Income Taxes, Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Apr. 12, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective tax rate	33.70%	37.40%
Successor
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective tax rate				40.30%	35.50%
Predecessor
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective tax rate			(704.90%)
Cleco Power [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective tax rate	35.40%	35.90%			36.80%	19.50%