Talen Energy Corporation, a competitive energy and power generation company that owns or controls 16,000 megawatts of capacity in eight states, has entered into a definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Riverstone Holdings LLC, a private investment firm.

Under terms of the merger agreement, all outstanding shares of Talen Energy common stock not currently owned by Riverstone affiliated entities will be acquired for $14.00 per share in cash. Affiliates of Riverstone currently own approximately 35 percent of the outstanding shares of Talen Energy common stock, which were issued in the June 2015 transaction that established Talen Energy by combining competitive generation assets that had been owned by affiliates of PPL Corporation and affiliates of Riverstone.

The consideration for the common stock in the transaction, of approximately $1.8 billion, is expected to be funded by a conversion of Riverstone's existing ownership of 35 percent of the common stock of Talen into shares of the surviving corporation, Talen Energy's cash on hand, and proceeds of a $250 million new secured term loan.  The new secured term loan is fully committed by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Royal Bank of Canada, Barclays Bank plc, Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc., and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd., and will rank pari-passu with the existing first lien revolving credit facility of Talen Energy Supply LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Talen Energy) ("Energy Supply"), which will be reduced from $1.85 billion to $1.4 billion upon closing of the transaction.

Concurrently with the signing of the merger agreement, all of Energy Supply's subsidiaries that currently guarantee its revolving credit facility have executed guarantees (effective as of the closing of the transaction) of Talen Energy's outstanding unsecured notes due 2025 ("2025 Notes") and its Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority revenue bonds ("Municipal Bonds"), which together comprise approximately $831 million of Energy Supply's approximately $3.3 billion total unsecured debt that will remain outstanding. As a result of this new credit support for the 2025 Notes and the Municipal Bonds, it is expected that these notes and bonds will be structurally senior to the non-guaranteed unsecured debt of Energy Supply, and we believe that the issue ratings on the 2025 Notes and the Municipal Bonds will be maintained or improved.

In addition to approval by stockholders representing a majority of outstanding shares of common stock, the transaction is subject to approval by a majority of non- Riverstone affiliated stockholders voting at a special stockholder meeting to be scheduled. Riverstone and its affiliates have agreed to vote their 35 percent stake in favor of the proposed transaction.

Citi is serving as financial advisor to Talen Energy. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as Talen Energy's legal advisor. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and RBC Capital Markets are serving as financial advisors to Riverstone. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Vinson & Elkins LLP are serving as Riverstone's legal advisors for the transaction.

Talen Energy is one of the largest competitive energy and power generation companies in North America. The company owns or controls 16,000 megawatts of generating capacity in well-developed, structured wholesale power markets, principally in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southwest regions of the United States.