Talen Energy Corp

3. Risk Management, Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Risk Management Objectives

We are exposed to risks arising from our business, including, but not limited to, market and commodity price risk, credit and liquidity risk, and interest rate risk. The hedging strategies deployed by our commercial organization manage and (or) balance these risks within a structured risk management program in order to minimize near-term future cash flow volatility. Our risk management committee, comprised of certain senior management members across the organization, oversees the management of these risks in accordance with our risk policy. In turn, the risk management committee is overseen by the risk committee of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors, including the risk committee, and management have established procedures to monitor, measure, and manage hedging activities and credit risk in accordance with the risk policy.

Key risk control activities, which are designed to ensure compliance with the risk policy, include, among other activities, credit review and approval, validation of transactions and market prices, verification of risk and transaction limits, portfolio stress tests, analysis and monitoring of margin at risk, and daily portfolio reporting.

Market and Commodity Price Risk. Volatility in the wholesale power markets provides uncertainty in the future performance and cash flows of the business. The price risk Talen is exposed to includes the price variability associated with future sales and (or) purchases of power, natural gas, coal, uranium, oil products, environmental products, and other energy commodities in competitive wholesale markets. Several factors influence price volatility, including: seasonal changes in demand; weather conditions; available regional load-serving supply; regional transportation and (or) transmission availability; market liquidity; and federal, regional and state regulations.

Within the parameters of our risk policy, we generally utilize conventional first lien, exchange-traded, and over-the-counter traded derivative instruments and, in certain instances, structured products, to economically hedge the commodity price risk of the forecasted future sales and purchases of commodities associated with our generation portfolio.

Open commodity purchase (sales) derivatives as of September 30, 2024 (Successor) range in maturity through 2026. The net notional volumes of open commodity derivatives were:

(a)The volumes may be less than the contractual volumes, as the probability that option contracts will be exercised is considered in the volumes displayed.

Interest Rate Risk. Talen is exposed to interest rate risk from the possibility that changes in interest rates will affect future cash flows associated with existing floating rate debt issuances. To reduce interest rate risk, derivative instruments are utilized to economically hedge the interest rates for a predetermined contractual notional amount, which results in a cash settlement between counterparties. To the extent possible, first lien interest rate fixed-for-floating swaps are utilized to hedge this risk.

Open interest rate derivatives are related to the TLB indebtedness and mature in 2026. The net notional volumes of open interest rate derivatives were:

Credit Risk. Credit risk, which is the risk of financial loss if a customer, counterparty, or financial institution is unable to perform or pay amounts due, is applicable to cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, derivative instruments, and accounts receivable. The maximum amount of credit exposure associated with financial assets is equal to the carrying value. Credit risk, which cannot be completely eliminated, is managed through a number of practices such as ongoing reviews of counterparty creditworthiness, prepayment, inclusion of termination rights in contracts which are triggered by certain events of default, and executing master netting arrangements that permit amounts between parties to be offset. Additionally, credit enhancements such as cash deposits, LCs, and credit insurance may be employed to mitigate credit risk.

Cash and cash equivalents are placed in depository accounts or high-quality, short-term investments with major international banks and financial institutions. Individual counterparty exposure from over-the-counter derivative instruments is managed within predetermined credit limits and includes the use of master netting arrangements and cash-call margins, when appropriate, to reduce credit risk. Exchange-traded commodity contracts, which are executed through futures commission merchants, have minimal credit risk because they are subject to mandatory margin requirements and are cleared with an exchange. However, Talen is exposed to the credit risk of the futures commission merchants arising from daily variation margin cash calls. Restricted cash and cash equivalents deposited to meet initial margin requirements are held by futures commission merchants in segregated accounts for the benefit of Talen.

Outstanding accounts receivable include those from sales of capacity, generated electricity, and ancillary services through contracts directly with ISOs and RTOs and realized settlements of physical and financial derivative instruments with commodity marketers. Additionally, Talen carries accounts receivable due from joint owners for their portion of operating and capital costs for certain jointly owned facilities that are operated by the Company. The majority of outstanding receivables, which are continually monitored, have customary payment terms. The allowance for doubtful accounts was a non-material amount as of September 30, 2024 (Successor) and December 31, 2023 (Successor).

As of September 30, 2024 (Successor), Talen’s aggregate credit exposure, which excludes the effects of netting arrangements, cash collateral, LCs, and any allowances for doubtful collections, was $309 million and its credit exposure net of such effects was $68 million. Excluding ISO and RTO counterparties, whose accounts receivable settlements are subject to applicable market controls, the ten largest single net credit exposures account for approximately 66% of Talen’s total net credit exposure, which are primarily with entities assigned investment grade credit ratings.

Certain derivative instruments contain credit risk-related contingent features, which may require us to provide cash collateral, LCs, or guarantees from a creditworthy entity if the fair value of a liability eclipses a certain threshold or upon a decline in Talen’s credit rating. The fair values of derivative instruments in a net liability position, and that contain credit risk-related contingent features, were non-material as of September 30, 2024 (Successor) and December 31, 2023 (Successor).

Derivative Instrument Presentation

Balance Sheets Presentation. The fair value of derivative instruments presented within assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets were:

All commodity and interest rate derivatives are economic hedges where the changes in fair value are presented immediately in income as unrealized gains and losses. Changes in the fair value and realized settlements on commodity derivative instruments are presented as separate components of “Energy revenues” and “Fuel and energy purchases” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 12 for additional information on fair value.

Effect of Netting. Generally, the right of setoff within master netting arrangements permits the fair value of derivative assets to be offset with derivative liabilities. As an election, derivative assets and derivative liabilities are presented on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the effect of such permitted netting as of September 30, 2024 (Successor) and December 31, 2023 (Successor).

The net amounts of “Derivative instruments” presented as assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets considering the effect of permitted netting and where cash collateral is pledged in accordance with the underlying agreement were:

Statements of Operations Presentation. The location and pre-tax effect of “Derivative instruments” presented on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods were:

(a)Does not include those derivative instruments that settle through physical delivery.

(b)Presented as “Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.