www.nrgenergy.com.
[NRG ENERGY, INC. LETTERHEAD]
December 30, 2008
Dear NRG Stockholders:
You probably saw a letter from Exelon dated December 23rd encouraging you to tender your
NRG shares into their exchange offer on or before January 6th. We continue to strongly
recommend that you NOT tender any of your shares into Exelons offer since, as we have previously
conveyed to you, on November 24, 2008, NRGs Board of Directors rejected Exelons exchange offer as
inadequate, dilutive, and significantly undervaluing NRG. And there has been no improvement in the
value or terms of the Exelon offer since that time.
Since Exelon has made a concerted effort to persuade NRG shareholders of both the strategic and
tactical merits of tendering your shares to them at this juncture, let us give you four reasons why
you should NOT tender your shares:
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Exelons offer is too low. As our Board determined and we have stated, Exelons offer, quite
simply, undervalues NRG on both an absolute basis and relative to the fractional shares of
Exelon that NRG shareholders would be ultimately receiving in the exchange. As an example, we
estimate that NRG would generate 25% to 30% of the combined entitys free cash flow through
2009; however Exelons offer only provides NRGs stockholders with approximately 17% ownership
of the combined company. Normally, the shareholders of the company being sold receive a
premium to fundamental economic value, not a discount. |
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Exelons offer has failed to state a compelling value proposition from the combining of the
companies. Exelon, to date, has not provided any specifics as to the cost or the terms of the
debt financing required to implement the proposed transaction; has not provided a detailed
plan for ensuring that the combined company secures and retains the investment grade rating
that they themselves deem critical to the transaction and the success of the combined company
thereafter; has not explained how, in this distressed economic climate, they will ensure that
they will be allowed to realize their own growth potential which appears to be largely
dependent on a benign political/regulatory environment in Pennsylvania and Illinois; and has
not indicated how the combined companys portfolio will be hedged nor what the collateral
arrangements are in support of a hedging strategy. |
NRG release
Page 2 of 3
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Exelon seeks to secure for itself the value of NRGs embedded growth potential before the
market recognizes it. We believe Exelons offer does not take into account the value of the
substantial repowering initiatives of NRG, launched in 2006 and implemented with considerable
success since then. These include our repowerings and new conventional projects in California,
Texas, and Connecticut as well as our new wind farms and other alternative energy initiatives.
Most notably, Exelon, having just recently announced a decision to start over with its nuclear
development using a different technology, is seeking to secure unto itself the value of NRGs
leading nuclear development initiative. |
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Exelons offer seeks to secure all optionality associated with the transaction for itself and
its shareholders. Exelon seeks to reassure you that you retain your individual optionality
with respect to your NRG shares over the many months that Exelon expects will be required to
satisfy the numerous conditions and to secure the many necessary approvals. That is not the
case. In fact, Exelons offer is subject to numerous conditions and if any one of them is not
satisfied Exelon can decide to walk away from the transaction without compensating NRG
shareholders. Most recently, in a letter to its own employees Exelon admitted that given the
uncertainty around the transaction it will be necessary to extend the tender offer several
times and that it cannot buy even a single share of NRG stock in January. |
Since our Boards response, Exelon has initiated various regulatory approval processes at both the
state and federal levels. As we have previously noted, we believe that these steps are premature
and represent a squandering of resources of all concerned. Our viewpoint was reinforced last week
by the California Public Utility Commissions rejection of Exelons filing of an application for
approval to acquire control of NRGs thermal utility subsidiary.
We believe that Exelon has a very good idea of what NRGs true value is and what value range will
elicit cooperation from NRGs management and Board of Directors. Exelon has never indicated what
increase in the exchange ratio they might be able to offer or what fact(s) they might be able to
confirm if allowed to perform due diligence. Evidently because they decided that they cannot or
will not pay up, they chose to take advantage of the general market dislocation this fall to try
to buy NRG on the cheap.
We believe stockholders should NOT tender their shares, thereby sending Exelon a message they
already knowthat their offer is inadequate and not in the best interests of NRGs stockholders.
If enough NRG shareholders send Exelon that message, we are convinced that they willif they have
it within themimprove their offer by a considerable amount.
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Sincerely, |
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/s/ David Crane
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/s/ Howard Cosgrove |
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David Crane
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Howard Cosgrove |
President and Chief Executive Officer
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Chairman of the Board |
NRG release
Page 3 of 3
Important Information
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
securities or a solicitation of proxy of any stockholder of NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG). NRG plans to
file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and furnish to its stockholders a
proxy statement in connection with its 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the 2009 Annual
Meeting). INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF NRG ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE 2009
ANNUAL MEETING IN ITS ENTIRETY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT
INFORMATION.
In response to the exchange offer proposed by Exelon Corporation referred to in this news release,
NRG has filed with the SEC a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9. STOCKHOLDERS
OF NRG ARE ADVISED TO READ NRGS SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9 IN ITS
ENTIRETY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of NRGs proxy statement (when it
becomes available), the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, any other
documents filed by NRG in connection with the exchange offer by Exelon Corporation, and other
documents filed with the SEC by NRG at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Free copies of any such
documents can also be obtained by directing a request to Investor Relations Department, NRG Energy,
Inc., 211 Carnegie Center, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
NRG and its directors and executive officers will be deemed to be participants in the solicitation
of proxies in connection with its 2009 Annual Meeting. Information regarding NRGs directors and
executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2007, which was filed with the SEC on February 28, 2008, and its proxy statement for its 2008
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 2, 2008. Detailed information
regarding the names, affiliations and interests of individuals who will participate in the
solicitation of proxies of NRGs stockholders will also be available in NRGs proxy statement for
the 2009 Annual Meeting.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements that may state NRGs or its managements
intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future. Such forward-looking
statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, 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, risks and uncertainties related to the capital markets
generally.
The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRGs actual results to differ materially from
those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included herein should be considered in
connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRGs future results
included in NRGs filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov.