FIRST inspires young people's interest and participation in science and technology

PRINCETON, N.J.--NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) has donated $123,000 so far this year through sponsorships and employee auction proceeds as part of a year-long program to benefit FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).

NRG was the pit area sponsor at the FIRST Championship, the annual global robotics competition held April 24-27 in St. Louis, Mo. More than 10,000 students from 37 countries put their engineering skills to the test in front of a crowd of 25,000 in the Edward Jones Dome.

Additional funds were raised by NRG employees through a charitable auction at the company's annual softball tournament and cooking contest held on April 11-12 in Scottsdale, Ariz. These funds will be combined with future auction proceeds later in the year and used to sponsor up to 10 school robotics teams for the 2013-2014 FIRST season.

"In our opinion, FIRST has been a game changer in terms of increasing the popularity of science and technology amongst American youth," said David Crane, NRG president and CEO. "We are honored to support FIRST as part of our contribution to fostering a future workforce that can support a highly technical and rapidly changing infrastructure."

A not-for-profit organization founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST inspires young people's interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST students are eligible for over $16 million in college scholarships from over 150 colleges and universities and the organization is supported by more than 200 of companies listed on the Fortune 500.

"NRG is an important company at the forefront of energy that recognizes the value of supporting the mission of FIRST," said Bob Tuttle, Interim President, FIRST. "We know that when industry and FIRST combine to help inspire students about science and technology, the better the chance we have that they will pursue careers in fields like smart energy and solar power."

NRG is committed to improving the quality of life in local communities through employee-led volunteerism, donations, and corporate grant matching. Earlier this year, NRG employees raised $428,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. In 2012, NRG contributed $5.4 million and 17,000 volunteer hours to benefit about 700 charitable organizations.

About NRG

NRG is at the forefront of changing how people think about and use energy. We deliver cleaner and smarter energy choices for our customers, backed by the nation's largest independent power generation portfolio of fossil fuel, nuclear, solar and wind facilities. A Fortune 500 company, NRG is challenging the U.S. energy industry by becoming the largest developer of solar power, building the first privately-funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and providing customers with the most advanced smart energy solutions to better manage their energy use. In addition to 47,000 megawatts of generation capacity, enough to supply nearly 40 million homes, our retail electricity providers - Reliant, Green Mountain Energy and Energy Plus - serve more than two million customers. More information is available at www.nrgenergy.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

About FIRST

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from more than 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and over $16 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST®Robotics Competition (FRC® ) and FIRST®Tech Challenge (FTC®) for high-school students, FIRST®LEGO® League (FLL®) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and Canada) and Junior FIRST®LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.