Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments Contingencies and Guarantees [Text Block]	Commitments and Contingencies Legal Matters The Company is party to a variety of legal actions arising out of the normal course of business. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. The Company does not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material impact on its consolidated financial results. The Company is also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines, penalties and other costs in substantial amounts and are described below. USA Power In October 2005, prior to BHE's ownership of PacifiCorp, PacifiCorp was added as a defendant to a lawsuit originally filed in February 2005 in the Third District Court of Salt Lake County, Utah ("Third District Court") by USA Power, LLC, USA Power Partners, LLC and Spring Canyon Energy, LLC (collectively, the "Plaintiff"). The Plaintiff's complaint alleged that PacifiCorp misappropriated confidential proprietary information in violation of Utah's Uniform Trade Secrets Act and accused PacifiCorp of breach of contract and related claims in regard to the Plaintiff's 2002 and 2003 proposals to build a natural gas-fueled generating facility in Juab County, Utah. In October 2007, the Third District Court granted PacifiCorp's motion for summary judgment on all counts and dismissed the Plaintiff's claims in their entirety. In a May 2010 ruling on the Plaintiff's petition for reconsideration, the Utah Supreme Court reversed summary judgment and remanded the case back to the Third District Court for further consideration. In May 2012, a jury awarded damages to the Plaintiff for breach of contract and misappropriation of a trade secret in the amounts of $18 million for actual damages and $113 million for unjust enrichment. In May 2012, the Plaintiff filed a motion seeking exemplary damages. Under the Utah Uniform Trade Secrets law, the judge may award exemplary damages in an additional amount not to exceed twice the original award. The Plaintiff also filed a motion to seek recovery of attorneys' fees in an amount equal to 40% of all amounts ultimately awarded in the case. In October 2012, PacifiCorp filed post-trial motions for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a new trial. As a result of a hearing in December 2012, the trial judge denied PacifiCorp's post-trial motions with the exception of reducing the aggregate amount of damages to $113 million. In January 2013, the Plaintiff filed a motion for prejudgment interest. An initial judgment was entered in April 2013 in which the trial judge denied the Plaintiff's motions for exemplary damages and prejudgment interest and ruled that PacifiCorp must pay the Plaintiff's attorneys' fees based on applying a reasonable rate to hours worked. In May 2013, a final judgment was entered against PacifiCorp in the amount of $115 million, which includes the $113 million of aggregate damages previously awarded and amounts awarded for the Plaintiff's attorneys' fees. The final judgment also ordered that postjudgment interest accrue beginning as of the date of the April 2013 initial judgment. In May 2013, PacifiCorp posted a surety bond issued by a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway to secure its estimated obligation. PacifiCorp strongly disagrees with the jury's verdict and is vigorously pursuing all appellate measures. Both PacifiCorp and the Plaintiff filed appeals with the Utah Supreme Court. Briefing before the Utah Supreme Court is complete and oral arguments were heard in September 2015. As of September 30, 2015, PacifiCorp had accrued $121 million for the final judgment and postjudgment interest, and believes the likelihood of any additional material loss is remote; however, any additional awards against PacifiCorp could also have a material effect on the consolidated financial results. Any payment of damages will be at the end of the appeals process. Commitments As a result of the Utah Mine Disposition discussed in Note 5, PacifiCorp's replacement coal supply agreement for one of its generating facilities became effective in June 2015. Also during the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, PacifiCorp entered into several purchased electricity contracts from facilities that have not yet achieved commercial operation. These coal supply and purchased electricity contracts result in minimum future purchases of $70 million in 2016, $112 million in 2017, $127 million in 2018, $127 million in 2019 and $1.6 billion in 2020 and thereafter. During the three-month period ended September 30, 2015, MidAmerican Energy entered into several contracts totaling $541 million for the construction of wind-powered generating facilities to be placed in-service in 2016, for which all of the purchase obligation is expected to be paid by the end of 2016. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2015, MidAmerican Energy also entered into non-cancelable easements totaling $115 million with minimum commitments ranging through 2048 and non-cancelable maintenance and service contracts totaling $73 million with minimum commitments ranging through 2021. The easements and maintenance and service contracts relate to MidAmerican Energy's wind-powered generating facilities being placed in-service in 2015 and 2016. The Solar Star Projects, which are a combined 586-MW solar project in California, achieved commercial operations under the power purchase agreements effective July 2015. BHE committed to provide Solar Star Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries with equity to fund the costs of the Solar Star Projects in an amount up to $2.75 billion, less, among other things, the gross proceeds of long-term debt issuances, project revenue prior to completion and the total equity contributions made by BHE or its subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2015, the remaining equity commitment for the Solar Star Projects is $69 million. Upon reaching the project completion date of the Solar Star Projects, BHE will have no further obligation to make any equity contributions and any unused equity contribution obligation will be canceled under the equity commitment agreement. In March 2015, the equity commitment for the Topaz Project was canceled as the project reached the project completion date. Environmental Laws and Regulations The Company is subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations regarding air and water quality, renewable portfolio standards, emissions performance standards, climate change, coal combustion byproduct disposal, hazardous and solid waste disposal, protected species and other environmental matters that have the potential to impact the Company's current and future operations. The Company believes it is in material compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Guarantees The Company has entered into guarantees as part of the normal course of business and the sale of certain assets. These guarantees are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial results.

Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

The Company is party to a variety of legal actions arising out of the normal course of business. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. The Company does not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material impact on its consolidated financial results. The Company is also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines, penalties and other costs in substantial amounts and are described below.

USA Power

In October 2005, prior to BHE's ownership of PacifiCorp, PacifiCorp was added as a defendant to a lawsuit originally filed in February 2005 in the Third District Court of Salt Lake County, Utah ("Third District Court") by USA Power, LLC, USA Power Partners, LLC and Spring Canyon Energy, LLC (collectively, the "Plaintiff"). The Plaintiff's complaint alleged that PacifiCorp misappropriated confidential proprietary information in violation of Utah's Uniform Trade Secrets Act and accused PacifiCorp of breach of contract and related claims in regard to the Plaintiff's 2002 and 2003 proposals to build a natural gas-fueled generating facility in Juab County, Utah. In October 2007, the Third District Court granted PacifiCorp's motion for summary judgment on all counts and dismissed the Plaintiff's claims in their entirety. In a May 2010 ruling on the Plaintiff's petition for reconsideration, the Utah Supreme Court reversed summary judgment and remanded the case back to the Third District Court for further consideration. In May 2012, a jury awarded damages to the Plaintiff for breach of contract and misappropriation of a trade secret in the amounts of $18 million for actual damages and $113 million for unjust enrichment. In May 2012, the Plaintiff filed a motion seeking exemplary damages. Under the Utah Uniform Trade Secrets law, the judge may award exemplary damages in an additional amount not to exceed twice the original award. The Plaintiff also filed a motion to seek recovery of attorneys' fees in an amount equal to 40% of all amounts ultimately awarded in the case. In October 2012, PacifiCorp filed post-trial motions for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a new trial. As a result of a hearing in December 2012, the trial judge denied PacifiCorp's post-trial motions with the exception of reducing the aggregate amount of damages to $113 million. In January 2013, the Plaintiff filed a motion for prejudgment interest. An initial judgment was entered in April 2013 in which the trial judge denied the Plaintiff's motions for exemplary damages and prejudgment interest and ruled that PacifiCorp must pay the Plaintiff's attorneys' fees based on applying a reasonable rate to hours worked. In May 2013, a final judgment was entered against PacifiCorp in the amount of $115 million, which includes the $113 million of aggregate damages previously awarded and amounts awarded for the Plaintiff's attorneys' fees. The final judgment also ordered that postjudgment interest accrue beginning as of the date of the April 2013 initial judgment. In May 2013, PacifiCorp posted a surety bond issued by a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway to secure its estimated obligation. PacifiCorp strongly disagrees with the jury's verdict and is vigorously pursuing all appellate measures. Both PacifiCorp and the Plaintiff filed appeals with the Utah Supreme Court. Briefing before the Utah Supreme Court is complete and oral arguments were heard in September 2015. As of September 30, 2015, PacifiCorp had accrued $121 million for the final judgment and postjudgment interest, and believes the likelihood of any additional material loss is remote; however, any additional awards against PacifiCorp could also have a material effect on the consolidated financial results. Any payment of damages will be at the end of the appeals process.

Commitments

As a result of the Utah Mine Disposition discussed in Note 5, PacifiCorp's replacement coal supply agreement for one of its generating facilities became effective in June 2015. Also during the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, PacifiCorp entered into several purchased electricity contracts from facilities that have not yet achieved commercial operation. These coal supply and purchased electricity contracts result in minimum future purchases of $70 million in 2016, $112 million in 2017, $127 million in 2018, $127 million in 2019 and $1.6 billion in 2020 and thereafter.

During the three-month period ended September 30, 2015, MidAmerican Energy entered into several contracts totaling $541 million for the construction of wind-powered generating facilities to be placed in-service in 2016, for which all of the purchase obligation is expected to be paid by the end of 2016. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2015, MidAmerican Energy also entered into non-cancelable easements totaling $115 million with minimum commitments ranging through 2048 and non-cancelable maintenance and service contracts totaling $73 million with minimum commitments ranging through 2021. The easements and maintenance and service contracts relate to MidAmerican Energy's wind-powered generating facilities being placed in-service in 2015 and 2016.

The Solar Star Projects, which are a combined 586-MW solar project in California, achieved commercial operations under the power purchase agreements effective July 2015. BHE committed to provide Solar Star Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries with equity to fund the costs of the Solar Star Projects in an amount up to $2.75 billion, less, among other things, the gross proceeds of long-term debt issuances, project revenue prior to completion and the total equity contributions made by BHE or its subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2015, the remaining equity commitment for the Solar Star Projects is $69 million. Upon reaching the project completion date of the Solar Star Projects, BHE will have no further obligation to make any equity contributions and any unused equity contribution obligation will be canceled under the equity commitment agreement.

In March 2015, the equity commitment for the Topaz Project was canceled as the project reached the project completion date.

Environmental Laws and Regulations

The Company is subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations regarding air and water quality, renewable portfolio standards, emissions performance standards, climate change, coal combustion byproduct disposal, hazardous and solid waste disposal, protected species and other environmental matters that have the potential to impact the Company's current and future operations. The Company believes it is in material compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Guarantees

The Company has entered into guarantees as part of the normal course of business and the sale of certain assets. These guarantees are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial results.