General Questions

Questions about the Environment

Questions about Technology

Community Benefits

General Questions

What is Calpine's stock symbol?
CPN. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

How many employees does Calpine have?
As of December 2012, Calpine has approximately 2,151 employees.

How many power plants does Calpine have in operation?
As of December 2012, Calpine's fleet includes 90 operating power plants with the capacity to generate more than 27,000 megawatts of electricity.

How many plants does Calpine have under construction?
Five construction projects are currently underway in Calpine’s fleet of clean, efficient and flexible natural gas-fired power plants. In California, the 619 megawatt Russell City Energy Center is under construction in Hayward, and a 120 megawatt upgrade is under way at the Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility in San Jose. In Texas, two plants in the Houston Ship Channel area – the Channel and Deer Park Energy Centers – currently remain in operation while construction is underway on upgrades of approximately 200 megawatts at each. In Dover, Delaware, the 309-megawatt Garrison Energy Center is also under construction.

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Wouldn't more transmission lines solve the nation's energy problems?
The construction of additional transmission lines is not only expensive but requires 5-7 years of construction time and extensive environmental studies and mitigation - and often arouses strong public opposition. Miles and miles of new transmission lines could negatively impact many of the nation's treasured open spaces, farmlands and rural landscapes. A new power-generating facility can be built and start serving the local area in 2-3 years, with far less environmental impact.

Why can't conservation or alternative power sources alleviate power shortage problems?
A multi-faceted solution - including conservation, alternate power sources and new generating facilities - will be required to solve the country's energy problems. Conservation is a crucial element, but alone is not the answer because the amount of energy that can be conserved is limited, and the nation's energy needs continue to grow.

Alternative power sources will also be increasingly important. Wind and solar, however, because they occur intermittently, do not provide a constant, reliable energy source. Calpine leads the nation in "green" power production of geothermal energy through our operations in Northern California. While geothermal remains a valuable energy resource in the West, production is limited to where the resource is located and how much electricity production it can sustain. In addition, expanding many of these alternative power sources would require the use of thousands of acres of land, a proposal that faces many environmental challenges.

What is an energy center?
An energy center is an electric power-generating facility. Calpine's energy centers utilize natural gas and steam for fuel and are among the cleanest, most efficient facilities in the nation. As the owner and operator of geothermal energy centers in Northern California, Calpine is North America's No. 1 producer of "green" power.

What site is best for construction of an energy center?
A choice site is located near a "load center," or center of high demand. Preferably, the site features major electric transmission and natural gas supply and allows for the delivery of water needed to operate the facility.

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Why isn't my electric company generating this much-needed power?
It is the trend for electric utility companies to move out of the power-generation business, as restructuring becomes the norm in a variety of industries, including commercial airlines and long-distance carriers. Under electric industry restructuring, your utility company is responsible for delivering energy to you and other customers and for maintaining the infrastructure of the electric distribution system, but not for producing power.

How does Calpine create electricity?
Calpine builds and operates energy centers that are fueled by natural gas, a clean-burning fossil fuel, or geothermal energy, a "green" renewable power produced by harnessing the naturally occurring steam from the earth's interior. To learn more about these sources of energy, see technology information on this Web site.

Who can I contact to learn more about an existing, under construction, or proposed energy center for my town?
You can learn more about our energy centers by clicking Power Plants.

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Questions about the Environment

Are Calpine's energy centers put through an environmental review before they are constructed?
Before any major energy center can be built, it must go through rigorous technical and environmental review processes. Before approval for a project is granted, community members are encouraged to participate in the environmental review process at public hearings and environmental workshops. Calpine welcomes and encourages the public's participation in this process.

How can residents get involved in the approval process?
When an energy center is in the planning stages, Calpine and permitting agencies communicate with local residents and provide information through open houses, community meetings and public hearings.

How does a new energy center impact air quality in the area where it is built?
Each project is carefully designed and constructed to have no significant adverse impact on air quality. Modern gas combustion turbines, along with state-of-the-art emission-control technology, mitigate the impact of air emissions. In addition, new energy centers can help improve air quality by displacing older, less-competitive plants that have significantly higher emission rates.

What is the timeline for review, construction and operation of a project?
It usually takes a minimum of 30 months to get a site permitted and a facility constructed, depending on the location and regulatory environment.

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Do these centers affect water quality?
In the cases where water is used for cooling at an energy center, it goes through a comprehensive treatment process before being discharged, ensuring that there are no adverse impacts on the environment. In most cases, Calpine prefers to use recycled water in its energy centers.

Doesn't the recycled water used by the energy centers in the cooling process emit odors?
Recycled water is treated to be safe and free from odor. Presently, recycled water is used for watering landscapes, agriculture and in cooling towers across the country without emitting odors. There are no odors from the recycled water at our state-of-the-art energy centers.

How does Calpine know that the water and air quality at its sites are as clean as it says they are? Have any studies been done?
Calpine uses only highly qualified environmental and engineering contractors with significant credentials and direct experience. In the recent study, "Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Generation Owners in the U.S.-2000," Calpine was ranked No. 2 for its outstanding environmental record for the amount of noxious emissions for each megawatt of electricity produced. The study was released in 2002 by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), a national coalition of environmental and investor groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the utility, the Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG).

The four pollutants tracked in the study are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to acid rain and haze; mercury, which is toxic to humans; and carbon dioxide (CO2), which is widely linked to global warming. The study ranks companies based on the amount of pollution produced relative to their power output. By that measure, Calpine has one of the best track records in the energy industry for operating clean, efficient, reliable energy centers.

Is noise from these facilities noticeable?
Each energy center is built using extensive noise-reduction technology, and complies with local noise ordinances.

Don't these energy centers increase traffic congestion in the areas in which they are built?
No. With only 20 to 30 full-time employees working over multiple shifts, Calpine energy centers have no significant impact on traffic patterns.

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Questions about Technology

Is the technology used at the Calpine energy centers experimental?
No. Calpine energy centers typically use advanced combined-cycle technology, a tested and proven technology that is currently utilized in most modern power projects across the country and around the world.

What is combined-cycle technology?
Combined-cycle technology is the most efficient technology available for converting natural gas into electricity. A combustion turbine burns natural gas to produce electricity. The heat by-product is then recycled to produce additional power in a steam turbine. Today's modern energy centers, which utilize combined-cycle technology, are 40 percent more efficient and have 90 percent fewer air emissions compared to old-technology gas-fired plants operating today. In addition, they are much smaller in size and height, and consume fewer natural resources by comparison.

Are these facilities safe?
Yes. Calpine incorporates state-of-the-art safety features into the design of all energy centers, and Calpine's highly skilled employees undergo extensive safety training. During the operation of the center, all systems are monitored 24 hours a day. Both the gas and electrical systems are built to industry standards, and all potentially hazardous materials are limited in size and securely contained above the ground.

What fuel do these facilities use?
The majority of Calpine energy centers use natural gas, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Geothermal energy centers are fueled by naturally occurring steam, which is produced deep below the earth's surface. Wells, some greater than two miles deep, are drilled to tap this steam. The steam spins a turbine that drives a generator to produce electricity.

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Is it unusual for energy centers to be located near heavily populated areas?
No, it is preferred. By locating an energy center close to the consumer, the facility can better respond to the demands of the market. It is also preferable because it does not require construction of new, high-capacity transmission lines from a distant location.

Could an energy center be a burden on city and county services?
No. Operation of new energy centers does not place excessive demands on local services, and Calpine assumes responsibility for the paving and maintenance of roads needed to access its sites. These projects actually become leading contributors of taxes and corporate citizenship in the area.

Community Benefits

How do energy centers impact the local economy?
When an energy center is constructed, Calpine purchases construction materials, supplies and services from local companies. The sales tax revenue from these purchases goes to state and local governments. There also are significant property tax revenues generated by this facility, and by providing reliable electric supply and utilizing excess wastewater, when available, the facility helps maintain the economic and environmental health of the area.

How many jobs does each project create?
At the peak of the two-year construction process, an energy center creates 250-450 local jobs. When it is completed and operating, the energy center must fill 20-30 permanent, skilled, family-wage positions. Find out more about careers and available positions at Calpine.

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