Segment Reporting (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting

Effective June 2013, the Company's segment structure and its allocation of corporate expenses were updated to reflect how management currently makes financial decisions and allocates resources. The Company has recast data from prior periods to reflect this change in reportable segments to conform to the current year presentation. The Company's businesses are primarily segregated based on the Retail Business, conventional power generation, alternative energy businesses, NRG Yield, and corporate activities.  Within NRG's conventional power generation, there are distinct components with separate operating results and management structures for the following geographical regions: Texas, East, South Central, West and Other, which includes international businesses and maintenance services.  The Company's alternative energy segment includes solar and wind assets (excluding those in the NRG Yield segment), electric vehicle services and the carbon capture business.  NRG Yield includes certain of the Company's contracted generation assets including three natural gas or dual-fired facilities, eight utility-scale solar and wind generation facilities, two portfolios of distributed solar facilities and thermal infrastructure assets. Intersegment sales are accounted for at market.

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011, there were no customers from whom the Company derived more than 10% of the Company's consolidated revenues.

	Year Ended December 31, 2013
				Conventional Power Generation
	Retail			Texas			East			South Central			West			Other			Alternative Energy			NRG Yield			Corporate			Eliminations			Total
	(In millions)
Operating revenues(a)	$	6,241		$	2,106		$	3,209		$	874		$	475		$	153		$	233		$	313		$	7		$	(2,316	)	$	11,295
Operating expenses	5,535			1,826			2,512			750			318			144			147			134			50			(2,307		)	9,109
Depreciation and amortization	142			457			320			98			55			4			108			51			21			—			1,256
Impairment charges	—			—			459			—			—			—			—			—						—			459
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			128			—			128
Operating income/(loss)	564			(177		)	(82		)	26			102			5			(22		)	128			(192		)	(9		)	343
Equity in earnings/(loss) of unconsolidated affiliates	—			—			—			4			(11		)	6			(4		)	22			—			(10		)	7
Impairment losses on investments	—			—			—			—			—			(99		)	—			—			—			—			(99		)
Other income, net	—			1			28			1			1			3			2			2			74			(99		)	13
Loss on debt extinguishment	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(50		)	—			(50		)
Interest expense	(2		)	(1		)	(85		)	(18		)	(14		)	—			(57		)	(35		)	(735		)	99			(848		)
Income/(loss) before income taxes	562			(177		)	(139		)	13			78			(85		)	(81		)	117			(903		)	(19		)	(634		)
Income tax (benefit)/expense	—			—			—			—			—			(29		)	—			8			(261		)	—			(282		)
Net income/(loss)	$	562		$	(177	)	$	(139	)	$	13		$	78		$	(56	)	$	(81	)	$	109		$	(642	)	$	(19	)	$	(352	)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	27		$	13		$	—		$	(6	)	$	34
Net income/(loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc.	$	562		$	(177	)	$	(139	)	$	13		$	78		$	(56	)	$	(108	)	$	96		$	(642	)	$	(13	)	$	(386	)
Balance sheet
Equity investments in affiliates	—			—			5			17			(35		)	188			150			227			—			(99		)	453
Capital expenditures(a)	30			119			181			88			136			15			818			116			73						1,576
Goodwill	260			1,713			—			—			—			—			12			—			—			—			1,985
Total assets	4,717			11,656			8,437			2,431			1,638			468			6,213			2,313			25,290			(29,261		)	33,902

(b) Operating revenues include inter-segment sales and net derivative gains and losses of: $ 9 $ 2,058 $ 87 $ 16 $ 4 $ 64 $ 23 $ — $ 7

(a) Includes accruals.

	Year Ended December 31, 2012
				Conventional Power Generation
	Retail			Texas			East(d)			South(d)Central			West(d)			Other			Alternative Energy			NRG Yield			Corporate(d)			Eliminations			Total
	(In millions)
Operating revenues(c)	$	5,772		$	2,074		$	854		$	807		$	259		$	173		$	125		$	175		$	17		$	(1,834	)	$	8,422
Operating expenses	5,065			1,712			754			695			194			161			87			119			47			(1,819		)	7,015
Depreciation and amortization	162			458			137			93			12			2			49			25			12			—			950
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			107			—			107
Operating income/(loss)	545			(96		)	(37		)	19			53			10			(11		)	31			(149		)	(15		)	350
Equity in earnings/(loss) of unconsolidated affiliates	—			—			—			—			7			13			—			19			(2		)	—			37
Impairment losses on investments	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(2		)	—			(2		)
Bargain purchase gain related to GenOn acquisition	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			296			—			296
Other income, net	—			2			2			1			1			4			—			1			26			(18		)	19
Loss on debt extinguishment	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(51		)	—			(51		)
Interest expense	(4		)	—			(20		)	(18		)	(2		)	(3		)	(26		)	(28		)	(578		)	18			(661		)
Income/(loss) before income taxes	541			(94		)	(55		)	2			59			24			(37		)	23			(460		)	(15		)	(12		)
Income tax expense/(benefit)	—			—			—			—			—			3			—			10			(340		)	—			(327		)
Net income/(loss)	541			(94		)	(55		)	2			59			21			(37		)	13			(120		)	(15		)	315
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	—			—			—			—			—			—			20						—			—			20
Net income/(loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc.	$	541		$	(94	)	$	(55	)	$	2		$	59		$	21		$	(57	)	$	13		$	(120	)	$	(15	)	$	295
Balance sheet
Equity investments in affiliates	$	—		$	—		$	7		$	19		$	27		$	322		$	163		$	220		$	10		$	(92	)	$	676
Capital expenditures (e)	19			117			71			36			244			16			2,700			478			12			—			3,693
Goodwill	231			1,713			—			—			—			—			12			—			—			—			1,956
Total assets	$	3,122		$	10,988		$	6,972		$	1,935		$	1,313		$	442		$	5,367		$	1,964		$	28,330		$	(25,450	)	$	34,983

(c) Operating revenues include inter-segment sales and net derivative gains and losses of: $ 5 $ 1,657 $ 73 $ — $ — $ 69 $ 20 $ — $ 10

(d) Includes GenOn results for the period December 15, 2012 to December 31, 2012.

(e) Includes accruals.

	Year Ended December 31, 2011
				Conventional Power Generation
	Retail(f)(g)			Texas(f)		East(f)			South(f) Central			West(f)			Other(f)			Alternative Energy(f)			NRG Yield(f)			Corporate(f)			Eliminations			Total
				(In millions)
Operating revenues	$	5,642		$	2,832	$	924		$	817		$	149		$	183		$	22		$	164		$	11		$	(1,665	)	$	9,079
Operating expenses	5,113			1,910		859			703			92			178			62			114			30			(1,673		)	7,388
Depreciation and amortization	159			463		118			89			10			—			23			22			12			—			896
Impairment losses	—			160		—			—			—			—			—						—			—			160
Operating income/(loss)	370			299		(53		)	25			47			5			(63		)	28			(31		)	8			635
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates	—			—		—			—			9			9			4			13			—			—			35
Impairment losses on investments	—			—		—			—			—			—			—			—			(495		)	—			(495		)
Other income, net	—			1		2			2			—			5			3			2			21			(17		)	19
Loss on debt extinguishment	—			—		—			—			—			—			—			—			(175		)	—			(175		)
Interest (expense)/income	(4		)	16		(47		)	(41		)	(2		)	(6		)	(7		)	(19		)	(571		)	16			(665		)
Income/(loss) before income taxes	366			316		(98		)	(14		)	54			13			(63		)	24			(1,251		)	7			(646		)
Income tax (benefit)/expense	(3		)	—		—			—			—			—			—			9			(847		)	(2		)	(843		)
Net income/(loss)	369			316		(98		)	(14		)	54			13			(63		)	15			(404		)	9			197

(f) Operating revenues include inter-segment sales and net derivative gains and losses of: $ 5 $ 1,586 $ 43 $ — $ — $ 25 $ 23 $ — $ —

(g) Includes Green Mountain Energy results and Energy Plus results for the period October 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.