Pension Plan and Employee Benefits, Additional Disclosures (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Pension Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Actual return on plan assets (in hundredths)	8.70%	13.60%
Amortization period for actual asset returns different from expected returns (in years)	5 years
Projected benefit payments [Abstract]
2012	$ 13,867,000
2013	14,681,000
2014	15,573,000
2015	16,459,000
2016	17,446,000
Next five years	105,623,000
Other Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Estimated impact of future Medicare subsidies on accumulated postretirement benefit obligation	(400,000)	800,000
Impact of future Medicare subsidies on the components of other benefit costs [Abstract]
(Increase) reduction in interest cost	(24,000)	(45,000)
Reduction in net loss amortization	195,000	222,000
Reduction in prior period service cost amortization	50,000	397,000
Reduction in net other benefit cost	(221,000)	(574,000)
Assumed health care cost trend rates (in hundredths)	9.00%	9.00%	9.00%
Ultimate health care trend rate (in hundredths)	5.00%
Year that rate reaches ultimate trend rate	2030
Effect of one-percentage point change in assumed health care cost trend rates [Abstract]
Effect of one-percentage point increase on total of service and interest cost components	8,000
Effect of one-percentage point decrease on total of service and interest cost components	90,000
Effect of one-percentage point increase on postretirement benefit obligation	361,000
Effect of one-percentage point decrease on postretirement benefit obligation	285,000
Projected benefit payments [Abstract]
2012	3,075,000
2013	3,254,000
2014	3,503,000
2015	3,732,000
2016	3,940,000
Next five years	20,591,000
Medicare Part D subsidy receipts [Abstract]
2012	374,000
2013	0
2014	0
2015	0
2016	0
Next five years	0
Other Benefits [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Impact of future Medicare subsidies on the components of other benefit costs [Abstract]
Reduction in net other benefit cost			300,000
SERP Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current portion of SERP liability	2,200,000	2,000,000
Projected benefit payments [Abstract]
2012	2,185,000
2013	2,490,000
2014	2,505,000
2015	2,713,000
2016	2,878,000
Next five years	15,756,000
SERP Benefits [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Allocated amount of SERP liability	15,000,000	14,100,000
Current portion of SERP liability	$ 800,000	$ 600,000