NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 billion, up 34% from a year earlier, while outlining plans for a 1.2-gigawatt Texas power plant intended to support a cloud and artificial intelligence hyperscaler’s data center load.
President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Gaudette said NRG is aligned on principal commercial terms with the unnamed investment-grade customer. The project remains subject to negotiations, land-related matters and customary internal approvals, but the customer has made a financial commitment to advance development, according to the company.
Capacity-Payment Structure Supports Proposed Texas Project
Gaudette described the arrangement as NRG’s first “bring your own power” project, or BYOP, a model under which new power demand is paired with new generation supported by the customer. He said the facility is designed to add more generation to Texas than the data center is expected to require.
Under the contemplated structure, NRG would receive capacity payments intended to recover its invested capital and provide its targeted return, while separate payments would recover fuel and operating costs. The company said 95% of the project’s free cash flow would be supported by capacity payments independent of the data center’s utilization rate.
“We’re paid for the megawatts we build and make available, not for how much the data center runs,” Gaudette said. The customer’s obligations would be backed by an investment-grade parent guarantee.
NRG expects the 1.2-GW project to require $3.2 billion of investment, or about $2,700 per kilowatt. At full operation, management expects at least $500 million of annual adjusted EBITDA and approximately $375 million of annual free cash flow before growth. Chief Financial Officer Bruce Chung said the anticipated pre-tax unlevered internal rate of return is within NRG’s 12% to 15% target range, implying an approximately 6-times build multiple at projected run-rate EBITDA.
The initial agreement would have a term of at least 15 years from commercial operation, with potential extensions. Chung said capacity payments would begin immediately upon commercial operation rather than ramping as the data center increases usage.
NRG has secured 5.4 GW of turbine and engineering, procurement and construction capacity through 2032 via GE Vernova and Kiewit. Gaudette said the company’s development pipeline exceeds twice that capacity, with each turbine slot tied to active customer discussions. The company also cited roughly 2 GW of upgrade opportunities across its PJM fleet.
Capital Plan Shifts Funds Toward New Build
NRG updated its 2026 capital allocation plan to include $721 million of expected spending on the Texas new-build project. Of that amount, $40 million was reclassified from plant and other investments, while $681 million represents incremental spending funded by reducing planned liability management.
The revised approach means less net debt reduction in 2026 than previously planned, but management said its shareholder-return plans remain unchanged. NRG continues to expect at least $1 billion of annual share repurchases and $407 million in common dividends for 2026. During the first half, the company repurchased $921 million of shares and paid $202 million in dividends.
NRG expects cumulative project investment of about $800 million through the end of 2026, including prior reservation payments, followed by $1 billion in 2027, $1.1 billion in 2028 and $300 million in 2029. About 60% of total investment relates to EPC costs, with the remainder allocated to turbine equipment and other project costs.
Chung said NRG’s base case is to fund the project through operating cash flow and balance-sheet capacity. Under that approach, reaching the company’s 3-times net leverage target would shift from 2028 to 2029. The company may also consider financial partners to improve capital efficiency, though no such arrangement has been announced.
Second-Quarter Results Reflect Acquired Assets, Texas Weakness
Adjusted EBITDA rose $308 million year over year, driven primarily by the portfolio acquired from LS Power, higher PJM capacity values and Smart Home growth. Adjusted net income fell to $315 million from $339 million, while adjusted earnings per share declined to $1.49 from $1.73, as acquisition-related interest expense and depreciation and amortization offset EBITDA growth.
- Free cash flow before growth was $1.025 billion, up $111 million from the prior-year quarter.
- Texas adjusted EBITDA declined $131 million, reflecting lower load and power prices.
- East adjusted EBITDA increased $370 million, primarily due to the LS Power portfolio acquisition.
- West adjusted EBITDA increased $27 million, aided by lower operating expenses after a facility lease expired last year.
- Smart Home adjusted EBITDA increased $42 million; customer count reached 2.45 million, up 8% year over year.
In Texas, ERCOT Houston around-the-clock prices averaged $33 per megawatt-hour during the quarter, down 8% from a year earlier and below NRG’s $52 planning assumption for 2026. Lower prices and limited volatility reduced generation dispatch and portfolio optimization opportunities, Chung said.
In the East, legacy hedges associated with the acquired assets limited NRG’s ability to fully capture higher PJM power prices. The company also cited higher retail supply costs and an estimated $70 million of incremental 2026 costs associated with Virginia’s return to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, affecting 1.2 GW of acquired Virginia assets.
Guidance Reaffirmed
NRG reaffirmed its 2026 guidance ranges, although Chung said first-half results indicate performance is tracking below the midpoint. He said the company has limited unhedged exposure for the remainder of the year and does not depend on a material recovery in commodity prices to remain within its guidance ranges.
Management said the proposed Texas project is not included in NRG’s previously issued long-term framework, which calls for adjusted EPS compound annual growth of more than 14% through 2030 from the base business. Gaudette said the company intends to maintain its return thresholds and credit protections as it evaluates additional large-load generation projects.
About NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG)
NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.
NRG’s generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.
