Company to break ground on nearly 1,000 megawatts of renewables and storage; announces planned retirement of entire Midwest coal fleet
Provides financial update, raises 2020 financial guidance, and announces long-term capital allocation plan from continued strong financial outlook
IRVING, Texas, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Vistra (NYSE: VST) today announced a comprehensive plan to accelerate its transition to clean power generation sources and advance efforts to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. The company launched Vistra Zero, a portfolio of zero-carbon power generation facilities, including seven new developments announced today in its primary market of ERCOT that total nearly 1,000 megawatts. In addition, the company committed to more ambitious long-term emissions reduction targets, released its first climate report, and announced its intention to retire all of its generation subsidiaries’ coal plants in Illinois and Ohio.
“The aggregate impact of these milestone initiatives is clear: Vistra’s commitment to our transformation to a low-to-no-carbon future is unequivocal and offers unique opportunities for growth and innovation,” said Curt Morgan, president and CEO of Vistra. “As evidenced by the actions we take and investments we make, Vistra is paving its way for a sustainable future – economically and environmentally – and we’ve been focused on transitioning our generation portfolio for the benefit of the environment, our customers, our communities, our people, and our shareholders.”
Morgan continued, “Importantly, Vistra’s leadership on these issues will not impact our core mission to provide consumers with reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy while lowering emissions. Electricity is an essential resource, and the demand for it will continue to grow as climate initiatives are implemented and the economy is further electrified. So, while the way we produce electricity is changing, our essential role in the process and core mission will not. Vistra is well-positioned to not only prove our resiliency during this important transformation to cleaner generation sources, but to lead the way. Our value proposition has never been stronger, and our sustainability has never been clearer. We are confident over time that the severe under-valuation of our stock price will be recognized, and our fair value achieved.”
New Zero-Carbon Development Projects: Vistra Zero
Vistra, which is already developing the world’s largest battery energy storage project, the 400-MW/1,600-MWh Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California, today announced that it is breaking ground on six new solar projects and one battery energy storage project. These new zero-carbon developments, which are part of a newly launched Vistra Zero portfolio, represent a capital investment of approximately $850 million and are all located in the attractive Texas ERCOT market where Vistra has a leadership position: