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Environmental Matters | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
Environmental Matters Disclosure [Abstract] |
Environmental Matters | Environmental Matters NRG is subject to a wide range of environmental laws in the development, construction, ownership and operation of power plants. These laws generally require that governmental permits and approvals be obtained before construction and maintained during operation of power plants. The electric generation industry has been facing increasingly stringent requirements regarding air quality, GHG emissions, combustion byproducts, water discharge and use, and threatened and endangered species. In general, future laws are expected to require the addition of emissions controls or other environmental controls or to impose additional restrictions on the operations of the Company's facilities, which could have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The Company has elected to use a $1 million disclosure threshold, as permitted, for environmental proceedings to which the government is a party. Air On July 8, 2019, the EPA promulgated the ACE rule, which rescinded the CPP, which had sought to broadly regulate CO 2 emissions from the power sector. The ACE rule requires states that have coal-fired EGUs to develop plans to seek heat rate improvements from coal-fired EGUs. On January 19, 2021, the D.C. Circuit vacated the ACE rule (but on February 22, 2021, at the EPA's request, stayed the issuance of the portion of the mandate that would vacate the repeal of the CPP). Accordingly, we expect the EPA to promulgate a new rule to regulate GHG emissions from power plants. Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines — In November 2015, the EPA revised the Effluent Limitations Guidelines ("ELG") for Steam Electric Generating Facilities, which imposed more stringent requirements (as individual permits were renewed) for wastewater streams from FGD, fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas mercury control. On September 18, 2017, the EPA promulgated a final rule that, among other things, postponed the compliance dates to preserve the status quo for FGD wastewater and bottom ash transport water by two years to November 2020 until the EPA amended the rule. On October 13, 2020, the EPA amended the 2015 ELG rule by: (i) altering the stringency of certain limits for FGD wastewater; (ii) relaxing the zero-discharge requirement for bottom ash transport water; and (iii) changing several deadlines. The Company is in the process of estimating the environmental capital expenditures that will be required to comply. The capital expenditures required to comply will depend on elections regarding future operations of each coal-fired unit. NRG expects to make these elections for each unit in the fourth quarter of 2021, at which time the EPA will be notified as required. Accordingly, we do not expect to provide estimates of ELG compliance costs until early 2022. Byproducts, Wastes, Hazardous Materials and Contamination In April 2015, the EPA finalized the rule regulating byproducts of coal combustion (e.g., ash and gypsum) as solid wastes under the RCRA. In September 2017, the EPA agreed to reconsider the rule. On July 30, 2018, the EPA promulgated a rule that amends the existing ash rule by extending some of the deadlines and providing more flexibility for compliance. On August 21, 2018, the D.C. Circuit found, among other things, that the EPA had not adequately regulated unlined ponds and legacy ponds. In 2019 and 2020, the EPA proposed several changes to this rule. On August 28, 2020, the EPA finalized "A Holistic Approach to Close Part A: Deadline to Initiate Closure," which amended the April 2015 Rule to address the August 2018 D.C. Circuit decision and extend some of the deadlines. On November 12, 2020, the EPA finalized "A Holistic Approach to Closure Part B," which further amended the April 2015 Rule to, among other things, provide procedures for requesting approval to operate existing impoundments with an alternative liner. The Company has updated its estimates of required environmental capital expenditures.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for environmental loss contingencies, such as presence of hazardous waste, relevant information from reports issued by regulators, and estimated costs to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements. This element may be used for all of an entity's disclosures about environmental loss contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2175709 + Details
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