The assessment of REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais, SGPS, S.A. regarding the suitability for the issuance of hybrid bonds is based on the following considerations: 1. **Business Profile:** REN operates as a regulated utility in Portugal, primarily managing the national electricity and natural gas transmission grids. This business model is characterized by highly visible, stable cash flows, consistent with the "Regulated Utilities" sector defined in the S&P methodology. Such entities are typically well-suited for hybrid instruments, which provide equity-like credit support to maintain ratings. 2. **Financial Metrics:** REN’s financial profile for 2022 shows an S&P Net Debt/EBITDA of 4.37x and FFO/Net Debt of 16.86%. While these metrics reflect a stable utility, they are within a range where the company might seek to optimize its capital structure or protect its rating headroom against rising interest rates (observed in the 2022 swap curve data). 3. **Strategic Rationale:** The entity has not previously issued hybrid bonds. The guidelines suggest that a lack of historical issuance is a signal towards "Not Suitable" or "Marginally Suitable." However, as a regulated utility, REN possesses the stable, predictable cash flows required to manage the subordinated coupon obligations associated with hybrid debt. 4. **Macroeconomic Context:** The 2022 market environment saw a significant rise in swap rates (5Y, 7Y, and 10Y benchmarks rising to ~1.7%-1.9% from near-zero/negative levels in 2021). This increases the cost of traditional debt and makes the use of hybrid capital—which receives partial equity credit from rating agencies—a rational tool for an investment-grade utility to manage its leverage and rating metrics efficiently. Given that REN is a core infrastructure utility with stable cash flows, but has no historical track record of utilizing hybrid instruments and currently demonstrates an "improving" leverage trend (per Moody’s), an issuance would be viewed more as an opportunistic capital management tool rather than a core necessity to prevent a rating downgrade. Therefore, it fits the definition of "Marginally Suitable." Marginally Suitable