Vistra 10-Q 2021-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

— OR —

For the transition period from __ to __

Commission File Number 001-38086

Vistra Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of November 2, 2021, there were 482,627,520 shares of common stock, par value $0.01, outstanding of Vistra Corp.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vistra Corp.'s (Vistra) annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports and any amendments to those reports are made available to the public, free of charge, on the Vistra website at http://www.vistracorp.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Additionally, Vistra posts important information, including press releases, investor presentations, sustainability reports, and notices of upcoming events on its website and utilizes its website as a channel of distribution to reach public investors and as a means of disclosing material non-public information for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Investors may be notified of posting to the website by signing up for email alerts and RSS feeds on the "Investor Relations" page of Vistra's website. The information on Vistra's website shall not be deemed a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The representations and warranties contained in any agreement that we have filed as an exhibit to this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, or that we have or may publicly file in the future, may contain representations and warranties that may (i) be made by and to the parties thereto at specific dates, (ii) be subject to exceptions and qualifications contained in separate disclosure schedules, (iii) represent the parties' risk allocation in the particular transaction, or (iv) be qualified by materiality standards that differ from what may be viewed as material for securities law purposes.

This quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings of Vistra and its subsidiaries occasionally make references to Vistra (or "we," "our," "us" or "the Company"), Luminant, TXU Energy, Ambit, Value Based Brands, Dynegy Energy Services, Homefield Energy, TriEagle Energy, Public Power or U.S. Gas & Electric, when describing actions, rights or obligations of their respective subsidiaries. These references reflect the fact that the subsidiaries are consolidated with, or otherwise reflected in, the Vistra financial statements for financial reporting purposes. However, these references should not be interpreted to imply that the parent company is actually undertaking the action or has the rights or obligations of the relevant subsidiary company or vice versa.

i

GLOSSARY

When the following terms and abbreviations appear in the text of this report, they have the meanings indicated below.

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

VISTRA CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited) (Millions of Dollars, Except Per Share Amounts)

See Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Unaudited) (Millions of Dollars)

See Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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The discussion below, as well as other portions of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, management may make forward-looking statements orally or in other writing, including, but not limited to, in press releases, quarterly earnings calls, executive presentations, in the annual report to stockholders and in other filings with the SEC. Readers can usually identify these forward-looking statements by the use of such words as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “plans,” “projects,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes” or similar words. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could materially differ from those anticipated by such forward-looking statements. For more discussion about risk factors that could cause or contribute to such differences, see Part II, Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company’s 2020 Form 10-K and any updates contained herein. Forward-looking statements reflect the information only as of the date on which they are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, developments, or other information. If Vistra does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that additional updates will be made regarding that statement or any other forward-looking statements. This discussion is intended to clarify and focus on our results of operations, certain changes in our financial position, liquidity, capital structure and business developments for the periods covered by the consolidated financial statements included under Part I, Item 1 of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. This discussion should be read in conjunction with those consolidated financial statements and the related notes and is qualified by reference to them.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements.

All dollar amounts in the tables in the following discussion and analysis are stated in millions of U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The Company's discussion and analysis of its financial position and results of operations is based upon its consolidated financial statements. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires estimation and judgment that affect the reported amounts of revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the accounting for assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. If the estimates differ materially from actual results, the impact on the consolidated financial statements may be material. The Company's critical accounting policies are disclosed in our 2020 Form 10-K.

Business

Vistra is a holding company operating an integrated retail and electric power generation business primarily in markets throughout the U.S. Through our subsidiaries, we are engaged in competitive energy market activities including power generation, wholesale energy sales and purchases, commodity risk management and retail sales of electricity and natural gas to end users.

Operating Segments

Vistra has six reportable segments: (i) Retail, (ii) Texas, (iii) East, (iv) West, (v) Sunset and (vi) Asset Closure. See Note 16 to the Financial Statements for further information concerning the updates to our reportable business segments.

Significant Activities and Events and Items Influencing Future Performance

Winter Storm Uri

In February 2021, the U.S. experienced an unprecedented Winter Storm Uri, bringing extreme cold temperatures to the central U.S., including Texas. On February 12, 2021, the Governor of Texas declared a state of disaster for all 254 counties in the State in response to the then-forecasted weather conditions. The declaration certified that severe winter weather posed an imminent threat due to prolonged freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and freezing rain statewide. On February 14, 2021, President Biden issued a federal emergency declaration for all 254 Texas counties.

As part of its annual winter season preparations, our power plant teams executed a significant winter preparedness strategy, which included installing windbreaks and large radiant heaters to supplement existing freeze protection and insulation and performing preventative maintenance on freeze protection equipment such as the insulation and automatic circuitry designed to keep pipes at the power plants from freezing. In addition, in anticipation of Winter Storm Uri we took additional steps to prepare, including procuring additional demineralized water supply trailers to ensure sufficient water availability to run for extended periods and verifying that freeze protection circuits were operational.

This severe weather resulted in surging demand for power, gas supply shortages, operational challenges for generators, and a significant load shed event (i.e., involuntary outages to customers across the system for varying periods of time) that was ordered by ERCOT beginning on February 15, 2021 and continuing through February 18, 2021. Despite these challenges, we estimate that our fleet generated approximately 25 to 30% of the power on the grid during the height of the outages, as compared to our approximately 18% market share.

The weather event resulted in a $2.9 billion negative impact on the Company's pre-tax earnings in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 (see Note 1 to the Financial Statements). The primary drivers of the loss were the need to procure power in ERCOT at market prices at or near the price cap due to lower output from our natural gas-fueled power plants driven by natural gas deliverability issues and our coal-fueled power plants driven by coal fuel handling challenges, high fuel costs, and high retail load costs.

The final amount of the storm impact is subject to legislative actions that may be taken, such as legislation passed in the Texas Legislature's 87th Session. Securitization bills SB 1580 and HB 1520 may impact the total amount of balances owed by electric cooperatives to the market. The PUCT is required to issue financing orders related to those bills that authorizes financing associated with this legislation to defaulting market participants. The potential impact of this legislation is subject to uncertainty as the final details associated with the securitization bills will be determined through the potential approval of the financing orders.

In September 2021, the PUCT approved a settlement agreement among ERCOT, PUCT staff and certain ERCOT market participants who are parties to the PUCT proceeding in which ERCOT has applied for an order to finance, administer and distribute to eligible ERCOT market participants the securitization provided for under Texas House Bill 4492 (HB 4492). HB 4492 authorizes ERCOT to securitize up to $2.1 billion of certain costs allocated by ERCOT to load-serving entities (LSEs) during Winter Storm Uri. HB 4492, and final terms related thereto, are subject to the final financing order issued in October 2021, together with ERCOT obtaining sufficient financing related thereto. Though the final allocations will be determined following the completion of an administrative process, including final determination of which L

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Market risk is the risk that in the normal course of business we may experience a loss in value because of changes in market conditions that affect economic factors such as commodity prices, interest rates and counterparty credit. Our exposure to market risk is affected by several factors, including the size, duration and composition of our energy and financial portfolio, as well as the volatility and liquidity of markets. Instruments used to manage this exposure include interest rate swaps to hedge debt costs, as well as exchange-traded, over-the-counter contracts and other contractual arrangements to hedge commodity prices.

Risk Oversight

We manage the commodity price, counterparty credit and commodity-related operational risk related to the competitive energy business within limitations established by senior management and in accordance with overall risk management policies. Interest rate risk is managed centrally by our treasury function. Market risks are monitored by risk management groups that operate independently of the wholesale commercial operations, utilizing defined practices and analytical methodologies. These techniques measure the risk of change in value of the portfolio of contracts and the hypothetical effect on this value from changes in market conditions and include, but are not limited to, position reporting and review, Value at Risk (VaR) methodologies and stress test scenarios. Key risk control activities include, but are not limited to, transaction review and approval (including credit review), operational and market risk measurement, transaction authority oversight, validation of transaction capture, market price validation and reporting, and portfolio valuation and reporting, including mark-to-market valuation, VaR and other risk measurement metrics.

Vistra has a risk management organization that enforces applicable risk limits, including the respective policies and procedures to ensure compliance with such limits, and evaluates the risks inherent in our businesses.

Commodity Price Risk

Our business is subject to the inherent risks of market fluctuations in the price of electricity, natural gas and other energy-related products it markets or purchases. We actively manage the portfolio of generation assets, fuel supply and retail sales load to mitigate the near-term impacts of these risks on results of operations. Similar to other participants in the market, we cannot fully manage the long-term value impact of structural declines or increases in natural gas and power prices.

In managing energy price risk, we enter into a variety of market transactions including, but not limited to, short- and long-term contracts for physical delivery, exchange-traded and over-the-counter financial contracts and bilateral contracts with customers. Activities include hedging, the structuring of long-term contractual arrangements and proprietary trading. We continuously monitor the valuation of identified risks and adjust positions based on current market conditions. We strive to use consistent assumptions regarding forward market price curves in evaluating and recording the effects of commodity price risk.

VaR Methodology — A VaR methodology is used to measure the amount of market risk that exists within the portfolio under a variety of market conditions. The resultant VaR produces an estimate of a portfolio's potential for loss given a specified confidence level and considers, among other things, market movements utilizing standard statistical techniques given historical and projected market prices and volatilities.

Parametric processes are used to calculate VaR and are considered by management to be the most effective way to estimate changes in a portfolio's value based on assumed market conditions for liquid markets. The use of this method requires a number of key assumptions, such as use of (i) an assumed confidence level, (ii) an assumed holding period (i.e., the time necessary for management action, such as to liquidate positions) and (iii) historical estimates of volatility and correlation data. The table below details a VaR measure related to various portfolios of contracts.

VaR for Underlying Generation Assets and Energy-Related Contracts — This measurement estimates the potential loss in value, due to changes in market conditions, of all underlying generation assets and contracts, based on a 95% confidence level and an assumed holding period of 60 days. The forward period covered by this calculation includes the current and subsequent calendar year at the time of calculation.

The increase in the month-end high VaR risk measure in 2021 is primarily driven by a larger net open position, higher forward prices and an increase in volatility compared to the prior year.

Interest Rate Risk

At September 30, 2021, the potential reduction of annual pre-tax earnings over the next twelve months due to a one percentage-point (100 basis points) increase in floating interest rates on long-term debt totaled approximately $7 million taking into account the interest rate swaps discussed in Note 10 to Financial Statements.

Credit Risk

Credit risk relates to the risk of loss associated with nonperformance by counterparties. We minimize credit risk by evaluating potential counterparties, monitoring ongoing counterparty risk and assessing overall portfolio risk. This includes review of counterparty financial condition, current and potential credit exposures, credit rating and other quantitative and qualitative credit criteria. We also employ certain risk mitigation practices, including utilization of standardized master agreements that provide for netting and setoff rights, as well as credit enhancements such as margin deposits and customer deposits, letters of credit, parental guarantees and surety bonds. See Note 14 to the Financial Statements for further discussion of this exposure.

Credit Exposure — Our gross credit exposure (excluding collateral impacts) associated with retail and wholesale trade accounts receivable and net derivative assets arising from commodity contracts and hedging and trading activities totaled $1.829 billion at September 30, 2021.

At September 30, 2021, Retail segment credit exposure totaled approximately $1.155 billion of trade accounts receivable. Cash deposits and letters of credit held as collateral for these receivables totaled $60 million, resulting in a net exposure of approximately $1.095 billion. Allowances for uncollectible accounts receivable are established for the potential loss from nonpayment by these customers based on historical experience, market or operational conditions and changes in the financial condition of large business customers.

At September 30, 2021, aggregate Texas, East and Sunset segments credit exposure totaled $674 million including $523 million related to derivative assets and $151 million of trade accounts receivable, after taking into account master netting agreement provisions but excluding collateral impacts.

Including collateral posted to us by counterparties, our net Texas, East and Sunset segments exposure was $619 million, the majority of which is with investment grade customers as seen in the following table that presents the distribution of credit exposure at September 30, 2021. Credit collateral includes cash and letters of credit but excludes other credit enhancements such as guarantees or liens on assets.

At September 30, 2021, we had no concentration (i.e., 10% or greater) of credit exposure with any counterparties. An event of default by one or more counterparties could subsequently result in termination-related settlement payments that reduce available liquidity if amounts such as margin deposits are owed to the counterparties or delays in receipts of expected settlements owed to us.

Contracts classified as "normal" purchase or sale and non-derivative contractual commitments are not marked-to-market in the financial statements and are excluded from the detail above. Such contractual commitments may contain pricing that is favorable considering current market conditions and therefore represent economic risk if the counterparties do not perform.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report and other presentations made by us contain "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are included in this report, or made in presentations, in response to questions or otherwise, that address activities, events or developments that may occur in the future, including (without limitation) such matters as activities related to our financial or operational projections, capital allocation, capital expenditures, liquidity, dividend policy, business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, future acquisitions or dispositions, development or operation of power generation assets, market and industry developments and the growth of our businesses and operations (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "intends," "plans," "will likely," "unlikely," "expected," "anticipated," "estimated," "should," "may," "projection," "target," "goal," "objective" and "outlook"), are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that in making any such forward-looking statement our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves uncertainties and risks and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the discussion under Part II, Item 1A Risk Factors and Part I, Item 2 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q and the following important factors, among others, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in or implied by such forward-looking statements:

• the actions and decisions of judicial and regulatory authorities;

• prohibitions and other restrictions on our operations due to the terms of our agreements;

• prevailing federal, state and local governmental policies and regulatory actions, including those of the legislatures and other government actions of states in which we operate, the U.S. Congress, the FERC, the NERC, the TRE, the public utility commissions of states and locales in which we operate, CAISO, ERCOT, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO, PJM, the RCT, the NRC, the EPA, the environmental regulatory bodies of states in which we operate, the MSHA and the CFTC, with respect to, among other things:

▪allowed prices;

▪industry, market and rate structure;

▪purchased power and recovery of investments;

▪operations of nuclear generation facilities;

▪operations of fossil-fueled generation facilities;

▪operations of mines;

▪acquisition and disposal of assets and facilities;

▪development, construction and operation of facilities;

▪decommissioning costs;

▪present or prospective wholesale and retail competition;

▪changes in federal, state and local tax laws, rates and policies, including additional regulation, interpretations, amendments, or technical corrections to The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017;

▪changes in and compliance with environmental and safety laws and policies, including the Coal Combustion Residuals Rule, National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, regional haze program implementation and GHG and other climate change initiatives, and

▪clearing over-the-counter derivatives through exchanges and posting of cash collateral therewith;

• expectations regarding, or impacts of, environmental matters, including costs of compliance, availability and adequacy of emission credits, and the impact of ongoing proceedings and potential regulations or changes to current regulations, including those relating to climate change, air emissions, cooling water intake structures, coal combustion byproducts, and other laws and regulations that we are, or could become, subject to, which could increase our costs, result in an impairment of our assets, cause us to limit or terminate the operation of certain of our facilities, or otherwise negatively impact our financial results or stock price;

• legal and administrative proceedings and settlements;

• general industry trends;

• economic conditions, including the impact of any recession or economic downturn;

• investor sentiment relating to climate change and utilization of fossil fuels in connection with power generation could reduce demand for, or increase potential volatility in the market price of, our common stock;

• the severity, magnitude and duration of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting effects on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows;

• the severity, magnitude and duration of extreme weather events (including Winter Storm Uri), drought and limitations on access to water, and other weather conditions and natural phenomena, contingencies and uncertainties relating thereto, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, and the resulting effects on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows;

• acts of sabotage, wars or terrorist or cybersecurity threats or activities;

• risk of contract performance claims by us or our counterparties, and risks of, or costs associated with, pursuing or defending such claims;

• our ability to collect trade receivables from counterparties in the amount or at the time expected, if at all;

• our ability to attract, retain and profitably serve customers;

• restrictions on competitive retail pricing or direct-selling businesses;

• adverse publicity associated with our retail products or direct selling businesses, including our ability to address the marketplace and regulators regarding our compliance with applicable laws;

• changes in wholesale electricity prices or energy commodity prices, including the price of natural gas;

• changes in prices of transportation of natural gas, coal, fuel oil and other refined products;

• sufficiency of, access to, and costs associated with coal, fuel oil, and natural gas inventories and transportation and storage thereof;

• changes in the ability of vendors to provide or deliver commodities as needed;

• beliefs and assumptions about the benefits of state- or federal-based subsidies to our market competition, and the corresponding impacts on us, including if such subsidies are disproportionately available to our competitors;

• the effects of, or changes to, market design and the power and capacity procurement processes in the markets in which we operate;

• changes in market heat rates in the CAISO, ERCOT, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO and PJM electricity markets;

• our ability to effectively hedge against unfavorable commodity prices, including the price of natural gas, market heat rates and interest rates;

• population growth or decline, or changes in market supply or demand and demographic patterns, particularly in ERCOT, MISO and PJM;

• our ability to mitigate forced outage risk, including managing risk associated with Capacity Performance in PJM and performance incentives in ISO-NE;

• efforts to identify opportunities to reduce congestion and improve busbar power prices;

• access to adequate transmission facilities to meet changing demands;

• changes in interest rates, commodity prices, rates of inflation or foreign exchange rates;

• changes in operating expenses, liquidity needs and capital expenditures;

• commercial bank market and capital market conditions and the potential impact of disruptions in U.S. and international credit markets;

• access to capital, the attractiveness of the cost and other terms of such capital and the success of financing and refinancing efforts, including availability of funds in capital markets;

• our ability to maintain prudent financial leverage and achieve our capital allocation, performance, and cost-saving initiatives and objectives;

• our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to make principal and interest payments in respect of, or refinance, our debt obligations;

• our expectation that we will continue to pay a comparable cash dividend on a quarterly basis;

• our ability to implement and successfully execute upon our strategic and growth initiatives, including the completion and integration of mergers, acquisitions and/or joint venture activity, the identification and completion of sales and divestitures activity, and the completion and commercialization of our other business development and construction projects;

• competition for new energy development and other business opportunities;

• inability of various counterparties to meet their obligations with respect to our financial instruments;

• counterparties' collateral demands and other factors affecting our liquidity position and financial condition;

• changes in technology (including large scale electricity storage) used by and services offered by us;

• changes in electricity transmission that allow additional power generation to compete with our generation assets;

• our ability to attract and retain qualified employees;

• significant changes in our relationship with our employees, including the availability of qualified personnel, and the potential adverse effects if labor disputes or grievances were to occur or changes in laws or regulations relating to independent contractor status;

• changes in assumptions used to estimate costs of providing employee benefits, including medical and dental benefits, pension and other postretirement employee benefits, and future funding requirements related thereto, including joint and several liability exposure under ERISA;

• hazards customary to the industry and the possibility that we may not have adequate insurance to cover losses resulting from such hazards;

• the impact of our obligations under the TRA;

• our ability to optimize our assets through targeted investment in cost-effective technology enhancements and operations performance initiatives;

• our ability to effectively and efficiently plan, prepare for and execute expected asset retirements and reclamation obligations and the impacts thereof;

• our ability to successfully complete the integration of businesses acquired by Vistra and our ability to successfully capture the full amount of projected operational and financial synergies relating to such transactions, and

• actions by credit rating agencies.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only at the date on which it is made, and except as may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict them. In addition, we may be unable to assess the impact of any such event or condition or the extent to which any such event or condition, or combination of events or conditions, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statement. As such, you should not unduly rely on such forward-looking statements.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET INFORMATION

Certain industry and market data and other statistical information used throughout this report are based on independent industry publications, government publications, reports by market research firms or other published independent sources, including certain data published by CAISO, ERCOT, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO, PJM, the environmental regulatory bodies of states in which we operate and NYMEX. We did not commission any of these publications, reports or other sources. Some data is also based on good faith estimates, which are derived from our review of internal surveys, as well as the independent sources listed above. Industry publications, reports and other sources generally state that they have obtained information from sources believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such information. While we believe that each of these studies, publications, reports and other sources is reliable, we have not independently investigated or verified the information contained or referred to therein and make no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. Forecasts are particularly likely to be inaccurate, especially over long periods of time, and we do not know what assumptions were used in preparing such forecasts. Statements regarding industry and market data and other statistical information used throughout this report involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors.

**Item 4.**CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) in effect at September 30, 2021. Based on the evaluation performed, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective. During the fiscal quarter covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

**Item 1.**LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Reference is made to the discussion in Note 11 to the Financial Statements regarding legal proceedings.

There have been no material changes to the risk factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors in our 2020 Form 10-K, except as set forth below.

Holders of our preferred stock may have interests and rights that are different from our common stockholders.

We are permitted under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. We can issue shares of our preferred stock in one or more series and can set the terms of the preferred stock without seeking any further approval from our common stockholders. Any preferred stock that we issue may rank ahead of our common stock in terms of dividend priority or liquidation premiums and may have greater voting rights than our common stock, which could dilute the value of our common stock to current stockholders and could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As of October 15, 2021 (Initial Issuance Date), 1,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock are issued and outstanding. The Series A Preferred Stock represents a perpetual equity interest in the Company and, unlike our indebtedness, will not give rise to a claim for payment of a principal amount at a particular date; provided, the Company may redeem the Series A Preferred Stock at the specified times (or upon certain specified events) at the applicable redemption price set forth in the certificate of designation of the Series A Preferred Stock (Certificate of Designation). The Series A Preferred Stock is not convertible into or exchangeable for any other securities of the Company. Upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Company, the holders of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive, pro rata and in preference to the holders of any other capital stock, an amount per share equal to $1,000 plus accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, if any.

Unless we have received the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock, voting as a separate class, we may not adopt any amendment to our certificate of incorporation (including the Certificate of Designation) that would have a material adverse effect on the powers, preferences, duties, or special rights of the Series A Preferred Stock, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, unless we have received the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock, voting as a class together with the holders of any parity securities upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable, we may not: (i) create or issue any senior securities, (ii) create or issue any parity securities (including any additional Series A Preferred Stock) if the cumulative dividends payable on the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock (or parity securities, if applicable) are in arrears; (iii) create or issue any additional Series A Preferred Stock or any parity securities with an aggregate liquidation preference, together with the issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Stock and any parity securities that are then outstanding, of greater than $2.5 billion, and (iv) engage in any Transaction that results in a Covered Disposition (as such terms are defined in the Certificate of Designation).

In addition, holders of the Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to receive, when, as, and if declared by our Board, semi-annual cash dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock, which are cumulative from the Initial Issuance Date and payable in arrears, and unless full cumulative dividends have been or contemporaneously are being paid or declared on the Series A Preferred Stock, we may not (i) declare or pay any dividends on any junior securities, including our common stock, or (ii) redeem or repurchase any parity securities or junior securities, subject to limited exceptions set forth in the Certificate of Designation. The holders of Series A Preferred Stock (along with any parity securities then outstanding with similar rights) are also entitled to elect two additional directors in the event any dividends on Series A Preferred Stock are in arrears for three or more semi-annual dividend periods (whether or not consecutive), and such directors may have competing and different interests to those elected by our common stockholders. The dividend rate for the Series A Preferred Stock from and including the Initial Issuance Date until October 15, 2026 (First Reset Date) will be 8.0% per annum of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share of Series A Preferred Stock. On and after the First Reset Date, the dividend rate on the Series A Preferred Stock for each subsequent five-year period (each, a Reset Period) will be adjusted based upon the applicable Treasury rate, plus a spread of 6.93% per annum; provided that the applicable Treasury rate for each Reset Period will not be lower than 1.07%. In the event that the Company does not exercise its option to redeem all the shares of Series A Preferred Stock within 120 days after the first date on which a Change of Control Trigger Event (as defined in the Certificate of Designation) occurs, the then-applicable dividend rate for the Series A Preferred Stock will be increased by 5.00%.

**Item 2.**UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

The following table provides information about our repurchase of equity securities that are registered by us pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, as amended, during the quarter ended September 30, 2021.

In October 2021, we announced that the Board had authorized a new share repurchase program (Share Repurchase Program) under which up to $2.0 billion of our outstanding common stock may be repurchased. The Share Repurchase Program became effective on October 11, 2021. The Share Repurchase Program supersedes the $1.5 billion share repurchase program previously announced in September 2020, which had $1.325 billion of remaining authorization as of September 30, 2021. As an initial step in our broader capital allocation plan, we intend to use the net proceeds from our October 2021 preferred stock offering to repurchase shares of our outstanding common stock. We expect to complete repurchases under the Share Repurchase Program by the end of 2022.

Under the Share Repurchase Program, any purchases of shares of the Company's stock may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to plans complying with the Exchange Act or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The actual timing, number and value of shares repurchased under the Share Repurchase Program or otherwise will be determined at our discretion and will depend on a number of factors, including our capital allocation priorities, the market price of our stock, general market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and compliance with the terms of our debt agreements.

See Note 12 to the Financial Statements for more information concerning the Share Repurchase Program.

**Item 3.**DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

Vistra currently owns and operates, or is in the process of reclaiming, 12 surface lignite coal mines in Texas to provide fuel for its electricity generation facilities. Vistra also owns or leases, and is in the process of reclaiming, two waste-to-energy surface facilities in Pennsylvania. These mining operations are regulated by the MSHA under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended (the Mine Act), as well as other federal and state regulatory agencies such as the RCT and Office of Surface Mining. The MSHA inspects U.S. mines, including Vistra's mines, on a regular basis, and if it believes a violation of the Mine Act or any health or safety standard or other regulation has occurred, it may issue a citation or order, generally accompanied by a proposed fine or assessment. Such citations and orders can be contested and appealed, which often results in a reduction of the severity and amount of fines and assessments and sometimes results in dismissal. Disclosure of MSHA citations, orders and proposed assessments are provided in Exhibit 95.1 to this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

None.

(a) Exhibits filed or furnished as part of Part II are:

• Incorporated herein by reference

** Filed herewith

*** Furnished herewith

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: November 5, 2021