S-3/A 1 0001.txt As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 14, 2000 Registration No. 333-38924 ================================================================================ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20549 ----------------------- AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FORM S-3 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 ----------------------- The AES Corporation Delaware 54-1163725 (Exact name of Registrant (State or other jurisdiction (I.R.S. employer as specified in its of incorporation or identification charter) organization) number) 1001 North 19th Street Arlington, Virginia 22209 (703) 522-1315 (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant's principal executive offices) Barry J. Sharp 1001 North 19th Street Arlington, Virginia 22209 (703) 522-1315 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) ----------------------- Copies to: Richard D. Truesdell, Jr. Davis Polk & Wardwell 450 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10017 (212) 450-4000 ----------------------- Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective. ----------------------- If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. |_| If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities being offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. |X| If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. |_| If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. |_| If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box. |_| The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine. ================================================================================ EXPLANATORY NOTE This Registration Statement contains two forms of prospectuses to be used in connection with offerings of the following securities: (1) Common Stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agency agreement that The AES Corporation will enter into with PaineWebber Incorporated; (2) Common Stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agency agreement that The AES Corporation will enter into with CIBC World Markets Corp. Each offering of securities made under this Registration Statement will be made pursuant to one of these prospectuses. 2 THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED. SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED JUNE 14, 2000 PROSPECTUS 4,500,000 Shares Common Stock [LOGO] The AES Corporation ----------------------- We intend to enter into a sales agency agreement with PaineWebber Incorporated relating to the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the proposed sales agency agreement, we may offer and sell up to 4,500,000 shares of our common stock from time to time through PaineWebber, as our sales agent. Sales of the shares, if any, will be made by means of ordinary brokers' transactions on the New York Stock Exchange. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest. PaineWebber will be entitled to a commission that will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement. Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AES". On June 13, 2000, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $48.88 per share. Our address is 1001 North 19th Street, Arlington, Virginia, and our telephone number is (703) 522-1315. Investing in our common stock involves certain risks. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 3. ----------------------- Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. ----------------------- PaineWebber Incorporated This prospectus is dated o, 2000. You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus. ----------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------------- Page ----- About This Prospectus..........................................................2 Risk Factors...................................................................3 Where You Can Find More Information............................................7 Incorporation of Documents by Reference........................................8 Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements.....................................8 Use of Proceeds................................................................8 The Company....................................................................8 Description of Capital Stock...................................................9 Plan of Distribution..........................................................12 Legal Matters.................................................................13 Experts.......................................................................13 ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission utilizing a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell the shares of common stock described in the prospectus from time to time. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the common stock we may offer. We may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus through a supplement to this prospectus. Any statement that we make in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information." 2 RISK FACTORS Purchasers of the common stock should read this entire prospectus carefully. Ownership of the common stock involves certain risks. The following factors should be considered carefully in evaluating AES and its business before purchasing the common stock offered by this prospectus. We are highly leveraged. We had approximately $13,715 million of outstanding indebtedness at March 31, 2000. As a result, we might be significantly limited in our ability to meet our debt service obligations, to finance the acquisition, development or completion of additional projects, to compete effectively or to operate successfully under adverse economic conditions. As of March 31, 2000, we had a consolidated ratio of total debt to total book capitalization (including current debt) of approximately 72%. We do a significant amount of our business outside the United States which presents significant risks. Our involvement in the development of new businesses and the acquisition of existing plants in locations outside the United States is increasing and a large portion of our current development and acquisition activities are for projects and plants outside the United States. The financing, development and operation of projects outside the United States entail significant political and financial uncertainties (including, without limitation, uncertainties associated with first-time privatization efforts in the countries involved, currency exchange rate fluctuations, currency repatriation restrictions, regulation of the electricity business, currency inconvertibility, tax law, political instability, civil unrest, and expropriation) and other credit quality, liquidity or structuring issues that have the potential to cause substantial delays in respect of or material impairment of the value of the project being developed or operated, which we may not be capable of fully insuring or hedging against. The ability to obtain financing on a commercially acceptable non-recourse basis in developing nations has become more difficult. Even when such non-recourse financing is available, lenders may require us to make higher equity investments than historically have been the case. In addition, financing in countries with less than investment grade sovereign credit ratings may also require substantial participation by multilateral financing agencies. There can be no assurance that such financing can be obtained when needed. The uncertainty of the legal environment in certain countries in which we are or in the future may be developing, constructing or operating could make it more difficult for us to enforce our respective rights under agreements relating to such businesses. In addition, the laws and regulations of certain countries may limit our ability to hold a majority interest in some of the businesses that we may develop or acquire. International businesses we own may, in certain cases, be expropriated by applicable governments. Although we may have legal recourse in enforcing our rights under agreements and recovering damages for breaches thereof, there can be no assurance that any such legal proceedings will be successful or resolved in a timely manner. Global competition is increasing and could adversely affect us. The global power production market is characterized by numerous strong and capable competitors, many of whom may have extensive and diversified developmental or operating experience (including both domestic and international experience) and financial resources similar to or greater than ours. Further, in recent years, the power production industry has been characterized by strong and increasing competition with respect to both obtaining power sales agreements and acquiring existing power generation assets. In certain markets, these factors have caused reductions in prices contained in new power sales agreements and, in many cases, have caused higher acquisition prices for existing assets through competitive bidding practices. The evolution of competitive electricity markets and the development of highly efficient gas-fired power plants have also caused, or are anticipated to cause, price pressure in certain power markets where we sell or intend to sell power. There can be no assurance that the foregoing competitive factors will not have a material adverse effect on us. Development uncertainties. The majority of the projects that we develop are large and complex and the completion of any such project is subject to substantial risks. Development can require us to expend significant sums for preliminary engineering, permitting, legal and other expenses in preparation for competitive bids which we may not win or before it can be determined whether a project is feasible, economically attractive or capable of being financed. Successful development and construction is 3 contingent upon, among other things, negotiation of satisfactory engineering, construction, fuel supply and power sales contracts with other project participants, receipt of required governmental permits and consents and timely implementation and satisfactory completion of construction. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new power sales contracts, overcome local opposition, if any, obtain the necessary site agreements, fuel supply and ash disposal agreements, construction contracts, steam sales contracts, licenses and certifications, environmental and other permits and financing commitments necessary for the successful development of our projects. There can be no assurance that development efforts on any particular project, or our efforts generally, will be successful. If these development efforts are not successful, we may abandon a project under development. At the time of abandonment, we would expense all capitalized development costs incurred in connection therewith and could incur additional losses associated with any related contingent liabilities. Our future growth is dependent, in part, upon the demand for significant amounts of additional electrical generating capacity and our ability to obtain contracts to supply portions of this capacity. Any material unremedied delay in, or unsatisfactory completion of, construction of our projects could, under certain circumstances, have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations, including the payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on our debt securities. We may also be faced with certain development uncertainties arising out of doing business outside of the United States. See "--We do a significant amount of our business outside the United States which presents significant risks. " Our acquisitions may not perform as expected. We have achieved a majority of our growth through acquisitions and expect that we will continue to grow, in part, through acquisitions. Although each of the acquired businesses had a significant operating history at the time we acquired them, we have a limited history of owning and operating many of these businesses. In addition, most of these businesses were government owned and some were operated as part of a larger integrated utility prior to their acquisition. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in transitioning these to private ownership, that such businesses will perform as expected or that the returns from such businesses will support the indebtedness incurred to acquire them or the capital expenditures needed to develop them. We may not be able to raise sufficient capital to fund acquisitions and greenfield projects or refinance existing debt. Each of our projects under development and those independent power facilities we have committed to acquire or may seek to acquire may require substantial capital investment. Continued access to capital with acceptable terms is necessary to assure the success of future projects and acquisitions, and may be necessary to refinance certain existing debt. We have utilized project financing loans to fund the capital expenditures associated with constructing and acquiring our electric power plants and related assets to the extent possible. Project financing borrowings have been substantially non-recourse to our other subsidiaries and affiliates and to us as the parent company and are generally secured by the capital stock, physical assets, contracts and cash flow of the related project subsidiary or affiliate. We intend to continue to seek, where possible, such non-recourse project financing. However, depending on market conditions and the unique characteristics of individual projects, such financing may not be available or our traditional providers of project financing, particularly multinational commercial banks, may seek higher borrowing spreads and increased equity contributions. Furthermore, because of the reluctance of commercial lending institutions to provide non-recourse project financing (including financial guarantees) in certain less developed economies, we have sought and will continue to seek, in such locations, direct or indirect (through credit support or guarantees) project financing from a limited number of multilateral or bilateral international financial institutions or agencies. As a precondition to making such project financing available, these institutions may also require governmental guarantees of certain project and sovereign related risks. Depending on the policies of specific governments, such guarantees may not be offered and as a result, we may determine that sufficient financing will ultimately not be available to fund the related project. In addition, we are frequently required to provide more sponsor equity for projects that sell their electricity into the merchant market than for projects that sell their electricity under long term contracts. In addition to the project financing loans, if available, we provide a portion, or in certain instances all, of the remaining long-term financing required to fund development, construction, or acquisition. These investments have generally taken the form of equity investments or loans, which are 4 subordinated to the project financing loans. The funds for these investments have been provided by cash flows from operations and by the proceeds from borrowings under our short-term credit facilities and issuances of senior notes, senior subordinated notes, convertible debentures, convertible trust preferred securities and common stock. Our ability to arrange for financing on either a fully recourse or a substantially non-recourse basis and the costs of such capital are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic and capital market conditions, the availability of bank credit, rating agency ratings, investor confidence, the continued success of current projects and provisions of tax and securities laws which are conducive to raising capital in this manner. Should future access to capital not be available, we may decide not to build new plants or acquire existing facilities. While a decision not to build new plants or acquire existing facilities would not affect the results of operations of our currently operating facilities or facilities under construction, such a decision would affect our future growth. The performance of our generation business is dependent to a large degree on certain of our larger projects and their customers. The nature of most of our generation plants (based on revenues) is such that each facility generally relies on one power sales contract with a single customer for the majority, if not all, of its revenues over the life of the power sales contract. The prolonged failure of any significant customer to fulfill its contractual obligations could have a substantial negative impact on these revenues. We have sought to reduce this risk in part by entering into power sales contracts with utilities or other customers of strong credit quality and by locating its plants in different geographic areas in order to mitigate the effects of regional economic downturns. Our revenues are becoming less predictable. Our business primarily consists of businesses with long-term contracts or retail concessions, and we expect the contract-based portfolio to be an effective hedge against future energy and electricity market price risks. However, an increasing proportion of our current and expected future revenues are derived from businesses without significant long-term revenue contracts. Our increasing reliance on non- contract businesses could cause our results of operations to become more volatile. Our distribution businesses are subject to greater regulatory scrutiny than our generation business. Our distribution businesses face increased regulatory and political scrutiny in the normal conduct of their operations. This scrutiny may adversely impact our results of operations, to the extent that such scrutiny or pressure prevents us from reducing losses as quickly as we planned or denies us a rate increase called for by our concession agreements. In general, these businesses have lower margins and are more dependent on regulation to ensure expected annual rate increases for inflation and increased power costs, among other things. There can be no assurance that these rate reviews will be granted, or occur in a timely manner. We are subject to significant government regulation. Our generation business in the United States is subject to the provisions of various laws and regulations, including the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as amended, commonly referred to as PURPA, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act, as amended, commonly referred to as PUHCA. PURPA provides to qualifying facilities, commonly referred to as QFs, certain exemptions from substantial federal and state legislation, including regulation as public utilities. PUHCA regulates public utility holding companies and their subsidiaries. It is necessary for us to obtain approval under PUHCA in order to maintain majority ownership in our domestic power plants that are QFs. Currently a material portion of our domestic revenues are received from QFs. Moreover, all of our domestic non-QF plants are Exempt Wholesale Generators, commonly referred to as EWGs. An EWG is a facility that has been authorized by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, commonly referred to as the FERC, to sell wholesale power at market-based rates. We enjoy exemptions under PUHCA related to our foreign utility acquisitions and holdings. We cannot ensure that we will be able to maintain appropriate PUHCA exemptions for all of our businesses. If we decide to acquire another U.S. utility or utility assets, we may be required to divest either all or part of CILCORP or take other steps resulting in a loss of control or as may be required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe that, upon the occurrence of an event that would threaten the QF status of one of our domestic plants, we would be able to react in a manner that would avoid the loss of QF status (such as by replacing the steam customer). In the event we were unable to avoid the loss of such status for one of our plants, to avoid public utility holding company status, we could apply to the FERC to obtain status as 5 an EWG, or could restructure the ownership of the project subsidiary. EWGs, however, are subject to broader regulation by FERC and may be subject to state public utility commissions regulation regarding non-rate matters. In addition, any restructuring of a project subsidiary could result in, among other things, a reduced financial interest in such subsidiary, which could result in a gain or loss on the sale of the interest in such subsidiary, the removal of such subsidiary from our consolidated income tax group or our consolidated financial statements, or an increase or decrease in our results of operations. Pending electric utility industry restructuring proposals could have an adverse effect on us. Several states have passed legislation that allows electricity customers to choose their electricity supplier in a competitive electricity market (so-called "retail access" or "customer choice" laws), and all but two of the remaining states are considering such legislation. In addition to state restructuring legislation, some members of Congress have proposed new Federal legislation to encourage customer choice and recovery of stranded assets. Several bills have been submitted to Congress on electricity restructuring. In anticipation of restructuring legislation, many U.S. utilities are seeking ways to lower their costs in order to become more competitive. These include the costs that utilities are required to pay under QF contracts. Many utilities are therefore seeking ways to lower these contract prices by renegotiating the contracts, or in some cases by litigation. In 1999, we renegotiated contracts for two of our QFs--Thames (a partial prepayment) and Placerita (a complete buyout). The Thames transaction has been approved by the Connecticut Department of Public Utilities Commission. The FERC and many state utility commissions are currently studying a number of proposals to restructure the electric utility industry in the United States. Such restructuring would permit utility customers to choose their utility supplier in a competitive electric energy market. The FERC issued a final rule in April 1996 which requires utilities to offer wholesale customers and suppliers open access on utility transmission lines, on a comparable basis to the utilities' own use of the lines. The final rule is subject to rehearing and may become the subject of court litigation. Many utilities have already filed "open access" tariffs. The utilities contend that they should recover from departing customers their fixed costs that will be "stranded" by the ability of their wholesale customers (and perhaps eventually, their retail customers) to choose new electric power suppliers. The FERC final rule endorses the recovery of legitimate and verifiable "stranded costs." These may include the costs utilities are required to pay under many QF contracts which the utilities view as excessive when compared with current market prices. Many utilities are therefore seeking ways to lower these contract prices or rescind the contracts altogether, out of concern that their shareholders will be required to bear all or part of such "stranded" costs. Some utilities have engaged in litigation against QFs to achieve these ends. In addition, future United States electric rates may be deregulated in a restructured United States electric utility industry and increased competition may result in lower rates and less profit margin for United States electricity sellers. Falling electricity prices, the introduction of commodity markets for electricity and uncertainty as to the future structure of the industry has rendered the long-term power purchase contracts obsolete. As a result, in the generation business we are increasingly dependent upon prices for electricity determined in electricity spot markets. Such prices can be very volatile and the effect on us of this volatility cannot be predicted. The United States Congress is considering proposed legislation which would repeal PURPA entirely, or at least repeal the obligation of utilities to purchase from QFs. There is strong support for grandfathering existing QF contracts if such legislation is passed, and also support for requiring utilities to conduct competitive bidding for new electric generation if the PURPA purchase obligation is eliminated. Various bills have also proposed repeal of PUHCA. Repeal of PUHCA would allow power generators and vertically integrated utilities to acquire retail utilities in the United States that are geographically widespread, as opposed to the current limitations of PUHCA which require that retail electric systems be capable of physical interconnection. In addition, registered holding companies would be free to acquire non-utility businesses, which they may not do now, with certain limited exceptions. In the event that PUHCA is repealed, competition would likely increase. Repeal of PURPA and/or PUHCA may or may not be part of comprehensive legislation to restructure the electric utility industry, allow retail competition, and deregulate most electric rates. The effect of any such repeal cannot be predicted, although any such repeal could have a material adverse effect on us. 6 From time to time we are subject to material litigation and regulatory proceedings. From time to time, we and our affiliates are parties to litigation and regulatory proceedings. Investors should review the descriptions of such matters contained in our Annual, Quarterly and Current Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and incorporated by reference herein. There can be no assurances that the outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position. Our business is subject to stringent environmental regulations. Our activities are subject to stringent environmental regulation by federal, state, local and foreign governmental authorities. These regulations generally involve effluents into the water, emissions into the air, the use of water, wetlands preservation, waste disposal, endangered species, and noise regulation, among others. Congress and other foreign governmental authorities also may consider proposals to restrict or tax certain emissions. These proposals, if adopted, could impose additional costs on the operation of our power plants. There can be no assurance that we would be able to recover all or any increased costs from our customers or that our business, financial condition or results of operations would not be materially and adversely affected by future changes in domestic or foreign environmental laws and regulations. We have made and will continue to make capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that such expenditures will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Our directors and officers have significant ownership interests in us and can exert significant influence or control over matters requiring stockholder approval. As of February 4, 2000 our two founders, Roger W. Sant and Dennis W. Bakke, and their immediate families together owned beneficially approximately 18.4% of our outstanding Common Stock. As a result of their ownership interests, Messrs. Sant and Bakke may be able to significantly influence or exert control over our affairs, including the election of our directors. As of February 4, 2000, all of our officers and directors and their immediate families together owned beneficially approximately 24.9% of our outstanding Common Stock. To the extent that they decide to vote together, these stockholders would be able to significantly influence or control the election of our directors, our management and policies and any action requiring stockholder approval, including significant corporate transactions. Our adherence to our "shared principles" could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. A core part of our corporate culture is a commitment to "shared principles": to act with integrity, to be fair, to have fun and to be socially responsible. We seek to adhere to these principles not as a means to achieve economic success, but because adherence is a worthwhile goal in and of itself. However, if we perceive a conflict between these principles and profits, we will try to adhere to our principles -- even though doing so might result in diminished or foregone opportunities or financial benefits. Shares eligible for future sale. From time to time, our subsidiaries incur indebtedness that is secured by a pledge of shares of our common stock held by that subsidiary. The sale of a substantial number of such shares in the public market upon any foreclosure or otherwise could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission You may read and copy any document that we file at the public reference rooms of the Securities and Exchange Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549; 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661 and 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New York 10048. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference rooms by calling the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains an Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, from where you can access our filings. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AES." Our reports, proxy statements and other information may be read and copied at the New York Stock Exchange at 30 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005. This prospectus constitutes part of a Registration 7 Statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). It omits some of the information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is made to the Registration Statement for further information on AES and the securities offered hereby. Any statement contained in this prospectus concerning the provisions of any document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or otherwise filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of the document filed. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The Securities and Exchange Commission allows us to "incorporate by reference" the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the Securities and Exchange Commission will automatically update and supersede this information. In particular, our annual filing on Form 10-K will supersede all previously filed annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 until we sell all of the shares of common stock covered hereby: (a) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999; (b) Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000; (c) Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on May 8, 2000 and May 12, 2000. You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning the office of William R. Luraschi, Vice President and Secretary, The AES Corporation, 1001 North 19th Street, Arlington, Virginia, telephone number (703) 522-1315. SPECIAL NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This prospectus includes forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward- looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions related to AES, including those set forth under "Risk Factors" in this prospectus and those set forth under the caption "Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this prospectus might not occur. USE OF PROCEEDS Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, proceeds from the sale of the common stock will be used by us for general corporate purposes and may be temporarily invested in short-term securities. THE COMPANY We are a global power company committed to serving the world's needs for electricity in a socially responsible way. Our electricity "generation" business consists of sales to wholesale customers (generally electric utilities, regional electric companies or wholesale commodity markets known 8 as "power pools") for further resale to end-users. We also sell electricity directly to end-users such as commercial, industrial, governmental and residential customers through our "distribution" business. Sales within our generation business are made under long-term contracts from power plants owned by our subsidiaries and affiliates, as well as directly into power pools. We own new plants constructed for such purposes ("greenfield" plants) as well as older power plants acquired through competitively bid privatization initiatives or negotiated acquisitions. Electricity sales by our distribution businesses, including affiliates, are generally made pursuant of the provisions of long-term electricity sale concessions granted by the appropriate governmental authorities. In certain cases, these distribution companies are "integrated", in that they also own electric power plants for the purpose of generating a portion of the electricity they sell. DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK Under our certificate of incorporation (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), we are authorized to issue 1,200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value. The following summary contains a description of certain general terms of the common stock. The description of certain provisions of the common stock is subject to and qualified by reference to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation. Common Stock As of June 7, 2000, there were 443,530,761 shares of common stock outstanding. The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably dividends as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of funds legally available to pay dividends. If we liquidate our business, the holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets after we pay our liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. The common stock has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable, and any shares of common stock in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be fully paid and non-assessable. The transfer agent for our common stock is EquiServe. Price Range of AES Common Stock and Common Stock Dividends Our common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on October 16, 1996 under the symbol "AES." The following table sets forth for the periods indicated the intra-day high and low sale prices for the common stock as reported on the Composite Tape. In April 2000, we announced a two- for-one stock split, in the form of a stock dividend, for holders of record on May 1, 2000 of our common stock, par value $.01 per share, which was payable on June 1, 2000. The prices set forth below reflect adjustment for such stock split. High Low ------ ------ 1998 First Quarter....................................... $27.16 $19.69 Second Quarter...................................... 29.00 22.82 Third Quarter....................................... 27.69 11.50 Fourth Quarter...................................... 23.69 16.00 9 High Low ------- ------ 1999 First Quarter....................................... $24.63 $16.41 Second Quarter...................................... 29.88 18.38 Third Quarter....................................... 33.35 26.53 Fourth Quarter...................................... 38.19 25.22 2000 First Quarter....................................... $44.72 $34.25 Second Quarter (through June 13, 2000).............. 49.63 35.56 No cash dividends have been paid on common stock since December 22, 1993 in order to provide capital for our equity investments in projects. Our ability to declare and pay dividends is dependent, among other things, on o the ability of our project subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends and otherwise distribute cash to us; o our ability to service our parent company debt; and o our ability to meet certain criteria for paying dividends under our corporate credit facility and under existing indentures of our debt securities. The ability of our subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends and otherwise distribute cash to us is subject to certain limitations in the project loans and other documents entered into by our project subsidiaries. These limitations permit the payment of dividends out of current cash flow for quarterly, semi-annual or annual periods only at the end of these periods and only after payment of principal and interest on project loans due at the end of these periods. Cash dividend payments on common stock are limited to a certain percentage of cash flow under our corporate credit agreement. The indentures relating to our existing senior subordinated notes preclude the payment of cash dividends if: o at the time of a payment of cash dividends or after giving effect thereto an event of default occurred; o an event that would become an event of default occurred and is continuing; o certain fixed charge coverage ratios are not met or o if the payment of dividends, together with other restricted payments, would exceed certain limits. Description of Certain Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws contain several provisions that may make the acquisition of control of the AES through a tender offer, open market purchases, a proxy fight or otherwise more difficult. Below is a description of certain of these provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws. Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our By-Laws provide that, unless otherwise prescribed by law, special meetings of stockholders may be called by a resolution adopted by a majority of the entire board of directors, by the chairman of the board of directors or by the president. Only business as specified in the notice of stockholders of the special meeting shall be considered. Stockholder Nomination of Directors. Our By-Laws contain a procedure for stockholder nomination of directors. The By-Laws provide that any record owner of stock entitled to be voted generally in the election of directors may nominate one or more persons for election as a director at a stockholders meeting only if written notice is given to our secretary of the intent to make a nomination. The notice must be given, with respect to an annual meeting, not later than 90 days in advance of the annual meeting. With respect to a special meeting, the notice must be given not later than the close of business on the seventh day following the earlier of o the date on which notice of such special meeting is first given to stockholders and 10 o the date on which a public announcement of such meeting is first made. Each notice must include: o the name and address of each stockholder who intends to appear in person or by proxy to make the nomination and of the person or persons to be nominated; o a description of all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming them) pursuant to which the nomination is to be made by the stockholder; o other information regarding each nominee proposed as would have been included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and o the consent of each nominee to serve if elected. The presiding officer of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person not made in compliance with this procedure. The procedure for stockholder nomination of directors described above may have the effect of precluding a nomination for election of directors at a particular meeting if the required procedure is not followed. Elimination of Liability; Indemnification. Except as described below, the Certificate of Incorporation eliminates the liability of members of our board of directors to us or our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duties as directors. Directors remain liable for breaches of their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, as well as for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law and transactions from which a director derives improper personal benefit. The Certificate of Incorporation also does not release directors of liability under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "GCL"), which makes directors personally liable for unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions if the unlawful conduct is willful or results from negligence. Under our By-Laws, and in accordance with Section 145 of the GCL, we shall indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by the GCL any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding. These include civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director or officer of or employed by us, or is or was serving in that capacity or as an agent at the request of us for another entity. Our indemnification covers expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of an action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to our best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe was unlawful. We will indemnify persons in a derivative action under the same conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the person is adjudged to be liable to us in the performance of his or her duty. Derivative actions are actions by us or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor. Agents of ours may be similarly indemnified at the discretion of the board of directors. Under Section 145 of the GCL, a similar duty of care is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of a derivative action and then, where the person is adjudged to be liable to us, only if and to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which the action was brought determines that the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to the indemnity and only for those expenses as the court deems proper. Pursuant to our By-Laws, a person eligible for indemnification may have the expenses incurred in connection with any matter described above paid in advance of a final disposition by us. However, these advances will only be made if the indemnified person undertakes to repay all advanced amounts if it is determined that the person is not entitled to indemnification. In addition, under our By-Laws, we may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of us or of another corporation against any liability arising out of the person's status as director, 11 officer, employee or agent of us whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of our By-Laws. We maintain directors' and officers' insurance. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION We intend to enter into a sales agency agreement with PaineWebber Incorporated under which we may issue and sell up to 4,500,000 shares of common stock from time to time through PaineWebber, as our sales agent. The form of the sales agency agreement is an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The sales, if any, of common stock made under the sales agency agreement will be made only by means of ordinary brokers' transactions on the New York Stock Exchange. PaineWebber will sell the shares of common stock subject to the sales agency agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and PaineWebber. We will designate the maximum amount of shares of common stock to be sold by PaineWebber daily as reasonably agreed to by PaineWebber. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agency agreement, PaineWebber will use its reasonable efforts to sell all of the designated shares of common stock. We may instruct PaineWebber not to sell shares of common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. PaineWebber will not be obligated to use reasonable efforts to sell shares at any price below the designated price. We or PaineWebber may suspend the offering of shares of common stock upon proper notice and subject to other conditions. PaineWebber will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange each day in which shares of common stock are sold under the sales agency agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on that day, the net proceeds to us and the compensation payable by us to PaineWebber in connection with the sales. The compensation to PaineWebber for sales of common stock will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement. The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of the shares. Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the third business day following the date on which any sales are made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement. We estimate that we will spend approximately $145,000 for printing, accounting, legal and other expenses relating to sale of shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agency agreement. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, PaineWebber will act as sales agent on a reasonable efforts basis. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, PaineWebber may be deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of PaineWebber may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to PaineWebber against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. PaineWebber may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business. The offering of common stock pursuant to the sales agency agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (1) the sale of all shares of common stock subject to the agreement and (2) termination of the sales agency agreement. The sales agency agreement may be terminated by us in our sole discretion at any time on or after the first anniversary of the date of the sales agency agreement and may be terminated by PaineWebber in its sole discretion at any time. 12 LEGAL MATTERS The legality of the common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York. EXPERTS The financial statements and the related financial statement schedules incorporated in this prospectus by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, and has been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. 13 ================================================================================ 4,500,000 Shares THE AES CORPORATION Common Stock [LOGO] ----------------------- PROSPECTUS ----------------------- PaineWebber Incorporated o, 2000 ================================================================================ 14 THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED. SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED JUNE 14, 2000 PROSPECTUS 4,500,000 Shares Common Stock [LOGO] The AES Corporation ----------------------- We intend to enter into a sales agency agreement with CIBC World Markets Corp. relating to the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the proposed sales agency agreement, we may offer and sell up to 4,500,000 shares of our common stock from time to time through CIBC World Markets Corp., as our sales agent. Sales of the shares, if any, will be made by means of ordinary brokers' transactions on the New York Stock Exchange. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest. CIBC World Markets Corp. will be entitled to a commission that will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement. Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AES". On June 13, 2000, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $48.88 per share. Our address is 1001 North 19th Street, Arlington, Virginia, and our telephone number is (703) 522-1315. Investing in our common stock involves certain risks. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 3. ----------------------- Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. ----------------------- CIBC World Markets This prospectus is dated o, 2000. You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in or incorporatedby reference in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus. ----------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------------- Page ---- About This Prospectus.......................................................2 Risk Factors................................................................3 Where You Can Find More Information.........................................7 Incorporation of Documents by Reference.....................................8 Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements..................................8 Use of Proceeds.............................................................8 The Company.................................................................8 Description of Capital Stock................................................9 Plan of Distribution.......................................................12 Legal Matters..............................................................13 Experts....................................................................13 ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission utilizing a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell the shares of common stock described in the prospectus from time to time. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the common stock we may offer. We may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus through a supplement to this prospectus. Any statement that we make in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information." 2 RISK FACTORS Purchasers of the common stock should read this entire prospectus carefully. Ownership of the common stock involves certain risks. The following factors should be considered carefully in evaluating AES and its business before purchasing the common stock offered by this prospectus. We are highly leveraged. We had approximately $13,715 million of outstanding indebtedness at March 31, 2000. As a result, we might be significantly limited in our ability to meet our debt service obligations, to finance the acquisition, development or completion of additional projects, to compete effectively or to operate successfully under adverse economic conditions. As of March 31, 2000, we had a consolidated ratio of total debt to total book capitalization (including current debt) of approximately 72%. We do a significant amount of our business outside the United States which presents significant risks. Our involvement in the development of new businesses and the acquisition of existing plants in locations outside the United States is increasing and a large portion of our current development and acquisition activities are for projects and plants outside the United States. The financing, development and operation of projects outside the United States entail significant political and financial uncertainties (including, without limitation, uncertainties associated with first-time privatization efforts in the countries involved, currency exchange rate fluctuations, currency repatriation restrictions, regulation of the electricity business, currency inconvertibility, tax law, political instability, civil unrest, and expropriation) and other credit quality, liquidity or structuring issues that have the potential to cause substantial delays in respect of or material impairment of the value of the project being developed or operated, which we may not be capable of fully insuring or hedging against. The ability to obtain financing on a commercially acceptable non-recourse basis in developing nations has become more difficult. Even when such non-recourse financing is available, lenders may require us to make higher equity investments than historically have been the case. In addition, financing in countries with less than investment grade sovereign credit ratings may also require substantial participation by multilateral financing agencies. There can be no assurance that such financing can be obtained when needed. The uncertainty of the legal environment in certain countries in which we are or in the future may be developing, constructing or operating could make it more difficult for us to enforce our respective rights under agreements relating to such businesses. In addition, the laws and regulations of certain countries may limit our ability to hold a majority interest in some of the businesses that we may develop or acquire. International businesses we own may, in certain cases, be expropriated by applicable governments. Although we may have legal recourse in enforcing our rights under agreements and recovering damages for breaches thereof, there can be no assurance that any such legal proceedings will be successful or resolved in a timely manner. Global competition is increasing and could adversely affect us. The global power production market is characterized by numerous strong and capable competitors, many of whom may have extensive and diversified developmental or operating experience (including both domestic and international experience) and financial resources similar to or greater than ours. Further, in recent years, the power production industry has been characterized by strong and increasing competition with respect to both obtaining power sales agreements and acquiring existing power generation assets. In certain markets, these factors have caused reductions in prices contained in new power sales agreements and, in many cases, have caused higher acquisition prices for existing assets through competitive bidding practices. The evolution of competitive electricity markets and the development of highly efficient gas-fired power plants have also caused, or are anticipated to cause, price pressure in certain power markets where we sell or intend to sell power. There can be no assurance that the foregoing competitive factors will not have a material adverse effect on us. Development uncertainties. The majority of the projects that we develop are large and complex and the completion of any such project is subject to substantial risks. Development can require us to expend significant sums for preliminary engineering, permitting, legal and other expenses in preparation for competitive bids which we may not win or before it can be determined whether a project is feasible, economically attractive or capable of being financed. Successful development and construction is 3 contingent upon, among other things, negotiation of satisfactory engineering, construction, fuel supply and power sales contracts with other project participants, receipt of required governmental permits and consents and timely implementation and satisfactory completion of construction. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new power sales contracts, overcome local opposition, if any, obtain the necessary site agreements, fuel supply and ash disposal agreements, construction contracts, steam sales contracts, licenses and certifications, environmental and other permits and financing commitments necessary for the successful development of our projects. There can be no assurance that development efforts on any particular project, or our efforts generally, will be successful. If these development efforts are not successful, we may abandon a project under development. At the time of abandonment, we would expense all capitalized development costs incurred in connection therewith and could incur additional losses associated with any related contingent liabilities. Our future growth is dependent, in part, upon the demand for significant amounts of additional electrical generating capacity and our ability to obtain contracts to supply portions of this capacity. Any material unremedied delay in, or unsatisfactory completion of, construction of our projects could, under certain circumstances, have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations, including the payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on our debt securities. We may also be faced with certain development uncertainties arising out of doing business outside of the United States. See "--We do a significant amount of our business outside the United States which presents significant risks. " Our acquisitions may not perform as expected. We have achieved a majority of our growth through acquisitions and expect that we will continue to grow, in part, through acquisitions. Although each of the acquired businesses had a significant operating history at the time we acquired them, we have a limited history of owning and operating many of these businesses. In addition, most of these businesses were government owned and some were operated as part of a larger integrated utility prior to their acquisition. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in transitioning these to private ownership, that such businesses will perform as expected or that the returns from such businesses will support the indebtedness incurred to acquire them or the capital expenditures needed to develop them. We may not be able to raise sufficient capital to fund acquisitions and greenfield projects or refinance existing debt. Each of our projects under development and those independent power facilities we have committed to acquire or may seek to acquire may require substantial capital investment. Continued access to capital with acceptable terms is necessary to assure the success of future projects and acquisitions, and may be necessary to refinance certain existing debt. We have utilized project financing loans to fund the capital expenditures associated with constructing and acquiring our electric power plants and related assets to the extent possible. Project financing borrowings have been substantially non-recourse to our other subsidiaries and affiliates and to us as the parent company and are generally secured by the capital stock, physical assets, contracts and cash flow of the related project subsidiary or affiliate. We intend to continue to seek, where possible, such non-recourse project financing. However, depending on market conditions and the unique characteristics of individual projects, such financing may not be available or our traditional providers of project financing, particularly multinational commercial banks, may seek higher borrowing spreads and increased equity contributions. Furthermore, because of the reluctance of commercial lending institutions to provide non-recourse project financing (including financial guarantees) in certain less developed economies, we have sought and will continue to seek, in such locations, direct or indirect (through credit support or guarantees) project financing from a limited number of multilateral or bilateral international financial institutions or agencies. As a precondition to making such project financing available, these institutions may also require governmental guarantees of certain project and sovereign related risks. Depending on the policies of specific governments, such guarantees may not be offered and as a result, we may determine that sufficient financing will ultimately not be available to fund the related project. In addition, we are frequently required to provide more sponsor equity for projects that sell their electricity into the merchant market than for projects that sell their electricity under long term contracts. In addition to the project financing loans, if available, we provide a portion, or in certain instances all, of the remaining long-term financing required to fund development, construction, or acquisition. These investments have generally taken the form of equity investments or loans, which are 4 subordinated to the project financing loans. The funds for these investments have been provided by cash flows from operations and by the proceeds from borrowings under our short-term credit facilities and issuances of senior notes, senior subordinated notes, convertible debentures, convertible trust preferred securities and common stock. Our ability to arrange for financing on either a fully recourse or a substantially non-recourse basis and the costs of such capital are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic and capital market conditions, the availability of bank credit, rating agency ratings, investor confidence, the continued success of current projects and provisions of tax and securities laws which are conducive to raising capital in this manner. Should future access to capital not be available, we may decide not to build new plants or acquire existing facilities. While a decision not to build new plants or acquire existing facilities would not affect the results of operations of our currently operating facilities or facilities under construction, such a decision would affect our future growth. The performance of our generation business is dependent to a large degree on certain of our larger projects and their customers. The nature of most of our generation plants (based on revenues) is such that each facility generally relies on one power sales contract with a single customer for the majority, if not all, of its revenues over the life of the power sales contract. The prolonged failure of any significant customer to fulfill its contractual obligations could have a substantial negative impact on these revenues. We have sought to reduce this risk in part by entering into power sales contracts with utilities or other customers of strong credit quality and by locating its plants in different geographic areas in order to mitigate the effects of regional economic downturns. Our revenues are becoming less predictable. Our business primarily consists of businesses with long-term contracts or retail concessions, and we expect the contract-based portfolio to be an effective hedge against future energy and electricity market price risks. However, an increasing proportion of our current and expected future revenues are derived from businesses without significant long-term revenue contracts. Our increasing reliance on non- contract businesses could cause our results of operations to become more volatile. Our distribution businesses are subject to greater regulatory scrutiny than our generation business. Our distribution businesses face increased regulatory and political scrutiny in the normal conduct of their operations. This scrutiny may adversely impact our results of operations, to the extent that such scrutiny or pressure prevents us from reducing losses as quickly as we planned or denies us a rate increase called for by our concession agreements. In general, these businesses have lower margins and are more dependent on regulation to ensure expected annual rate increases for inflation and increased power costs, among other things. There can be no assurance that these rate reviews will be granted, or occur in a timely manner. We are subject to significant government regulation. Our generation business in the United States is subject to the provisions of various laws and regulations, including the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as amended, commonly referred to as PURPA, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act, as amended, commonly referred to as PUHCA. PURPA provides to qualifying facilities, commonly referred to as QFs, certain exemptions from substantial federal and state legislation, including regulation as public utilities. PUHCA regulates public utility holding companies and their subsidiaries. It is necessary for us to obtain approval under PUHCA in order to maintain majority ownership in our domestic power plants that are QFs. Currently a material portion of our domestic revenues are received from QFs. Moreover, all of our domestic non-QF plants are Exempt Wholesale Generators, commonly referred to as EWGs. An EWG is a facility that has been authorized by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, commonly referred to as the FERC, to sell wholesale power at market-based rates. We enjoy exemptions under PUHCA related to our foreign utility acquisitions and holdings. We cannot ensure that we will be able to maintain appropriate PUHCA exemptions for all of our businesses. If we decide to acquire another U.S. utility or utility assets, we may be required to divest either all or part of CILCORP or take other steps resulting in a loss of control or as may be required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe that, upon the occurrence of an event that would threaten the QF status of one of our domestic plants, we would be able to react in a manner that would avoid the loss of QF status (such as by replacing the steam customer). In the event we were unable to avoid the loss of such status for one of our plants, to avoid public utility holding company status, we could apply to the FERC to obtain status as 5 an EWG, or could restructure the ownership of the project subsidiary. EWGs, however, are subject to broader regulation by FERC and may be subject to state public utility commissions regulation regarding non-rate matters. In addition, any restructuring of a project subsidiary could result in, among other things, a reduced financial interest in such subsidiary, which could result in a gain or loss on the sale of the interest in such subsidiary, the removal of such subsidiary from our consolidated income tax group or our consolidated financial statements, or an increase or decrease in our results of operations. Pending electric utility industry restructuring proposals could have an adverse effect on us. Several states have passed legislation that allows electricity customers to choose their electricity supplier in a competitive electricity market (so-called "retail access" or "customer choice" laws), and all but two of the remaining states are considering such legislation. In addition to state restructuring legislation, some members of Congress have proposed new Federal legislation to encourage customer choice and recovery of stranded assets. Several bills have been submitted to Congress on electricity restructuring. In anticipation of restructuring legislation, many U.S. utilities are seeking ways to lower their costs in order to become more competitive. These include the costs that utilities are required to pay under QF contracts. Many utilities are therefore seeking ways to lower these contract prices by renegotiating the contracts, or in some cases by litigation. In 1999, we renegotiated contracts for two of our QFs--Thames (a partial prepayment) and Placerita (a complete buyout). The Thames transaction has been approved by the Connecticut Department of Public Utilities Commission. The FERC and many state utility commissions are currently studying a number of proposals to restructure the electric utility industry in the United States. Such restructuring would permit utility customers to choose their utility supplier in a competitive electric energy market. The FERC issued a final rule in April 1996 which requires utilities to offer wholesale customers and suppliers open access on utility transmission lines, on a comparable basis to the utilities' own use of the lines. The final rule is subject to rehearing and may become the subject of court litigation. Many utilities have already filed "open access" tariffs. The utilities contend that they should recover from departing customers their fixed costs that will be "stranded" by the ability of their wholesale customers (and perhaps eventually, their retail customers) to choose new electric power suppliers. The FERC final rule endorses the recovery of legitimate and verifiable "stranded costs." These may include the costs utilities are required to pay under many QF contracts which the utilities view as excessive when compared with current market prices. Many utilities are therefore seeking ways to lower these contract prices or rescind the contracts altogether, out of concern that their shareholders will be required to bear all or part of such "stranded" costs. Some utilities have engaged in litigation against QFs to achieve these ends. In addition, future United States electric rates may be deregulated in a restructured United States electric utility industry and increased competition may result in lower rates and less profit margin for United States electricity sellers. Falling electricity prices, the introduction of commodity markets for electricity and uncertainty as to the future structure of the industry has rendered the long-term power purchase contracts obsolete. As a result, in the generation business we are increasingly dependent upon prices for electricity determined in electricity spot markets. Such prices can be very volatile and the effect on us of this volatility cannot be predicted. The United States Congress is considering proposed legislation which would repeal PURPA entirely, or at least repeal the obligation of utilities to purchase from QFs. There is strong support for grandfathering existing QF contracts if such legislation is passed, and also support for requiring utilities to conduct competitive bidding for new electric generation if the PURPA purchase obligation is eliminated. Various bills have also proposed repeal of PUHCA. Repeal of PUHCA would allow power generators and vertically integrated utilities to acquire retail utilities in the United States that are geographically widespread, as opposed to the current limitations of PUHCA which require that retail electric systems be capable of physical interconnection. In addition, registered holding companies would be free to acquire non-utility businesses, which they may not do now, with certain limited exceptions. In the event that PUHCA is repealed, competition would likely increase. Repeal of PURPA and/or PUHCA may or may not be part of comprehensive legislation to restructure the electric utility industry, allow retail competition, and deregulate most electric rates. The effect of any such repeal cannot be predicted, although any such repeal could have a material adverse effect on us. 6 From time to time we are subject to material litigation and regulatory proceedings. From time to time, we and our affiliates are parties to litigation and regulatory proceedings. Investors should review the descriptions of such matters contained in our Annual, Quarterly and Current Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and incorporated by reference herein. There can be no assurances that the outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position. Our business is subject to stringent environmental regulations. Our activities are subject to stringent environmental regulation by federal, state, local and foreign governmental authorities. These regulations generally involve effluents into the water, emissions into the air, the use of water, wetlands preservation, waste disposal, endangered species, and noise regulation, among others. Congress and other foreign governmental authorities also may consider proposals to restrict or tax certain emissions. These proposals, if adopted, could impose additional costs on the operation of our power plants. There can be no assurance that we would be able to recover all or any increased costs from our customers or that our business, financial condition or results of operations would not be materially and adversely affected by future changes in domestic or foreign environmental laws and regulations. We have made and will continue to make capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that such expenditures will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Our directors and officers have significant ownership interests in us and can exert significant influence or control over matters requiring stockholder approval. As of February 4, 2000 our two founders, Roger W. Sant and Dennis W. Bakke, and their immediate families together owned beneficially approximately 18.4% of our outstanding Common Stock. As a result of their ownership interests, Messrs. Sant and Bakke may be able to significantly influence or exert control over our affairs, including the election of our directors. As of February 4, 2000, all of our officers and directors and their immediate families together owned beneficially approximately 24.9% of our outstanding Common Stock. To the extent that they decide to vote together, these stockholders would be able to significantly influence or control the election of our directors, our management and policies and any action requiring stockholder approval, including significant corporate transactions. Our adherence to our "shared principles" could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. A core part of our corporate culture is a commitment to "shared principles": to act with integrity, to be fair, to have fun and to be socially responsible. We seek to adhere to these principles not as a means to achieve economic success, but because adherence is a worthwhile goal in and of itself. However, if we perceive a conflict between these principles and profits, we will try to adhere to our principles -- even though doing so might result in diminished or foregone opportunities or financial benefits. Shares eligible for future sale. From time to time, our subsidiaries incur indebtedness that is secured by a pledge of shares of our common stock held by that subsidiary. The sale of a substantial number of such shares in the public market upon any foreclosure or otherwise could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission You may read and copy any document that we file at the public reference rooms of the Securities and Exchange Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549; 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661 and 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New York 10048. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference rooms by calling the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains an Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, from where you can access our filings. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AES." Our reports, proxy statements and other information may be read and copied at the New York Stock Exchange at 30 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005. This prospectus constitutes part of a Registration 7 Statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). It omits some of the information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is made to the Registration Statement for further information on AES and the securities offered hereby. Any statement contained in this prospectus concerning the provisions of any document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or otherwise filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of the document filed. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The Securities and Exchange Commission allows us to "incorporate by reference" the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the Securities and Exchange Commission will automatically update and supersede this information. In particular, our annual filing on Form 10-K will supersede all previously filed annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 until we sell all of the shares of common stock covered hereby: (a) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999; (b) Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000; (c) Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on May 8, 2000 and May 12, 2000. You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning the office of William R. Luraschi, Vice President and Secretary, The AES Corporation, 1001 North 19th Street, Arlington, Virginia, telephone number (703) 522-1315 SPECIAL NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This prospectus includes forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions related to AES, including those set forth under "Risk Factors" in this prospectus and those set forth under the caption "Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this prospectus might not occur. USE OF PROCEEDS Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, proceeds from the sale of the common stock will be used by us for general corporate purposes and may be temporarily invested in short-term securities. THE COMPANY We are a global power company committed to serving the world's needs for electricity in a socially responsible way. Our electricity "generation" business consists of sales to wholesale customers (generally electric utilities, regional electric companies or wholesale commodity markets known 8 as "power pools") for further resale to end-users. We also sell electricity directly to end-users such as commercial, industrial, governmental and residential customers through our "distribution" business. Sales within our generation business are made under long-term contracts from power plants owned by our subsidiaries and affiliates, as well as directly into power pools. We own new plants constructed for such purposes ("greenfield" plants) as well as older power plants acquired through competitively bid privatization initiatives or negotiated acquisitions. Electricity sales by our distribution businesses, including affiliates, are generally made pursuant of the provisions of long-term electricity sale concessions granted by the appropriate governmental authorities. In certain cases, these distribution companies are "integrated", in that they also own electric power plants for the purpose of generating a portion of the electricity they sell. DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK Under our certificate of incorporation (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), we are authorized to issue 1,200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value. The following summary contains a description of certain general terms of the common stock. The description of certain provisions of the common stock is subject to and qualified by reference to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation. Common Stock As of June 7, 2000, there were 443,530,761 shares of common stock outstanding. The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably dividends as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of funds legally available to pay dividends. If we liquidate our business, the holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets after we pay our liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. The common stock has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable, and any shares of common stock in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be fully paid and non-assessable. The transfer agent for our common stock is EquiServe. Price Range of AES Common Stock and Common Stock Dividends Our common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on October 16, 1996 under the symbol "AES." The following table sets forth for the periods indicated the intra-day high and low sale prices for the common stock as reported on the Composite Tape. In April 2000, we announced a two- for-one stock split, in the form of a stock dividend, for holders of record on May 1, 2000 of our common stock, par value $.01 per share, which was payable on June 1, 2000. The prices set forth below reflect adjustment for such stock split. High Low ------ ------ 1998 First Quarter........................................ $27.16 $19.69 Second Quarter....................................... 29.00 22.82 Third Quarter........................................ 27.69 11.50 Fourth Quarter....................................... 23.69 16.00 9 High Low ------- ------ 1999 First Quarter........................................ $24.63 $16.41 Second Quarter....................................... 29.88 18.38 Third Quarter........................................ 33.35 26.53 Fourth Quarter....................................... 38.19 25.22 2000 First Quarter........................................ $44.72 $34.25 Second Quarter (through June 13, 2000)............... 49.63 35.56 No cash dividends have been paid on common stock since December 22, 1993 in order to provide capital for our equity investments in projects. Our ability to declare and pay dividends is dependent, among other things, on o the ability of our project subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends and otherwise distribute cash to us; o our ability to service our parent company debt; and o our ability to meet certain criteria for paying dividends under our corporate credit facility and under existing indentures of our debt securities. The ability of our subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends and otherwise distribute cash to us is subject to certain limitations in the project loans and other documents entered into by our project subsidiaries. These limitations permit the payment of dividends out of current cash flow for quarterly, semi-annual or annual periods only at the end of these periods and only after payment of principal and interest on project loans due at the end of these periods. Cash dividend payments on common stock are limited to a certain percentage of cash flow under our corporate credit agreement. The indentures relating to our existing senior subordinated notes preclude the payment of cash dividends if: o at the time of a payment of cash dividends or after giving effect thereto an event of default occurred; o an event that would become an event of default occurred and is continuing; o certain fixed charge coverage ratios are not met or o if the payment of dividends, together with other restricted payments, would exceed certain limits. Description of Certain Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws contain several provisions that may make the acquisition of control of the AES through a tender offer, open market purchases, a proxy fight or otherwise more difficult. Below is a description of certain of these provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws. Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our By-Laws provide that, unless otherwise prescribed by law, special meetings of stockholders may be called by a resolution adopted by a majority of the entire board of directors, by the chairman of the board of directors or by the president. Only business as specified in the notice of stockholders of the special meeting shall be considered. Stockholder Nomination of Directors. Our By-Laws contain a procedure for stockholder nomination of directors. The By-Laws provide that any record owner of stock entitled to be voted generally in the election of directors may nominate one or more persons for election as a director at a stockholders meeting only if written notice is given to our secretary of the intent to make a nomination. The notice must be given, with respect to an annual meeting, not later than 90 days in advance of the annual meeting. With respect to a special meeting, the notice must be given not later than the close of business on the seventh day following the earlier of o the date on which notice of such special meeting is first given to stockholders and 10 o the date on which a public announcement of such meeting is first made. Each notice must include: o the name and address of each stockholder who intends to appear in person or by proxy to make the nomination and of the person or persons to be nominated; o a description of all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming them) pursuant to which the nomination is to be made by the stockholder; o other information regarding each nominee proposed as would have been included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and o the consent of each nominee to serve if elected. The presiding officer of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person not made in compliance with this procedure. The procedure for stockholder nomination of directors described above may have the effect of precluding a nomination for election of directors at a particular meeting if the required procedure is not followed. Elimination of Liability; Indemnification. Except as described below, the Certificate of Incorporation eliminates the liability of members of our board of directors to us or our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duties as directors. Directors remain liable for breaches of their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, as well as for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law and transactions from which a director derives improper personal benefit. The Certificate of Incorporation also does not release directors of liability under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "GCL"), which makes directors personally liable for unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions if the unlawful conduct is willful or results from negligence. Under our By-Laws, and in accordance with Section 145 of the GCL, we shall indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by the GCL any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding. These include civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director or officer of or employed by us, or is or was serving in that capacity or as an agent at the request of us for another entity. Our indemnification covers expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of an action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to our best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe was unlawful. We will indemnify persons in a derivative action under the same conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the person is adjudged to be liable to us in the performance of his or her duty. Derivative actions are actions by us or in the right of us to procure a judgment in our favor. Agents of ours may be similarly indemnified at the discretion of the board of directors. Under Section 145 of the GCL, a similar duty of care is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of a derivative action and then, where the person is adjudged to be liable to us, only if and to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which the action was brought determines that the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to the indemnity and only for those expenses as the court deems proper. Pursuant to our By-Laws, a person eligible for indemnification may have the expenses incurred in connection with any matter described above paid in advance of a final disposition by us. However, these advances will only be made if the indemnified person undertakes to repay all advanced amounts if it is determined that the person is not entitled to indemnification. In addition, under our By-Laws, we may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of us or of another corporation against any liability arising out of the person's status as director, 11 officer, employee or agent of us whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of our By-Laws. We maintain directors' and officers' insurance. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION We intend to enter into a sales agency agreement with CIBC World Markets Corp. under which we may issue and sell up to 4,500,000 shares of common stock from time to time through CIBC World Markets Corp., as our sales agent. The form of the sales agency agreement is an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The sales, if any, of common stock made under the sales agency agreement will be made only by means of ordinary brokers' transactions on the New York Stock Exchange. CIBC World Markets Corp. will sell the shares of common stock subject to the sales agency agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and CIBC World Markets Corp. We will designate the maximum amount of shares of common stock to be sold by CIBC World Markets Corp. daily as reasonably agreed to by CIBC World Markets Corp. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agency agreement, CIBC World Markets Corp. will use its reasonable efforts to sell all of the designated shares of common stock. We may instruct CIBC World Markets Corp. not to sell shares of common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. CIBC World Markets Corp. will not be obligated to use reasonable efforts to sell shares at any price below the designated price. We or CIBC World Markets Corp. may suspend the offering of shares of common stock upon proper notice and subject to other conditions. CIBC World Markets Corp. will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange each day in which shares of common stock are sold under the sales agency agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on that day, the net proceeds to us and the compensation payable by us to CIBC World Markets Corp. in connection with the sales. The compensation to CIBC World Markets Corp. for sales of common stock will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement. The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of the shares. Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the third business day following the date on which any sales are made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement. We estimate that we will spend approximately $145,000 for printing, accounting, legal and other expenses relating to sale of shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agency agreement. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, CIBC World Markets Corp. will act as sales agent on a reasonable efforts basis. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, CIBC World Markets Corp. may be deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of CIBC World Markets Corp. may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to CIBC World Markets Corp. against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. CIBC World Markets Corp. may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business. The offering of common stock pursuant to the sales agency agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (1) the sale of all shares of common stock subject to the agreement and (2) termination of the sales agency agreement. The sales agency agreement may be terminated by us in our sole discretion at any time on or after the first anniversary of the date of the sales agency agreement and may be terminated by CIBC World Markets Corp. in its sole discretion at any time. 12 LEGAL MATTERS The legality of the common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York. EXPERTS The financial statements and the related financial statement schedules incorporated in this prospectus by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, and has been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. 13 ================================================================================ 4,500,000 Shares THE AES CORPORATION Common Stock [LOGO] ----------------------- PROSPECTUS ----------------------- CIBC World Markets o, 2000 ================================================================================ 14 PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution The following table sets forth the expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. All of the amounts shown are estimates, except the Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee. Securities and Exchange Commission Registration filing fee.............$ 55,242 Printing and engraving expenses........................................$ 25,000 Blue sky fees and expenses (including counsel).........................$ 5,000 Legal fees and expenses................................................$ 50,000 Fees of accountants....................................................$ 5,000 Miscellaneous..........................................................$ 4,758 -------- Total...............................................................$145,000 ======== Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers Under the By-Laws of The AES Corporation (the "Company"), and in accordance with Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law ("GCL"), the Company shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than any action or suit by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor, which is hereinafter referred to as a "derivative action") by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer or employee of the Company, or is or was serving in such capacity or as an agent at the request of the Company for another entity, to the full extent authorized by Delaware law, against expenses (including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe was unlawful. Agents of the Company may be similarly indemnified, at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Under Section 145 of the GCL, a similar standard of care is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such an action and then, where the person is adjudged to be liable to the Company, only if and to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action was brought determines that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to such indemnity and only for such expenses as the court shall deem proper. Pursuant to Company's By-Laws, a person eligible for indemnification may have the expenses incurred in connection with any matter described above paid in advance of a final disposition by the Company. However, such advances will only be made upon the delivery of an undertaking by or on behalf of the indemnified person to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification. In addition, under the Company's By-Laws, the Company may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or of another corporation against any liability asserted against and incurred by such person in such capacity, or arising out of the person's status as II-1 such whether or not the Company would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of the Company's By-Laws. Item 16. Exhibits. Exhibits Description of Exhibit -------- ---------------------- 1.1+ Form of Sales Agency Agreement between the Company and PaineWebber Incorporated 1.2+ Form of Sales Agency Agreement between the Company and CIBC World Markets Corp. 5.1 Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell 23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP 23.2 Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell (included in Exhibit 5.1) 24.1* Powers of Attorney --------------------------- + The Company will file as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K any form of sales agency agreement to be used in connection with an offering of common stock. * Previously filed. Item 17. Undertakings. The undersigned registrant (the "Registrant") hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made of the securities registered hereby, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement; notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement; and (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement. (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Company's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement II-2 relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions described under Item 15 above, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrar of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. II-3 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company certifies that is has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Forms S-3 and has duly caused this Amendment No. 1 to this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized, in the City of Arlington, State of Virginia on June 14, 2000. THE AES CORPORATION By: /s/ William R. Luraschi -------------------------------- William R. Luraschi Vice President and Secretary Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment No. 1 to this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on June 14, 2000. Signature Title --------- ----- * Chairman of the Board --------------------------- Roger W. Sant * President, Chief Executive Officer --------------------------- and Director (Principal Executive Dennis W. Bakke Officer) * --------------------------- Director Dr. Alice F. Emerson --------------------------- Director Robert F. Hemphill, Jr. * Director --------------------------- Frank Jungers --------------------------- Director John H. McArthur --------------------------- Director Hazel O'Leary II-4 Signature Title --------- ----- * --------------------------- Director Thomas I. Unterberg --------------------------- Director Robert H. Waterman, Jr. * --------------------------- Senior Vice President and Chief Barry J. Sharp Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) *By: /s/ William R. Luraschi ----------------------- William R. Luraschi Attorney-in-Fact II-5 EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibits Description of Exhibit -------- ---------------------- 1.1+ Form of Sales Agency Agreement between the Company and PaineWebber Incorporated 1.2+ Form of Sales Agency Agreement between the Company and CIBC World Markets Corp. 5.1 Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell 23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP 23.2 Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell (included in Exhibit 5.1) 24.1* Powers of Attorney --------------------------- + The Company will file as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K any form of sales agency agreement to be used in connection with an offering of common stock. * Previously filed.