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Employee Benefit Plans (MEC) (MidAmerican Energy Company [Member])
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
MidAmerican Energy Company [Member]
 
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]
(5)
Employee Benefit Plans

MidAmerican Energy sponsors a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan covering a majority of all employees of Berkshire Hathaway Energy and its domestic energy subsidiaries other than PacifiCorp and NV Energy, Inc. MidAmerican Energy also sponsors certain postretirement healthcare and life insurance benefits covering substantially all retired employees of Berkshire Hathaway Energy and its domestic energy subsidiaries other than PacifiCorp and NV Energy, Inc. Net periodic benefit cost for the plans of MidAmerican Energy and the aforementioned affiliates included the following components (in millions):
 
Three-Month Periods
 
Ended March 31,
 
2014
 
2013
Pension:
 
 
 
Service cost
$
3

 
$
5

Interest cost
9

 
8

Expected return on plan assets
(11
)
 
(11
)
Net amortization
1

 
3

Net periodic benefit cost
$
2

 
$
5

 
 
 
 
Other postretirement:
 
 
 
Service cost
$
1

 
$
1

Interest cost
2

 
2

Expected return on plan assets
(3
)
 
(3
)
Net amortization
(1
)
 
(1
)
Net periodic benefit cost (benefit)
$
(1
)
 
$
(1
)

Employer contributions to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans are expected to be $8 million and $1 million, respectively, during 2014. As of March 31, 2014, $2 million and $- million of contributions had been made to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans, respectively.