Revenue from Contracts with Customers and Lease Income - Undiscounted Cash Flows to be Received Under Tolling Arrangements Accounted for as Sales-type Leases (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2021 USD ($)
Sales-type and Direct Financing Leases, Lease Receivable, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2021 (remaining)	$ 2
SOUTHERN POWER CO
Sales-type and Direct Financing Leases, Lease Receivable, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2022	8
2023	8
2024	8
2025	8
2026	8
Thereafter	115
Total undiscounted cash flows	157
Net investment in sales-type lease	99
Difference between undiscounted cash flows and discounted cash flows	$ 58

Present value of lease payments not yet received by lessor and amount expected to be derived from underlying asset, following end of lease term guaranteed by lessee or other third party unrelated to lessor, from sales-type and direct financing leases.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124258985&loc=SL77919391-209981

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124258985&loc=SL77919379-209981

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases.

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in fifth fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in fourth fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in next fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in remainder of current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124258985&loc=SL77919391-209981

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases after fifth fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in third fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in second fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

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Amount of undiscounted lease receivable in excess of discounted receivable for sales-type and direct financing leases.

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