Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 1,053,495,000		$ 910,587,000		$ 869,405,000
Operating expenses
Cost of product	364,285,000	[1]	336,079,000	[1]	327,371,000	[1]
Operation and maintenance	168,657,000	[1]	140,106,000	[1]	126,464,000	[1]
General and administrative	33,464,000	[1]	99,728,000	[1]	40,564,000	[1]
Property and other taxes	23,244,000		19,688,000		16,579,000
Depreciation, amortization and impairments	145,916,000		120,608,000		113,133,000
Total operating expenses	735,566,000		716,209,000		624,111,000
Operating income	317,929,000		194,378,000		245,294,000
Interest income, net - affiliates	16,900,000		16,900,000		24,106,000
Interest expense	(51,797,000)	[2]	(42,060,000)	[2]	(30,345,000)	[2]
Other income (expense), net	1,935,000		292,000		(44,000)
Income before income taxes	284,967,000		169,510,000		239,011,000
Income tax expense	2,580,000		48,909,000		58,796,000
Net income	282,387,000		120,601,000		180,215,000
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	122,173,000		59,181,000		86,057,000
Net income attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP	160,214,000		61,420,000		94,158,000
Limited partners' interest in net income:
Net (income) loss allocated	(4,637,000)		(1,707,000)
Limited partners' interest in net income	155,528,000		2,809,000
Affiliated Entity [Member]
Revenues
Gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids	306,810,000		249,997,000		227,535,000
Natural gas, natural gas liquids and condensate sales	496,848,000		436,423,000		417,547,000
Equity income and other, net	25,600,000		17,717,000		13,598,000
Total revenues	829,258,000	[3]	704,137,000	[3]	658,680,000	[3]
Operating expenses
Cost of product	129,045,000	[3]	145,250,000	[3]	83,722,000	[3]
Operation and maintenance	56,435,000	[4]	51,237,000	[4]	51,339,000	[4]
General and administrative	24,235,000	[5]	92,887,000	[5]	33,305,000	[5]
Total operating expenses	209,715,000		289,374,000		168,366,000
Interest expense	0	[6]	(2,766,000)	[6]	(4,935,000)	[6]
Third Parties [Member]
Revenues
Gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids	175,732,000		132,333,000		119,934,000
Natural gas, natural gas liquids and condensate sales	44,396,000		71,916,000		84,836,000
Equity income and other, net	4,109,000		2,201,000		5,955,000
Total revenues	224,237,000		206,450,000		210,725,000
Operating expenses
Interest expense	(51,797,000)		(39,294,000)		(25,410,000)
Limited Partner [Member] | Common Units [Member]
Limited partners' interest in net income:
Net income per common unit - basic and diluted	$ 0.71	[7]	$ 0.01	[7]
Weighted average common units outstanding - basic and diluted	218,896,000	[7]	218,896,000	[7]
IPO [Member]
Limited partners' interest in net income:
Net (income) loss allocated	$ (49,000)		$ (56,904,000)

[1] Cost of product includes product purchases from Anadarko (as defined in Note 1) of $129.0 million, $145.3 million and $83.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 respectively. Operation and maintenance includes charges from Anadarko of $56.4 million, $51.2 million and $51.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. General and administrative includes charges from Anadarko of $24.2 million, $92.9 million and $33.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. See Note 5.

[2] Includes affiliate (as defined in Note 1) interest expense of zero, $2.8 million and $4.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. See Note 11.

[3] Represents amounts recognized under gathering, treating or processing agreements, and purchase and sale agreements.

[4] Represents expenses incurred on and subsequent to the date of the acquisition of WES assets, as well as expenses incurred by Anadarko on a historical basis related to WES assets prior to the acquisition of such assets by WES.

[5] Represents general and administrative expense incurred on and subsequent to the date of WES’s acquisition of WES assets, as well as a management services fee for reimbursement of expenses incurred by Anadarko for periods prior to the acquisition of WES assets by WES. These amounts include equity-based compensation expense allocated to WES by Anadarko (see Note 6) and amounts charged by Anadarko under the WGP omnibus agreement.

[6] For the year ended December 31, 2012, includes interest expense recognized on the WES note payable to Anadarko (see Note 11) and interest imputed on the reimbursement payable to Anadarko for certain expenditures Anadarko incurred in 2011 related to the construction of the Brasada facility and Lancaster plant. WES repaid the WES note payable to Anadarko in June 2012, and repaid the reimbursement payable to Anadarko related to the construction of the Brasada facility and Lancaster plant in the fourth quarter of 2012.

[7] Represents net income available to limited partners subsequent to closing the IPO of Western Gas Equity Partners, LP on December 12, 2012. Amounts for net income per common unit and weighted average common units outstanding are not applicable prior to closing the IPO of Western Gas Equity Partners, LP on December 12, 2012. See Note 4.