Consolidated Statements of Equity and Partners' Capital (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
WES equity transactions, net	[1]	$ 0	$ 57,353	$ 691,417
Combined change in Partners' Capital from WES equity transactions, net and net income (loss) attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP		341,600	145,800	639,500
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest		(135,400)	(41,844)	(38,160)
Common Units [Member]
WES equity transactions, net	[1]	(4,180)	(19,687)	351,510
Net Investment by Anadarko [Member]
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest		$ (135,400)	$ (41,844)	(38,160)
Net Investment by Anadarko [Member] | Capitalized Interest [Member]
Deferred taxes on capitalized interest				$ 300

[1] Includes the impact of WES’s (as defined in Note 1) equity offerings as described in Note 4. The $(4.2) million, $(19.7) million and $351.5 million increase (decrease) to partners’ capital, together with net income (loss) attributable to Western Gas Equity Partners, LP, totaled $341.6 million, $145.8 million and $639.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.