Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Litigation proceeds for reimbursement of spent nuclear fuel storage costs		$ 0	$ 25,493
Entergy Nuclear Generation Company [Member]
Litigation proceeds for reimbursement of spent nuclear fuel storage costs	$ 62,000

Litigation proceeds for reimbursement of spent nuclear fuel storage costs.

No definition available.

Name:	etr_LitigationProceedsForReimbursementOfSpentNuclearFuelStorageCosts
Namespace Prefix:	etr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration