Debt and Interest Expense - Interest Expense Table (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense	[1]	$ 113,874	$ 76,769	[2]	$ 51,797	[2]
Third Parties [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense		99,474	76,766		51,797
Affiliates [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense	[3]	14,400	3		0
Anadarko [Member] | Working Capital Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense, related party		2	3		0
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Third Parties [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt		102,058	81,495		59,293
Amortization of debt issuance costs and commitment fees		5,734	5,103		4,449
Capitalized interest		(8,318)	(9,832)		(11,945)
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Affiliates [Member] | Deferred Purchase Price Obligation - Anadarko [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense, related party	[4]	$ 14,398	$ 0		$ 0

[1] 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.

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

[3] 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).

[4] See Note 2 for a discussion of the accretion and net present value of the Deferred purchase price obligation - Anadarko.