For Immediate Release
For More Information Contact:
Kelly Kennedy 608/266-7876
MADISON – Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager today announced her intention to have Wisconsin’s interests protected in the pending bankruptcy case of Calpine Corporation of San Jose, California. The case has been filed in New York. In a letter to Governor Jim Doyle, Lautenschlager requested approval of outside counsel to work with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in representing Wisconsin’s energy consumers. Lautenschlager wrote in her letter to Doyle: “This is an important case that potentially affects the price and supply of energy in this state and warrants our direct involvement. Calpine Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is one of the largest energy companies in North America, owning 92 power plants in 21 states and three Canadian provinces.
“Three of those plants, as you know, are in Wisconsin: RockGen Energy Center in Christiana, Fox Energy Center in Kaukauna, and Riverside Energy Center in Beloit. These three Calpine plants supply power to Wisconsin Power & Light, Wisconsin Public Service, Madison Gas & Electric, and others.â€
“Wisconsin’s energy consumers need a voice in one of the largest bankruptcies in history,†Lautenschlager said.
Calpine has contracts in place for delivery of electrical power to several Wisconsin utilities. In the bankruptcy proceeding, it is anticipated that Calpine will seek to be relieved from its contractual obligations to provide electricity at previously negotiated rates, which are beneficial to consumers given rising energy prices.
