Exhibit 31.1


      CERTIFICATION OF THE CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
             PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OR RULE 15d-14(a) UNDER THE
             SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
                  SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Peter  Cartwright,  the Chairman,  President and Chief  Executive  Officer of
Calpine Corporation, certify that:

   1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Calpine  Corporation
(the "registrant");

   2. Based on my knowledge,  this report does not contain any untrue  statement
of a  material  fact or omit to  state a  material  fact  necessary  to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which such statements were
made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

   3. Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other  financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

   4. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and I are  responsible  for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

      a)  Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused such
   disclosure  controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,  to
   ensure that material  information  relating to the registrant,  including its
   consolidated  subsidiaries,  is  made  known  to us by  others  within  those
   entities,  particularly  during  the  period  in which  this  report is being
   prepared;

      b) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and
   procedures   and  presented  in  this  report  our   conclusions   about  the
   effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the
   period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

      c)  Disclosed  in this  report  any  change in the  registrant's  internal
   control over financial  reporting that occurred during the registrant's  most
   recent fiscal quarter that has materially  affected,  or is reasonably likely
   to  materially  affect,  the  registrant's  internal  control over  financial
   reporting; and

   5. The registrant's other certifying  officer and I have disclosed,  based on
our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,  to the
registrant's  auditors  and the audit  committee  of the  registrant's  board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

      a) All significant  deficiencies and material  weaknesses in the design or
   operation of internal  control over financial  reporting which are reasonably
   likely to  adversely  affect the  registrant's  ability  to record,  process,
   summarize and report financial information; and

      b) Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or other
   employees who have a significant  role in the  registrant's  internal control
   over financial reporting.

Date:  November 13, 2003

                              /s/ Peter Cartwright
                              --------------------
                                Peter Cartwright
                             Chairman, President and
                             Chief Executive Officer
                               Calpine Corporation