| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | Period [Axis] |
|---|
2016-01-01 - 2016-12-31 |
|---|
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
Schedule of Income before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign | The jurisdictional components of income from continuing operations before income tax expense (benefit), attributable to Calpine, for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, are as follows (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | U.S. | $ | 116 |
| | $ | 133 |
| | $ | 942 |
| International | 24 |
| | 26 |
| | 26 |
| Total | $ | 140 |
| | $ | 159 |
| | $ | 968 |
|
|
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) | The components of income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, consisted of the following (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | Current: | | | | | | Federal | $ | (10 | ) | | $ | (1 | ) | | $ | (1 | ) | State | 14 |
| | 10 |
| | 19 |
| Foreign | 1 |
| | 2 |
| | (1 | ) | Total current | 5 |
| | 11 |
| | 17 |
| Deferred: | | | | | | Federal | 10 |
| | (21 | ) | | — |
| State | 27 |
| | 1 |
| | (1 | ) | Foreign | 6 |
| | (67 | ) | | 6 |
| Total deferred | 43 |
| | (87 | ) | | 5 |
| Total income tax expense (benefit) | $ | 48 |
| | $ | (76 | ) | | $ | 22 |
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|
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation | A reconciliation of the federal statutory rate of 35% to our effective rate from continuing operations for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, is as follows: | | | | | | | | | | | 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | Federal statutory tax expense (benefit) rate | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | State tax expense, net of federal benefit | 19.4 |
| | 5.1 |
| | 1.9 |
| Valuation allowances against future tax benefits | (25.0 | ) | | (46.0 | ) | | (35.8 | ) | Valuation allowance related to foreign taxes | (0.1 | ) | | (49.4 | ) | | — |
| Distributions from foreign affiliates and foreign taxes | (0.6 | ) | | 3.1 |
| | 1.2 |
| Change in unrecognized tax benefits | (0.1 | ) | | 1.2 |
| | (0.4 | ) | Disallowed compensation | 0.9 |
| | 3.1 |
| | 0.1 |
| Stock-based compensation | 2.2 |
| | 0.6 |
| | 0.1 |
| Equity earnings | 2.0 |
| | (0.5 | ) | | — |
| Other differences | 0.6 |
| | — |
| | 0.2 |
| Effective income tax expense (benefit) rate | 34.3 | % | | (47.8 | )% | | 2.3 | % |
|
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities | The components of deferred income taxes as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, are as follows (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | 2016 | | 2015 | Deferred tax assets: | | | | NOL and credit carryforwards | $ | 2,728 |
| | $ | 2,842 |
| Taxes related to risk management activities and derivatives | 38 |
| | 53 |
| Reorganization items and impairments | 222 |
| | 212 |
| Deferred tax assets before valuation allowance | 2,988 |
| | 3,107 |
| Valuation allowance | (1,581 | ) | | (1,637 | ) | Total deferred tax assets | 1,407 |
| | 1,470 |
| Deferred tax liabilities: | | | | Property, plant and equipment | (1,266 | ) | | (1,377 | ) | Other differences | (93 | ) | | (3 | ) | Total deferred tax liabilities | (1,359 | ) | | (1,380 | ) | Net deferred tax asset | 48 |
| | 90 |
| Less: Non-current deferred tax liability | (14 | ) | | — |
| Deferred income tax asset, non-current | $ | 62 |
| | $ | 90 |
|
|
Schedule of Income Tax Contingencies | A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of our unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, is as follows (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | Balance, beginning of period | $ | (58 | ) | | $ | (56 | ) | | $ | (68 | ) | Increases related to prior year tax positions | — |
| | — |
| | (4 | ) | Decreases related to prior year tax positions | 1 |
| | 3 |
| | 8 |
| Increases related to current year tax positions | (2 | ) | | (5 | ) | | — |
| Decreases related to settlements | — |
| | — |
| | 8 |
| Balance, end of period | $ | (59 | ) | | $ | (58 | ) | | $ | (56 | ) |
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