v2.4.0.8

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Schedule Of Future Minimum Payments For Commodities [Table Text Block] | At December 31, 2013, we had future commitments for the purchase, transportation, or storage of commodities as detailed below (in millions):
2014 | $ | 385 |
2015 | 290 |
2016 | 238 |
2017 | 235 |
2018 | 224 |
Thereafter | 815 |
Total | $ | 2,187 |
Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Power Plant and Land and Other Operating Leases | Leases — We have contracts, such as certain tolling agreements, which we account for as operating leases under U.S. GAAP. Generally, we levelize certain components of these contract revenues on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract. The total contractual future minimum lease rentals for our contracts accounted for as operating leases at December 31, 2013, are as follows (in millions):
2014 | $ | 632 |
2015 | 641 |
2016 | 582 |
2017 | 546 |
2018 | 517 |
Thereafter | 2,577 |
Total | $ | 5,495 |
Future minimum rent payments under these lease agreements, including renewal options and rent escalation clauses, are as follows (in millions):
| Initial Year |  | 2014 |  | 2015 |  | 2016 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | Thereafter |  | Total
Land and other operating leases | various |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 215 |  |  | $ | 290 |
Power plant operating leases: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Greenleaf | 1998 |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 4 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 11 |
KIAC | 2000 |  | 24 |  |  | 23 |  |  | 22 |  |  | 22 |  |  | 22 |  |  | 30 |  |  | 143 |
Total power plant leases |  |  | $ | 31 |  |  | $ | 27 |  |  | $ | 22 |  |  | $ | 22 |  |  | $ | 22 |  |  | $ | 30 |  |  | $ | 154 |
Total leases |  |  | $ | 46 |  |  | $ | 42 |  |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 245 |  |  | $ | 444 |
Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments for Office and Equipment Leases | Future minimum lease payments under these leases are as follows (in millions):
2014 | $ | 11 |
2015 | 10 |
2016 | 10 |
2017 | 11 |
2018 | 10 |
Thereafter | 28 |
Total | $ | 80 |
Schedule of Guarantor Obligations | At December 31, 2013, guarantees of subsidiary debt, standby letters of credit and surety bonds to third parties and guarantees of subsidiary operating lease payments and their respective expiration dates were as follows (in millions):
Guarantee Commitments |  | 2014 |  | 2015 |  | 2016 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | Thereafter |  | Total
Guarantee of subsidiary debt(1) |  | $ | 36 |  |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 36 |  |  | $ | 26 |  |  | $ | 31 |  |  | $ | 178 |  |  | $ | 344 |
Standby letters of credit(2)(4) |  | 562 |  |  | 11 |  |  | — |  |  | 20 |  |  | — |  |  | 37 |  |  | 630 |
Surety bonds(3)(4)(5) |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 27 |  |  | 27 |
Guarantee of subsidiary operating lease payments(4) |  | 7 |  |  | 4 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 11 |
Total |  | $ | 605 |  |  | $ | 52 |  |  | $ | 36 |  |  | $ | 46 |  |  | $ | 31 |  |  | $ | 242 |  |  | $ | 1,012 |
____________
(1) | Represents Calpine Corporation guarantees of certain power plant capital leases and related interest. All guaranteed capital leases are recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(2) | The standby letters of credit disclosed above represent those disclosed in Note 6.
(3) | The majority of surety bonds do not have expiration or cancellation dates.
(4) | These are contingent off balance sheet obligations.
(5) | As of December 31, 2013, $4 million of cash collateral is outstanding related to these bonds.

X
- Definition Schedule Of Future Minimum Payments For Commodities [Table Text Block] + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | cpn_ScheduleOfFutureMinimumPaymentsForCommoditiesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | cpn_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases Office and Equipment Leases [Table Text Block] + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | cpn_ScheduleOfFutureMinimumRentalPaymentsForOperatingLeasesOfficeAndEquipmentLeasesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | cpn_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of future minimum payments required in the aggregate and for each of the five succeeding fiscal years for operating leases having initial or remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year and the total minimum rentals to be received in the future under noncancelable subleases as of the balance sheet date. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 840 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6453985&loc=d3e41502-112717 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfFutureMinimumRentalPaymentsForOperatingLeasesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of each guarantee obligation, or each group of similar guarantee obligations, including (a) the nature of the guarantee, including its term, how it arose, and the events or circumstances that would require the guarantor to perform under the guarantee; (b) the maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) the guarantor could be required to make under the guarantee; (c) the current carrying amount of the liability, if any, for the guarantor's obligations under the guarantee; and (d) the nature of any recourse provisions under the guarantee, and any assets held either as collateral or by third parties, and any relevant related party disclosure. Excludes disclosures about product warranties. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12069-110248 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12265-110248 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfGuaranteeObligationsTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration