Regulatory Assets and Liabilities, Additional Disclosures (Details) $ in Thousands		1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 18, 2014 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2009 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($) Locks	Dec. 31, 2009 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	May. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 21, 2009 USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2009
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Net retail portion of franchise taxes paid					$ 1,117	$ (14,044)		$ (226)
Decrease in deferred fuel costs related to loss of wholesale customer and price volatility of natural gas					9,899	(11,558)		5,630
Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets					298,806	324,079
Net retail portion of franchise taxes paid					1,500	(5,522)		(666)
Decrease in deferred fuel costs related to loss of wholesale customer and price volatility of natural gas					9,899	(11,558)		5,630
Treasury Lock [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Sale of Derivatives									$ 26,800
Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Sale of Derivatives								3,300
PPA true-up | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Amount recovered above the actual PPA capacity costs					$ 312	624
PPA true-up | Evangeline Power Purchase Agreement [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					12 months
Amount recovered above the actual PPA capacity costs											$ 600
Mining costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					11 years 6 months
Regulatory Assets					$ 8,921	11,470
Postretirement costs (1) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					10 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 150,274	160,903
Tree trimming costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					3 years 6 months
Public Utilities, Approved Amount			$ 8,000
Grossed-up rate of return (in hundredths)				12.40%
Regulatory Assets					$ 6,318	8,066
Tree trimming costs | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Public Utilities, Approved Amount				$ 12,000
Training costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					50 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 6,863	7,019
Surcredits, net (2) | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					4 years
Withdrawal from restricted storm reserve		$ 4,000
Regulatory Assets					$ 9,661	13,587
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
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
Regulatory Assets					3,781	3,781
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted					106,500
AMI deferred revenue requirement | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets					$ 5,318	5,863
AMI deferred revenue requirement | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					11 years
Regulatory Assets													$ 20,000
Production operations and maintenance expenses | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					3 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 12,436	14,761								$ 25,600
Remaining Amounts of Regulatory Assets for which No Return on Investment During Recovery Period is Provided					$ 1,800	7,700		$ 8,500
Production operations and maintenance expenses | Maximum [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets														$ 23,000
Utilities Operating Expense, Maintenance and Operations	$ 45,000
Acquisition costs or Transaction costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					30 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 2,548	2,653
Acquisition costs or Transaction costs | Natural Gas Processing Plant [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					35 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 1,030	1,060
Financing costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets					$ 9,032	9,402
Financing costs | Treasury Lock [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Number of Interest Rate Derivatives Held | Locks									2
Deferred Loss as a Regulatory Asset of Forward Starting Interest Rate Derivative									$ 7,400
Financing costs | Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Deferred Loss as a Regulatory Asset of Forward Starting Interest Rate Derivative												$ 2,900
Biomass costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					5 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 50	82
MISO integration costs | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					4 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 2,340	3,275
Corporate franchise tax Retail portion | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Net retail portion of franchise taxes paid					$ 1,700	2,400
Corporate franchise tax | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					12 months
Regulatory Assets					$ 373	1,223
Acadia FRP true-up | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					12 months
Public Utilities, Approved Amount							$ 58,300
Regulatory Assets					$ 377	754	$ 800
Other | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Noncurrent Asset, Amortization Period					3 years
Regulatory Assets					$ 357	596
Fuel and purchased power | Cleco Power [Member]
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets					$ 12,910	$ 21,554
Percentage of total fuel cost regulated by the LPSC (in hundredths)					74.00%
Decrease in fuel and purchased power					$ 8,600
Decrease in deferred fuel costs related to loss of wholesale customer and price volatility of natural gas					7,400
Decrease in the mark-to-market value of FTRs					$ 1,200