Regulatory Assets and Liabilities, Additional Disclosures (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2009	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2009	Mar. 31, 2012 MW	Jun. 18, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Apr. 30, 2009	Feb. 28, 2011	Sep. 21, 2009	Sep. 30, 2014	May 07, 2013
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	$ 6,225,000			$ 6,225,000
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	311,867,000	249,677,000		311,867,000
State and Local Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Continuing Operations	(14,044,000)	(226,000)	(2,985,000)
Derivative, Unrealized Gain (Loss) On Derivative	11,558,000	(5,630,000)	12,222,000
Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	324,079,000	255,652,000		324,079,000
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	311,867,000	249,677,000		311,867,000
State and Local Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Continuing Operations	(5,522,000)	(666,000)	(2,703,000)
Derivative, Unrealized Gain (Loss) On Derivative	11,558,000	(5,630,000)	12,222,000
PPA true-up [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory liabilities	624,000	0		624,000
PPA true-up [Member] | Evangeline Power Purchase Agreement [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory liabilities											600,000
Corporate franchise tax | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory liabilities	300,000			300,000
Mining costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P11Y6M
Regulatory Assets	11,470,000	14,019,000		11,470,000
AROs (1) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Asset Retirement Obligations, Noncurrent	5,100,000	900,000		5,100,000
Increase (Decrease) in Asset Retirement Obligations				4,100,000
Regulatory Assets	1,029,000	936,000		1,029,000
Postretirement costs (1) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P10Y5M
Regulatory Assets	160,903,000	93,333,000		160,903,000
Tree trimming costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P5Y
Public Utilities, Approved Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount					8,000,000
Grossed-up rate of return (in hundredths)						12.40%
Regulatory Assets	8,066,000	4,840,000		8,066,000
Tree trimming costs | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Public Utilities, Approved Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount						12,000,000
Training costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P50Y
Regulatory Assets	7,019,000	7,175,000		7,019,000
Surcredits, net (2) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P4Y
Withdrawal from restricted storm reserve							4,000,000
Regulatory Assets	13,587,000	16,738,000		13,587,000
Amended lignite mining agreement contingency (1) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Ownership interest (in hundredths)												50.00%
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross								25,700,000
Percentage of loans and lease payments guaranteed by Cleco Power (in hundredths)								50.00%
Liability recognized for guarantee of loan and lease payments	3,800,000			3,800,000
Regulatory Assets	3,781,000	3,781,000		3,781,000
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	69,300,000			69,300,000
PPA capacity costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	0	9,749,000		0
PPA capacity costs | Evangeline Power Purchase Agreement [Member] | Evangeline [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Long-term Power Purchase Agreement, Term of Contract									3 years
Capacity and energy (MW)									730
AMI deferred revenue requirement | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	5,863,000	4,682,000		5,863,000
AMI deferred revenue requirement | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P11Y
Regulatory Assets													20,000,000
Production operations and maintenance expenses | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P3Y
Regulatory Assets	14,761,000	8,459,000		14,761,000										25,600,000
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	7,700,000	8,500,000		7,700,000
Production operations and maintenance expenses | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets														23,000,000
Utilities Operating Expense, Maintenance and Operations										45,000,000
Rate case costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P4Y
Regulatory Assets	0	45,000		0
Acquisition costs or Transaction costs [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P30Y
Regulatory Assets	2,653,000	2,760,000		2,653,000
Acquisition costs or Transaction costs [Member] | Natural Gas Processing Plant [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P35Y
Regulatory Assets	1,060,000	0		1,060,000
Financing costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	9,402,000	9,772,000		9,402,000
Gain (Loss) on the settlement of Forward Starting Interest Rate Derivative																(3,300,000)
Deferred Gain (Loss) as a Regulatory Asset of Forward Starting Interest Rate Derivative															(2,900,000)
Biomass costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P5Y
Regulatory Assets	82,000	114,000		82,000
MISO integration costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P4Y
Regulatory Assets	3,275,000	0		3,275,000
Corporate franchise tax | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Public Utilities, Approved Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount	3,700,000
Regulatory Assets	1,223,000	0		1,223,000
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	1,500,000			1,500,000
Regulatory Current Asset, Amortization Period	P12M
State and Local Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Continuing Operations	3,000,000
Corporate franchise tax | Retail portion [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Public Utilities, Approved Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount	3,000,000
State and Local Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Continuing Operations	2,400,000
Acadia FRP true-up | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Public Utilities, Approved Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount	58,300,000
Regulatory Assets	754,000	0		754,000							800,000
Regulatory Current Asset, Amortization Period	P12M
Other | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period	P3Y
Regulatory Assets	596,000	0		596,000
Fuel and purchased power | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	21,554,000			21,554,000
Percentage of total fuel cost was regulated by the LPSC (in hundredths)	82.00%
Change in under-recovered fuel costs	25,400,000
Change In Deferred Fuel & Purchased Power	18,300,000
Fuel and purchased power | FTRs [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Derivative, Unrealized Gain (Loss) On Derivative	$ 7,100,000