NRG Energy (NRG) 10-Q 4 Aug 22 2022 Q2 Quarterly report Financial data

Cover

Cover - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jul. 31, 2022
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2022
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-15891
Entity Registrant Name	NRG Energy, Inc
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	41-1724239
Entity Address, Address Line One	910 Louisiana Street
Entity Address, City or Town	Houston
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	77002
City Area Code	713
Local Phone Number	537-3000
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.01
Trading Symbol	NRG
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		235,147,142
Entity Central Index Key	0001013871
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2022
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Revenue
Revenue	$ 7,282	$ 5,243	$ 15,178	$ 13,334
Operating Costs and Expenses
Cost of operations (excluding depreciation and amortization shown below)	5,887	2,948	10,817	9,805
Depreciation and amortization	157	53	340	370
Impairment losses	155	306	155	306
Selling, general and administrative costs	325	317	647	654
Provision for credit losses	26	40	51	651
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs	10	22	18	64
Total operating costs and expenses	6,560	3,686	12,028	11,850
Gain on sale of assets	32	0	29	17
Operating Income	754	1,557	3,179	1,501
Other Income/(Expense)
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	4	14	(11)	8
Other income, net	12	12	12	34
Interest expense	(105)	(125)	(208)	(252)
Total other expense	(89)	(99)	(207)	(210)
Income Before Income Taxes	665	1,458	2,972	1,291
Income tax expense	152	380	723	295
Net Income	$ 513	$ 1,078	$ 2,249	$ 996
Income per Share
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding — basic (in shares)	237,000	245,000	240,000	245,000
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding — diluted (in shares)	237,000	245,000	240,000	245,000
Income/(loss) per Weighted Average Common Share — Basic (in usd per share)	$ 2.16	$ 4.40	$ 9.37	$ 4.07
Income/(loss) per Weighted Average Common Share — Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 2.16	$ 4.40	$ 9.37	$ 4.07

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net Income	$ 513	$ 1,078	$ 2,249	$ 996
Other Comprehensive (Loss)/Income
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(22)	2	(13)	5
Defined benefit plans	20	19	19	19
Other comprehensive (loss)/income	(2)	21	6	24
Comprehensive Income	$ 511	$ 1,099	$ 2,255	$ 1,020

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 580	$ 250
Funds deposited by counterparties	3,970	845
Restricted cash	44	15
Accounts receivable, net	3,862	3,245
Uplift securitization proceeds receivable from ERCOT	0	689
Inventory	604	498
Derivative instruments	11,323	4,613
Cash collateral paid in support of energy risk management activities	295	291
Prepayments and other current assets	470	395
Total current assets	21,148	10,841
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,598	1,688
Other Assets
Equity investments in affiliates	127	157
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net	237	271
Goodwill	1,657	1,795
Intangible assets, net	2,450	2,511
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund	836	1,008
Derivative instruments	4,548	2,527
Deferred income taxes	1,501	2,155
Other non-current assets	233	229
Total other assets	11,589	10,653
Total Assets	34,335	23,182
Current Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt and finance leases	62	4
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	82	81
Accounts payable	2,933	2,274
Derivative instruments	8,000	3,387
Cash collateral received in support of energy risk management activities	3,970	845
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	1,390	1,324
Total current liabilities	16,437	7,915
Other Liabilities
Long-term debt and finance leases	7,970	7,966
Non-current operating lease liabilities	201	236
Nuclear decommissioning reserve	330	321
Nuclear decommissioning trust liability	485	666
Derivative instruments	2,565	1,412
Deferred income taxes	71	73
Other non-current liabilities	976	993
Total other liabilities	12,598	11,667
Total Liabilities	29,035	19,582
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock; $0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 423,868,387 and 423,547,174 shares issued and 235,146,021 and 243,753,899 shares outstanding at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively	4	4
Additional paid-in-capital	8,442	8,531
Retained earnings	2,600	464
Treasury stock, at cost 188,722,366 and 179,793,275 shares at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively	(5,626)	(5,273)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(120)	(126)
Total Stockholders' Equity	5,300	3,600
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity	$ 34,335	$ 23,182

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANC_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par or value (in usd per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	423,868,387	423,547,174
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	235,146,021	243,753,899
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	188,722,366	179,793,275

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_3

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net Income	$ 2,249	$ 996
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Distributions from and equity in (losses)/earnings of unconsolidated affiliates	16	14
Depreciation and amortization	340	370
Accretion of asset retirement obligations	16	14
Provision for credit losses	51	651
Amortization of nuclear fuel	28	25
Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts	11	20
Amortization of in-the-money contracts and emissions allowances	128	108
Amortization of unearned equity compensation	14	10
Net gain on sale and disposal of assets	(46)	(25)
Impairment losses	155	306
Changes in derivative instruments	(3,918)	(2,430)
Changes in deferred income taxes and liability for uncertain tax benefits	672	257
Changes in collateral deposits in support of energy risk management activities	3,121	696
Changes in nuclear decommissioning trust liability	(5)	30
Uplift securitization proceeds received from ERCOT	689	0
Changes in other working capital	(332)	(665)
Cash provided by operating activities	3,189	377
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Payments for acquisitions of businesses and assets, net of cash acquired	(53)	(3,521)
Capital expenditures	(150)	(143)
Net (purchases)/sales of emission allowances	(19)	1
Investments in nuclear decommissioning trust fund securities	(271)	(253)
Proceeds from the sale of nuclear decommissioning trust fund securities	278	226
Proceeds from sales of assets, net of cash disposed	96	198
Cash used by investing activities	(119)	(3,492)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Payments of dividends to common stockholders	(168)	(159)
Payments for share repurchase activity	(366)	(9)
Net receipts from settlement of acquired derivatives that include financing elements	950	191
Net proceeds of Revolving Credit Facility and Receivables Securitization Facilities	0	75
Repayments of long-term debt and finance leases	(2)	(4)
Payments of debt issuance costs	0	(2)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	0	1
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities	414	93
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	1
Net Increase/(Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents, Funds Deposited by Counterparties and Restricted Cash	3,484	(3,021)
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Funds Deposited by Counterparties and Restricted Cash at Beginning of Period	1,110	3,930
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Funds Deposited by Counterparties and Restricted Cash at End of Period	$ 4,594	$ 909

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions		Total	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Additional Paid-In Capital Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Retained Earnings/Accumulated Deficit	Retained Earnings/Accumulated Deficit Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Treasury Stock	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2020		$ 1,680		$ 4	$ 8,517		$ (1,403)		$ (5,232)	$ (206)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		(82)					(82)
Other comprehensive income		3								3
Equity-based awards activity, net	[1]	(5)			(5)
Issuance of common stock		1			1
Common stock dividends and dividend equivalents declared	[2]	(80)					(80)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2021		1,517		4	8,513		(1,565)		(5,232)	(203)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2020		1,680		4	8,517		(1,403)		(5,232)	(206)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		996
Other comprehensive income		24
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2021		2,544		4	8,519		(567)		(5,230)	(182)
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2021		1,517		4	8,513		(1,565)		(5,232)	(203)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		1,078					1,078
Other comprehensive income		21								21
Shares reissuance for ESPP		2							2
Equity-based awards activity, net		6			6
Common stock dividends and dividend equivalents declared		(80)					(80)
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2021		2,544		4	8,519		(567)		(5,230)	(182)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2021		3,600	$ (43)	4	8,531	$ (100)	464	$ 57	(5,273)	(126)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		1,736					1,736
Other comprehensive income		8								8
Share repurchases		(187)							(187)
Equity-based awards activity, net	[1]	2			2
Common stock dividends and dividend equivalents declared	[2]	(86)					(86)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2022		5,030		4	8,433		2,171		(5,460)	(118)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2021		3,600	$ (43)	4	8,531	$ (100)	464	$ 57	(5,273)	(126)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		2,249
Other comprehensive income		6
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2022		5,300		4	8,442		2,600		(5,626)	(120)
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2022		5,030		4	8,433		2,171		(5,460)	(118)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		513					513
Other comprehensive income		$ (2)								(2)
Shares reissuance for ESPP (in shares)		1,000
Shares reissuance for ESPP		$ 3							2
Share repurchases		(168)							(168)
Equity-based awards activity, net		8			8
Common stock dividends and dividend equivalents declared		(84)					(84)
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2022		$ 5,300		$ 4	$ 8,442		$ 2,600		$ (5,626)	$ (120)
[1]Includes $(6) million and $(9) million of equivalent shares purchased in lieu of tax withholding on equity compensation issuances for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively[2]Dividends per common share were $0.35 for the quarters ended June 30 and March 31, 2022 and $0.325 for the quarters ended June 30 and March 31, 2021

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_5

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) - $ / shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2022	Mar. 31, 2021
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Shares purchased for tax withholding obligation (in shares)	(6)	(9)
Dividends per common share (in usd per share)	$ 0.35	$ 0.325

Nature of Business and Basis of

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation General NRG Energy, Inc., or NRG or the Company, is a consumer services company built on dynamic retail brands. NRG brings the power of energy to customers by producing and selling energy and related products and services, nation-wide in the U.S. and Canada in a manner that delivers value to all of NRG's stakeholders. NRG sells power, natural gas, home and power services, and develops innovative, sustainable solutions, predominately under the brand names NRG, Reliant, Direct Energy, Green Mountain Energy, Stream, and XOOM Energy. The Company has a customer base that includes approximately 6 million Home customers as well as commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers, supported by approximately 17,000 MW of generation. The Company manages its operations based on the combined results of the retail and wholesale generation businesses with a geographical focus. The Company's business is segmented as follows: • Texas, which includes all activity related to customer, plant and market operations in Texas, other than Cottonwood; • East, which includes all activity related to customer, plant and market operations in the East; • West/Services/Other, which includes the following assets and activities: (i) all activity related to plant and market operations in the West and Canada, (ii) the Services businesses (iii) activity related to the Cottonwood facility, (iv) the remaining renewables activity, including the Company’s equity method investment in Ivanpah Master Holdings, LLC, and (v) activity related to the Company’s equity method investment for the Gladstone power plant in Australia; and • Corporate activities. The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the SEC's regulations for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. The following notes should be read in conjunction with the accounting policies and other disclosures as set forth in the notes to the consolidated financial statements in the Company's 2021 Form 10-K. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements contain all material adjustments consisting of normal and recurring accruals necessary to present fairly the Company's consolidated financial position as of June 30, 2022, and the results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and statements of stockholders' equity for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified for comparative purposes. The reclassifications did not affect consolidated results from operations, net assets or consolidated cash flows.

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Other Balance Sheet Information The following table presents the accumulated depreciation included in property, plant and equipment, net and accumulated amortization included in intangible assets, net: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Property, plant and equipment accumulated depreciation $ 1,387 $ 1,308 Intangible assets accumulated amortization 1,932 1,636 Credit Losses Retail trade receivables are reported on the balance sheet net of the allowance for credit losses. The Company accrues a provision for current expected credit losses based on (i) estimates of uncollectible revenues by analyzing accounts receivable aging and current and reasonable forecasts of expected economic factors including, but not limited to, unemployment rates and weather-related events, (ii) historical collections and delinquencies, and (iii) counterparty credit ratings for commercial and industrial customers. The following table represents the activity in the allowance for credit losses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Beginning balance $ 666 $ 749 $ 683 $ 67 Acquired balance from Direct Energy — — — 112 Provision for credit losses 26 40 51 651 Write-offs (71) (35) (121) (83) Recoveries collected 6 7 14 14 Ending balance $ 627 $ 761 $ 627 $ 761 The decrease in the provision for credit losses during the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the same period in 2021 was primarily due to the impacts of Winter Storm Uri during the prior year on bilateral finance hedging risk of $403 million, counterparty credit risk of $120 million and ERCOT default shortfall payments of $83 million. Cash and Cash Equivalents, Funds Deposited by Counterparties and Restricted Cash The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and funds deposited by counterparties reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the statements of cash flows: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents $ 580 $ 250 Funds deposited by counterparties 3,970 845 Restricted cash 44 15 Cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties and restricted cash shown in the statement of cash flows $ 4,594 $ 1,110 Funds deposited by counterparties consist of cash held by the Company as a result of collateral posting obligations from its counterparties related to NRG's hedging program. The increase in funds deposited by counterparties is driven by the significant increase in forward positions as a result of increases in natural gas and power prices compared to December 31, 2021. Though some amounts are segregated into separate accounts, not all funds are contractually restricted. Based on the Company's intention, these funds are not available for the payment of general corporate obligations; however, they are available for liquidity management. Depending on market fluctuations and the settlement of the underlying contracts, the Company will refund this collateral to the counterparties pursuant to the terms and conditions of the underlying trades. Since collateral requirements fluctuate daily and the Company cannot predict if any collateral will be held for more than twelve months, the funds deposited by counterparties are classified as a current asset on the Company's balance sheet, with an offsetting liability for this cash collateral received within current liabilities. Restricted cash consists primarily of funds held to satisfy the requirements of certain debt agreements and funds held within the Company's projects that are restricted in their uses. Winter Storm Uri Uplift Securitization Proceeds The Texas Legislature passed House Bill ("HB") 4492 in May of 2021 for ERCOT to mitigate exceptionally high price adders and ancillary service costs incurred by LSEs during Winter Storm Uri. HB 4492 authorized ERCOT to obtain $2.1 billion of financing to distribute to LSEs that were charged and paid to ERCOT those highly priced ancillary service and ORDPA during Winter Storm Uri. In December 2021, ERCOT filed with the PUCT a calculation of each LSE’s share of proceeds based on the settlement methodology. The Company accounted for the proceeds by analogy to the contribution model within ASC 958-605, Not-for-Profit Entities- Revenue Recognition and the grant model within IAS 20, Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance , as a reduction to cost of operations within its consolidated statements of operations in the 2021 annual period for which the proceeds were intended to compensate. The Company received proceeds of $689 million from ERCOT in June 2022. Goodwill The Company's goodwill balance was $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The decrease of $138 million in the Company's goodwill balance from December 31, 2021 was due to a $130 million impairment loss related to Midwest Generation in the East segment, $6 million in asset sales in the Texas segment and $2 million primarily due to foreign currency translation in the West/Services/Other segment. Recent Accounting Developments - Guidance Adopted in 2022 ASU 2020-06 — In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) , or ASU 2020-06. The guidance in ASU 2020-06 reduces the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. In addition, ASU 2020-06 improves and amends the related earnings per share guidance. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2022 using the modified retrospective approach. As a result of the provisions of the amended guidance, the Company recorded a $100 million decrease to additional paid-in capital, a $57 million decrease to debt discount, a $57 million increase to retained earnings and a $14 million decrease to long-term deferred tax liabilities. The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have a material impact on the Company's statement of operations, statement of cash flow or earnings per share amounts.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Performance Obligations As of June 30, 2022, estimated future fixed fee performance obligations are $78 million for the remaining six months of fiscal year 2022, and $77 million, $18 million, $3 million and $1 million for the fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively. These performance obligations are for cleared auction MWs in the PJM, ISO-NE, NYISO and MISO capacity auctions and are subject to penalties for non-performance. Disaggregated Revenues The following tables represent the Company’s disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021: Three months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 1,661 $ 453 $ 537 $ (1) $ 2,650 Business 910 2,947 444 — 4,301 Total retail revenue 2,571 3,400 981 (1) 6,951 Energy revenue (b) 38 128 131 9 306 Capacity revenue (b) — 89 1 — 90 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (1) (106) (38) (3) (148) Contract amortization — (11) (2) — (13) Other revenue (b) 88 16 (3) (5) 96 Total revenue 2,696 3,516 1,070 — 7,282 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (4) 8 — 4 Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (13) (123) (70) 7 (199) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,709 $ 3,643 $ 1,132 $ (7) $ 7,477 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ (19) $ (20) $ 9 $ (30) Capacity revenue — 9 — — 9 Other revenue (12) (7) (12) 1 (30) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Three months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 1,376 $ 416 $ 485 $ (2) $ 2,275 Business 582 1,702 257 — 2,541 Total retail revenue 1,958 2,118 742 (2) 4,816 Energy revenue (b) 14 101 55 1 171 Capacity revenue (b) — 255 16 — 271 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (3) (46) (26) 5 (70) Contract amortization — (8) (8) — (16) Other revenue (b) 56 10 7 (2) 71 Total revenue 2,025 2,430 786 2 5,243 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (7) (7) — (14) Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (2) 18 (31) 4 (11) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,027 $ 2,419 $ 824 $ (2) $ 5,268 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 24 $ (2) $ (1) $ 21 Capacity revenue — 40 — — 40 Other revenue 1 — (3) — (2) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Six months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 2,950 $ 1,128 $ 1,234 $ (1) $ 5,311 Business 1,573 6,793 844 — 9,210 Total retail revenue 4,523 7,921 2,078 (1) 14,521 Energy revenue (b) 53 332 185 14 584 Capacity revenue (b) — 204 2 — 206 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (3) (236) (56) 14 (281) Contract amortization — (20) (2) — (22) Other revenue (b) 146 33 1 (10) 170 Total revenue 4,719 8,234 2,208 17 15,178 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (13) 19 — 6 Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (20) (189) (112) 27 (294) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 4,739 $ 8,436 $ 2,301 $ (10) $ 15,466 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 26 $ (40) $ 13 $ (1) Capacity revenue — 22 — — 22 Other revenue (17) (1) (16) — (34) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Six months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 2,709 $ 1,000 $ 1,039 $ (2) $ 4,746 Business 1,363 4,331 538 — 6,232 Total retail revenue 4,072 5,331 1,577 (2) 10,978 Energy revenue (c) 299 227 125 2 653 Capacity revenue (c) — 396 30 — 426 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (d) (4) (50) (54) 6 (102) Contract amortization — (8) (8) — (16) Other revenue (b)(c) 1,360 29 11 (5) 1,395 Total revenue 5,727 5,925 1,681 1 13,334 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (7) (5) — (12) Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue 91 117 (65) 6 149 Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 5,636 $ 5,815 $ 1,751 $ (5) $ 13,197 (a) Home includes Services (b) Other Revenue in Texas includes ancillary revenues of $1.2 billion driven by high pricing during Winter Storm Uri (c) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 84 $ (6) $ 1 $ 79 Capacity revenue — 77 — — 77 Other revenue 95 6 (5) (1) 95 (d) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Contract Balances The following table reflects the contract assets and liabilities included in the Company’s balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Deferred customer acquisition costs $ 114 $ 133 Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers 3,609 3,057 Accounts receivable, net - Derivative instruments and leases 249 182 Accounts receivable, net - Affiliate 4 6 Total accounts receivable, net $ 3,862 $ 3,245 Unbilled revenues (included within Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers) $ 1,503 $ 1,574 Deferred revenues (a) 191 227 (a) Deferred revenues from contracts with customers for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 were approximately $184 million and $224 million, respectively The revenue recognized from contracts with customers during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 relating to the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of each period was $117 million and $23 million, respectively. The revenue recognized from contracts with customers during the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 relating to the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of each period was $106 million and $98 million, respectively. The change in deferred revenue balances during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was primarily due to the usage of customer bill credits by certain C&I customers, which were as a result of power pricing during Winter Storm Uri.

Acquisitions and Dispositions

Acquisitions and Dispositions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Business Combination and Asset Acquisition [Abstract]
Acquisitions and Dispositions	Acquisitions and Dispositions Acquisitions 2021 Acquisition of Direct Energy On January 5, 2021, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Direct Energy, which had been a North American subsidiary of Centrica. Direct Energy is a leading retail provider of electricity, natural gas, and home and business energy related products and services in North America, with operations in all 50 U.S. states and 8 Canadian provinces. The acquisition increased NRG's retail portfolio by over 3 million customers and strengthens its integrated model. It also broadens the Company's presence in the Northeast and into states and locales where it did not previously operate, supporting NRG's objective to diversify its business. The Company paid an aggregate purchase price of $3.625 billion in cash and total purchase price adjustment of $99 million, resulting in an adjusted purchase price of $3.724 billion. For additional information refer to Note 4, Acquisitions, Discontinued Operations and Dispositions , to the Company's 2021 Form 10-K. Dispositions On June 1, 2022, the Company closed on the sale of its 49% ownership in the Watson natural gas generating facility for $59 million. The Company recorded a gain on the sale of $46 million. On February 3, 2021, the Company closed on the sale of its 35% ownership in the Agua Caliente solar project to Clearway Energy, Inc. for $202 million. NRG recognized a gain on the sale of $17 million, including cash disposed of $7 million.

Fair Value of Financial Instrum

Fair Value of Financial Instruments	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments For cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties, restricted cash, accounts and other receivables, accounts payable, and cash collateral paid and received in support of energy risk management activities, the carrying amounts approximate fair values because of the short-term maturity of those instruments and are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. The estimated carrying value and fair value of the Company's financial instruments not carried at fair market value are as follows: June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 (In millions) Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value Convertible Senior Notes $ 575 $ 623 $ 518 $ 677 Other long-term debt, including current portion 7,523 6,573 7,522 7,650 Total long-term debt, including current portion (a) $ 8,098 $ 7,196 $ 8,040 $ 8,327 (a) Excludes deferred financing costs, which are recorded as a reduction to long-term debt in the Company's consolidated balance sheets The fair value of the Company's publicly-traded long-term debt is based on quoted market prices and is classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. Recurring Fair Value Measurements Debt securities, equity securities, and trust fund investments, which are comprised of various U.S. debt and equity securities, and derivative assets and liabilities, are carried at fair market value. The following tables present assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets on a recurring basis and their level within the fair value hierarchy: June 30, 2022 (In millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets) $ 17 $ — $ 17 $ — Nuclear trust fund investments: Cash and cash equivalents 17 17 — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 96 94 2 — Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 103 — 103 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 36 — 36 — Corporate debt securities 112 — 112 — Equity securities 392 392 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 2 — 2 — Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets): U.S. government and federal agency obligations 1 1 — — Derivative assets: Foreign exchange contracts 6 — 6 — Commodity contracts 15,865 2,531 11,056 2,278 Measured using net asset value practical expedient: Equity securities — nuclear trust fund investments 78 Equity securities (classified within other non-current assets) 6 Total assets $ 16,731 $ 3,035 $ 11,334 $ 2,278 Derivative liabilities: Commodity contracts 10,565 1,329 8,361 875 Total liabilities $ 10,565 $ 1,329 $ 8,361 $ 875 December 31, 2021 (In millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets) $ 32 $ 15 $ 17 $ — Nuclear trust fund investments: Cash and cash equivalents 33 33 — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 112 111 1 — Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 100 — 100 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 44 — 44 — Corporate debt securities 122 — 122 — Equity securities 494 494 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 4 — 4 — Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets): U.S. government and federal agency obligations 1 1 — — Derivative assets: Foreign exchange contracts 1 — 1 — Commodity contracts 7,139 981 5,701 457 Measured using net asset value practical expedient: Equity securities — nuclear trust fund investments 99 Equity securities (classified within other non-current assets) 7 Total assets $ 8,188 $ 1,635 $ 5,990 $ 457 Derivative liabilities: Foreign exchange contracts $ 1 $ — $ 1 $ — Commodity contracts 4,798 626 4,008 164 Total liabilities $ 4,799 $ 626 $ 4,009 $ 164 The following table reconciles, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the beginning and ending balances for financial instruments that are recognized at fair value in the condensed consolidated financial statements, using significant unobservable inputs: Fair Value Measurement Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Derivatives (a) (In millions) Three months ended June 30, 2022 Three months ended June 30, 2021 Six months ended June 30, 2022 Six months ended June 30, 2021 Beginning balance $ 528 $ 159 $ 293 $ (16) Contracts added from Direct Energy acquisition — — — (15) Total gains realized/unrealized — included in earnings 293 182 459 362 Purchases 6 58 29 78 Transfers into Level 3 (b) 568 168 621 172 Transfers out of Level 3 (b) 8 7 1 (7) Ending balance $ 1,403 $ 574 $ 1,403 $ 574 Gains for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held as of period end $ 297 $ 275 $ 534 $ 421 (a) Consists of derivative assets and liabilities, net (b) Transfers into/out of Level 3 are related to the availability of external broker quotes and are valued as of the end of the reporting period. All transfers in/out are with Level 2 Realized and unrealized gains and losses included in earnings that are related to the energy derivatives are recorded in revenues and cost of operations. Derivative Fair Value Measurements A portion of NRG's contracts are exchange-traded contracts with readily available quoted market prices. A majority of NRG's contracts are non-exchange-traded contracts valued using prices provided by external sources, primarily price quotations available through brokers or over-the-counter and on-line exchanges. The remainder of the assets and liabilities represent contracts for which external sources or observable market quotes are not available. These contracts are valued based on various valuation techniques including, but not limited to, internal models based on a fundamental analysis of the market and extrapolation of the observable market data with similar characteristics. As of June 30, 2022, contracts valued with prices provided by models and other valuation techniques make up 14% of derivative assets and 8% of derivative liabilities. NRG's significant positions classified as Level 3 include physical and financial natural gas and power contracts executed in illiquid markets, as well as FTRs. The significant unobservable inputs used in developing fair value include illiquid natural gas and power location pricing, which is derived as a basis to liquid locations. The basis spread is based on observable market data when available or derived from historic prices and forward market prices from similar observable markets when not available. For FTRs, NRG uses the most recent auction prices to derive the fair value. The following tables quantify the significant unobservable inputs used in developing the fair value of the Company's Level 3 positions as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: June 30, 2022 Fair Value Input/Range (In millions) Assets Liabilities Valuation Technique Significant Unobservable Input Low High Weighted Average Natural Gas Contracts $ 55 $ 56 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MMBtu) $ 3 $ 17 $ 5 Power Contracts 2,144 762 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MWh) 7 263 56 FTRs 79 57 Discounted Cash Flow Auction Prices (per MWh) (307) 75 1 $ 2,278 $ 875 December 31, 2021 Fair Value Input/Range (In millions) Assets Liabilities Valuation Technique Significant Unobservable Input Low High Weighted Average Natural Gas Contracts $ 16 $ 1 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MMBtu) $ 3 $ 40 $ 15 Power Contracts 392 121 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MWh) 3 212 35 FTRs 49 42 Discounted Cash Flow Auction Prices (per MWh) (122) 43 0 $ 457 $ 164 The following table provides sensitivity of fair value measurements to increases/(decreases) in significant unobservable inputs as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: Significant Unobservable Input Position Change In Input Impact on Fair Value Measurement Forward Market Price Natural Gas/Power Buy Increase/(Decrease) Higher/(Lower) Forward Market Price Natural Gas/Power Sell Increase/(Decrease) Lower/(Higher) FTR Prices Buy Increase/(Decrease) Higher/(Lower) FTR Prices Sell Increase/(Decrease) Lower/(Higher) The fair value of each contract is discounted using a risk-free interest rate. In addition, the Company applies a credit reserve to reflect credit risk, which is calculated based on published default probabilities. As of June 30, 2022, the credit reserve resulted in a $5 million decrease primarily within cost of operations. As of December 31, 2021, the credit reserve resulted in a $11 million decrease primarily within cost of operations. Concentration of Credit Risk In addition to the credit risk discussion as disclosed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , to the Company's 2021 Form 10-K, the following is a discussion of the concentration of credit risk for the Company's contractual obligations. Credit risk relates to the risk of loss resulting from non-performance or non-payment by counterparties pursuant to the terms of their contractual obligations. NRG is exposed to counterparty credit risk through various activities including wholesale sales, fuel purchases and retail supply arrangements, as well as retail customer credit risk through its retail load activities. Counterparty Credit Risk The Company's counterparty credit risk policies are disclosed in its 2021 Form 10-K. As of June 30, 2022, counterparty credit exposure, excluding credit exposure from RTOs, ISOs, registered commodity exchanges and certain long-term agreements, was $3.9 billion and NRG held collateral (cash and letters of credit) against those positions of $2.5 billion, resulting in a net exposure of $1.5 billion. NRG periodically receives collateral from counterparties in excess of their exposure. Collateral amounts shown include such excess while net exposure shown excludes excess collateral received. Approximately 80% of the Company's exposure before collateral is expected to roll off by the end of 2023. Counterparty credit exposure is valued through observable market quotes and discounted at a risk free interest rate. The following tables highlight net counterparty credit exposure by industry sector and by counterparty credit quality. Net counterparty credit exposure is defined as the aggregate net asset position for NRG with counterparties where netting is permitted under the enabling agreement and includes all cash flow, mark-to-market and NPNS, and non-derivative transactions. The exposure is shown net of collateral held and includes amounts net of receivables or payables. Net Exposure (a)(b) Category by Industry Sector (% of Total) Utilities, energy merchants, marketers and other 78 % Financial institutions 22 Total as of June 30, 2022 100 % Net Exposure (a)(b) Category by Counterparty Credit Quality (% of Total) Investment grade 52 % Non-investment grade/non-rated 48 Total as of June 30, 2022 100 % (a) Counterparty credit exposure excludes uranium and coal transportation contracts because of the unavailability of market prices (b) The figures in the tables above exclude potential counterparty credit exposure related to RTOs, ISOs, registered commodity exchanges and certain long-term contracts The Company currently has exposure to one wholesale counterparty in excess of 10% of total net exposure discussed above as of June 30, 2022. Changes in hedge positions and market prices will affect credit exposure and counterparty concentration. During the first quarter of 2021, during Winter Storm Uri, the Company experienced a nonperformance by a counterparty in one of its bilateral financial hedging transactions, resulting in exposure of $403 million. The Company is pursuing all means available to enforce its obligations under this transaction but, given the size of the exposure and the counterparty filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, cannot determine with certainty what the amount of its ultimate recovery will be. The full exposure was provided for in the allowance for credit losses since March 31, 2021. RTOs and ISOs The Company participates in the organized markets of CAISO, ERCOT, AESO, IESO, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO and PJM, known as RTOs or ISOs. Trading in the majority of these markets is approved by FERC, whereas in the case of ERCOT, it is approved by the PUCT, and whereas in the case of AESO and IESO, both exist provincially with AESO primarily subject to Alberta Utilities Commission and the IESO to the Ontario Energy Board. These ISOs may include credit policies that, under certain circumstances, require that losses arising from the default of one member on spot market transactions be shared by the remaining participants. As a result, the counterparty credit risk to these markets is limited to NRG’s share of the overall market and are excluded from the above exposures. Exchange Traded Transactions The Company enters into commodity transactions on registered exchanges, notably ICE, NYMEX and Nodal. These clearinghouses act as the counterparty and transactions are subject to extensive collateral and margining requirements. As a result, these commodity transactions have limited counterparty credit risk. Long-Term Contracts Counterparty credit exposure described above excludes credit risk exposure under certain long-term contracts, primarily solar PPAs. As external sources or observable market quotes are not always available to estimate such exposure, the Company values these contracts based on various techniques including, but not limited to, internal models based on a fundamental analysis of the market and extrapolation of observable market data with similar characteristics. Based on these valuation techniques, as of June 30, 2022, aggregate credit risk exposure managed by NRG to these counterparties was approximately $1.1 billion for the next five years. Retail Customer Credit Risk The Company is exposed to retail credit risk through the Company's retail electricity and gas providers, which serve Home and Business customers. Retail credit risk results in losses when a customer fails to pay for services rendered. The losses may result from both non-payment of customer accounts receivable and the loss of in-the-money forward value. The Company manages retail credit risk through the use of established credit policies that include monitoring of the portfolio and the use of credit mitigation measures such as deposits or prepayment arrangements. As of June 30, 2022, the Company's retail customer credit exposure to Home and Business customers was diversified across many customers and various industries, as well as government entities. Current economic conditions may affect the Company’s customers’ ability to pay bills in a timely manner, which could increase customer delinquencies and may lead to an increase in credit losses.

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust F

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Regulated Operations [Abstract]
Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund	Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund NRG's Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund assets, which are for the decommissioning of its 44% interest in STP, are comprised of securities classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value based on actively quoted market prices. NRG accounts for the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund in accordance with ASC 980, Regulated Operations , because the Company's nuclear decommissioning activities are subject to approval by the PUCT with regulated rates that are designed to recover all decommissioning costs and that can be charged to and collected from the ratepayers per PUCT mandate. Since the Company is in compliance with PUCT rules and regulations regarding decommissioning trusts and the cost of decommissioning is the responsibility of the Texas ratepayers, not NRG, all realized and unrealized gains or losses (including other-than-temporary impairments) related to the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund are recorded to the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust liability and are not included in net income or accumulated OCI, consistent with regulatory treatment. The following table summarizes the aggregate fair values and unrealized gains and losses for the securities held in the trust funds, as well as information about the contractual maturities of those securities. As of June 30, 2022 As of December 31, 2021 (In millions, except maturities) Fair Value Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Weighted-average Maturities (In years) Fair Value Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Weighted-average Maturities (In years) Cash and cash equivalents $ 17 $ — $ — — $ 33 $ — $ — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 96 1 6 10 112 5 1 10 Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 103 — 7 25 100 2 — 25 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 36 — 3 27 44 1 — 27 Corporate debt securities 112 — 10 13 122 7 1 14 Equity securities 470 331 — — 593 456 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 2 — — 18 4 — — 13 Total $ 836 $ 332 $ 26 $ 1,008 $ 471 $ 2 The following table summarizes proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities held in the trust funds and the related realized gains and losses from these sales. The cost of securities sold is determined on the specific identification method. Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 Realized gains $ 8 $ 6 Realized losses (11) (4) Proceeds from sale of securities 278 226

Accounting for Derivative Instr

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities	Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Energy-Related Commodities As of June 30, 2022, NRG had energy-related derivative instruments extending through 2036. The Company marks these derivatives to market through the statement of operations. NRG has executed energy-related contracts extending through 2038 that qualified for the NPNS exception and were therefore exempt from fair value accounting treatment. Foreign Exchange Contracts NRG is exposed to changes in foreign currency primarily associated with the purchase of USD denominated natural gas for its Canadian business. In order to manage the Company's foreign exchange risk, NRG entered into foreign exchange contracts. As of June 30, 2022, NRG had foreign exchange contracts extending through 2025. The Company marks these derivatives to market through the statement of operations. Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions The following table summarizes the net notional volume buy/(sell) of NRG's open derivative transactions broken out by category, excluding those derivatives that qualified for the NPNS exception, as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Option contracts are reflected using delta volume. Delta volume equals the notional volume of an option adjusted for the probability that the option will be in-the-money at its expiration date. Total Volume (In millions) Category Units June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Emissions Short Ton — 1 Renewable Energy Certificates Certificates 11 13 Coal Short Ton 12 19 Natural Gas MMBtu 832 813 Oil Barrels — 1 Power MWh 179 185 Foreign Exchange Dollars $ 405 $ 279 Fair Value of Derivative Instruments The following table summarizes the fair value within the derivative instrument valuation on the balance sheets: Fair Value Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Derivatives Not Designated as Cash Flow or Fair Value Hedges: Foreign exchange contracts - current $ 3 $ — $ — $ 1 Foreign exchange contracts - long-term 3 1 — — Commodity contracts - current 11,320 4,613 8,000 3,386 Commodity contracts - long-term 4,545 2,526 2,565 1,412 Total Derivatives Not Designated as Cash Flow or Fair Value Hedges $ 15,871 $ 7,140 $ 10,565 $ 4,799 The Company has elected to present derivative assets and liabilities on the balance sheet on a trade-by-trade basis and does not offset amounts at the counterparty master agreement level. In addition, collateral received or paid on the Company's derivative assets or liabilities are recorded on a separate line item on the balance sheet. The following table summarizes the offsetting of derivatives by counterparty master agreement level and collateral received or paid: Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of June 30, 2022 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 6 $ — $ — $ 6 Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 15,865 $ (9,937) $ (3,719) $ 2,209 Derivative liabilities (10,565) 9,937 73 (555) Total commodity contracts $ 5,300 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,654 Total derivative instruments $ 5,306 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,660 Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of December 31, 2021 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 1 $ (1) $ — $ — Derivative liabilities (1) 1 — — Total foreign exchange contracts $ — $ — $ — $ — Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 7,139 $ (4,440) $ (831) $ 1,868 Derivative liabilities (4,798) 4,440 17 (341) Total commodity contracts $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527 Total derivative instruments $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527 Impact of Derivative Instruments on the Statements of Operations Unrealized gains and losses associated with changes in the fair value of derivative instruments not accounted for as cash flow and fair value hedges are reflected in current period results of operations. The following table summarizes the pre-tax effects of economic hedges that have not been designated as cash flow hedges or fair value hedges and trading activity on the Company's statement of operations. The effect of foreign exchange and commodity hedges are included within revenues and cost of operations. (In millions) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, Unrealized mark-to-market results 2022 2021 2022 2021 Reversal of previously recognized unrealized (gains)/losses on settled positions related to economic hedges $ (197) $ 22 $ (605) $ 39 Reversal of acquired loss/(gain) positions related to economic hedges 48 103 (12) 248 Net unrealized gains on open positions related to economic hedges 868 1,392 3,613 1,951 Total unrealized mark-to-market gains for economic hedging activities 719 1,517 2,996 2,238 Reversal of previously recognized unrealized losses/(gains) on settled positions related to trading activity 8 (3) 9 (10) Net unrealized (losses)/gains on open positions related to trading activity (10) (7) (25) 4 Total unrealized mark-to-market (losses) for trading activity (2) (10) (16) (6) Total unrealized gains $ 717 $ 1,507 $ 2,980 $ 2,232 Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Unrealized (losses) included in revenues - commodities $ (150) $ (80) $ (297) $ (108) Unrealized gains included in cost of operations - commodities 858 1,589 3,272 2,344 Unrealized gains/(losses) included in cost of operations - foreign exchange 9 (2) 5 (4) Total impact to statement of operations - commodities $ 717 $ 1,507 $ 2,980 $ 2,232 The reversals of acquired loss positions were valued based upon the forward prices on the acquisition date. The roll-off amounts were offset by realized gains or losses at the settled prices and are reflected in revenue or cost of operations during the same period. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the unrealized gains from open economic hedge positions of $3.6 billion and $2 billion, respectively, were primarily due to increases in the value of forward positions as a result of increases in natural gas and power prices. Credit Risk Related Contingent Features Certain of the Company's trading agreements contain provisions that entitle the counterparty to demand that the Company post additional collateral if the counterparty determines that there has been deterioration in the Company's credit quality, generally termed “adequate assurance” under the agreements, or require the Company to post additional collateral if there were a downgrade in the Company's credit rating. The collateral potentially required for all contracts with adequate assurance clauses that are in a net liability position as of June 30, 2022 was $1.4 billion. The Company is also party to certain marginable agreements under which it has net liability position, but the counterparty has not called for the collateral due, which was approximately $125 million as of June 30, 2022. In the event of a downgrade in the Company's credit rating and if called for by the counterparty, $29 million of additional collateral would be required for all contracts with credit rating contingent features as of June 30, 2022. See Note 5, Fair Value of Financial Instruments , for discussion regarding concentration of credit risk.

Impairments

Impairments	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Impairments	Impairments 2022 Impairment Losses PJM Asset Impairments — During the second quarter of 2022, the results of the PJM Base Residual Auction for the 2023/2024 delivery year were released leading the Company to revise its long-term view of certain facilities and announce the planned retirement of the Joliet generating facility in May 2023. The Company considered the near-term retirement date of Joliet and the decline in PJM capacity prices to be a trigger for impairment and performed impairment tests on the PJM generating assets and the goodwill associated with Midwest Generation. The Company measured the impairment losses on the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation goodwill as the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation reporting unit, respectively. Fair values were determined using an income approach in which the Company applied a discounted cash flow methodology to the long-term budgets for the plants and reporting unit. Significant inputs impacting the income approach include the Company's long-term view of capacity and fuel prices, projected generation, the physical and economic characteristics of each plant and the reporting unit as a whole, and the discount rate applied to the after-tax cash flow projections. Impairment losses of $20 million and $130 million were recorded in the East segment on the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation goodwill, respectively. 2021 Impairment Losses PJM Asset Impairments — During the second quarter of 2021, the results of the PJM Base Residual Auction for the 2022/2023 delivery year were released leading the Company to announce the near-term retirement of a significant portion of its PJM coal generating assets in June 2022. The Company considered the decline in PJM capacity prices and the near-term retirement dates of certain assets to be a trigger for impairment and performed impairment tests on the PJM generating assets and the goodwill associated with Midwest Generation. The Company measured the impairment losses on the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation goodwill as the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation reporting unit, respectively. Fair values were determined using an income approach in which the Company applied a discounted cash flow methodology to the long-term budgets for the plants and reporting unit. Significant inputs impacting the income approach include the Company's long-term view of capacity and fuel prices, projected generation, the physical and economic characteristics of each plant, and the discount rate applied to the after-tax cash flow projections. Impairment losses of $271 million and $35 million were recorded in the East segment on the PJM generating assets and Midwest Generation goodwill, respectively.

Long-term Debt and Finance Leas

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt and Finance Leases	Long-term Debt and Finance Leases Long-term debt and finance leases consisted of the following: (In millions, except rates) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Interest rate % Recourse debt: Senior Notes, due 2027 $ 375 $ 375 6.625 Senior Notes, due 2028 821 821 5.750 Senior Notes, due 2029 733 733 5.250 Senior Notes, due 2029 500 500 3.375 Senior Notes, due 2031 1,030 1,030 3.625 Senior Notes, due 2032 1,100 1,100 3.875 Convertible Senior Notes, due 2048 (a) 575 575 2.750 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2024 600 600 3.750 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2025 500 500 2.000 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2027 900 900 2.450 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2029 500 500 4.450 Tax-exempt bonds 466 466 1.250 - 4.750 Subtotal recourse debt 8,100 8,100 Finance leases 12 13 various Subtotal long-term debt and finance leases (including current maturities) 8,112 8,113 Less current maturities (62) (4) Less debt issuance costs (78) (83) Discounts (2) (60) Total long-term debt and finance leases $ 7,970 $ 7,966 (a) As of the ex-dividend date of July 29, 2022, the Convertible Senior Notes were convertible at a price of $43.77, which is equivalent to a conversion rate of approximately 22.8467 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount. 2048 Convertible Senior Notes Accounting for Convertible Senior Notes — Upon issuance, the Convertible Senior Notes were separated into liability and equity components for accounting purposes. The carrying amounts of the liability component was initially calculated by measuring the fair value of similar liabilities that do not have an associated convertible feature. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option was determined by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the par value of the Convertible Senior Notes. This difference represented the debt discount that was amortized to interest expense over seven years, which was determined to be the expected life of the Convertible Senior Notes, using the effective interest rate method. The equity component was recorded in additional paid-in capital and was not remeasured as it continued to meet the conditions for equity classification. Following the adoption of ASU 2020-06 as of January 1, 2022, the Company no longer records the conversion feature of its convertible senior notes in equity. Instead, the Company combined the previously separated equity component with the liability component, which together is now classified as debt, thereby eliminating the subsequent amortization of the debt discount as interest expense. As a result of the provisions of the amended guidance, the Company recorded a $100 million decrease to additional paid-in capital, a $57 million decrease to debt discount, a $57 million increase to retained earnings and a $14 million decrease to long-term deferred tax liabilities. For more information on the adoption of ASU 2020-06, refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies . Modification to Convertible Senior Notes — On February 22, 2022, the Company irrevocably elected to eliminate the right to settle conversions only in shares of the Company's common stock, such that any conversion after such date, the Company will pay cash per $1,000 principal amount and will settle in cash or a combination of cash and the Company's common stock for the remainder, if any, of the Company’s conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount. Convertible Senior Notes Features — As of June 30, 2022, the Convertible Senior Notes were convertible, under certain circumstances, into cash or a combination of cash and the Company’s common stock at a price of $44.15 per common share, which is equivalent to a conversion rate of approximately 22.6516 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes. The Convertible Senior Notes mature on June 1, 2048, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with their terms. The Convertible Senior notes are convertible at the option of the holders under certain circumstances. Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding December 1, 2024, the Convertible Senior Notes will be convertible only upon the occurrence of certain events and during certain periods, and thereafter during specified periods as follows: • from December 1, 2024 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before June 1, 2025; and • from December 1, 2047 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date The following table details the interest expense recorded in connection with the Convertible Senior Notes, due 2048: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, ($ In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Contractual interest expense $ 4 $ 4 $ 8 $ 8 Amortization of discount and deferred finance costs 1 4 1 8 Total $ 5 $ 8 $ 9 $ 16 Effective Interest Rate 0.76 % 1.32 % 1.52 % 2.65 % Receivables Securitization Facilities On February 9, 2022, the Company entered into amendments to its existing Repurchase Facility to, among other things, (i) increase the size of the facility from $75 million to $150 million and (ii) replace LIBOR with term SOFR as the benchmark for the pricing rate. The Repurchase Facility has no commitment fee and borrowings will be drawn at SOFR + 1.30%. On July 26, 2022, the Company renewed its existing Repurchase Facility to, among other things, extend the maturity date to July 26, 2023. As of June 30, 2022, there were no outstanding borrowings. On July 26, 2022, NRG Receivables LLC, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of the Company, entered into an amendment to its Receivables Facility dated September 22, 2020 with a group of conduit lenders and banks and Royal Bank of Canada, as Administrative Agent to, among other things, (i) extend the scheduled termination date by one year, (ii) increase the aggregate commitments from $800 million to $1.0 billion, (iii) increase the letter of credit sublimit to equal the aggregate commitments, (iv) replace LIBOR with Term SOFR as the benchmark for borrowings and (v) add new originators. The weighted average interest rate related to usage under the Receivables Facility as of June 30, 2022 was 0.726%. As of June 30, 2022, there were no outstanding borrowings and there were $400 million in letters of credit issued under the Receivables Facility. Bilateral Letter of Credit Facilities On April 29, 2022 and May 27, 2022, the Company increased the size of the facilities by $100 million and $50 million, respectively, to provide additional liquidity, allowing for the issuance of up to $625 million of letters of credit. As of June 30, 2022, $608 million was issued under these facilities.

Investments Accounted for Using

Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Variable Interest Entities Disclosure [Abstract]
Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs	Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs Entities that are not Consolidated NRG accounts for the Company's significant investments using the equity method of accounting. NRG's carrying value of equity investments can be impacted by a number of elements including impairments, unrealized gains and losses on derivatives and movements in foreign currency exchange rates. On June 1, 2022, the Company sold its 49% ownership in the Watson natural gas generating facility to Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC for $59 million as further described in Note 4, Acquisitions and Dispositions . Variable Interest Entities that are Consolidated The Company has a controlling financial interest that has been identified as a VIE under ASC 810 in NRG Receivables LLC, which has entered into financing transactions related to the Receivables Facility as further described in Note 13, Long-term Debt and Finance Leases, to the Company’s 2021 Form 10-K. The summarized financial information for the Company's consolidated VIE consisted of the following: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Accounts receivable and Other current assets $ 1,017 $ 939 Current liabilities 153 78 Net assets $ 864 $ 861

Changes in Capital Structure

Changes in Capital Structure	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Equity [Abstract]
Changes in Capital Structure	Changes in Capital Structure As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had 500,000,000 shares of common stock authorized. The following table reflects the changes in NRG's common stock issued and outstanding: Issued Treasury Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2021 423,547,174 (179,793,275) 243,753,899 Shares issued under LTIPs 321,213 — 321,213 Shares issued under ESPP — 68,941 68,941 Shares repurchased — (8,998,032) (8,998,032) Balance as of June 30, 2022 423,868,387 (188,722,366) 235,146,021 Shares issued under LTIPs 1,121 — 1,121 Balance as of July 31, 2022 423,869,508 (188,722,366) 235,147,142 Share Repurchases On December 6, 2021 the Company announced that the Board of Directors has authorized $1 billion for share repurchases, as part of NRG’s capital allocation program. During 2021, $44 million of share repurchases were completed under this authorization. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company completed $355 million of share repurchases under the plan at an average price of $39.43. The following repurchases have been made during the six months ended June 30, 2022, and through July 31, 2022: Total number of shares and share equivalents purchased Average price paid per share and share equivalent Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased (in millions) 2022 repurchases Repurchases 8,998,032 $ 355 Equivalent shares purchased in lieu of tax withholdings on equity compensation issuances (a) 138,581 6 Total Share Repurchases during the six months ended June 30, 2022 9,136,613 $39.48 361 Equivalent shares purchased in July in lieu of tax withholdings on equity compensation issuances (a) 635 — Total Share Repurchases January 1, 2022 through July 31, 2022 9,137,248 $39.48 $ 361 (a) NRG elected to pay cash for tax withholding on equity awards instead of issuing actual shares to management. The average price per equivalent shares withheld was $42.89 and $35.98 for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and for July 2022, respectively Employee Stock Purchase Plan The Company offers participation in the ESPP which allows eligible employees to elect to withhold between 1% and 10% of their eligible compensation to purchase shares of NRG common stock at the lesser of 95% of its market value on the offering date or 95% of the fair market value on the exercise date. An offering date occurs each April 1 and October 1. An exercise date occurs each September 30 and March 31. NRG Common Stock Dividends During the first quarter of 2022, NRG increased the annual dividend to $1.40 from $1.30 per share and expects to target an annual dividend growth rate of 7%-9% per share in subsequent years. A quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share was paid on the Company's common stock during the three months ended June 30, 2022. On July 20, 2022, NRG declared a quarterly dividend on the Company's common stock of $0.35 per share, payable on August 15, 2022 to stockholders of record as of August 1, 2022.

Income Per Share

Income Per Share	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income Per Share	Income Per Share Basic income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Shares issued and treasury shares repurchased during the year are weighted for the portion of the year that they were outstanding. Diluted income per share is computed in a manner consistent with that of basic income per share while giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares that were outstanding during the period. The outstanding relative performance stock units, non-vested restricted stock units, market stock units, and non-qualified stock options are not considered outstanding for purposes of computing basic income per share. However, these instruments are included in the denominator for purposes of computing diluted income per share under the treasury stock method for periods when we have net income. The Convertible Senior Notes are convertible, under certain circumstances, into cash or combination of cash and Company’s common stock. Prior to adoption of ASU 2020-06, there was no dilutive effect for the Convertible Senior Notes due to the Company’s expectation to settle the liability in cash. Upon adoption of ASU 2020-06, on January 1, 2022, the Company is including the potential share settlements, if any, in the denominator for purposes of computing diluted income per share under the if converted method for periods when we have net income. The potential shares settlements are calculated as the excess of the Company's conversion obligation over the aggregate principal amount (which will be settled in cash), divided by the average share price for the period. For the periods ended June 30, 2022, there was no dilutive effect for the Convertible Senior Notes since there were no potential share settlements for these periods. NRG's basic and diluted income per share is shown in the following table: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions, except per share data) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Basic and diluted income per share: Net income $ 513 $ 1,078 $ 2,249 $ 996 Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 237 245 240 245 Income per weighted average common share — basic and diluted $ 2.16 $ 4.40 $ 9.37 $ 4.07

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Reporting	Segment Reporting The Company’s segment structure reflects how management currently makes financial decisions and allocates resources. The Company manages its operations based on the combined results of the retail and wholesale generation businesses with a geographical focus. NRG’s chief operating decision maker, its chief executive officer, evaluates the performance of its segments based on operational measures including adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow and allocation of capital, as well as net income/(loss). Three months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 2,696 $ 3,516 $ 1,070 $ — $ — $ 7,282 Depreciation and amortization 77 50 22 8 — 157 Impairment losses — 155 — — — 155 (Loss)/gain on sale of assets (12) — 44 — — 32 Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates — — 4 — — 4 Income/(loss) before income taxes 766 (11) 29 (119) — 665 Net income/(loss) $ 766 $ (10) $ 18 $ (261) $ — $ 513 Three months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 2,025 $ 2,430 $ 786 $ — $ 2 $ 5,243 Depreciation and amortization 84 (56) 18 7 — 53 Impairment losses — 306 — — — 306 Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates — — 14 — — 14 Income/(loss) before income taxes 783 783 51 (159) — 1,458 Net income/(loss) $ 783 $ 783 $ 38 $ (526) $ — $ 1,078 Six months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 4,719 $ 8,234 $ 2,208 $ — $ 17 $ 15,178 Depreciation and amortization 153 128 43 16 — 340 Impairment losses — 155 — — — 155 (Loss)/gain on sale of assets (12) — 43 (2) — 29 Equity in losses of unconsolidated affiliates (1) — (10) — — (11) Income/(loss) before income taxes 1,539 1,530 153 (250) — 2,972 Net income/(loss) $ 1,539 $ 1,531 $ 143 $ (964) $ — $ 2,249 Six months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 5,727 $ 5,925 $ 1,681 $ — $ 1 $ 13,334 Depreciation and amortization 161 150 45 14 — 370 Impairment losses — 306 — — — 306 Gain on sale of assets — — 17 — — 17 Equity in (losses)/earnings of unconsolidated affiliates (1) — 9 — — 8 Income/(loss) before income taxes 350 1,139 130 (328) — 1,291 Net income/(loss) $ 350 $ 1,139 $ 112 $ (605) $ — $ 996

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Effective Income Tax Rate The income tax provision consisted of the following: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions, except rates) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Income before income taxes $ 665 $ 1,458 $ 2,972 $ 1,291 Income tax expense 152 380 723 295 Effective income tax rate 22.9 % 26.1 % 24.3 % 22.9 % For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the effective tax rates were higher than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to state tax expense partially offset by tax benefit resulting from the release of valuation allowance on state net operating losses. For the three months ended June 30, 2021, the effective tax rate was higher than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to state tax expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2021 the effective tax rate was higher than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to state tax expense partially offset by one-time tax benefits, as a result of the acquisition of Direct Energy, on the revaluation of state deferred tax assets, NOLs and valuation allowance. Uncertain Tax Benefits As of June 30, 2022, NRG had a non-current tax liability of $20 million for uncertain tax benefits from positions taken on various federal and state income tax returns and accrued interest. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, NRG accrued an immaterial amount of interest relating to the uncertain tax benefits. As of June 30, 2022, NRG had cumulative interest and penalties related to these uncertain tax benefits of $1 million. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax benefits in income tax expense.

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions NRG provides services to some of its related parties, who are accounted for as equity method investments, under operations and maintenance agreements. Fees for the services under these agreements include recovery of NRG's costs of operating the plants. Certain agreements also include fees for administrative service, a base monthly fee, profit margin and/or annual incentive bonus. The following table summarizes NRG's material related party transactions with third party affiliates: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenues from Related Parties Included in Revenue Gladstone $ — $ — $ 1 $ 1 Ivanpah (a) 9 9 22 21 Midway-Sunset 1 1 3 3 Total $ 10 $ 10 $ 26 $ 25 (a) Also includes fees under project management agreements with each project company

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Commitments First Lien Structure NRG has granted first liens to certain counterparties on a substantial portion of property and assets owned by NRG and the guarantors of its senior debt. NRG uses the first lien structure to reduce the amount of cash collateral and letters of credit that it would otherwise be required to post from time to time to support its obligations under out-of-the-money hedges. To the extent that the underlying hedge positions for a counterparty are out-of-the-money to NRG, the counterparty would have a claim under the first lien program. As of June 30, 2022, hedges under the first lien program were out-of-the-money for NRG on a counterparty aggregate basis. Contingencies The Company's material legal proceedings are described below. The Company believes that it has valid defenses to these legal proceedings and intends to defend them vigorously. NRG records accruals for estimated losses from contingencies when information available indicates that a loss is probable and the amount of the loss, or range of loss, can be reasonably estimated. As applicable, the Company has established an adequate accrual for the applicable legal matters, including regulatory and environmental matters as further discussed in Note 17, Regulatory Matters , and Note 18, Environmental Matters . In addition, legal costs are expensed as incurred. Management has assessed each of the following matters based on current information and made a judgment concerning its potential outcome, considering the nature of the claim, the amount and nature of damages sought, and the probability of success. Unless specified below, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of these legal proceedings or reasonably estimate the scope or amount of any associated costs and potential liabilities. As additional information becomes available, management adjusts its assessment and estimates of such contingencies accordingly. Because litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and unfavorable rulings or developments, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of the Company's liabilities and contingencies could be at amounts that are different from its currently recorded accruals and that such differences could be material. In addition to the legal proceedings noted below, NRG and its subsidiaries are party to other litigation or legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. In management's opinion, the disposition of these ordinary course matters will not materially adversely affect NRG's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Environmental Lawsuits Sierra club et al. v. Midwest Generation LLC — In 2012, several environmental groups filed a complaint against Midwest Generation with the Illinois Pollution Control Board ("IPCB") alleging violations of environmental law resulting in groundwater contamination. In June 2019, the IPCB found in an interim order that Midwest Generation violated the law because it had improperly handled coal ash at four facilities in Illinois and caused or allowed coal ash constituents to impact groundwater. On September 9, 2019, Midwest Generation filed a Motion to Reconsider numerous issues, which the court granted in part and denied in part on February 6, 2020. The IPCB will hold hearings to determine the appropriate relief. Midwest Generation has been working with the Illinois EPA to address the groundwater issues since 2010. Consumer Lawsuits Similar to other energy service companies (“ESCOs”) operating in the industry, from time-to-time, the Company and/or its subsidiaries may be subject to consumer lawsuits in various jurisdictions where they sell natural gas and electricity. Variable Price Cases — In the cases set forth below, referred to as the Variable Price Cases, such actions involve consumers alleging that one of the Company’s ESCOs promised that consumers would pay the same or less than they would have paid if they stayed with their default utility or previous energy supplier. The underlying claims of each case are similar and the Company continues to deny the allegations and is vigorously defending these matters. These matters were known and accrued for at the time of each acquisition. XOOM Energy XOOM Energy is a defendant in a putative class action lawsuit pending in New York. This case is in the discovery phase. Direct Energy There are three putative class actions pending against Direct Energy: (1) Linda Stanley v. Direct Energy (S.D.N.Y Apr. 2019) - The parties mediated in June 2021 and agreed on a settlement. In April 2022, the Court granted final approval of the settlement, which was primarily paid during the second quarter of 2022; (2) Martin Forte v. Direct Energy (N.D.N.Y. Mar. 2017) - In December 2021, the Court granted Direct Energy's Motion for summary judgment effectively ending the matter at the district court level. In January 2022, Forte appealed. The briefing is almost complete. Oral arguments are anticipated to be held in September 2022; and (3) Richard Schafer v. Direct Energy (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 2019; on appeal 2nd Cir. N.Y.) - The 2 nd Circuit sent the matter back to the trial court in December 2021. After brief discovery, Direct Energy is now briefing summary judgment and expects to prevail. Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA") Cases — In the cases set forth below, referred to as the TCPA Cases, such actions involve consumers alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, as amended, by receiving calls, texts or voicemails without consent in violation of the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule, and/or state counterpart legislation. The underlying claims of each case are similar. The Company denies the allegations asserted by plaintiffs and intends to vigorously defend these matters. These matters were known and accrued for at the time of the acquisition. There are two putative class actions pending against Direct Energy: (1) Holly Newman v. Direct Energy, LP (D. Md Sept 2021) - Direct Energy filed its Motion to Dismiss asserting the ruling in the Brittany Burk v. Direct Energy (S.D. Tex. Feb 2019) preempts the Plaintiff's ability to file suit based on the same facts; and (2) Matthew Dickson v. Direct Energy (N.D. Ohio Jan. 2018) - The case was stayed pending the outcome of an appeal to the Sixth Circuit based on the unconstitutionality of the TCPA during the period from 2015-2020. The Sixth Circuit found the TCPA was in effect during that period and remanded the case back to the trial court. Direct Energy refiled its motions along with supplements. On March 25, 2022, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of Direct Energy and dismissed the case. Dickson appealed his summary judgment loss. Direct Energy is briefing the appeal. Winter Storm Uri Lawsuits The Company has been named in certain property damage and wrongful death claims that have been filed in connection with Winter Storm Uri in its capacity as a generator and a retail electric provider. As a power generator, the Company is named in 161 cases with claims ranging from: wrongful death; personal injury only; property damage and personal injury; property damage only; and subrogation. As a retail electric provider, the Company is named in 27 lawsuits with similar claims: wrongful death; property damage only; personal injury only; and both personal injury and property damage. The power generators and retail electric providers are working together to file five motions to dismiss that represent the breadth of the claims filed against them. The briefing is expected to be complete in September 2022. All of the lawsuits related to Winter Storm Uri are consolidated into a single multi-district litigation matter in Harris County District Court. The Company intends to vigorously defend these matters. Indemnifications and Other Contractual Arrangements Washington-St. Tammany and Claiborne Electric Cooperative v. LaGen — On June 28, 2017, plaintiffs Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Claiborne Electric Cooperative, Inc. filed a lawsuit against LaGen in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. The plaintiffs claimed breach of contract against LaGen for allegedly improperly charging the plaintiffs for costs related to the installation and maintenance of certain pollution control technology. Plaintiffs sought damages for the alleged improper charges and a declaration as to which charges were proper under the contract. In February 2020, the court dismissed this lawsuit without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. On March 17, 2020, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge in Louisiana alleging substantially the same matters. On February 4, 2019, NRG sold the South Central Portfolio, including the entities

Regulatory Matters

Regulatory Matters	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Regulatory Matters Disclosure [Abstract]
Regulatory Matters	Regulatory Matters Environmental regulatory matters are discussed within Note 18, Environmental Matters. NRG operates in a highly regulated industry and is subject to regulation by various federal, state and provincial agencies. As such, NRG is affected by regulatory developments at the federal, state and provincial levels and in the regions in which NRG operates. In addition, NRG is subject to the market rules, procedures, and protocols of the various ISO and RTO markets in which NRG participates. These power markets are subject to ongoing legislative and regulatory changes that may impact NRG's wholesale and retail operations. In addition to the regulatory proceeding noted below, NRG and its subsidiaries are parties to other regulatory proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business or have other regulatory exposure. In management's opinion, the disposition of these ordinary course matters will not materially adversely affect NRG's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. California Station Power — As the result of unfavorable final and non-appealable litigation, the Company accrued a liability associated with consumption of station power at the Company's Encina power plant facility in California after August 30, 2010. The Company has established an appropriate accrual pending potential regulatory action by San Diego Gas & Electric regarding the Company's Encina facility.

Environmental Matters

Environmental Matters	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies 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 CPP/ACE Rules — 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 required 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 have vacated the repeal of the CPP). On June 30, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the "generation shifting" approach in the CPP exceeded the powers granted to the EPA by Congress. The Court did not address the related issues of whether the EPA may adopt only measures applied at each source. The Company anticipates that there will be additional proceedings at the D.C. Circuit and additional rulemaking by the EPA over the next several years. Cross-State Air Pollution Rule ("CSAPR") — In April 2022, the EPA proposed revising the CSAPR to address the good-neighbor provisions of the 2015 ozone NAAQS. If the rule were finalized as proposed, it would apply to 25 states (including Texas) beginning in 2023. In 2023, the revised Group 3 trading program (previously established in the Revised CSAPR Update Rule) would have emission budgets based on NOx emission rates that the EPA says are achievable by existing controls at power plants. Starting in 2026, the NOx budgets would be reduced significantly based on levels achievable if selective catalytic reduction ("SCR") controls were installed at coal-fueled power plants that do not currently have such controls. Starting in 2025, the budgets would be updated annually to account for retirements, changes to operations and new units. The proposal also contemplates heightened surrender requirements for units that exceed certain NOx emission rate thresholds. Comments on the proposed rule were due in June 2022 and numerous detailed comments were submitted. The Company cannot predict the outcome of this proposed revision and anticipates that this rulemaking will be subject to legal challenges after it is finalized. 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. On July 26, 2021, the EPA announced that it is initiating a new rulemaking to evaluate revising the ELG rule. While the EPA is developing the new rule, the existing rule (as amended in 2020) will stay in place, and the EPA expects permitting authorities to continue to implement the current regulation. The EPA anticipates releasing a proposed rule in fall 2022. In October 2021, NRG informed its regulators that the Company intends to comply with the ELG by ceasing combustion of coal by the end of 2028 at its domestic coal units outside of Texas, and installing appropriate controls by the end of 2025 at its two plants in Texas. 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 amended 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.

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Use of Estimates	Use of EstimatesThe preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Reclassifications	ReclassificationsCertain prior period amounts have been reclassified for comparative purposes. The reclassifications did not affect consolidated results from operations, net assets or consolidated cash flows
Credit Losses	Credit Losses Retail trade receivables are reported on the balance sheet net of the allowance for credit losses. The Company accrues a provision for current expected credit losses based on (i) estimates of uncollectible revenues by analyzing accounts receivable aging and current and reasonable forecasts of expected economic factors including, but not limited to, unemployment rates and weather-related events, (ii) historical collections and delinquencies, and (iii) counterparty credit ratings for commercial and industrial customers.
Restricted Cash	Funds deposited by counterparties consist of cash held by the Company as a result of collateral posting obligations from its counterparties related to NRG's hedging program. The increase in funds deposited by counterparties is driven by the significant increase in forward positions as a result of increases in natural gas and power prices compared to December 31, 2021. Though some amounts are segregated into separate accounts, not all funds are contractually restricted. Based on the Company's intention, these funds are not available for the payment of general corporate obligations; however, they are available for liquidity management. Depending on market fluctuations and the settlement of the underlying contracts, the Company will refund this collateral to the counterparties pursuant to the terms and conditions of the underlying trades. Since collateral requirements fluctuate daily and the Company cannot predict if any collateral will be held for more than twelve months, the funds deposited by counterparties are classified as a current asset on the Company's balance sheet, with an offsetting liability for this cash collateral received within current liabilities. Restricted cash consists primarily of funds held to satisfy the requirements of certain debt agreements and funds held within the Company's projects that are restricted in their uses.
Winter Storm Uri Uplift Securitization Proceeds	Winter Storm Uri Uplift Securitization Proceeds The Texas Legislature passed House Bill ("HB") 4492 in May of 2021 for ERCOT to mitigate exceptionally high price adders and ancillary service costs incurred by LSEs during Winter Storm Uri. HB 4492 authorized ERCOT to obtain $2.1 billion of financing to distribute to LSEs that were charged and paid to ERCOT those highly priced ancillary service and ORDPA during Winter Storm Uri. In December 2021, ERCOT filed with the PUCT a calculation of each LSE’s share of proceeds based on the settlement methodology. The Company accounted for the proceeds by analogy to the contribution model within ASC 958-605, Not-for-Profit Entities- Revenue Recognition and the grant model within IAS 20, Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance
Recent Accounting Developments	Recent Accounting Developments - Guidance Adopted in 2022 ASU 2020-06 — In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) , or ASU 2020-06. The guidance in ASU 2020-06 reduces the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. In addition, ASU 2020-06 improves and amends the related earnings per share guidance. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2022 using the modified retrospective approach. As a result of the provisions of the amended guidance, the Company recorded a $100 million decrease to additional paid-in capital, a $57 million decrease to debt discount, a $57 million increase to retained earnings and a $14 million decrease to long-term deferred tax liabilities. The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have a material impact on the Company's statement of operations, statement of cash flow or earnings per share amounts.
Nuclear Decommissioning	NRG's Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund assets, which are for the decommissioning of its 44% interest in STP, are comprised of securities classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value based on actively quoted market prices. NRG accounts for the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund in accordance with ASC 980, Regulated Operations
Segment Reporting	The Company’s segment structure reflects how management currently makes financial decisions and allocates resources. The Company manages its operations based on the combined results of the retail and wholesale generation businesses with a geographical focus. NRG’s chief operating decision maker, its chief executive officer, evaluates the performance of its segments based on operational measures including adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow and allocation of capital, as well as net income/(loss).

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Other Balance Sheet Information	The following table presents the accumulated depreciation included in property, plant and equipment, net and accumulated amortization included in intangible assets, net: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Property, plant and equipment accumulated depreciation $ 1,387 $ 1,308 Intangible assets accumulated amortization 1,932 1,636
Activity in Allowance for Credit Losses	The following table represents the activity in the allowance for credit losses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Beginning balance $ 666 $ 749 $ 683 $ 67 Acquired balance from Direct Energy — — — 112 Provision for credit losses 26 40 51 651 Write-offs (71) (35) (121) (83) Recoveries collected 6 7 14 14 Ending balance $ 627 $ 761 $ 627 $ 761
Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Funds Deposited by Counterparties	The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and funds deposited by counterparties reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the statements of cash flows: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents $ 580 $ 250 Funds deposited by counterparties 3,970 845 Restricted cash 44 15 Cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties and restricted cash shown in the statement of cash flows $ 4,594 $ 1,110

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue from Contracts with Customer	Disaggregated Revenues The following tables represent the Company’s disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021: Three months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 1,661 $ 453 $ 537 $ (1) $ 2,650 Business 910 2,947 444 — 4,301 Total retail revenue 2,571 3,400 981 (1) 6,951 Energy revenue (b) 38 128 131 9 306 Capacity revenue (b) — 89 1 — 90 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (1) (106) (38) (3) (148) Contract amortization — (11) (2) — (13) Other revenue (b) 88 16 (3) (5) 96 Total revenue 2,696 3,516 1,070 — 7,282 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (4) 8 — 4 Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (13) (123) (70) 7 (199) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,709 $ 3,643 $ 1,132 $ (7) $ 7,477 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ (19) $ (20) $ 9 $ (30) Capacity revenue — 9 — — 9 Other revenue (12) (7) (12) 1 (30) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Three months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 1,376 $ 416 $ 485 $ (2) $ 2,275 Business 582 1,702 257 — 2,541 Total retail revenue 1,958 2,118 742 (2) 4,816 Energy revenue (b) 14 101 55 1 171 Capacity revenue (b) — 255 16 — 271 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (3) (46) (26) 5 (70) Contract amortization — (8) (8) — (16) Other revenue (b) 56 10 7 (2) 71 Total revenue 2,025 2,430 786 2 5,243 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (7) (7) — (14) Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (2) 18 (31) 4 (11) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,027 $ 2,419 $ 824 $ (2) $ 5,268 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 24 $ (2) $ (1) $ 21 Capacity revenue — 40 — — 40 Other revenue 1 — (3) — (2) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Six months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 2,950 $ 1,128 $ 1,234 $ (1) $ 5,311 Business 1,573 6,793 844 — 9,210 Total retail revenue 4,523 7,921 2,078 (1) 14,521 Energy revenue (b) 53 332 185 14 584 Capacity revenue (b) — 204 2 — 206 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (c) (3) (236) (56) 14 (281) Contract amortization — (20) (2) — (22) Other revenue (b) 146 33 1 (10) 170 Total revenue 4,719 8,234 2,208 17 15,178 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (13) 19 — 6 Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue (20) (189) (112) 27 (294) Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 4,739 $ 8,436 $ 2,301 $ (10) $ 15,466 (a) Home includes Services (b) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 26 $ (40) $ 13 $ (1) Capacity revenue — 22 — — 22 Other revenue (17) (1) (16) — (34) (c) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 Six months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Retail revenue: Home (a) $ 2,709 $ 1,000 $ 1,039 $ (2) $ 4,746 Business 1,363 4,331 538 — 6,232 Total retail revenue 4,072 5,331 1,577 (2) 10,978 Energy revenue (c) 299 227 125 2 653 Capacity revenue (c) — 396 30 — 426 Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities (d) (4) (50) (54) 6 (102) Contract amortization — (8) (8) — (16) Other revenue (b)(c) 1,360 29 11 (5) 1,395 Total revenue 5,727 5,925 1,681 1 13,334 Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815 — (7) (5) — (12) Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue 91 117 (65) 6 149 Total revenue from contracts with customers $ 5,636 $ 5,815 $ 1,751 $ (5) $ 13,197 (a) Home includes Services (b) Other Revenue in Texas includes ancillary revenues of $1.2 billion driven by high pricing during Winter Storm Uri (c) The following table represents the realized revenues related to derivative instruments that are accounted for under ASC 815 and included in the amounts above: (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate/Eliminations Total Energy revenue $ — $ 84 $ (6) $ 1 $ 79 Capacity revenue — 77 — — 77 Other revenue 95 6 (5) (1) 95 (d) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815
Contract Asset and Liabilities	The following table reflects the contract assets and liabilities included in the Company’s balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Deferred customer acquisition costs $ 114 $ 133 Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers 3,609 3,057 Accounts receivable, net - Derivative instruments and leases 249 182 Accounts receivable, net - Affiliate 4 6 Total accounts receivable, net $ 3,862 $ 3,245 Unbilled revenues (included within Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers) $ 1,503 $ 1,574 Deferred revenues (a) 191 227 (a) Deferred revenues from contracts with customers for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 were approximately $184 million and $224 million, respectively

Fair Value of Financial Instr_2

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Estimated carrying amounts and fair values of NRG's recorded financial instruments not carried at fair market value	The estimated carrying value and fair value of the Company's financial instruments not carried at fair market value are as follows: June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 (In millions) Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value Convertible Senior Notes $ 575 $ 623 $ 518 $ 677 Other long-term debt, including current portion 7,523 6,573 7,522 7,650 Total long-term debt, including current portion (a) $ 8,098 $ 7,196 $ 8,040 $ 8,327 (a) Excludes deferred financing costs, which are recorded as a reduction to long-term debt in the Company's consolidated balance sheets
Assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets on a recurring basis	The following tables present assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets on a recurring basis and their level within the fair value hierarchy: June 30, 2022 (In millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets) $ 17 $ — $ 17 $ — Nuclear trust fund investments: Cash and cash equivalents 17 17 — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 96 94 2 — Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 103 — 103 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 36 — 36 — Corporate debt securities 112 — 112 — Equity securities 392 392 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 2 — 2 — Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets): U.S. government and federal agency obligations 1 1 — — Derivative assets: Foreign exchange contracts 6 — 6 — Commodity contracts 15,865 2,531 11,056 2,278 Measured using net asset value practical expedient: Equity securities — nuclear trust fund investments 78 Equity securities (classified within other non-current assets) 6 Total assets $ 16,731 $ 3,035 $ 11,334 $ 2,278 Derivative liabilities: Commodity contracts 10,565 1,329 8,361 875 Total liabilities $ 10,565 $ 1,329 $ 8,361 $ 875 December 31, 2021 (In millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets) $ 32 $ 15 $ 17 $ — Nuclear trust fund investments: Cash and cash equivalents 33 33 — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 112 111 1 — Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 100 — 100 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 44 — 44 — Corporate debt securities 122 — 122 — Equity securities 494 494 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 4 — 4 — Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets): U.S. government and federal agency obligations 1 1 — — Derivative assets: Foreign exchange contracts 1 — 1 — Commodity contracts 7,139 981 5,701 457 Measured using net asset value practical expedient: Equity securities — nuclear trust fund investments 99 Equity securities (classified within other non-current assets) 7 Total assets $ 8,188 $ 1,635 $ 5,990 $ 457 Derivative liabilities: Foreign exchange contracts $ 1 $ — $ 1 $ — Commodity contracts 4,798 626 4,008 164 Total liabilities $ 4,799 $ 626 $ 4,009 $ 164
Reconciliation of beginning and ending balances for financial instruments that are recognized at fair value in the consolidated financial statements at least annually using significant unobservable inputs	The following table reconciles, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the beginning and ending balances for financial instruments that are recognized at fair value in the condensed consolidated financial statements, using significant unobservable inputs: Fair Value Measurement Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Derivatives (a) (In millions) Three months ended June 30, 2022 Three months ended June 30, 2021 Six months ended June 30, 2022 Six months ended June 30, 2021 Beginning balance $ 528 $ 159 $ 293 $ (16) Contracts added from Direct Energy acquisition — — — (15) Total gains realized/unrealized — included in earnings 293 182 459 362 Purchases 6 58 29 78 Transfers into Level 3 (b) 568 168 621 172 Transfers out of Level 3 (b) 8 7 1 (7) Ending balance $ 1,403 $ 574 $ 1,403 $ 574 Gains for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held as of period end $ 297 $ 275 $ 534 $ 421 (a) Consists of derivative assets and liabilities, net (b) Transfers into/out of Level 3 are related to the availability of external broker quotes and are valued as of the end of the reporting period. All transfers in/out are with Level 2
Significant unobservable inputs used developing fair values, Quantitative Information	The following tables quantify the significant unobservable inputs used in developing the fair value of the Company's Level 3 positions as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: June 30, 2022 Fair Value Input/Range (In millions) Assets Liabilities Valuation Technique Significant Unobservable Input Low High Weighted Average Natural Gas Contracts $ 55 $ 56 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MMBtu) $ 3 $ 17 $ 5 Power Contracts 2,144 762 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MWh) 7 263 56 FTRs 79 57 Discounted Cash Flow Auction Prices (per MWh) (307) 75 1 $ 2,278 $ 875 December 31, 2021 Fair Value Input/Range (In millions) Assets Liabilities Valuation Technique Significant Unobservable Input Low High Weighted Average Natural Gas Contracts $ 16 $ 1 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MMBtu) $ 3 $ 40 $ 15 Power Contracts 392 121 Discounted Cash Flow Forward Market Price (per MWh) 3 212 35 FTRs 49 42 Discounted Cash Flow Auction Prices (per MWh) (122) 43 0 $ 457 $ 164
Fair value inputs, sensitivity analysis	The following table provides sensitivity of fair value measurements to increases/(decreases) in significant unobservable inputs as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: Significant Unobservable Input Position Change In Input Impact on Fair Value Measurement Forward Market Price Natural Gas/Power Buy Increase/(Decrease) Higher/(Lower) Forward Market Price Natural Gas/Power Sell Increase/(Decrease) Lower/(Higher) FTR Prices Buy Increase/(Decrease) Higher/(Lower) FTR Prices Sell Increase/(Decrease) Lower/(Higher)
Net counterparty credit exposure by industry sector and by counterparty credit quality	The following tables highlight net counterparty credit exposure by industry sector and by counterparty credit quality. Net counterparty credit exposure is defined as the aggregate net asset position for NRG with counterparties where netting is permitted under the enabling agreement and includes all cash flow, mark-to-market and NPNS, and non-derivative transactions. The exposure is shown net of collateral held and includes amounts net of receivables or payables. Net Exposure (a)(b) Category by Industry Sector (% of Total) Utilities, energy merchants, marketers and other 78 % Financial institutions 22 Total as of June 30, 2022 100 % Net Exposure (a)(b) Category by Counterparty Credit Quality (% of Total) Investment grade 52 % Non-investment grade/non-rated 48 Total as of June 30, 2022 100 % (a) Counterparty credit exposure excludes uranium and coal transportation contracts because of the unavailability of market prices (b) The figures in the tables above exclude potential counterparty credit exposure related to RTOs, ISOs, registered commodity exchanges and certain long-term contracts

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust_2

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Regulated Operations [Abstract]
Summary of aggregate fair values and unrealized gains and losses for the securities held in the trust fund	The following table summarizes the aggregate fair values and unrealized gains and losses for the securities held in the trust funds, as well as information about the contractual maturities of those securities. As of June 30, 2022 As of December 31, 2021 (In millions, except maturities) Fair Value Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Weighted-average Maturities (In years) Fair Value Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Weighted-average Maturities (In years) Cash and cash equivalents $ 17 $ — $ — — $ 33 $ — $ — — U.S. government and federal agency obligations 96 1 6 10 112 5 1 10 Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 103 — 7 25 100 2 — 25 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 36 — 3 27 44 1 — 27 Corporate debt securities 112 — 10 13 122 7 1 14 Equity securities 470 331 — — 593 456 — — Foreign government fixed income securities 2 — — 18 4 — — 13 Total $ 836 $ 332 $ 26 $ 1,008 $ 471 $ 2
Summary of proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities and the related realized gains and losses	The following table summarizes proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities held in the trust funds and the related realized gains and losses from these sales. The cost of securities sold is determined on the specific identification method. Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 Realized gains $ 8 $ 6 Realized losses (11) (4) Proceeds from sale of securities 278 226

Accounting for Derivative Ins_2

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Net notional volume buy/(sell) of NRG's open derivative transactions broken out by commodity	The following table summarizes the net notional volume buy/(sell) of NRG's open derivative transactions broken out by category, excluding those derivatives that qualified for the NPNS exception, as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Option contracts are reflected using delta volume. Delta volume equals the notional volume of an option adjusted for the probability that the option will be in-the-money at its expiration date. Total Volume (In millions) Category Units June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Emissions Short Ton — 1 Renewable Energy Certificates Certificates 11 13 Coal Short Ton 12 19 Natural Gas MMBtu 832 813 Oil Barrels — 1 Power MWh 179 185 Foreign Exchange Dollars $ 405 $ 279
Fair value within the derivative instrument valuation on the balance sheets	The following table summarizes the fair value within the derivative instrument valuation on the balance sheets: Fair Value Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Derivatives Not Designated as Cash Flow or Fair Value Hedges: Foreign exchange contracts - current $ 3 $ — $ — $ 1 Foreign exchange contracts - long-term 3 1 — — Commodity contracts - current 11,320 4,613 8,000 3,386 Commodity contracts - long-term 4,545 2,526 2,565 1,412 Total Derivatives Not Designated as Cash Flow or Fair Value Hedges $ 15,871 $ 7,140 $ 10,565 $ 4,799
Offsetting of derivatives by counterparty assets	The following table summarizes the offsetting of derivatives by counterparty master agreement level and collateral received or paid: Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of June 30, 2022 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 6 $ — $ — $ 6 Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 15,865 $ (9,937) $ (3,719) $ 2,209 Derivative liabilities (10,565) 9,937 73 (555) Total commodity contracts $ 5,300 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,654 Total derivative instruments $ 5,306 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,660 Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of December 31, 2021 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 1 $ (1) $ — $ — Derivative liabilities (1) 1 — — Total foreign exchange contracts $ — $ — $ — $ — Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 7,139 $ (4,440) $ (831) $ 1,868 Derivative liabilities (4,798) 4,440 17 (341) Total commodity contracts $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527 Total derivative instruments $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527
Offsetting of derivatives by counterparty, liabilities	The following table summarizes the offsetting of derivatives by counterparty master agreement level and collateral received or paid: Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of June 30, 2022 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 6 $ — $ — $ 6 Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 15,865 $ (9,937) $ (3,719) $ 2,209 Derivative liabilities (10,565) 9,937 73 (555) Total commodity contracts $ 5,300 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,654 Total derivative instruments $ 5,306 $ — $ (3,646) $ 1,660 Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position (In millions) Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities Derivative Instruments Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted Net Amount As of December 31, 2021 Foreign exchange contracts: Derivative assets $ 1 $ (1) $ — $ — Derivative liabilities (1) 1 — — Total foreign exchange contracts $ — $ — $ — $ — Commodity contracts: Derivative assets $ 7,139 $ (4,440) $ (831) $ 1,868 Derivative liabilities (4,798) 4,440 17 (341) Total commodity contracts $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527 Total derivative instruments $ 2,341 $ — $ (814) $ 1,527
Pre-tax effects of economic hedges that have not been designated as cash flow hedges, ineffectiveness on cash flow hedges and trading activity on the Company's statement of operations	The following table summarizes the pre-tax effects of economic hedges that have not been designated as cash flow hedges or fair value hedges and trading activity on the Company's statement of operations. The effect of foreign exchange and commodity hedges are included within revenues and cost of operations. (In millions) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, Unrealized mark-to-market results 2022 2021 2022 2021 Reversal of previously recognized unrealized (gains)/losses on settled positions related to economic hedges $ (197) $ 22 $ (605) $ 39 Reversal of acquired loss/(gain) positions related to economic hedges 48 103 (12) 248 Net unrealized gains on open positions related to economic hedges 868 1,392 3,613 1,951 Total unrealized mark-to-market gains for economic hedging activities 719 1,517 2,996 2,238 Reversal of previously recognized unrealized losses/(gains) on settled positions related to trading activity 8 (3) 9 (10) Net unrealized (losses)/gains on open positions related to trading activity (10) (7) (25) 4 Total unrealized mark-to-market (losses) for trading activity (2) (10) (16) (6) Total unrealized gains $ 717 $ 1,507 $ 2,980 $ 2,232 Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Unrealized (losses) included in revenues - commodities $ (150) $ (80) $ (297) $ (108) Unrealized gains included in cost of operations - commodities 858 1,589 3,272 2,344 Unrealized gains/(losses) included in cost of operations - foreign exchange 9 (2) 5 (4) Total impact to statement of operations - commodities $ 717 $ 1,507 $ 2,980 $ 2,232

Long-term Debt and Finance Le_2

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt and Finance Leases	Long-term debt and finance leases consisted of the following: (In millions, except rates) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Interest rate % Recourse debt: Senior Notes, due 2027 $ 375 $ 375 6.625 Senior Notes, due 2028 821 821 5.750 Senior Notes, due 2029 733 733 5.250 Senior Notes, due 2029 500 500 3.375 Senior Notes, due 2031 1,030 1,030 3.625 Senior Notes, due 2032 1,100 1,100 3.875 Convertible Senior Notes, due 2048 (a) 575 575 2.750 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2024 600 600 3.750 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2025 500 500 2.000 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2027 900 900 2.450 Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2029 500 500 4.450 Tax-exempt bonds 466 466 1.250 - 4.750 Subtotal recourse debt 8,100 8,100 Finance leases 12 13 various Subtotal long-term debt and finance leases (including current maturities) 8,112 8,113 Less current maturities (62) (4) Less debt issuance costs (78) (83) Discounts (2) (60) Total long-term debt and finance leases $ 7,970 $ 7,966 (a) As of the ex-dividend date of July 29, 2022, the Convertible Senior Notes were convertible at a price of $43.77, which is equivalent to a conversion rate of approximately 22.8467 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount.
Schedule of Debt Instrument, Interest Expense	The following table details the interest expense recorded in connection with the Convertible Senior Notes, due 2048: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, ($ In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Contractual interest expense $ 4 $ 4 $ 8 $ 8 Amortization of discount and deferred finance costs 1 4 1 8 Total $ 5 $ 8 $ 9 $ 16 Effective Interest Rate 0.76 % 1.32 % 1.52 % 2.65 %

Investments Accounted for Usi_2

Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Variable Interest Entities Disclosure [Abstract]
Financial Information for Consolidated VIEs	The summarized financial information for the Company's consolidated VIE consisted of the following: (In millions) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Accounts receivable and Other current assets $ 1,017 $ 939 Current liabilities 153 78 Net assets $ 864 $ 861

Changes in Capital Structure (T

Changes in Capital Structure (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Equity [Abstract]
Changes in NRG's common shares issued and outstanding	As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had 500,000,000 shares of common stock authorized. The following table reflects the changes in NRG's common stock issued and outstanding: Issued Treasury Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2021 423,547,174 (179,793,275) 243,753,899 Shares issued under LTIPs 321,213 — 321,213 Shares issued under ESPP — 68,941 68,941 Shares repurchased — (8,998,032) (8,998,032) Balance as of June 30, 2022 423,868,387 (188,722,366) 235,146,021 Shares issued under LTIPs 1,121 — 1,121 Balance as of July 31, 2022 423,869,508 (188,722,366) 235,147,142
Shares Repurchased	The following repurchases have been made during the six months ended June 30, 2022, and through July 31, 2022: Total number of shares and share equivalents purchased Average price paid per share and share equivalent Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased (in millions) 2022 repurchases Repurchases 8,998,032 $ 355 Equivalent shares purchased in lieu of tax withholdings on equity compensation issuances (a) 138,581 6 Total Share Repurchases during the six months ended June 30, 2022 9,136,613 $39.48 361 Equivalent shares purchased in July in lieu of tax withholdings on equity compensation issuances (a) 635 — Total Share Repurchases January 1, 2022 through July 31, 2022 9,137,248 $39.48 $ 361 (a) NRG elected to pay cash for tax withholding on equity awards instead of issuing actual shares to management. The average price per equivalent shares withheld was $42.89 and $35.98 for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and for July 2022, respectively

Income Per Share (Tables)

Income Per Share (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
NRG's basic and diluted (loss)/income per share	NRG's basic and diluted income per share is shown in the following table: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions, except per share data) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Basic and diluted income per share: Net income $ 513 $ 1,078 $ 2,249 $ 996 Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 237 245 240 245 Income per weighted average common share — basic and diluted $ 2.16 $ 4.40 $ 9.37 $ 4.07

Segment Reporting (Tables)

Segment Reporting (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	Three months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 2,696 $ 3,516 $ 1,070 $ — $ — $ 7,282 Depreciation and amortization 77 50 22 8 — 157 Impairment losses — 155 — — — 155 (Loss)/gain on sale of assets (12) — 44 — — 32 Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates — — 4 — — 4 Income/(loss) before income taxes 766 (11) 29 (119) — 665 Net income/(loss) $ 766 $ (10) $ 18 $ (261) $ — $ 513 Three months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 2,025 $ 2,430 $ 786 $ — $ 2 $ 5,243 Depreciation and amortization 84 (56) 18 7 — 53 Impairment losses — 306 — — — 306 Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates — — 14 — — 14 Income/(loss) before income taxes 783 783 51 (159) — 1,458 Net income/(loss) $ 783 $ 783 $ 38 $ (526) $ — $ 1,078 Six months ended June 30, 2022 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 4,719 $ 8,234 $ 2,208 $ — $ 17 $ 15,178 Depreciation and amortization 153 128 43 16 — 340 Impairment losses — 155 — — — 155 (Loss)/gain on sale of assets (12) — 43 (2) — 29 Equity in losses of unconsolidated affiliates (1) — (10) — — (11) Income/(loss) before income taxes 1,539 1,530 153 (250) — 2,972 Net income/(loss) $ 1,539 $ 1,531 $ 143 $ (964) $ — $ 2,249 Six months ended June 30, 2021 (In millions) Texas East West/Services/Other Corporate Eliminations Total Revenue $ 5,727 $ 5,925 $ 1,681 $ — $ 1 $ 13,334 Depreciation and amortization 161 150 45 14 — 370 Impairment losses — 306 — — — 306 Gain on sale of assets — — 17 — — 17 Equity in (losses)/earnings of unconsolidated affiliates (1) — 9 — — 8 Income/(loss) before income taxes 350 1,139 130 (328) — 1,291 Net income/(loss) $ 350 $ 1,139 $ 112 $ (605) $ — $ 996

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Provision	The income tax provision consisted of the following: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions, except rates) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Income before income taxes $ 665 $ 1,458 $ 2,972 $ 1,291 Income tax expense 152 380 723 295 Effective income tax rate 22.9 % 26.1 % 24.3 % 22.9 %

Related Party Transactions (Tab

Related Party Transactions (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Summary of NRG's Material Related Party Transactions	The following table summarizes NRG's material related party transactions with third party affiliates: Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, (In millions) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenues from Related Parties Included in Revenue Gladstone $ — $ — $ 1 $ 1 Ivanpah (a) 9 9 22 21 Midway-Sunset 1 1 3 3 Total $ 10 $ 10 $ 26 $ 25 (a) Also includes fees under project management agreements with each project company

Nature of Business and Basis _2

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation - General (Details) MW in Thousands, counterparty in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022 counterparty MW
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Generation capacity (in MW) | MW	17
Home
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Customers | counterparty	6

Summary of Significant Accoun_4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Other Balance Sheet Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment accumulated depreciation	$ 1,387	$ 1,308
Intangible assets accumulated amortization	$ 1,932	$ 1,636

Summary of Significant Accoun_5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Activity in the Allowance for Credit Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 666	$ 749	$ 683	$ 67
Acquired balance from Direct Energy	0	0	0	112
Provision for credit losses	26	40	51	651
Write-offs	(71)	(35)	(121)	(83)
Recoveries collected	6	7	14	14
Ending balance	$ 627	$ 761	627	$ 761
Decrease in provision for credit losses due finance hedge risk			403
Decrease in provision for credit losses due to counterparty credit risk			120
Decrease in provision for credit losses due to shortfall payments			$ 83

Summary of Significant Accoun_6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Cash and Cash Equivalents, Funds Deposited by Counterparties and Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 580	$ 250
Funds deposited by counterparties	3,970	845
Restricted cash	44	15
Cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties and restricted cash shown in the statement of cash flows	$ 4,594	$ 1,110	$ 909	$ 3,930

Summary of Significant Accoun_7

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Securitization Proceeds (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Uplift securitization proceeds received from ERCOT	$ 689	$ 689	$ 0

Summary of Significant Accoun_8

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Goodwill	$ 1,657	$ 1,657	$ 1,795
Goodwill decrease		138
Goodwill impairment loss	$ 130	130
Goodwill, decrease due to asset sales		6
Goodwill, decrease due foreign currency translation		$ 2

Summary of Significant Accoun_9

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Adoption of New Accounting Policy (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Mar. 31, 2022	Jan. 01, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	$ 5,300	$ 5,030		$ 3,600	$ 2,544	$ 1,517	$ 1,680
Additional Paid-In Capital
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	8,442	8,433		8,531	8,519	8,513	8,517
Retained Earnings
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	$ 2,600	$ 2,171		464	$ (567)	$ (1,565)	$ (1,403)
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance				(43)
Debt discount			$ 57
Deferred tax liabilities			14
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment | Additional Paid-In Capital
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance			(100)	(100)
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment | Retained Earnings
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance			$ 57	$ 57

Revenue Recognition - Performan

Revenue Recognition - Performance Obligations Expected Timing of Satisfaction (Details) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022 USD ($)
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2022-07-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Estimated future fixed fee performance obligations	$ 78
Revenue remaining performance obligation period	6 months
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2023-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Estimated future fixed fee performance obligations	$ 77
Revenue remaining performance obligation period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2024-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Estimated future fixed fee performance obligations	$ 18
Revenue remaining performance obligation period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2025-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Estimated future fixed fee performance obligations	$ 3
Revenue remaining performance obligation period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2026-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Estimated future fixed fee performance obligations	$ 1
Revenue remaining performance obligation period	1 year

Revenue Recognition - Disaggreg

Revenue Recognition - Disaggregation of Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	$ 7,477	$ 5,268	$ 15,466	$ 13,197
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	719	1,517	2,996	2,238
Revenue	7,282	5,243	15,178	13,334
Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815	4	(14)	6	(12)
Derivative revenue	717	1,507	2,980	2,232
Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	(7)	(2)	(10)	(5)
Revenue	0	2	17	1
Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815	0	0	0	0
Retail revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	6,951	4,816	14,521	10,978
Retail revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	(1)	(2)	(1)	(2)
Energy revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	306	171	584	653
Derivative revenue	(30)	21	(1)	79
Energy revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	9	1	14	2
Derivative revenue	9	(1)	13	1
Capacity revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	90	271	206	426
Derivative revenue	9	40	22	77
Capacity revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	0	0	0	0
Derivative revenue	0	0	0	0
Derivative revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	(148)	(70)	(281)	(102)
Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue	(199)	(11)	(294)	149
Derivative revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	(3)	5	14	6
Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue	7	4	27	6
Other revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	96	71	170	1,395
Contract amortization	(13)	(16)	(22)	(16)
Other revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	(5)	(2)	(10)	(5)
Contract amortization	0	0	0	0
Total operating revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	7,282	5,243	15,178	13,334
Total operating revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	0	2	17	1
Other revenue, derivative
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Derivative revenue	(30)	(2)	(34)	95
Other revenue, derivative | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Derivative revenue	1	0	0	(1)
Home | Retail revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	2,650	2,275	5,311	4,746
Home | Retail revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	(1)	(2)	(1)	(2)
Business | Retail revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	4,301	2,541	9,210	6,232
Business | Retail revenue | Corporate/Eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	0	0	0	0
Texas | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	2,709	2,027	4,739	5,636
Revenue	2,696	2,025	4,719	5,727
Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815	0	0	0	0
Texas | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	2,571	1,958	4,523	4,072
Texas | Energy revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	38	14	53	299
Derivative revenue	0	0	0	0
Texas | Capacity revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	0	0	0	0
Derivative revenue	0	0	0	0
Texas | Derivative revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	(1)	(3)	(3)	(4)
Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue	(13)	(2)	(20)	91
Texas | Other revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	88	56	146	1,360
Contract amortization	0	0	0	0
Texas | Total operating revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	2,696	2,025	4,719	5,727
Texas | Other revenue, derivative | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Derivative revenue	(12)	1	(17)	95
Texas | Other revenue, ancillary | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers		1,200
Texas | Home | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	1,661	1,376	2,950	2,709
Texas | Business | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	910	582	1,573	1,363
East | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	3,643	2,419	8,436	5,815
Revenue	3,516	2,430	8,234	5,925
Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815	(4)	(7)	(13)	(7)
East | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	3,400	2,118	7,921	5,331
East | Energy revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	128	101	332	227
Derivative revenue	(19)	24	26	84
East | Capacity revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	89	255	204	396
Derivative revenue	9	40	22	77
East | Derivative revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	(106)	(46)	(236)	(50)
Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue	(123)	18	(189)	117
East | Other revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	16	10	33	29
Contract amortization	(11)	(8)	(20)	(8)
East | Total operating revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	3,516	2,430	8,234	5,925
East | Other revenue, derivative | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Derivative revenue	(7)	0	(1)	6
East | Home | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	453	416	1,128	1,000
East | Business | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	2,947	1,702	6,793	4,331
West/Services/Other | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	1,132	824	2,301	1,751
Revenue	1,070	786	2,208	1,681
Less: Revenues accounted for under topics other than 606 and 815	8	(7)	19	(5)
West/Services/Other | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	981	742	2,078	1,577
West/Services/Other | Energy revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	131	55	185	125
Derivative revenue	(20)	(2)	(40)	(6)
West/Services/Other | Capacity revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	1	16	2	30
Derivative revenue	0	0	0	0
West/Services/Other | Derivative revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities	(38)	(26)	(56)	(54)
Less: Realized and unrealized ASC 815 revenue	(70)	(31)	(112)	(65)
West/Services/Other | Other revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	(3)	7	1	11
Contract amortization	(2)	(8)	(2)	(8)
West/Services/Other | Total operating revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	1,070	786	2,208	1,681
West/Services/Other | Other revenue, derivative | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Derivative revenue	(12)	(3)	(16)	(5)
West/Services/Other | Home | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	537	485	1,234	1,039
West/Services/Other | Business | Retail revenue | Operating Segments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contracts with customers	$ 444	$ 257	$ 844	$ 538

Revenue Recognition - Contract

Revenue Recognition - Contract Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021
Schedule Of Contract Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Deferred customer acquisition costs	$ 114		$ 114		$ 133
Total accounts receivable, net	3,862		3,862		3,245
Unbilled revenues (included within Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers)	1,503		1,503		1,574
Deferred revenues	191		191		227
Deferred revenue from contract with customers			184		224
Revenue recognized	106	$ 98	117	$ 23
Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers
Schedule Of Contract Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Total accounts receivable, net	3,609		3,609		3,057
Accounts receivable, net - Derivative instruments and leases
Schedule Of Contract Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Total accounts receivable, net	249		249		182
Accounts receivable, net - Affiliate
Schedule Of Contract Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Total accounts receivable, net	$ 4		$ 4		$ 6

Acquisitions and Dispositions -

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Acquisitions Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	Jan. 05, 2021 USD ($) state customer province
Canada
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Provinces in which entity operates | province	8
Direct Energy
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Customers added (over) | customer	3,000,000
Purchase price	$ 3,625
Purchase price adjustment	99
Adjusted purchase price	$ 3,724
Direct Energy | U.S.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
States in which entity operates | state	50

Acquisitions and Dispositions_2

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Dispositions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions			3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 01, 2022	Feb. 03, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain on sale			$ 32	$ 29	$ 17
Agua Caliente Solar Project | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of ownership sold		35%
Cash consideration		$ 202
Gain on sale		17
Cash disposed		$ 7
Watson Facility
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Ownership interest	49%
Proceeds from sale of investment	$ 59
Watson Facility | West/Services/Other
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain on sale	$ 46

Fair Value of Financial Instr_3

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Estimated Carrying Amounts and Fair Value of Financial Instruments Not Carried at Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	$ 8,098	$ 8,040
Carrying Amount | Convertible Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	575	518
Carrying Amount | Other long-term debt, including current portion
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	7,523	7,522
Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	7,196	8,327
Fair Value | Convertible Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	623	677
Fair Value | Other long-term debt, including current portion
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions
Total long-term debt, including current portion	$ 6,573	$ 7,650

Fair Value of Financial Instr_4

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Assets and Liabilities Measured and Recorded at Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets)	$ 17	$ 32
Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets):
U.S. government and federal agency obligations	1	1
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Total assets	16,731	8,188
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	10,565	4,799
Foreign exchange contract
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	6	1
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts		1
Commodity contracts
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	15,865	7,139
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	10,565	4,798
Cash and cash equivalents
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	17	33
U.S. government and federal agency obligations
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	96	112
Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	103	100
Commercial mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	36	44
Corporate debt securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	112	122
Equity securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	392	494
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Equity securities	6	7
Foreign government fixed income securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	2	4
Equity securities — nuclear trust fund investments
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Equity securities	78	99
Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets)	0	15
Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets):
U.S. government and federal agency obligations	1	1
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Total assets	3,035	1,635
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	1,329	626
Level 1 | Foreign exchange contract
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	0	0
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts		0
Level 1 | Commodity contracts
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	2,531	981
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	1,329	626
Level 1 | Cash and cash equivalents
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	17	33
Level 1 | U.S. government and federal agency obligations
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	94	111
Level 1 | Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 1 | Commercial mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 1 | Corporate debt securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 1 | Equity securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	392	494
Level 1 | Foreign government fixed income securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets)	17	17
Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets):
U.S. government and federal agency obligations	0	0
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Total assets	11,334	5,990
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	8,361	4,009
Level 2 | Foreign exchange contract
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	6	1
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts		1
Level 2 | Commodity contracts
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	11,056	5,701
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	8,361	4,008
Level 2 | Cash and cash equivalents
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 2 | U.S. government and federal agency obligations
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	2	1
Level 2 | Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	103	100
Level 2 | Commercial mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	36	44
Level 2 | Corporate debt securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	112	122
Level 2 | Equity securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 2 | Foreign government fixed income securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	2	4
Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments in securities (classified within other current and non-current assets)	0	0
Other trust fund investments (classified within other non-current assets):
U.S. government and federal agency obligations	0	0
Measured using net asset value practical expedient:
Total assets	2,278	457
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	875	164
Level 3 | Foreign exchange contract
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	0	0
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts		0
Level 3 | Commodity contracts
Derivative assets:
Derivative contracts	2,278	457
Derivative liabilities:
Commodity contracts	875	164
Level 3 | Cash and cash equivalents
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | U.S. government and federal agency obligations
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | Commercial mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | Corporate debt securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | Equity securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	0	0
Level 3 | Foreign government fixed income securities
Nuclear trust fund investments:
Nuclear trust fund investments	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value of Financial Instr_5

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Reconciliation of Level 3 Financial Instruments (Details) - Level 3 - Derivatives - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 528	$ 159	$ 293	$ (16)
Contracts added from Direct Energy acquisition	0	0	0	(15)
Total gains realized/unrealized — included in earnings	293	182	459	362
Purchases	6	58	29	78
Transfers into Level 3	568	168	621	172
Transfers out of Level 3	8	7	1	(7)
Ending balance	1,403	574	1,403	574
Gains for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held as of period end	$ 297	$ 275	$ 534	$ 421

Fair Value of Financial Instr_6

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Derivative Fair Value Measurements, Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Total derivative assets valued with prices provided by models and other valuation techniques (as a percent)	14%
Total derivative liabilities valued with prices provided by models and other valuation techniques (as a percent)	8%
Change in credit reserve	$ 5	$ 11

Fair Value of Financial Instr_7

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Derivative Fair Value Measurements (Details) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022 USD ($) $ / MWh	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) $ / MWh
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	$ 10,565	$ 4,799
Level 3
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	875	164
Commodity contracts
Assets
Derivative assets	15,865	7,139
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	10,565	4,798
Commodity contracts | Level 3
Assets
Derivative assets	2,278	457
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	875	164
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Natural Gas Contracts
Assets
Derivative assets	55	16
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	$ 56	$ 1
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Natural Gas Contracts | Low
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	3	3
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Natural Gas Contracts | High
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	17	40
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Natural Gas Contracts | Weighted Average
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	5	15
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Power Contracts
Assets
Derivative assets	$ 2,144	$ 392
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	$ 762	$ 121
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Power Contracts | Low
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	7	3
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Power Contracts | High
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	263	212
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | Power Contracts | Weighted Average
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Forward Market Price (per MWh) | $ / MWh	56	35
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | FTRs
Assets
Derivative assets	$ 79	$ 49
Liabilities
Commodity contracts	$ 57	$ 42
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | FTRs | Low
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Auction Prices (per MWh) | $ / MWh	(307)	(122)
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | FTRs | High
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Auction Prices (per MWh) | $ / MWh	75	43
Commodity contracts | Level 3 | FTRs | Weighted Average
Fair Value Inputs / Range
Auction Prices (per MWh) | $ / MWh	1	0

Fair Value of Financial Instr_8

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Counterparty Credit Risk (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022
Concentration of Credit Risk
Counterparty credit exposure to a portion of the Company's counterparties		$ 3,900
Collateral held (cash and letters of credit) against counterparty credit exposure to a portion of the Company's counterparties		2,500
Net counterparty credit exposure to a portion of the Company's counterparties		$ 1,500
Company's exposure before collateral expected to roll off (as a percent)		80%
Net exposure (as a percent)		100%
Counterparty credit risk exposure to certain counterparties, threshold (as a percent)		10%
Estimated counterparty credit risk exposure under certain long term agreements for the next 5 years		$ 1,100
Period of estimated counterparty credit risk exposure under certain long term agreements, including California tolling agreements, South Central load obligations and solar power purchase agreements (in years)		5 years
Designated as Hedging Instrument
Concentration of Credit Risk
Counterparty credit exposure to a portion of the Company's counterparties	$ 403
Investment grade
Concentration of Credit Risk
Net exposure (as a percent)		52%
Non-Investment grade/Non-Rated
Concentration of Credit Risk
Net exposure (as a percent)		48%
Utilities, energy merchants, marketers and other
Concentration of Credit Risk
Net exposure (as a percent)		78%
Financial Institutions
Concentration of Credit Risk
Net exposure (as a percent)		22%

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust_3

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund - Narrative (Details)	Jun. 30, 2022
STP
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Ownership interest as percentage	44%

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust_4

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund - Summary of Aggregate Fair Values and Realized Gains and Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	$ 836	$ 1,008
Unrealized Gains	332	471
Unrealized Losses	26	2
Cash and cash equivalents
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	17	33
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Unrealized Losses	0	0
U.S. government and federal agency obligations
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	96	112
Unrealized Gains	1	5
Unrealized Losses	$ 6	$ 1
Weighted-average Maturities (In years)	10 years	10 years
Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	$ 103	$ 100
Unrealized Gains	0	2
Unrealized Losses	$ 7	$ 0
Weighted-average Maturities (In years)	25 years	25 years
Commercial mortgage-backed securities
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	$ 36	$ 44
Unrealized Gains	0	1
Unrealized Losses	$ 3	$ 0
Weighted-average Maturities (In years)	27 years	27 years
Corporate debt securities
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	$ 112	$ 122
Unrealized Gains	0	7
Unrealized Losses	$ 10	$ 1
Weighted-average Maturities (In years)	13 years	14 years
Equity securities
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	$ 470	$ 593
Unrealized Gains	331	456
Unrealized Losses	0	0
Foreign government fixed income securities
Nuclear decommissioning trust fund
Fair Value	2	4
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Unrealized Losses	$ 0	$ 0
Weighted-average Maturities (In years)	18 years	13 years

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust_5

Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund - Summary of Proceeds from Sales of Available-for-sale Securities and Related Gains and Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Regulated Operations [Abstract]
Realized gains	$ 8	$ 6
Realized losses	(11)	(4)
Proceeds from sale of securities	$ 278	$ 226

Accounting for Derivative Ins_3

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Net Notional Volume Buy/Sell of Open Derivative Transactions (Details) - Long certificate in Millions, bbl in Millions, T in Millions, MWh in Millions, MMBTU in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2022 MWh MMBTU T bbl	Jun. 30, 2022 USD ($) MWh MMBTU certificate T bbl	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) certificate
Emissions
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, nonmonetary notional amount, mass (ton)	1	0
Renewable Energy Certificates
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, non-monetary notional amount (in shares) | certificate		11	13
Coal
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, nonmonetary notional amount, mass (ton)	19	12
Natural Gas
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, nonmonetary notional amount, energy measure (MMBtu/MW/Day) | MMBTU	813	832
Oil
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, nonmonetary notional amount (in barrels) | bbl	1	0
Power
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, nonmonetary notional amount, energy measure (MMBtu/MW/Day) | MWh	185	179
Foreign Exchange
Volumetric Underlying Derivative Transactions
Derivative, notional amount | $		$ 405	$ 279

Accounting for Derivative Ins_4

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Fair Value within the Derivative Instrument Valuation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Liabilities	$ 10,565	$ 4,799
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets	15,871	7,140
Derivative Liabilities	10,565	4,799
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign exchange contracts - current
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets	3	0
Derivative Liabilities	0	1
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign exchange contracts - long-term
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets	3	1
Derivative Liabilities	0	0
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Commodity contracts - current
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets	11,320	4,613
Derivative Liabilities	8,000	3,386
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Commodity contracts - long-term
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets	4,545	2,526
Derivative Liabilities	$ 2,565	$ 1,412

Accounting for Derivative Ins_5

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Offsetting of Derivatives by Counterparty Master Agreement Level and Collateral Received (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Offsetting of Derivatives by Counterparty Master Agreement Level and Collateral Received or Paid
Cash collateral received in support of energy risk management activities	$ (3,970)	$ (845)
Derivative liabilities	(10,565)	(4,799)
Cash Collateral Posted	295	291
Total Derivative Contracts
Offsetting of Derivatives by Counterparty Master Agreement Level and Collateral Received or Paid
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities	5,306	2,341
Derivative Instruments	0	0
Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted	(3,646)	(814)
Net Amount	1,660	1,527
Foreign exchange contract
Offsetting of Derivatives by Counterparty Master Agreement Level and Collateral Received or Paid
Derivative assets	6	1
Derivative Instruments	0	(1)
Cash collateral received in support of energy risk management activities	0	0
Net Amount	6	0
Derivative liabilities		(1)
Derivative Instruments		1
Cash Collateral Posted		0
Net Amount		0
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities		0
Derivative Instruments		0
Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted		0
Net Amount		0
Commodity contracts
Offsetting of Derivatives by Counterparty Master Agreement Level and Collateral Received or Paid
Derivative assets	15,865	7,139
Derivative Instruments	(9,937)	(4,440)
Cash collateral received in support of energy risk management activities	(3,719)	(831)
Net Amount	2,209	1,868
Derivative liabilities	(10,565)	(4,798)
Derivative Instruments	9,937	4,440
Cash Collateral Posted	73	17
Net Amount	(555)	(341)
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets / Liabilities	5,300	2,341
Derivative Instruments	0	0
Cash Collateral (Held) / Posted	(3,646)	(814)
Net Amount	$ 1,654	$ 1,527

Accounting for Derivative Ins_6

Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Pre-tax Effects of Economic Hedges Not Designated as Cash Flow Hedges (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Reversal of previously recognized unrealized (gains)/losses on settled positions related to economic hedges	$ (197)	$ 22	$ (605)	$ 39
Reversal of acquired loss/(gain) positions related to economic hedges	48	103	(12)	248
Net unrealized gains on open positions related to economic hedges	868	1,392	3,613	1,951
Total unrealized mark-to-market gains for economic hedging activities	719	1,517	2,996	2,238
Reversal of previously recognized unrealized losses/(gains) on settled positions related to trading activity	8	(3)	9	(10)
Net unrealized (losses)/gains on open positions related to trading activity	(10)	(7)	(25)	4
Total unrealized mark-to-market (losses) for trading activity	(2)	(10)	(16)	(6)
Total unrealized gains	717	1,507	2,980	2,232
Credit Risk Related Contingent Features
Collateral due on net liability position that has not been called by a certain marginable agreement counterparty	125		125
Additional collateral required	29		29
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument, Economic Hedge
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Total unrealized gains			3,600	2,000
Adequate Assurance Clauses
Credit Risk Related Contingent Features
Derivative net liability position, collateral required for contracts with credit rating contingent feature	1,400		1,400
Commodity contracts
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Total unrealized gains	717	1,507	2,980	2,232
Commodity contracts | Operating revenues
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Total unrealized gains	(150)	(80)	(297)	(108)
Commodity contracts | Cost of operations
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Total unrealized gains	858	1,589	3,272	2,344
Foreign exchange contract | Cost of operations
Unrealized mark-to-market results
Total unrealized gains	$ 9	$ (2)	$ 5	$ (4)

Impairments (Details)

Impairments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss	$ 130		$ 130
East
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment impairment loss	$ 20	$ 271
Goodwill impairment loss		$ 35

Long-term Debt and Finance Le_3

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases - Schedule of Long-term Debt and Finance Leases (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions		6 Months Ended
	Jul. 29, 2022 $ / shares	Jun. 30, 2022 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Finance leases		$ 12	$ 13
Subtotal long-term debt and finance leases (including current maturities)		8,112	8,113
Less current maturities		(62)	(4)
Less debt issuance costs		(78)	(83)
Discounts		(2)	(60)
Total long-term debt and finance leases		7,970	7,966
Recourse Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		8,100	8,100
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 375	375
Interest rate, stated percentage		6.625%
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 821	821
Interest rate, stated percentage		5.75%
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 733	733
Interest rate, stated percentage		5.25%
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 500	500
Interest rate, stated percentage		3.375%
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 1,030	1,030
Interest rate, stated percentage		3.625%
Recourse Debt | Senior Notes, due 2032
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 1,100	1,100
Interest rate, stated percentage		3.875%
Recourse Debt | Convertible Senior Notes Due 2048
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 575	575
Interest rate, stated percentage		2.75%
Convertible notes, conversion price (in usd per share) | $ / shares		$ 44.15
Conversion rate		0.0226516
Recourse Debt | Convertible Senior Notes Due 2048 | Subsequent Event
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Convertible notes, conversion price (in usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 43.77
Conversion rate	0.0228467
Recourse Debt | Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 600	600
Interest rate, stated percentage		3.75%
Recourse Debt | Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 500	500
Interest rate, stated percentage		2%
Recourse Debt | Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 900	900
Interest rate, stated percentage		2.45%
Recourse Debt | Senior Secured First Lien Notes, due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 500	500
Interest rate, stated percentage		4.45%
Recourse Debt | Tax-exempt bonds
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal long-term debt (including current maturities)		$ 466	$ 466
Recourse Debt | Tax-exempt bonds | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, stated percentage		1.25%
Recourse Debt | Tax-exempt bonds | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, stated percentage		4.75%

Long-term Debt and Finance Le_4

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases - Senior Notes (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Mar. 31, 2022	Jan. 01, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Discount amortization period	7 years
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	$ 5,300	$ 5,030		$ 3,600	$ 2,544	$ 1,517	$ 1,680
Additional Paid-In Capital
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	8,442	8,433		8,531	8,519	8,513	8,517
Retained Earnings
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance	$ 2,600	$ 2,171		464	$ (567)	$ (1,565)	$ (1,403)
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance				(43)
Debt discount			$ 57
Deferred tax liabilities			14
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment | Additional Paid-In Capital
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance			(100)	(100)
Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment | Retained Earnings
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting guidance			$ 57	$ 57
Recourse Debt | Convertible Senior Notes Due 2048
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Convertible notes, conversion price (in usd per share)	$ 44.15

Long-term Debt and Finance Le_5

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases - Interest Expense in Connection with Convertible Senior Notes, due 2048 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts			$ 11	$ 20
Convertible Senior Notes Due 2048 | Recourse Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Contractual interest expense	$ 4	$ 4	8	8
Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts	1	4	1	8
Total	$ 5	$ 8	$ 9	$ 16
Effective Interest Rate	0.76%	1.32%	1.52%	2.65%

Long-term Debt and Finance Le_6

Long-term Debt and Finance Leases - Receivable Securitization Facilities (Details) - Secured Debt - USD ($)					6 Months Ended
	Jul. 26, 2022	May 27, 2022	Apr. 29, 2022	Feb. 09, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Repurchase Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility borrowing available				$ 150,000,000	$ 800,000,000	$ 75,000,000
Commitment fee					0
Outstanding borrowing					0
Repurchase Facility | Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap Rate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				1.30%
Receivable Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowing					$ 0
Weighted average interest rate on usage under receivable facility					0.726%
Receivable Facility | Subsequent Event
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility borrowing available	$ 1,000,000,000
Extension of termination, period	1 year
Receivable Facility | Letter of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of credit issued					$ 400,000,000
Bilateral Credit Facilities
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Increase to existing revolving facility		$ 50,000,000	$ 100,000,000
Bilateral Credit Facilities | Letter of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility borrowing available		$ 625,000,000
Letters of credit issued					$ 608,000,000

Investments Accounted for Usi_3

Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs - Narrative (Details) - Watson Facility $ in Millions	Jun. 01, 2022 USD ($)
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership interest	49%
Proceeds from sale of investment	$ 59

Investments Accounted for Usi_4

Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs - Summarized Financial Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method
Accounts receivable and Other current assets	$ 21,148	$ 10,841
Current liabilities	16,437	7,915
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary
Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method
Accounts receivable and Other current assets	1,017	939
Current liabilities	153	78
Net assets	$ 864	$ 861

Changes in Capital Structure -

Changes in Capital Structure - Changes in NRG's Common Stock Issued and Outstanding (Details) - shares	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	7 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Jul. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)		500,000,000	500,000,000		500,000,000
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance as of beginning of period (in shares)	423,868,387		423,547,174	423,547,174
Treasury shares, balance as of beginning of period (in shares)	(188,722,366)		(179,793,275)	(179,793,275)
Outstanding, as of beginning of period (in shares)	235,146,021		243,753,899	243,753,899
Stock issued under ESPP (in shares)		1,000,000
Shares repurchased (in shares)			(8,998,032)
Balance as of end of period (in shares)		423,868,387	423,868,387
Treasury shares, balance as of end of the period (in shares)		(188,722,366)	(188,722,366)
Outstanding, as of end of period (in shares)		235,146,021	235,146,021
Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)			321,213
Shares issued under ESPP
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock issued under ESPP (in shares)			68,941
Subsequent Event
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, as of end of period (in shares)	235,147,142			235,147,142
Subsequent Event | Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)	1,121
Common Stock
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance as of beginning of period (in shares)	423,868,387		423,547,174	423,547,174
Shares repurchased (in shares)			0
Balance as of end of period (in shares)		423,868,387	423,868,387
Common Stock | Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)			321,213
Common Stock | Shares issued under ESPP
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock issued under ESPP (in shares)			0
Common Stock | Subsequent Event
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance as of end of period (in shares)	423,869,508			423,869,508
Common Stock | Subsequent Event | Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)	1,121
Treasury
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Treasury shares, balance as of beginning of period (in shares)	(188,722,366)		(179,793,275)	(179,793,275)
Shares repurchased (in shares)			(8,998,032)
Treasury shares, balance as of end of the period (in shares)		(188,722,366)	(188,722,366)
Treasury | Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)			0
Treasury | Shares issued under ESPP
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock issued under ESPP (in shares)			68,941
Treasury | Subsequent Event
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Treasury shares, balance as of end of the period (in shares)	(188,722,366)			(188,722,366)
Treasury | Subsequent Event | Shares issued under LTIPs
Schedule of Stock by Class, Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares issued under LTIPs (in shares)	0

Changes in Capital Structure _2

Changes in Capital Structure - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 06, 2021
Class of Stock [Line Items]
ESPP, minimum percentage of eligible compensation to purchase shares	1%
ESPP, maximum percentage of eligible compensation	10%
ESPP, exercise price as percentage of fair value	95%
Capital Allocation Plan
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Stock repurchase program, authorized amount			$ 1,000,000,000
Amounts paid for shares purchased	$ 361,000,000	$ 44,000,000
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)	$ 39.48
Capital Allocation Plan, Open Market Repurchases
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Amounts paid for shares purchased	$ 355,000,000
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)	$ 39.43

Changes in Capital Structure _3

Changes in Capital Structure - Schedule of Repurchases Under Share Repurchase Programs (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	7 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Jul. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)		8,998,032
Capital Allocation Plan, Open Market Repurchases
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)		8,998,032
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)		$ 39.43
Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased		$ 355
Equivalent Shares in Lieu of Tax Withholding on Equity Compensation Issuances
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)		138,581
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)		$ 42.89
Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased		$ 6
Equivalent Shares in Lieu of Tax Withholding on Equity Compensation Issuances | Subsequent Event
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)	635
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)	$ 35.98
Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased	$ 0
Capital Allocation Plan
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)		9,136,613
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)		$ 39.48
Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased		$ 361		$ 44
Capital Allocation Plan | Subsequent Event
Schedule of Capitalization, Equity [Line Items]
Total number of shares purchased (in shares)			9,137,248
Average price paid per share (in usd per share)			$ 39.48
Amounts paid for shares and share equivalents purchased			$ 361

Changes in Capital Structure _4

Changes in Capital Structure - NRG Common Stock Dividends (Details) - $ / shares		3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Jul. 20, 2022	Jun. 30, 2022	Mar. 31, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock dividends proposed annual amount (in usd per share)			$ 1.40			$ 1.30
Dividends per common share (in usd per share)		$ 0.35	$ 0.35	$ 0.325	$ 0.325
Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock dividends declared (in usd per share)	$ 0.35
Minimum
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock, annual dividend growth rate, percentage			7%
Maximum
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock, annual dividend growth rate, percentage			9%

Income Per Share - Basic and Di

Income Per Share - Basic and Diluted EPS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Basic and diluted income per share:
Net Income, basic	$ 513	$ 1,078	$ 2,249	$ 996
Net income, diluted	$ 513	$ 1,078	$ 2,249	$ 996
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding — basic (in shares)	237,000	245,000	240,000	245,000
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding — diluted (in shares)	237,000	245,000	240,000	245,000
Income per weighted average common share — basic (in usd per share)	$ 2.16	$ 4.40	$ 9.37	$ 4.07
Income per weighted average common share — diluted (in usd per share)	$ 2.16	$ 4.40	$ 9.37	$ 4.07

Segment Reporting (Details)

Segment Reporting (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	$ 7,282	$ 5,243	$ 15,178	$ 13,334
Depreciation and amortization	157	53	340	370
Impairment losses	155	306	155	306
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	32		29	17
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	4	14	(11)	8
Income/(loss) before income taxes	665	1,458	2,972	1,291
Net income/(loss)	513	1,078	2,249	996
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	0	0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	8	7	16	14
Impairment losses	0	0	0	0
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	0		(2)	0
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	0	0	0	0
Income/(loss) before income taxes	(119)	(159)	(250)	(328)
Net income/(loss)	(261)	(526)	(964)	(605)
Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	0	2	17	1
Depreciation and amortization	0	0	0	0
Impairment losses	0	0	0	0
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	0		0	0
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	0	0	0	0
Income/(loss) before income taxes	0	0	0	0
Net income/(loss)	0	0	0	0
Texas | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	2,696	2,025	4,719	5,727
Depreciation and amortization	77	84	153	161
Impairment losses	0	0	0	0
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	(12)		(12)	0
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	0	0	(1)	(1)
Income/(loss) before income taxes	766	783	1,539	350
Net income/(loss)	766	783	1,539	350
East | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	3,516	2,430	8,234	5,925
Depreciation and amortization	50	(56)	128	150
Impairment losses	155	306	155	306
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	0		0	0
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	0	0	0	0
Income/(loss) before income taxes	(11)	783	1,530	1,139
Net income/(loss)	(10)	783	1,531	1,139
West/Services/Other | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information
Revenues	1,070	786	2,208	1,681
Depreciation and amortization	22	18	43	45
Impairment losses	0	0	0	0
(Loss) /gain on sale of assets	44		43	17
Equity in earnings/(losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	4	14	(10)	9
Income/(loss) before income taxes	29	51	153	130
Net income/(loss)	$ 18	$ 38	$ 143	$ 112

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Effective Tax Rate
Income before income taxes	$ 665	$ 1,458	$ 2,972	$ 1,291
Income tax expense	$ 152	$ 380	$ 723	$ 295
Effective income tax rate	22.90%	26.10%	24.30%	22.90%
Uncertain Tax Benefits
Non-current tax liability for uncertain tax benefits	$ 20		$ 20
Uncertain tax benefits, penalties and interest accrued	$ 1		$ 1

Related Party Transactions - Sc

Related Party Transactions - Schedule of NRG's Material Related Party Transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenue from related parties	$ 10	$ 10	$ 26	$ 25
Gladstone
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenue from related parties	0	0	1	1
Ivanpah
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenue from related parties	9	9	22	21
Midway-Sunset
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenue from related parties	$ 1	$ 1	$ 3	$ 3

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Narrative (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2022 counterparty motion	Oct. 31, 2021 facility	Jun. 30, 2019 facility	Apr. 30, 2019 case	Feb. 28, 2019 case
Loss Contingencies
Number of facilities | facility		2
Sierra Club Et Al V. Midwest Generation LLC
Loss Contingencies
Number of facilities | facility			4
Direct Energy vs. Stanley, Forte, Schafer and Lane
Loss Contingencies
Pending lawsuits | case				3
Direct Energy vs. Burk and Dickson
Loss Contingencies
Pending lawsuits | case					2
Winter Storm Uri claims vs. Company as power generator
Loss Contingencies
Pending lawsuits | counterparty	161
Winter Storm Uri, claims vs. Company as retail electric provider
Loss Contingencies
Pending lawsuits | counterparty	27
Motions filed to dismiss claims | motion	5

Environmental Matters (Details)

Environmental Matters (Details)	Oct. 31, 2021 facility
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of plants	2

Uncategorized Items - nrg-20220

Label	Element	Value
Accounting Standards Update [Extensible Enumeration]	us-gaap_AccountingStandardsUpdateExtensibleList	Accounting Standards Update 2020-06 [Member]