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Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2016
Nature of business |
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | Basis of presentation The interim consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10‑Q have been prepared in accordance with the SEC regulations for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10‑Q. The following notes should be read in conjunction with the accounting policies and other disclosures as set forth in the notes to our financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2015. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. In our opinion, the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements present fairly our consolidated financial position as of September 30, 2016, the results of operations and comprehensive loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, and our cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 in accordance with U.S generally accepted accounting policies. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals and other adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.
Use of estimates | Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the year. Actual results could differ from those estimates. During the periods presented, we have made a number of estimates and valuation assumptions, including the useful lives and recoverability of property, plant and equipment, valuation of goodwill, intangible assets and liabilities related to PPAs and fuel supply agreements, the recoverability of equity investments, the recoverability of deferred tax assets, tax provisions, the fair value of financial instruments and derivatives, pension obligations, asset retirement obligations and equity-based compensation. In addition, estimates are used to test long-lived assets and goodwill for impairment and to determine the fair value of impaired assets. These estimates and valuation assumptions are based on present conditions and our planned course of action, as well as assumptions about future business and economic conditions. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. As better information becomes available or actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates are revised. Should the underlying valuation assumptions and estimates change, the recorded amounts could change by a material amount.
Recently adopted and issued accounting standards | Recently issued accounting standards Adopted In January 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued changes to the presentation of extraordinary items. Such items are defined as transactions or events that are both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence, and, currently, are required to be presented separately in an entity’s statement of operations, net of income tax, after income from continuing operations. The changes eliminate the concept of an extraordinary item and, therefore, the presentation of such items will no longer be required. Notwithstanding this change, an entity will still be required to present and disclose a transaction or event that is both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence in the notes to the financial statements. These changes became effective for us on January 1, 2016. The adoption of these changes did not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements. In February 2015, the FASB issued changes to the analysis that an entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. These changes (i) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities or voting interest entities, (ii) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (iii) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships, and (iv) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds. These changes became effective for us on January 1, 2016. The adoption of these changes did not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements. In April 2015, the FASB issued changes to the presentation of debt issuance costs. Currently, such costs are required to be presented as a noncurrent asset in an entity’s balance sheet and amortized into interest expense over the term of the related debt instrument. The changes require that debt issuance costs be presented in an entity’s balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the related debt liability. The amortization of debt issuance costs remains unchanged. These changes became effective for us on January 1, 2016. As a result, we have presented $19.5 million and $42.5 million of deferred financing costs as a direct deduction from long-term debt and convertible debentures for the periods ended September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. In September 2015, the FASB issued new guidance on adjustments to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination, which are currently recognized on a retrospective basis. Under the new requirements, adjustments will be recognized in the reporting period in which the adjustments are determined. The effects of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income arising from changes to the provisional amounts, if any, are included in earnings of the reporting period in which the adjustments to the provisional amounts are determined. An entity is also required to present separately on the face of the statement of operations or disclose in the notes the portion of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. The new requirements became effective for us beginning January 1, 2016. We will apply this new guidance to any future business combinations. Issued In May 2014, the FASB issued new recognition and disclosure requirements for revenue from contracts with customers, which supersedes the existing revenue recognition guidance. The new recognition requirements focus on when the customer obtains control of the goods or services, rather than the current risks and rewards model of recognition. The core principle of the new standard is that an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers goods or services to its customers in an amount that reflects the consideration an entity expects to be entitled to for those goods or services. The new disclosure requirements will include information intended to communicate the nature, amount, timing and any uncertainty of revenue and cash flows from applicable contracts, including any significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract. Entities will generally be required to make more estimates and use more judgment under the new standard. The new requirements will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2018, and may be implemented either retrospectively for all periods presented, or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, but not before January 1, 2017. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements and which implementation approach to select. In July 2015, the FASB issued changes to the subsequent measurement of inventory. Currently, an entity is required to measure its inventory at the lower of cost or market, whereby market can be replacement cost, net realizable value, or net realizable value less an approximately normal profit margin. The changes require that inventory be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, thereby eliminating the use of the other two market methodologies. Net realizable value is defined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. These changes become effective for us on January 1, 2017. Management has determined that the adoption of these changes will not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In November 2015, the FASB issued changes to the balance sheet classification of deferred taxes. These changes simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes by requiring all deferred income tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, to be classified as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The current requirement that deferred tax assets and liabilities of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by these changes. The new guidance will be effective for us in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance intended to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, measured on a discounted basis, at the commencement date for all leases with terms greater than twelve months. Additionally, this guidance will require disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users to better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including qualitative and quantitative requirements. The guidance should be applied under a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the adoption-period financial statements. Any leases that expire before the initial application date will not require any accounting adjustment. This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact on our financial position and results of operations upon adoption of this guidance. In March 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance intended to simplify and improve several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions. The new guidance includes amendments to share-based accounting for income taxes, including adjustments to how excess tax benefits and a company's payments for tax withholdings should be classified in the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact on our financial position and results of operations upon adoption of this guidance. In August 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance intended to clarify classification of specific cash flows that have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. As a result of this new guidance, entities should be applying specific GAAP in the following eight cash flow issues: Debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing; contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies; distributions received from equity method investees; beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the basis of presentation and significant accounting policies concepts. Basis of presentation describes the underlying basis used to prepare the financial statements (for example, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting, IFRS). Accounting policies describe all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy pertaining to new accounting pronouncements that may impact the entity's financial reporting. Includes, but is not limited to, quantification of the expected or actual impact. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for the use of estimates in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64851502&loc=d3e6061-108592 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64851502&loc=d3e6143-108592 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64851502&loc=d3e6132-108592 + Details
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