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

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

MidAmerican Energy Company [Member]

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

(6) 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 the plans of MidAmerican Energy and the aforementioned affiliates included the following components (in millions):

	Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
	2013			2012
Pension:
Service cost	$	5		$	4
Interest cost	8			9
Expected return on plan assets	(11		)	(10		)
Net amortization	3			1
Net periodic benefit cost	$	5		$	4
Other postretirement:
Service cost	$	1		$	1
Interest cost	2			2
Expected return on plan assets	(3		)	(3		)
Net amortization	(1		)	—
Net periodic benefit cost (benefit)	$	(1	)	$	—

Employer contributions to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans are expected to be $8 million and $- million, respectively, during 2013. As of March 31, 2013, $2 million and $- million of contributions had been made to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans, respectively.