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Earnings (Loss) per Share | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2012
Earnings (Loss) per Share [Abstract] |
Earnings (Loss) per Share | Earnings (Loss) per Share Pursuant to our Plan of Reorganization, all shares of our common stock outstanding prior to the Effective Date were canceled and the issuance of 485 million new shares of reorganized Calpine Corporation common stock was authorized to resolve allowed unsecured claims. A portion of the 485 million authorized shares was immediately distributed, and the remainder was reserved for distribution to holders of certain disputed claims that, although allowed as of the Effective Date, were unresolved. In June 2011, we settled the largest remaining claim outstanding and began the process of distributing the balance of the reserved shares, which was completed during the third quarter of 2011, pursuant to our Plan of Reorganization. Accordingly, although the reserved shares were not issued and outstanding for the entire balance of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, all conditions of distribution had been met for these reserved shares as of the Effective Date, and such shares are considered issued and are included in our calculation of weighted average shares outstanding. We also include restricted stock units for which no future service is required as a condition to the delivery of the underlying common stock in our calculation of weighted average shares outstanding. As we incurred a net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2011, diluted loss per share for this period is computed on the same basis as basic loss per share, as the inclusion of any other potential shares outstanding would be anti-dilutive. Reconciliations of the amounts used in the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share computations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, are as follows (shares in thousands):
| Three Months Ended September 30, |  | Nine Months Ended September 30,
| 2012 |  | 2011 |  | 2012 |  | 2011
Diluted weighted average shares calculation: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Weighted average shares outstanding (basic) | 462,307 |  |  | 486,420 |  |  | 470,589 |  |  | 486,363 |
Share-based awards | 3,646 |  |  | 2,642 |  |  | 3,542 |  |  | — |
Weighted average shares outstanding (diluted) | 465,953 |  |  | 489,062 |  |  | 474,131 |  |  | 486,363 |
We excluded the following items from diluted earnings (loss) per common share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, because they were anti-dilutive (shares in thousands):
| Three Months Ended September 30, |  | Nine Months Ended September 30,
| 2012 |  | 2011 |  | 2012 |  | 2011
Share-based awards | 9,356 |  |  | 12,696 |  |  | 11,677 |  |  | 15,202 |

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- Definition The entire disclosure for earnings per share. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7655603&loc=d3e1252-109256 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 55 -Paragraph 52 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=16381557&loc=d3e4984-109258 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6371337&loc=d3e3550-109257 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7655603&loc=d3e1278-109256 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 128 -Paragraph 40 -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 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 225 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.21) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6880815&loc=d3e20235-122688 + Details
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