Standard & Poor's: Assigns "BBB" Issuance Rating to Subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE.US) for Planned Bond Issuance.

On March 17th, Standard & Poor's assigned a "BBB" issue rating to the Z-series junior subordinated notes due in April 2086 to be issued by NextEra Energy Capital Holdings Inc. The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering for investing in energy power projects and other general corporate purposes, including repaying some of its outstanding commercial paper debt. Standard & Poor's classifies the notes as hybrid securities with 50% equity content, reflecting their perpetual, subordinated, and deferrable characteristics. In April 2066, when the remaining term of the notes is less than 20 years, Standard & Poor's will reclassify them as securities with no equity content.