PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) announced today the achievement of an important milestone in its fleet optimization strategy, completing coal-to-gas projects at four power plants across NRG’s fleet. The successful introduction of natural gas replacing coal as the primary fuel allows these units to continue meeting customer needs while complying with current environmental standards and supporting NRG’s wider decarbonization efforts. The four plants are located in New Roads, LA; Joliet, IL; Shawville, PA; and New Castle, PA.

“We’ve made outstanding progress across our generation portfolio to support our optimization strategy,” said Mauricio Gutierrez, CEO of NRG. “Driven by the economics of power generation, we modified units at four plants to switch from burning coal to natural gas, significantly reducing greenhouse gas and other emissions, while maintaining reliability in the system. Along with growing our renewables portfolio, these optimization projects keep NRG competitive while advancing on our sustainability commitments.”

Collectively, the modified units can generate more than 2,780 MW, enough power to meet the demands of more than two million average homes. Given the anticipated reductions in carbon emissions resulting from these modifications, combined with the expected operating profiles for the units, the four plants are expected to reduce their combined carbon footprint by more than 80%.

“These modifications allow us to keep the lights on for millions of customers, helping keep power reliable, affordable and cleaner, while we continue towards a sustainable energy future,” added Gutierrez.

Generation facilities that had units modified to use natural gas include:

• The Big Cajun II Generating Station in New Roads, La., located approximately 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge: One 540 MW unit was converted, generating enough power for more than 425,000 average households.
• The Joliet Generating Station, located approximately 50 miles southwest of Chicago: All three units converted for a total of 1,326 MW generating enough power for more than one million average households.
• The Shawville Generating Station, located approximately 40 miles northwest of State College, PA: All four units are currently in final commissioning following modification for a total of 590 MW generating enough power for almost 475,000 average households.
• The New Castle Generating Station, located approximately 55 miles northwest of Pittsburgh: All three units have been modified for a total of 325 MW generating enough power for more than 250,000 average households.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc. is the leading integrated power company in the U.S., built on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive electric generation portfolio and leading retail electricity platform. A Fortune 200 company, NRG Energy creates value through best in class operations, reliable and efficient electric generation, and a retail platform serving residential and commercial businesses. Working with electricity customers, large and small, we continually innovate, embrace and implement sustainable solutions for producing and managing energy. We aim to be pioneers in developing smarter energy choices and delivering exceptional service as our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country. More information is available at nrg.com and picknrg.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @nrginsight and @nrgenergy.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements that may state NRG’s or its management’s intentions, 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 anticipated benefit association with coal to gas modifications, conversions and gas additions.

The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRG’s 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 NRG’s future results included in NRG’s filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161219005293/en/