Preferred Equity (Narratives) (Details)	12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2007	Dec. 31, 2012 Entergy Gulf States Louisiana [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Entergy Gulf States Louisiana [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Entergy Louisiana [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Entergy Louisiana [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Preferred Membership Interests, Series A, 8.25% [Member] Entergy Gulf States Louisiana [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Preferred Stock, Cumulative $100 Par Value, 4.72% Series [Member] Entergy Arkansas [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Preferred Stock, Cumulative $100 Par Value, 4.75% Series [Member] Entergy New Orleans [Member]
Preferred Equity [Line Items]
Preferred stock/preferred membership interests rate						8.25%	4.72%	4.75%
Preferred units outstanding		100,000	100,000	1,000,000	1,000,000
Redeemable redemption price per share		100
Shares purchased by subsidiaries	160,000