Income Taxes, Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Apr. 12, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Cleco Power [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates	35.90%		32.00%		19.50%	35.60%
Successor [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates	37.40%			40.30%
Predecessor [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates		(704.90%)	33.70%			36.90%