Document And Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 30, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	ENBRIDGE ENERGY PARTNERS LP
Entity Central Index Key	0000880285
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Trading Symbol	EEP
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		326,517,110
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3