Austin News

Gov. Greg Abbott recently lauded NRG Energy's announcement that its corporate headquarters will be moving from New Jersey to Houston.

According to Abbott, businesses like NRG continue to invest in Texas because of the state's supportive business environment, low taxes, and rising workforce.

"[I'm] proud to welcome @nrgenergy's headquarters to the Lone Star State,"  Abbott said in a Twitter post.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also shared this sentiment in an issued statement about the company's plans to relocate its headquarters, describing the relocation as "confirmation that Houston is a smart city for the industry."

‘I welcome today’s announcement by NRG designating Houston as the company’s sole corporate headquarters," Turner told KHOU,  "Over the past several years, my team and I have had substantive conversations with President and CEO Mauricio Gutierrez. I believe the decision is confirmation that Houston is a smart city for business.

In a news release, the company stated the move would help to streamline its operations, particularly because many of its employees and customers are already based in Texas.

“NRG is committed to helping Texans  recover from the impacts of Winter Storm Uri and working with our  stakeholders on lasting solutions to improve resilience in the ERCOT   market,” Gutierrez said. “We remain focused on advancing our customer-centric strategy and strengthening our platform.”

NRG also confirmed Alberto Fornaro's appointment as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective June 1. Fornaro will succeed Gaetan Frotte, who has served as interim CFO since Feb. 4 in addition to his duties and obligations as SVP and treasurer.

NRG is also the parent company of Houston-based Reliant Energy, which bought the company in 2009; according to Fortune. NRG employed around 5,000 people as of 2019.