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Other Commitments And Contingencies (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted $ 8,452.2us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure  
Revolving credit facility, maximum 2,000.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity  
Line of Credit Facility, Expiration Date Sep. 28, 2018  
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding 0us-gaap_LineOfCredit 500.0us-gaap_LineOfCredit
Additional purchase and sales agreement guarantees 25.6ni_PurchaseSaleAgreementsAdditionalGuaranteeObligations  
Recorded reserves to cover environmental remediation at various sites 128.3us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies 128.4us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies
Transmission Upgrade Agreement Multiplier 1.71ni_TransmissionUpgradeAgreementMultiplier  
MGP Sites    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Number of waste disposal sites identified by program 66ni_NumberOfWasteDisposalSitesIdentifiedByProgram
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ni_MgpSitesMember
 
Liability for Estimated Remediation Costs 120.3ni_LiabilityForEstimatedRemediationCosts
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ni_MgpSitesMember
121.5ni_LiabilityForEstimatedRemediationCosts
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ni_MgpSitesMember
Reasonably possible remediation costs variance from reserve 25ni_ReasonablyPossibleRemediationCostsVarianceFromReserve
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ni_MgpSitesMember
 
Columbia Pipeline Partners LP [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Revolving credit facility, maximum 500.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_ColumbiaPipelinePartnersLPMember
 
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity 50.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityRemainingBorrowingCapacity
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_ColumbiaPipelinePartnersLPMember
 
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount 0us-gaap_LettersOfCreditOutstandingAmount
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_ColumbiaPipelinePartnersLPMember
 
Millennium Pipeline Company, L.L.C [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 16.2us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_MillenniumMember
 
Percentage of interest in Millennium 47.50%us-gaap_MinorityInterestOwnershipPercentageByParent
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_MillenniumMember
 
Fair value of guarantee obligations 1.5ni_GuaranteeObligationsFairValue
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_MillenniumMember
 
Guarantees Of Subsidiaries Debt [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 7,960.5us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsByNatureAxis
= ni_SubsidiariesDebtMember
 
Letters Of Credit [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 30.9us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsByNatureAxis
= us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
 
Other Guarantees [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 146.8us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsByNatureAxis
= us-gaap_GuaranteeTypeOtherMember
 
Lines Of Credit [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 39.0us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsByNatureAxis
= ni_LinesOfCreditMember
 
Accounts Receivable Securitization [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted 275.0us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsByNatureAxis
= ni_AccountsReceivableSecuritizationMember
 
Maximum [Member] | NIPSCO [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Remaining Payments for Capital Improvements 107.3ni_RemainingPaymentsforCapitalImprovements
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_NIPSCOMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
 
Payments for Capital Improvements 870us-gaap_PaymentsForCapitalImprovements
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ni_NIPSCOMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
 
Letters Of Credit [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount 30.9us-gaap_LettersOfCreditOutstandingAmount
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
30.9us-gaap_LettersOfCreditOutstandingAmount
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding 0us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
 
Commercial Paper [Member]    
Other Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]    
Revolving credit facility, maximum $ 1,500.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_CommercialPaperMember