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Employee Benefit Plans
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Employee Benefits Plans [Text Block]
Employee Benefit Plans

CERC’s employees participate in CenterPoint Energy’s postretirement benefit plan. CERC’s net periodic cost includes the following components relating to postretirement benefits:
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
September 30,
 
September 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in millions)
Service cost
$
1

 
$
1

 
$
1

 
$
1

Interest cost
1

 
1

 
3

 
3

Expected return on plan assets
(1
)
 
(1
)
 
(1
)
 
(1
)
Amortization of prior service cost
—

 
—

 
1

 
—

Net periodic cost (1)
$
1

 
$
1

 
$
4

 
$
3



(1)
Net periodic cost in this table is before considering amounts subject to overhead allocations for capital expenditure projects or for amounts subject to deferral for regulatory purposes.  

CERC expects to contribute approximately $5 million to its postretirement benefit plan in 2017, of which approximately $1 million and $4 million were contributed during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.