Employee Benefit Plans (MEC) (MidAmerican Energy Company and Subsidiaries [Member])

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

MidAmerican Energy Company and Subsidiaries [Member]

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [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 MEHC and its domestic energy subsidiaries other than PacifiCorp. MidAmerican Energy also sponsors certain postretirement healthcare and life insurance benefits covering substantially all retired employees of MEHC and its domestic energy subsidiaries other than PacifiCorp. Net periodic benefit cost for pension and other postretirement benefit plans included the following components (in millions):

	Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
	2012			2011
Pension:
Service cost	$	4		$	4
Interest cost	9			9
Expected return on plan assets	(10		)	(9		)
Net amortization	1			—
Net periodic benefit cost	$	4		$	4
Other postretirement:
Service cost	$	1		$	1
Interest cost	2			3
Expected return on plan assets	(3		)	(3		)
Net amortization	—			(1		)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	—		$	—

Employer contributions to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans are expected to be $32 million and $- million, respectively, during 2012. As of March 31, 2012, $2 million and $- million of contributions had been made to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans, respectively.