Represents the proceeds from the sale of the disposal group not considered discontinued.

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Percentage of equity interest in business disposed.

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Represents the Company's percentage ownership interest in the subsidiary being divested.

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Number of U.K. Wind Projects Sold

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Pre-tax income of disposed businesses, Excluding gain on disposal, included in continuing operations

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Pre-tax loss of disposed businesses, excluding gain on disposal, included in continuing operations

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Proceeds from Sale of Ownership Interests

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No definition available.

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Amount before tax of gain (loss) recognized on the sale or disposal of a disposal group. Excludes discontinued operations.

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Amount of income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to the parent. Also defined as revenue less expenses and taxes from ongoing operations before extraordinary items but after deduction of those portions of income or loss from continuing operations that are allocable to noncontrolling interests.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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No definition available.

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The cash inflow associated with the amount received from the sale of a portion of the company's business, for example a segment, division, branch or other business, during the period.

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Acquisitions and Dispositions (Details) $ in Millions				3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
Acquisitions and Dispositions (Details) $ in Millions	Jul. 01, 2015 USD ($)	Aug. 22, 2014 USD ($) project	Apr. 26, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2015	Nov. 20, 2014
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent							$ 306	$ 789	$ 284
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Proceeds from Sale of Ownership Interests							154	83	109
Ebute [Member]
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Ownership interest sold											95.00%
Proceeds from Sale of Ownership Interests				$ 22
Pre-tax gain on disposal				$ (6)
Pre-tax loss of disposed businesses, Excluding gain on disposal, included in continuing operations								(27)
Pre-tax income of disposed businesses, Excluding gain on disposal, included in continuing operations									(29)
AES NBO
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Ownership interest sold											100.00%
UK Wind Projects
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Ownership interest sold		100.00%
Proceeds from Sale of Ownership Interests		$ 158
Pre-tax gain on disposal					$ 78
Pre-tax loss of disposed businesses, Excluding gain on disposal, included in continuing operations							(18)	3
AES Cartagena
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Pre-tax gain on disposal						$ 20
Proceeds from sale of ownership interest in Cartagena			$ 24
UK Wind Projects
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Number of U.K. Wind Projects Sold \| project		4
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] \| Armenia Mountain [Member]
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses	$ 64
Dispositions and Held-for-Sales Businesses
Pre-tax gain on disposal	$ 22
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] \| Armenia Mountain [Member]
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent							6	7	4
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] \| Kelanitissa [Member]
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Divestiture Of Ownership In Subsidiary Percent										90.00%
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent							$ (7)	$ 1	$ 16