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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported) May 30, 2006
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
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001-15891 |
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41-1724239 |
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(Commission File Number)
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(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
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211 Carnegie Center |
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Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
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(Zip Code) |
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General
Instruction A.2. below):
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o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
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o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
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o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17
CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
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o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17
CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item 8.01
On May 30, 2006, NRG Energy, Inc. commented on an unsolicited proposal from Mirant Corporation to
purchase NRG Energy, Inc. A copy of the press release is included as an exhibit to this Form 8-K
and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Item 9.01 Exhibits
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Exhibit No. |
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Description |
99.1
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Press Release, dated May 30, 2006 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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NRG Energy, Inc.
(Registrant)
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By: |
/s/ TIMOTHY W.J. OBRIEN
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Timothy W. J. OBrien |
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Vice President and General Counsel |
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Dated: May 31, 2006
EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No. |
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Description |
99.1
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Press Release, dated May 30, 2006 |
exv99w1
EXHIBIT 99.1
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NEWS
RELEASE |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NRG Energy Comments on Mirant Proposal: NRG Shareholders Need Take No Action
Princeton, NJ; (May 30, 2006)NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) confirmed today that it has
received an unsolicited proposal from Mirant Corporation (NYSE: MIR) regarding a potential
combination in letters dated May 10 and 30, 2006.
Consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial advisor and legal
counsel, NRGs Board of Directors reviewed the Mirant proposal and deemed it not in the best
interests of NRG shareholders. NRG shareholders do not need to take any action at this time.
Citigroup is serving as financial advisor to NRG, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is
legal counsel.
The following response letter was sent to Edward R. Muller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Mirant Corporation and the Mirant Board of Directors:
May 23, 2006
Dear Mr. Muller:
The Board of Directors of NRG Energy, Inc., with the assistance of its financial and legal
advisors, has reviewed and thoroughly considered your May 10, 2006 letter. Based upon this
review the Board has unanimously rejected your proposal because it is not in the best
interests of NRG shareholders. The NRG Board has specifically authorized this response.
As discussed below, the Board has found your proposal deficient in at least three key
respects: it significantly undervalues NRG; our concerns about Mirants value and your
stocks relative lack of liquidity and trading history makes Mirants stock an unacceptable
currency; and, finally, having taken into account trends and developments in the wholesale
power generation sector, we do not believe this is the appropriate time to engage in a sale
process.
Having spent considerable time analyzing Mirant, its assets and prospects both during the
three years you spent in bankruptcy and the four months since you emerged we have
concluded that Mirant is a company and stock with flat earnings, little to no growth
opportunity beyond 2007, substantial and imminent environmental capital expenditures, and
significant EBITDA exposure to developing country risk. Additionally, with only a four-month
trading history and an average daily trading volume of 2.7 million shares during those four
months, we believe that Mirants stock lacks a sufficient track record and liquidity for us
to recommend to our shareholders that
they accept over 150 million Mirant shares as you propose. These factors far outweigh any
synergistic benefits that might come from a combination of the two companies.
For these reasons, NRGs Board and management strongly believe that our shareholders would
be poorly served by being exposed to Mirants challenges through ownership of Mirant equity
on the terms set forth in your proposal.
On the question of timing, we believe our cyclical industry has just begun to emerge out of
a multi-year trough and, over the next couple of years, we will experience continued robust
commodity prices, supply shortfalls in our core regions, spark spread recovery and a
rationalization of the utility industry in such a way that the intrinsic value of NRG (and
the value of NRG as a potential acquisition candidate) will rise rapidly. And we are
confident that we will be able to convert the rise in intrinsic value of NRG into increased
market value. Over the past 24 months, NRGs stock has appreciated 120% as the market has
recognized the value of our asset mix, the soundness of our strategy and our track record in
its implementation, including:
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A diverse multi-regional domestic portfolio of 22,848 MW; |
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A substantial EBITDA growth rate past 2007 from hedges placed at rising prices; |
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A thriving brownfield development program across all regions; and |
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A history of returning capital to shareholders through two substantial share
buybacks in the first 18 months of our existence. |
We are confident that our stock is poised for further appreciation as we capitalize on the
positive industry trends and as the market comes to recognize our embedded growth potential
particularly post-2007. In this regard, we note that the premium reflected in your proposal
is far less than the annual compound average growth rate of NRGs share price appreciation.
To clarify one point, your letter references past meetings between you and our Chief
Executive Officer, David Crane, on the topic of combining NRG and Mirant. Our Companys
strategic interest in Mirant predates your tenure there and is well known to anyone who has
read transcripts of your bankruptcy hearings. When Mr. Crane discussed a combination of the
two companies with you last November, it was in the context of NRG acquiring Mirant, since
at that time Mirants stock was neither listed nor actively traded. Once your company
finally emerged from bankruptcy in January 2006, our Board specifically reviewed the
possible acquisition of Mirant by NRG. We decided not to do so on the grounds that at $25
per share Mirants stock was overvalued, and we were not willing to risk NRGs reputation
for financial discipline on an overpriced bid for Mirant. When you approached Mr. Crane in
March to propose a no premium acquisition of NRG by Mirant, Mr. Crane advised you that
such a transaction (at the price for NRGs shares implied by your proposal) was not worth
pursuing further given that it would be massively dilutive to NRG shareholders a point of
view which neither you nor Goldman Sachs has ever attempted to refute.
As you know, NRG believes that industry consolidation is inevitable, and we expect to
participate either as a buyer or a seller. You should also know that we will only pursue
transactions that create unquestionable value for our stockholders. Your proposal is simply
the wrong deal at the wrong time.
Sincerely,
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/S/ Howard Cosgrove
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/S/ David Crane |
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Howard Cosgrove
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David Crane |
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Chairman of the Board
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President and Chief Executive Officer |
About NRG
NRG Energy, Inc. owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power-generating facilities, primarily in
Texas and the Northeast, South Central and Western regions of the United States. Its operations
include baseload, intermediate, peaking, and cogeneration facilities, thermal energy production and
energy resource recovery facilities. NRG also has ownership interests in generating facilities in
Australia and Germany.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this news release are 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. Forward-looking statements above include NRGs statement regarding the potential future value
of NRG and its stock price, the prospects of the power generation industry over the next few years,
the potential for increases in commodity prices and generation supply shortfalls in NRGs core
regions, the prospects for spark spread recovery, the potential for consolidation in the power
industry and NRGs role in that consolidation, and the impact on NRG stockholders and its share
price in the event of a combination with Mirant. Although NRG believes that its expectations are
reasonable based on current information, it can give no assurance that these expectations will
prove to have been correct. Factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those
contemplated in the forward-looking statements above include, among others, a deterioration in
conditions in the power generation industry and in the capital markets in general, changes in the
supply and demand for power generation and related commodities in NRGs core markets, the actions
of regulators, and new developments in the consolidation of the power generation industry.
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 NRGs actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking
statements included in this news release should not be construed as exhaustive. For more
information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRGs future results, review NRGs
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.
# # #
More information on NRG is available at www.nrgenergy.com
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Contacts: |
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Media Relations |
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Investor Relations |
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Meredith Moore |
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Nahla Azmy |
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609.524.4522
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609.524.4526 |
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Lori Neuman
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Kevin Kelly |
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609.524.4525
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609.524.4527 |
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Joele Frank / Barrett Golden |
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Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher |
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212.355.4449 |
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