2.2.0.25falsefalse006010 - Disclosure - The Companytruefalsefalse1falsefalsefalsefalse1/1/2010 - 12/31/2010 c00052http://www.sec.gov/CIK0001089819duration2010-01-01T00:00:002010-12-31T00:00:002true0cnl_NotesToFinancialStatementsAbstractcnlfalsenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherxbrli:stringItemTypestringNo definition available.falsefalseNotes to the Financial Statements [Abstract]3false0us-gaap_NatureOfOperationsus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00<div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><div style="DISPLAY: block; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Cond, sans-serif">Note 1 — The Company </font> <div><hr style="COLOR: black" align="left" width="100%" noshade="noshade" size="1" /></div></div></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><div style="DISPLAY: block; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Cond, sans-serif"></font> </div><div style="DISPLAY: block; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Cond, sans-serif">General</font></div></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Light, sans-serif">Cleco Corporation is a holding company composed of the following:</font></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tr valign="top"><td style="WIDTH: 27pt" align="right"><div><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings">§  </font></div></td><td><div style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Light, sans-serif">Cleco Power is an integrated electric utility services subsidiary regulated by the LPSC and FERC, which determine the rates Cleco Power can charge its customers, as well as other regulators.  Cleco Power serves approximately 279,000 customers in 108 communities in central and southeastern Louisiana.  Cleco Power also engages in energy management activities and owns a 50 percent interest in an entity that owns lignite reserves.  Cleco Power owns all of the outstanding membership interests in Cleco Katrina/Rita, a special purpose entity, that is consolidated with Cleco Power in its financial statements.</font></div></td></tr></table></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tr valign="top"><td style="WIDTH: 27pt" align="right"><div><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings">§  </font></div></td><td><div style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Light, sans-serif">Midstream is a merchant energy subsidiary regulated by FERC.  Midstream owns and operates a merchant power plant (Coughlin) and also owns a 50 percent indirect interest in a merchant power plant (Acadia).  </font></div></td></tr></table></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tr valign="top"><td style="WIDTH: 27pt" align="right"><div><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings">§  </font></div></td><td><div style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica LT Std Light, sans-serif">Cleco Corporation’s other operations consist of a holding company, two transmission interconnection facility subsidiaries, a shared services subsidiary, and an investment subsidiary.  </font></div></td></tr></table></div><div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div>Note 1 — The Company  GeneralCleco Corporation is a holding company composed of the following:§  Cleco Power is an integratedfalsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherus-types:textBlockItemTypestringDescribes the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings). Disclosures about the nature of operations need not be quantified; relative importance could be conveyed by use of terms such as "predominately", "about equally", or "major and other". This element is also referred to as "Business Description".Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Number 94-6 -Paragraph 10 falsefalseThe Company12The CompanyUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownfalsetrue