Retirement, Other Postretirement Benefits, And Defined Contribution Plans (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) plan	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Concentration Risk	10.00%
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	$ 2,910,654	$ 3,036,010
Current pension liability	71,612	76,942
Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	$ 6,071,316	5,171,202
Change in Plan Assets
Number of qualified pension plans | plan	8
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	$ 7,400,000	6,700,000
Net periodic benefit costs	214,221	214,853	$ 321,138
Amortization of prior service credit	261	1,079	1,561
Expected Employer Contributions	$ 352,100
Number of Qualified Pension Plans in which Registrant Subsidiaries Participate	4
Number of Cash Balance Pension Plans in which Asset Held in Second Master Trust	2
Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	$ 6,071,316	5,171,202	4,707,433
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	7,987,087	7,142,567	6,848,238
non-current pension liability	1,915,771	1,971,365
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	668,164	619,935
Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	144,700	151,000
Net periodic benefit costs	37,600	24,900	22,800
Settlement charges related to the payment of lump sum benefits out of the plan	20,300	8,100	5,100
Projected benefit obligation	162,300	169,300
non-current pension liability	136,000	137,600
Current pension liability	26,400	31,700
Amortization of prior service credit	55,200	59,800
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	35,900	31,600
Defined Contribution Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Subsidiaries' contribution to defined contribution plan	$ 49,100	47,000	44,400
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Employees' Gross Pay	6.00%
Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	$ 659,327	596,660	579,069
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	25,603	19,526	66,157
Projected benefit obligation	1,563,487	1,568,963	1,530,829
non-current pension liability	858,923	927,048
Current pension liability	45,237	45,255
Amortization of prior service credit	(41,425)	(45,490)	(37,280)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	96,275	83,101
Expected Employer Contributions	52,300
Entergy Arkansas [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	353,274	424,234
Entergy Arkansas [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	1,492,876	1,379,265
Net periodic benefit costs	36,987	37,601	62,683
Entergy Arkansas [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	1,205,668	1,041,592	959,618
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	1,580,756	1,454,310	1,400,511
non-current pension liability	375,088	412,718
Entergy Arkansas [Member] | Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	3,825	3,439
Net periodic benefit costs	679	1,819	446
Projected benefit obligation	4,221	3,897
non-current pension liability	3,845	3,655
Current pension liability	376	242
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Settlement charges	269	1,400
Entergy Arkansas [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	274,678	250,926	243,206
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	(4,015)	(5,861)	3,200
Projected benefit obligation	249,019	258,787	258,900
non-current pension liability	(25,659)	7,861
Current pension liability	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	(5,110)	(5,472)	(2,441)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Expected Employer Contributions	472
Entergy Louisiana [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	748,384	780,278
Entergy Louisiana [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	1,652,939	1,513,884
Net periodic benefit costs	44,283	47,072	72,860
Entergy Louisiana [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	1,365,741	1,169,147	1,071,234
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	1,785,700	1,624,233	1,564,710
non-current pension liability	419,959	455,086
Entergy Louisiana [Member] | Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	2,061	2,134
Net periodic benefit costs	185	231	377
Projected benefit obligation	2,061	2,134
non-current pension liability	1,830	1,901
Current pension liability	231	233
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	11	13
Settlement charges			108
Entergy Louisiana [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	0	0	0
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	12,598	15,656	25,855
Projected benefit obligation	345,389	342,500	356,253
non-current pension liability	326,595	323,291
Current pension liability	18,794	19,209
Amortization of prior service credit	(7,735)	(7,787)	(7,467)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	31,586	26,965
Expected Employer Contributions	18,962
Entergy Mississippi [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	101,498	109,551
Entergy Mississippi [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	430,268	396,081
Net periodic benefit costs	8,504	9,510	16,412
Entergy Mississippi [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	360,842	314,349	292,297
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	457,549	419,201	408,604
non-current pension liability	96,707	104,852
Entergy Mississippi [Member] | Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	2,250	1,961
Net periodic benefit costs	251	236	235
Projected benefit obligation	2,737	2,296
non-current pension liability	2,603	2,159
Current pension liability	135	137
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Settlement charges		1	2
Entergy Mississippi [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	82,433	75,945	75,538
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	(1,030)	(1,180)	(758)
Projected benefit obligation	84,621	78,485	77,382
non-current pension liability	2,188	2,540
Current pension liability	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	(1,823)	(934)	(916)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Expected Employer Contributions	110
Entergy New Orleans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	20,755	36,750
Entergy New Orleans [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	205,316	186,247
Net periodic benefit costs	5,096	5,593	8,981
Entergy New Orleans [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	165,747	142,488	129,975
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	217,896	197,464	191,064
non-current pension liability	52,149	54,976
Entergy New Orleans [Member] | Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	519	452
Net periodic benefit costs	73	65	64
Projected benefit obligation	583	514
non-current pension liability	562	495
Current pension liability	21	20
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Entergy New Orleans [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	85,504	74,236	69,881
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	(2,521)	(2,803)	(1,617)
Projected benefit obligation	53,548	55,515	51,951
non-current pension liability	(31,956)	(18,721)
Current pension liability	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	(745)	(745)	(709)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Expected Employer Contributions	3,669
Entergy Texas [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	17,853	67,313
Entergy Texas [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	387,083	365,251
Net periodic benefit costs	3,543	5,002	12,059
Entergy Texas [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	363,523	317,576	298,378
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	410,720	386,366	383,627
non-current pension liability	47,197	68,790
Entergy Texas [Member] | Non-Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	8,602	8,333
Net periodic benefit costs	499	504	595
Projected benefit obligation	8,913	8,665
non-current pension liability	8,125	7,892
Current pension liability	788	773
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Entergy Texas [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	154,171	137,069	130,374
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	(1,751)	(4,405)	(2,968)
Projected benefit obligation	116,702	127,700	114,582
non-current pension liability	(37,469)	(9,369)
Current pension liability	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	(2,316)	(2,722)	(2,723)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	0
Expected Employer Contributions	3,231
System Energy [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
non-current pension liability	121,874	117,850
System Energy [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Accumulated pension benefit obligation	359,258	315,131
Net periodic benefit costs	11,716	10,808	16,581
System Energy [Member] | Qualified Pension Obligations [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	274,432	235,144	212,006
Change in Plan Assets
Projected benefit obligation	384,049	335,381	311,542
non-current pension liability	109,617	100,237
System Energy [Member] | Other Postretirement Benefit Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	49,124	44,885	44,917
Change in Plan Assets
Net periodic benefit costs	692	(224)	481
Projected benefit obligation	61,381	62,498	57,645
non-current pension liability	12,257	17,613
Current pension liability	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	(1,513)	(1,570)	$ (1,465)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (before taxes)	0	$ 0
Expected Employer Contributions	$ 16
Minimum [Member] | Defined Contribution Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Match	70.00%
Maximum [Member] | Defined Contribution Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Match	100.00%
Domestic Equity Securities [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Target asset allocation	45.00%
International Equity Securities [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Target asset allocation	20.00%
Fixed Income Securities [Member] | Qualified Pension Plans [Member]
Change in Plan Assets
Target asset allocation	35.00%