Asset Retirement Obligations	9 Months Ended
Asset Retirement Obligations	Sep. 30, 2016
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
Entergy Arkansas [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
Entergy Louisiana [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
Entergy Mississippi [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
Entergy New Orleans [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
Entergy Texas [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.
System Energy [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block]	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS (Entergy Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Texas, and System Energy) See Note 9 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for a discussion of asset retirement obligations. Following are updates to that discussion. Entergy expects that amounts available in Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning trust fund, including expected earnings, together with the credit facilities entered into in January 2015 that are expected to be repaid with recoveries from DOE litigation related to spent fuel storage, will be sufficient to cover Vermont Yankee’s expected costs of decommissioning, spent fuel management costs, and site restoration. In June 2015 the NRC staff issued an exemption from its regulations to allow Vermont Yankee to use its decommissioning trust fund to pay for approximately $225 million of estimated future spent fuel management costs that will not be paid for using funds from the credit facilities. In August 2015, Vermont and two Vermont utilities filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the NRC’s issuance of that exemption. If that petition were to result in a final decision denying Vermont Yankee the exemption allowing the use of its decommissioning trust fund to pay for these spent fuel management costs, Vermont Yankee would have to satisfy the NRC that it had a plan to obtain additional funds to enable it to pay for these costs until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site. In February 2016 the court dismissed the petition as premature because Vermont and the utilities had requested the NRC to reconsider a number of issues related to Vermont Yankee's use of the decommissioning trust fund including use to pay for spent fuel management expenses pursuant to the exemption granted in June 2015. In October 2016 the NRC denied Vermont's and the utilities' request for a hearing and other relief but directed the NRC staff to conduct an assessment of any environmental impacts associated with the exemption. See Note 1 to the financial statements in the Form 10-K for further discussion regarding the Vermont Yankee plant. For the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants purchased in 2000 from NYPA, NYPA retained the decommissioning trusts and the decommissioning liabilities. NYPA and Entergy subsidiaries executed decommissioning agreements, which specified their decommissioning obligations. NYPA has the right to require the Entergy subsidiaries to assume each of the decommissioning liabilities provided that it assigns the corresponding decommissioning trust, up to a specified level, to the Entergy subsidiaries. Under the original agreements, if the decommissioning liabilities were retained by NYPA, the Entergy subsidiaries would perform the decommissioning of the plants at a price equal to the lesser of a pre-specified level or the amount in the decommissioning trusts. At the time of the acquisition of the plants Entergy recorded a contract asset that represented an estimate of the present value of the difference between the stipulated contract amount for decommissioning the plants less the decommissioning costs estimated in independent decommissioning cost studies. In August 2016, Entergy entered into a trust transfer agreement with NYPA to transfer the decommissioning trusts and decommissioning liabilities for the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick plants to Entergy. The transaction is contingent upon receiving approval from the NRC. As a result of the agreement with NYPA, in the third quarter 2016 Entergy removed the contract asset from its balance sheet, and recorded receivables for the beneficial interests in the decommissioning trust funds and asset retirement obligations for the decommissioning liabilities. The decommissioning and asset retirement cost liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet increased from $4,790 million at December 31, 2015 to $6,101 million at September 30, 2016 primarily due to recording the Indian Point 3 and FitzPatrick asset retirement obligations as a result of the agreement with NYPA.