Consolidated Statement of Equity and Partners' Capital (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012		Aug. 31, 2012
Acquisitions from affiliates	$ (356,250,000)	$ (465,500,000)	$ (458,764,000)
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest	(38,160,000)	(46,530,000)	(106,504,000)
Chipeta Processing Limited Liability Company [Member]
Acquisitions from affiliates			(121,104,000)	[1]
Capital Units [Member]
Combined change in Partners' Capital from WES equity transactions, net and net income attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP	573,400,000	346,700,000
Partnership Interest [Member]
The decrease to partners' capital resulting from the August 2012 Chipeta acquisition together with net income attributable to Western Gas Partners, LP			17,500,000
Partnership Interest [Member] | Chipeta Processing Limited Liability Company [Member]
Acquisitions from affiliates			43,900,000
Net Investment by Anadarko [Member]
Acquisitions from affiliates	(372,784,000)	(255,635,000)	(458,764,000)
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest	(38,160,000)	(46,530,000)	(106,504,000)
Net Investment by Anadarko [Member] | Chipeta Processing Limited Liability Company [Member]
Acquisitions from affiliates			(43,909,000)	[1]
Net Investment by Anadarko [Member] | Capitalized Interest [Member]
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest	$ 300,000	$ 5,500,000
Affiliated Entity [Member] | Chipeta Processing Limited Liability Company [Member]
Ownership interest by noncontrolling owner					24.00%

[1] See Note 2 for a description of WES’s acquisition of Anadarko’s then-remaining 24% membership interest in Chipeta in August 2012. The $43.9 million decrease to partners’ capital resulting from the August 2012 Chipeta acquisition, together with net income attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP, totaled $17.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012.