Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 185,557	$ 119,040
Restricted cash and cash equivalents, current	5,247	13,081
Restricted cash and cash equivalents, noncurrent	18,850	20,081
CLECO POWER
Cash and cash equivalents	59,376	69,816
Restricted cash and cash equivalents, current	5,247	13,081
Restricted cash and cash equivalents, noncurrent	$ 18,828	$ 20,060

Amount of cash and cash equivalents restricted as to withdrawal or usage, classified as noncurrent. Cash includes, but is not limited to, currency on hand, demand deposits with banks or financial institutions, and other accounts with general characteristics of demand deposits. Cash equivalents include, but are not limited to, short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates.

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant