Note 10 - Long-term Debt and Credit Agreements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]

Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]

	December 31,
	2013			2012
	(Dollars in thousands)
Limited and non-recourse agreements:
Loans:
Non-recourse:
Loan agreement with TCW (the Amatitlan power plant)	$	31,509		$	34,268
Limited recourse:
Loan agreement with OPIC (the Olkaria III power plant)		299,946			220,000
Senior Secured Notes:
Non-recourse:
Ormat Funding LLC ("OFC")		90,840			114,136
OrCal Geothermal LLC ("OrCal")		66,156			76,548
Limited recourse:
OFC 2 LLC ("OFC 2")		144,450			150,473
		632,902			595,425
Less current portion		(51,514	)		(39,684	)
Non-current portion	$	581,387		$	555,741
Full recourse agreements:
Senior unsecured bonds	$	250,596		$	250,904
Loans from institutional investors		32,868			43,624
Loan agreement with DEG (the Olkaria III power plant)		39,474			47,369
Loan from a commercial bank		10,000			20,000
Revolving credit lines with banks		112,017			73,606
		444,955			435,503
Less current portion		(28,875	)		(28,649	)
Non-current portion	$	416,080		$	406,854

Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt [Table Text Block]

	(Dollars in thousands)
Year ending December 31:
2014	$	80,389
2015		74,386
2016		89,604
2017		311,890
2018		53,954
Thereafter		355,617
Total	$	965,840