<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001179110-18-013963.txt : 20181217
<SEC-HEADER>0001179110-18-013963.hdr.sgml : 20181217
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20181217172507
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001179110-18-013963
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	3
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT:	20181206
FILED AS OF DATE:		20181217
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20181217

REPORTING-OWNER:	

	OWNER DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Gaudette Robert J
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001505252

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		3
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	001-15891
		FILM NUMBER:		181238846

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1155 PERIMETER CENTER WEST
		CITY:			ATLANTA
		STATE:			GA
		ZIP:			30342

ISSUER:		

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			NRG ENERGY, INC.
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001013871
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	ELECTRIC SERVICES [4911]
		IRS NUMBER:				411724239
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			DE
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		804 CARNEGIE CENTER
		STREET 2:		-
		CITY:			PRINCETON
		STATE:			NJ
		ZIP:			08540
		BUSINESS PHONE:		609-524-4500

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		804 CARNEGIE CENTER
		STREET 2:		-
		CITY:			PRINCETON
		STATE:			NJ
		ZIP:			08540

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	NRG ENERGY INC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19960509
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>3
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>edgar.xml
<DESCRIPTION>FORM 3 -
<TEXT>
<XML>
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0206</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>3</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2018-12-06</periodOfReport>

    <noSecuritiesOwned>0</noSecuritiesOwned>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0001013871</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>NRG ENERGY, INC.</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>NRG</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001505252</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Gaudette Robert J</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>NRG ENERGY, INC.</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>804 CARNEGIE CENTER</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>PRINCETON</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NJ</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>08540</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>Senior VP, Business Solutions</officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>68918</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Non-Qualified Stock Option</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>38.33</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <value>2010-12-03</value>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2020-03-11</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>3840</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Non-Qualified Stock Option</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>31.34</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <value>2012-12-14</value>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2021-02-22</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Commmon Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>11197</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Market Stock Units</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                <footnoteId id="F3"/>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <value>2019-01-04</value>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2019-01-04</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>20570</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Relative Performance Stock Units</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <footnoteId id="F4"/>
                <footnoteId id="F5"/>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <value>2020-01-03</value>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2020-01-03</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>25004</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Relative Performance Stock Units</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <footnoteId id="F6"/>
                <footnoteId id="F7"/>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <value>2021-01-21</value>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2021-01-21</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock, par value $.01 per share</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>11456</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Includes 57,093 Restricted Stock Units (&quot;RSUs&quot;) issued to Mr. Gaudette by NRG Energy, Inc. under NRG's Long Term Incentive Plan (&quot;LTIP&quot;) including 789 Dividend Equivalent Rights (&quot;DERs&quot;). Each RSU is equivalent in value to one share of NRG's Common Stock, par value $.01. Upon vesting of the RSUs, Mr. Gaudette will receive from NRG the following: (i) 2,325 shares issued on January 2, 2019; (ii) 2,326 shares issued on January 2, 2020; (iii) 2,333 shares issued on January 2, 2021; (iv) 5,305 shares issued on January 3, 2019; (v) 5,321 shares issued on January 3, 2020; (vi) 12,935 shares issued on January 4, 2019; (vii) 12,860 shares issued on January 6, 2019; and (viii) 12,899 shares issued on January 6, 2020. Each DER will accrue on Mr. Gaudette's RSUs and will become exercisable proportionately with the RSUs to which they relate and can only be settled in NRG common stock. Each DER is the economic equivalent to one share of NRG common stock.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Mr. Gaudette was issued 20,570 MSUs by NRG under the LTIP on January 4, 2016. The MSUs will convert to shares of NRG Common Stock on January 4, 2019 only in the event the Company has achieved a certain level of TSR. TSR will consist of the average of the closing price of NRG's Common Stock on January 2, 2018 the nineteen preceding trading days and any dividends paid since the grant date as determined by the Compensation Committee.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">Mr. Gaudette will receive a maximum of 41,140 shares of Common Stock if the Company has achieved a 100% increase in TSR since the grant date (the &quot;Maximum&quot;); 20,570 shares of Common Stock if there is no change in TSR since the grant date (the &quot;Target&quot;), or 15,427 shares of Common Stock if there is a 25% decrease in TSR since the grant date (the &quot;Threshold&quot;). Mr. Gaudette will not receive any shares of Common Stock if TSR has decreased by more than 25% since the grant date. The number of shares of Common Stock that Mr. Gaudette may receive is interpolated for TSR falling between Threshold, Target, and Maximum levels.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Mr. Gaudette was issued 25,004 RPSUs by NRG under the LTIP on January 3, 2017. The RPSUs will convert to shares of NRG Common Stock on January 3, 2020 only in the event the Company has achieved a certain level of TSRs relative to the Peer Group (defined below) over a three-year performance period. The number of shares of Common Stock that the Reporting Person may receive is interpolated for TSR falling between Threshold, Target, and Maximum levels as described below.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">Mr. Gaudette will receive  (i) a maximum of 50,008 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at or above the 75th percentile relative to a peer group of companies approved by the Company's Compensation Committee (the &quot;Peer Group&quot;) for the performance period (the &quot;Maximum&quot;); (ii) 25,004 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at the 55th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period (the &quot;Target&quot;); provided, however, if TSR is less than negative fifteen percent (-15%), the Company's TSR must be ranked at the 65th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period to receive the Target award; or (iii) 6,251 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at the 25th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period (the &quot;Threshold&quot;). Mr. Gaudette will not receive any shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is below the 25th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F6">Mr. Gaudette was issued 11,456 RPSUs by NRG under the LTIP on January 3, 2017. The RPSUs will convert to shares of NRG Common Stock on January 3, 2020 only in the event the Company has achieved a certain level of TSRs relative to the Peer Group (defined below) over a three-year performance period. The number of shares of Common Stock that the Reporting Person may receive is interpolated for TSR falling between Threshold, Target, and Maximum levels as described below.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F7">Mr. Gaudette will receive (i) a maximum of 22,912 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at or above the 75th percentile relative to a peer group of companies approved by the Company's Compensation Committee (the &quot;Peer Group&quot;) for the performance period (the &quot;Maximum&quot;); (ii) 11,456 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at the 55th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period (the &quot;Target&quot;); provided, however, if TSR is less than negative fifteen percent (-15%), the Company's TSR must be ranked at the 65th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period to receive the Target award; or (iii) 2,864 shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is ranked at the 25th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period (the &quot;Threshold&quot;). Mr. Gaudette will not receive any shares of Common Stock if the Company's TSR is below the 25th percentile relative to the Peer Group for the performance period.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>/s/ Christine Zoino, by Power of Attorney</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2018-12-17</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
</XML>
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
