v2.3.0.15

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2011
Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | CALPINE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS September 30, 2011 (Unaudited) 1. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies We are an independent wholesale power generation company engaged in the ownership and operation of primarily natural gas-fired and geothermal power plants in North America. We have a significant presence in the major competitive wholesale power markets in California, Texas and the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. We sell wholesale power, steam, regulatory capacity, renewable energy credits and ancillary services to our customers, which include industrial companies, retail power providers, utilities, municipalities, independent electric system operators, marketers and others. We engage in the purchase of natural gas and fuel oil as fuel for our power plants and in related natural gas transportation and storage transactions, and in the purchase of electric transmission rights to deliver power to our customers. We also enter into natural gas and power physical and financial contracts to economically hedge our business risks and optimize our portfolio of power plants. Basis of Interim Presentation — The accompanying unaudited, interim Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements of Calpine Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and consolidated subsidiaries have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements include the normal, recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the information required to be set forth therein. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted from these statements pursuant to such rules and regulations and, accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, included in our 2010 Form 10-K. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year primarily due to acquisitions and disposals of assets, seasonal fluctuations in our revenues, timing of major maintenance expense, volatility of commodity prices and unrealized gains and losses from commodity and interest rate derivative contracts. Reclassifications — Certain reclassifications have been made to our Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations and Cash Flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, to conform to the current period presentation. Our reclassifications are summarized as follows:
| • | We have reclassified amounts attributable to interest rate swaps formerly hedging our First Lien Credit Facility term loans previously recorded in interest expense to (gain) loss on interest rate derivatives, net of approximately $84 million and $87 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively. See Note 7 for further information about our interest rate swaps formerly hedging our First Lien Credit Facility.
| • | We have reclassified depreciation expense on corporate assets previously recorded in sales, general and other administrative expense to depreciation and amortization expense of approximately $3 million and $9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively.
| • | We have reclassified cash payments on our interest rate swaps formerly hedging our First Lien Credit Facility term loans previously included in net cash provided by operating activities of approximately $27 million to settlement of non-hedging interest rate swaps included in net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
Use of Estimates in Preparation of Financial Statements — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures included in our Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Cash and Cash Equivalents — We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We have certain project finance facilities and lease agreements that require us to establish and maintain segregated cash accounts which have been pledged as security in favor of the lenders under such project finance facilities, and the use of certain cash balances on deposit in such accounts is limited, at least temporarily, to the operations of the respective projects. At September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, we had cash and cash equivalents of $308 million and $269 million, respectively, that were subject to such project finance facilities and lease agreements. Restricted Cash — Certain of our debt agreements, lease agreements or other operating agreements require us to establish and maintain segregated cash accounts, the use of which is restricted. These amounts are held by depository banks in order to comply with the contractual provisions requiring reserves for payments such as for debt service, rent, major maintenance and debt repurchases or with applicable regulatory requirements. Funds that can be used to satisfy obligations due during the next 12 months are classified as current restricted cash, with the remainder classified as non-current restricted cash. Restricted cash is generally invested in accounts earning market rates; therefore, the carrying value approximates fair value. Such cash is excluded from cash and cash equivalents on our Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets and Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows. The table below represents the components of our restricted cash at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010 (in millions):
|  | September 30, 2011 |  |  | December 31, 2010 |
|  | Current |  |  | Non-Current |  |  | Total |  |  | Current |  |  | Non-Current |  |  | Total |
Debt service |  | $ | 22 |  |  | $ | 27 |  |  | $ | 49 |  |  | $ | 44 |  |  | $ | 25 |  |  | $ | 69 |
Rent reserve |  |  | 2 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 2 |  |  |  | 22 |  |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 27 |
Construction/major maintenance |  |  | 46 |  |  |  | 4 |  |  |  | 50 |  |  |  | 35 |  |  |  | 14 |  |  |  | 49 |
Security/project/insurance |  |  | 112 |  |  |  | 8 |  |  |  | 120 |  |  |  | 75 |  |  |  | 7 |  |  |  | 82 |
Other |  |  | 13 |  |  |  | 4 |  |  |  | 17 |  |  |  | 19 |  |  |  | 2 |  |  |  | 21 |
Total |  | $ | 195 |  |  | $ | 43 |  |  | $ | 238 |  |  | $ | 195 |  |  | $ | 53 |  |  | $ | 248 |
Inventory — At September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, we had inventory of $251 million and $262 million, respectively. Inventory primarily consists of spare parts, stored natural gas and fuel oil, emission reduction credits and natural gas exchange imbalances. Inventory, other than spare parts, is stated primarily at the lower of cost under the weighted average cost method or market value. Spare parts inventory is valued at the weighted average cost and are expensed to plant operating expense or capitalized to property, plant and equipment as the parts are utilized and consumed. Property, Plant and Equipment — At September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the components of property, plant and equipment were stated at cost less accumulated depreciation as follows (in millions):
|  | September 30, 2011 |  |  | December 31, 2010 |
Buildings, machinery and equipment |  | $ | 14,972 |  |  | $ | 14,578 |
Geothermal properties |  |  | 1,146 |  |  |  | 1,102 |
Other |  |  | 259 |  |  |  | 273 |
|  |  | 16,377 |  |  |  | 15,953 |
Less: Accumulated depreciation |  |  | 4,046 |  |  |  | 3,690 |
|  |  | 12,331 |  |  |  | 12,263 |
Land |  |  | 93 |  |  |  | 93 |
Construction in progress |  |  | 586 |  |  |  | 622 |
Property, plant and equipment, net |  | $ | 13,010 |  |  | $ | 12,978 |
Capitalized Interest — The total amount of interest capitalized was $6 million for both the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, and $17 million and $8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. New Accounting Standards and Disclosure Requirements Fair Value Measurement — In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement” to clarify and amend the application or requirements relating to fair value measurements and disclosures relating to fair value measurements. The update stems from the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board project to develop common requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The update is not expected to impact any of our fair value measurements but will require disclosure of the following:
| • | quantitative information about the unobservable inputs used in a fair value measurement that is categorized within level 3 of the fair value hierarchy;
| • | for those fair value measurements categorized within level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, both the valuation processes used and the sensitivity of the fair value measurement to changes in unobservable inputs and the interrelationships between those unobservable inputs, if any; and
| • | the categorization by level of the fair value hierarchy for items that are not measured at fair value in the statement of financial position but for which the fair value is required to be disclosed.
The new requirements relating to fair value measurements are prospective and effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption prohibited. We do not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. Comprehensive Income — In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income” to amend requirements relating to the presentation of comprehensive income. The update eliminates the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders‘ equity and provides an entity with the option to present comprehensive income in a single continuous financial statement or in two separate but consecutive statements. The new requirements relating to the presentation of comprehensive income are retrospective and effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. We have not elected to early adopt the requirements related to the update at September 30, 2011. Since the update only requires a change in presentation, we do not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_AccountingPoliciesAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18743-107790 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18854-107790 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) -Number 22 -Paragraph 8 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18861-107790 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18780-107790 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18726-107790 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_SignificantAccountingPoliciesTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration