Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	Commitments and Contingencies Except as set forth below, in Note 13 and under "Environmental Laws and Regulations" in Item 2 of Part I and in Item 1 of Part II of this Form 10-Q, the circumstances set forth in Notes 16 and 17 to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2013 Form 10-K appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of the Company's material commitments and contingent liabilities. OG&E Minimum Fuel Purchase Commitments OG&E has coal contracts for purchases through December 2016. As a participant in the SPP integrated marketplace, OG&E now purchases a relatively small percentage of its supply through term gas agreements. Alternatively, OG&E relies on a combination of call natural gas agreements, whereby OG&E has the right but not the obligation to purchase a defined quantity of natural gas, combined with day and intra-day purchases to meet the demands of the SPP market. Enable Gas Transportation and Storage Agreement OG&E has historically contracted with Enable for gas transportation and storage services. The stated term of the previous contract expired April 30, 2009, but remained in effect from year-to-year thereafter. On January 31, 2014, in anticipation of entering into a new, five-year contract, OG&E provided written notice of termination of the contract, effective April 30, 2014. On March 17, 2014, OG&E entered into a new gas transportation contract effective May 1, 2014 and expiring April 30, 2019. Environmental Laws and Regulations Federal Clean Air Act New Source Review Litigation As previously reported, in July 2008, OG&E received a request for information from the EPA regarding Federal Clean Air Act compliance at OG&E's Muskogee and Sooner generating plants. In recent years, the EPA has issued similar requests to numerous other electric utilities seeking to determine whether various maintenance, repair and replacement projects should have required permits under the Federal Clean Air Act's new source review process. In January 2012, OG&E received a supplemental request for an update of the previously provided information and for some additional information not previously requested. On May 1, 2012, OG&E responded to the EPA's supplemental request for information. On July 8, 2013, the Department of Justice, filed a complaint against OG&E in United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma alleging that OG&E did not follow the Federal Clean Air Act procedures for projecting emission increases attributable to eight projects that occurred between 2003 and 2006. This complaint seeks to have OG&E submit a new assessment of whether the projects were likely to result in a significant emissions increase. The Sierra Club has intervened in this proceeding. On August 12, 2013, the Sierra Club filed a separate complaint against OG&E in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma alleging that OG&E projects at Muskogee Unit 6 in 2008, were made without obtaining a prevention of significant deterioration permit and that the plant had exceeded emissions limits for opacity and particulate matter. The Sierra Club seeks a permanent injunction preventing OG&E from operating the Muskogee generating plant. On March 4, 2014, the Eastern District dismissed the prevention of significant deterioration permit claim based on the statute of limitations, but allowed the opacity and particulate matter claims to proceed. To obtain the right to appeal this decision, the Sierra Club subsequently withdrew a Notice of Intent to Sue for additional Clean Air Act violations and asked the Eastern District to dismiss its remaining claims with prejudice. On August 27, 2014, the Eastern District granted the Sierra Club's request. The Sierra Club has filed a Notice of Appeal with the 10th Circuit where briefing is currently scheduled to be completed before the end of 2014. At this time, OG&E continues to believe that it has acted in compliance with the Federal Clean Air Act, and OG&E expects to vigorously defend against the claims that have been asserted. If OG&E does not prevail in these proceedings, the EPA and the Sierra Club could seek to require OG&E to install additional pollution control equipment, including scrubbers, baghouses and selective catalytic reduction systems with capital costs in excess of $1.1 billion and pay fines and significant penalties as a result of the allegations in the notice of violation. Section 113 of the Federal Clean Air Act (along with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1996) provides for civil penalties as much as $37,500 per day for each violation. Due to the uncertain and preliminary nature of this litigation, OG&E cannot provide a range of reasonably possible loss in this case. Other In the normal course of business, the Company is confronted with issues or events that may result in a contingent liability. These generally relate to lawsuits or claims made by third parties, including governmental agencies. When appropriate, management consults with legal counsel and other appropriate experts to assess the claim. If, in management's opinion, the Company has incurred a probable loss as set forth by GAAP, an estimate is made of the loss and the appropriate accounting entries are reflected in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. At the present time, based on currently available information, the Company believes that any reasonably possible losses in excess of accrued amounts arising out of pending or threatened lawsuits or claims would not be quantitatively material to its financial statements and would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Commitments and Contingencies

Except as set forth below, in Note 13 and under "Environmental Laws and Regulations" in Item 2 of Part I and in Item 1 of Part II of this Form 10-Q, the circumstances set forth in Notes 16 and 17 to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2013 Form 10-K appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of the Company's material commitments and contingent liabilities.

OG&E Minimum Fuel Purchase Commitments

OG&E has coal contracts for purchases through December 2016. As a participant in the SPP integrated marketplace, OG&E now purchases a relatively small percentage of its supply through term gas agreements. Alternatively, OG&E relies on a combination of call natural gas agreements, whereby OG&E has the right but not the obligation to purchase a defined quantity of natural gas, combined with day and intra-day purchases to meet the demands of the SPP market.

Enable Gas Transportation and Storage Agreement

OG&E has historically contracted with Enable for gas transportation and storage services. The stated term of the previous contract expired April 30, 2009, but remained in effect from year-to-year thereafter. On January 31, 2014, in anticipation of entering into a new, five-year contract, OG&E provided written notice of termination of the contract, effective April 30, 2014. On March 17, 2014, OG&E entered into a new gas transportation contract effective May 1, 2014 and expiring April 30, 2019.

Environmental Laws and Regulations

Federal Clean Air Act New Source Review Litigation

As previously reported, in July 2008, OG&E received a request for information from the EPA regarding Federal Clean Air Act compliance at OG&E's Muskogee and Sooner generating plants. In recent years, the EPA has issued similar requests to numerous other electric utilities seeking to determine whether various maintenance, repair and replacement projects should have required permits under the Federal Clean Air Act's new source review process. In January 2012, OG&E received a supplemental request for an update of the previously provided information and for some additional information not previously requested. On May 1, 2012, OG&E responded to the EPA's supplemental request for information.

On July 8, 2013, the Department of Justice, filed a complaint against OG&E in United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma alleging that OG&E did not follow the Federal Clean Air Act procedures for projecting emission increases attributable to eight projects that occurred between 2003 and 2006. This complaint seeks to have OG&E submit a new assessment of whether the projects were likely to result in a significant emissions increase. The Sierra Club has intervened in this proceeding.

On August 12, 2013, the Sierra Club filed a separate complaint against OG&E in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma alleging that OG&E projects at Muskogee Unit 6 in 2008, were made without obtaining a prevention of significant deterioration permit and that the plant had exceeded emissions limits for opacity and particulate matter. The Sierra Club seeks a permanent injunction preventing OG&E from operating the Muskogee generating plant. On March 4, 2014, the Eastern District dismissed the prevention of significant deterioration permit claim based on the statute of limitations, but allowed the opacity and particulate matter claims to proceed. To obtain the right to appeal this decision, the Sierra Club subsequently withdrew a Notice of Intent to Sue for additional Clean Air Act violations and asked the Eastern District to dismiss its remaining claims with prejudice. On August 27, 2014, the Eastern District granted the Sierra Club's request. The Sierra Club has filed a Notice of Appeal with the 10th Circuit where briefing is currently scheduled to be completed before the end of 2014.

At this time, OG&E continues to believe that it has acted in compliance with the Federal Clean Air Act, and OG&E expects to vigorously defend against the claims that have been asserted. If OG&E does not prevail in these proceedings, the EPA and the Sierra Club could seek to require OG&E to install additional pollution control equipment, including scrubbers, baghouses and selective catalytic reduction systems with capital costs in excess of $1.1 billion and pay fines and significant penalties as a result of the allegations in the notice of violation. Section 113 of the Federal Clean Air Act (along with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1996) provides for civil penalties as much as $37,500 per day for each violation. Due to the uncertain and preliminary nature of this litigation, OG&E cannot provide a range of reasonably possible loss in this case.

Other

In the normal course of business, the Company is confronted with issues or events that may result in a contingent liability. These generally relate to lawsuits or claims made by third parties, including governmental agencies. When appropriate, management consults with legal counsel and other appropriate experts to assess the claim. If, in management's opinion, the Company has incurred a probable loss as set forth by GAAP, an estimate is made of the loss and the appropriate accounting entries are reflected in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. At the present time, based on currently available information, the Company believes that any reasonably possible losses in excess of accrued amounts arising out of pending or threatened lawsuits or claims would not be quantitatively material to its financial statements and would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.