Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Revenues and Other
Total revenues and other		$ 1,561,372	$ 1,382,868	[1]	$ 1,085,482	[1]
Equity income, net	[2],[3],[4]	71,251	57,836	[1]	22,948	[1]
Operating expenses
Cost of product	[5]	528,435	454,445	[1]	373,171	[1]
Operation and maintenance	[5]	296,774	255,844	[1]	201,759	[1]
General and administrative	[5]	41,217	39,439	[1]	35,065	[1]
Property and other taxes		30,572	26,100	[1]	23,806	[1]
Depreciation and amortization		244,163	186,514	[1]	149,815	[1]
Impairments		514,096	3,084	[1]	1,267	[1]
Total operating expenses		1,655,257	965,426	[1]	784,883	[1]
Gain on divestiture and other, net	[6]	57,020	0	[1]	0	[1]
Operating income (loss)		34,386	475,278	[1]	323,547	[1]
Interest income – affiliates	[7]	16,900	16,900	[1]	16,900	[1]
Interest expense	[8]	(113,874)	(76,769)	[1]	(51,797)	[1]
Other income (expense), net		(578)	938	[1]	1,935	[1]
Income (loss) before income taxes		(63,166)	416,347	[1]	290,585	[1]
Income tax (benefit) expense		3,380	11,659	[1]	4,611	[1]
Net income (loss)		(66,546)	404,688	[1]	285,974	[1]
Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		(154,409)	165,468	[1]	122,173	[1]
Net income (loss) attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP		87,863	239,220	[1]	163,801	[1]
Limited partners' interest in net income (loss):
Pre-acquisition net (income) loss allocated to Anadarko		(1,742)	(16,353)	[1]	(8,224)	[1]
Limited partners' interest in net income (loss)	[9]	86,121	222,867	[1]	155,528	[1]
IPO [Member]
Limited partners' interest in net income (loss):
Pre-acquisition net (income) loss allocated to Anadarko		0	0	[1]	(49)	[1]
Affiliates [Member]
Revenues and Other
Gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids		581,644	467,540	[1]	340,116	[1]
Natural gas, natural gas liquids and drip condensate sales		447,106	581,317	[1]	502,219	[1]
Other		1,172	5,078	[1]	1,868	[1]
Total revenues and other	[4]	1,029,922	1,053,935	[1]	844,203	[1]
Operating expenses
Cost of product	[4]	167,420	127,906		136,570
Operation and maintenance	[10]	67,119	62,306		59,698
General and administrative	[11]	31,492	29,717		25,836
Total operating expenses		266,031	219,929		222,104
Interest expense	[12]	(14,400)	(3)		0
Third Parties [Member]
Revenues and Other
Gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids		356,477	277,605	[1]	190,877	[1]
Natural gas, natural gas liquids and drip condensate sales		170,843	42,916	[1]	46,289	[1]
Other		4,130	8,412	[1]	4,113	[1]
Total revenues and other		531,450	328,933	[1]	241,279	[1]
Operating expenses
Interest expense		$ (99,474)	$ (76,766)		$ (51,797)
Limited Partner [Member]
Limited partners' interest in net income (loss):
Net income (loss) per common unit - basic and diluted		$ 0.39	$ 1.02	[1]	$ 0.71	[1]
Weighted-average common units outstanding - basic and diluted		218,913	218,910	[1]	218,896	[1]

[1] Financial information has been recast to include the financial position and results attributable to the DBJV system. See Note 1 and Note 2.

[2] Income earned from equity investments is classified as affiliate. See Note 1.

[3] Income earned on, distributions from and contributions to equity investments are classified as affiliate. See Note 1.

[4] Represents amounts earned or incurred on and subsequent to the date of acquisition of WES assets, as well as amounts earned or incurred by Anadarko on a historical basis related to WES assets prior to the acquisition of such assets by WES, recognized under gathering, treating or processing agreements, and purchase and sale agreements.

[5] Cost of product includes product purchases from Anadarko (as defined in Note 1) of $167.4 million, $127.9 million and $136.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Operation and maintenance includes charges from Anadarko of $67.1 million, $62.3 million and $59.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. General and administrative includes charges from Anadarko of $31.5 million, $29.7 million and $25.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. See Note 5.

[6] Includes losses related to an incident at the DBM complex for the year ended December 31, 2015. See Note 1.

[7] Represents interest income recognized on the note receivable from Anadarko.

[8] Includes affiliate (as defined in Note 1) interest expense of $14.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, and zero for each of the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. See Note 2 and Note 12.

[9] Represents net income (loss) earned on and subsequent to the date of acquisition of WES assets (as defined in Note 1). See Note 4.

[10] 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.

[11] 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 and WGP by Anadarko (see WES LTIP and WGP LTIP and Anadarko Incentive Plans within this Note 5) and amounts charged by Anadarko under the WGP omnibus agreement.

[12] For the year ended December 31, 2015, includes WES’s accretion expense recognized on the Deferred purchase price obligation - Anadarko for the acquisition of DBJV (see Note 2 and Note 12) and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, includes interest expense recognized on the WGP WCF (see Note 12).