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Pension Plan and Employee Benefits (Tables)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]  
Schedule of Reconciliation of Benefit Obligations, Plan Assets and Funded Status of Pension Plans The employee pension plan and Other Benefits plan obligation, plan assets, and funded status at December 31, 2022, and 2021 are presented in the following table:
 PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)2022202120222021
Change in benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period
$680,417 $686,384 $55,257 $56,331 
Service cost
8,589 10,516 2,204 2,425 
Interest cost
19,841 18,668 1,484 1,283 
Plan participants’ contributions
— — 1,904 — 
Actuarial gain(174,733)(9,823)(10,289)(81)
Expenses paid
(3,744)(3,306)— — 
Benefits paid(29,501)(25,292)(7,254)(4,701)
Special/contractual termination benefits— 3,270 — — 
Benefit obligation at end of period
500,869 680,417 43,306 55,257 
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period
527,427 516,120 — — 
Actual (loss) gain return on plan assets(91,897)39,905 — — 
Expenses paid
(3,744)(3,306)— — 
Benefits paid(29,501)(25,292)— — 
Fair value of plan assets at end of period
402,285 527,427 — — 
Unfunded status$(98,584)$(152,990)$(43,306)$(55,257)
SERP’s funded status at December 31, 2022, and 2021 is presented in the following table:

 SERP BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Change in benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period
$93,179 $97,225 
Service cost227 232 
Interest cost2,679 2,538 
Actuarial gain(22,097)(1,932)
Benefits paid(5,561)(4,884)
Benefit obligation at end of period
$68,427 $93,179 
Schedule of Accumulated Benefit Obligation
The employee pension plan accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2022, and 2021 is presented in the following table:

 PENSION BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Accumulated benefit obligation$481,398 $640,490 
SERP’s accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2022, and 2021 is presented in the following table:

 SERP BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Accumulated benefit obligation$68,427 $93,179 
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income The following table presents the net actuarial gains/losses included in other comprehensive income for Other Benefits and in regulatory assets for pension related to current year gains and losses as a result of being included in net periodic benefit costs for the employee pension plan and Other Benefits plan for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021:
PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)2022202120222021
Net actuarial gain occurring during period$(58,124)$(26,925)$(10,289)$(81)
Net actuarial loss amortized during period$12,332 $20,739 $1,207 $1,523 
The following table presents net actuarial gains/losses and prior service credits included in other comprehensive income
or regulatory assets related to current year gains and losses as a result of being amortized as a component of net periodic benefit costs for SERP for December 31, 2022, and 2021:

 SERP BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Net actuarial gain occurring during year$(22,097)$(1,932)
Net actuarial loss amortized during year
$1,049 $1,228 
Prior service credit amortized during year
$(215)$(215)
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The following table presents net actuarial gains/losses in accumulated other comprehensive income for Other Benefits and in regulatory assets for pension that have not been recognized as components of net periodic benefit costs for the employee pension plan and Other Benefits plans at December 31, 2022, and 2021:

PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31,AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)2022202120222021
Net actuarial loss$47,317 $117,773 $13,705 $22,785 
The following table presents net actuarial losses and prior service credit in accumulated other comprehensive income and regulatory assets that have not been recognized as components of net periodic benefit costs for SERP at December 31, 2022, and 2021:
 SERP BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Net actuarial loss$8,241 $31,526 
Prior service credit$(1,299)$(1,514)
Schedule of Components of Net Periodic Pension and Other Benefit Costs The components of net periodic pension and Other Benefits costs for 2022, 2021, and 2020 are as follows:
PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)202220212020202220212020
Components of periodic benefit costs
Service cost$8,589 $10,516 $9,820 $2,204 $2,425 $2,153 
Interest cost19,841 18,668 20,816 1,484 1,283 1,651 
Expected return on plan assets(24,706)(22,801)(24,974)— — — 
Amortizations
Prior service credit— — (60)— — — 
Net loss12,332 20,738 16,292 1,210 1,523 1,389 
Net periodic benefit cost$16,056 $27,121 $21,894 $4,898 $5,231 $5,193 
Special/contractual termination benefits— 3,270 — — — — 
Total benefit cost$16,056 $30,391 $21,894 $4,898 $5,231 $5,193 
The components of the net SERP costs for 2022, 2021, and 2020 are as follows:
 SERP BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)202220212020
Components of periodic benefit costs
Service cost$227 $232 $399 
Interest cost2,679 2,538 2,932 
Amortizations
Prior service credit(215)(215)(215)
Net loss1,049 1,228 3,186 
Net periodic benefit cost$3,740 $3,783 $6,302 
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet The current and non-current portions of the Other Benefits liability for Cleco and Cleco Power at December 31, 2022, and 2021 are as follows:
Cleco
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Current$5,024 $5,181 
Non-current$38,282 $50,093 
The current and non-current portions of the SERP liability for Cleco and Cleco Power at December 31, 2022, and 2021 are as follows:
Cleco
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Current$4,713 $4,654 
Non-current$63,714 $88,523 
Schedule of Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Benefit Obligation and Net Periodic Costs The assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation and the periodic costs are as follows:
 PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31,AT DEC. 31,
 2022202120222021
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation    
Discount rate5.44 %2.98 %5.61 %2.82 %
Rate of compensation increase
2.76 %2.73 %N/AN/A

 PENSION BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
 202220212020202220212020
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine the net benefit cost
Discount rate2.98 %2.74 %3.43 %2.82 %2.39 %3.25 %
Expected return on plan assets
5.25 %5.00 %5.91 %N/AN/AN/A
Rate of compensation increase
2.73 %2.71 %2.75 %N/AN/AN/A
The assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation and the periodic costs are as follows:
 SERP BENEFITS
AT DEC. 31,
 20222021
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation
  
Discount rate5.46 %2.95 %
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/A
 SERP BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
 202220212020
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine the net benefit cost
Discount rate2.95 %2.64 %3.37 %
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/AN/A
Schedule of Fair Value Allocation of Pension Plan The following tables disclose the pension plan’s fair value of financial assets measured on a recurring basis:
(THOUSANDS)AT DEC. 31, 2022QUOTED PRICES
IN ACTIVE
MARKETS FOR
IDENTICAL ASSETS
(LEVEL 1)		SIGNIFICANT
OTHER
OBSERVABLE
INPUTS
(LEVEL 2)		SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE
INPUTS
(LEVEL 3)
Asset Description    
Cash equivalents$7,345 $— $7,345 $— 
Government securities
33,019 — 33,019 — 
Mutual funds
Domestic
78,349 78,349 — — 
International
39,722 39,722 — — 
Real estate funds39,370 — — 39,370 
Corporate debt103,940 — 103,940 — 
Total$301,745 $118,071 $144,304 $39,370 
Investments measured at net asset value*98,505 
Interest accrual2,035 
Total net assets$402,285 
*Investments measured at net asset value consist of Common/collective trust.
(THOUSANDS)AT DEC. 31, 2021QUOTED PRICES
IN ACTIVE
MARKETS FOR
IDENTICAL ASSETS
(LEVEL 1)		SIGNIFICANT
OTHER
OBSERVABLE
INPUTS
(LEVEL 2)		SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE
INPUTS
(LEVEL 3)
Asset Description    
Cash equivalents$7,433 $— $7,433 $— 
Government securities
75,815 — 75,815 — 
Mutual funds
Domestic
106,694 106,694 — — 
International
56,169 56,169 — — 
Real estate funds39,091 — — 39,091 
Corporate debt166,435 — 166,435 — 
Total$451,637 $162,863 $249,683 $39,091 
Investments measured at net asset value*73,771 
Interest accrual2,019 
Total net assets$527,427 
*Investments measured at net asset value consist of Common/collective trust.
The following chart shows the dynamic asset allocation based on the funded ratio at December 31, 2022:

 PERCENT OF TOTAL PLAN ASSETS
AT DEC. 31, 2022
 MINIMUMTARGETMAXIMUM
Return-seeking   
Domestic equity19 %
International equity20 %
Multi-asset credit6 %
Real estate5 %
Total return-seeking45 %50 %55 %
Liability hedging*45 %50 %55 %
*Liability hedging has no target subcategories.
Schedule of Pension Plan Unobservable Input Reconciliation
The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the pension plan’s real estate funds measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021:

(THOUSANDS)
Balance, Dec. 31, 2020$35,962 
Realized gains503 
Unrealized gains3,524 
Purchases1,865 
Sales(2,763)
Balance, Dec. 31, 2021$39,091 
Realized losses(2,451)
Unrealized gains4,112 
Purchases2,027 
Sales(3,409)
Balance, Dec. 31, 2022$39,370 
Schedule of Projected Benefit Payments and Projected Receipts
The projected benefit payments for the employee pension plan and Other Benefits plan for each year through 2027 and the next five years thereafter are listed in the following table:

(THOUSANDS)PENSION BENEFITSOTHER
BENEFITS,
GROSS
For the year ending Dec. 31,
2023$30,509 $5,163 
2024$31,117 $4,937 
2025$32,015 $4,741 
2026$32,596 $4,619 
2027$33,101 $4,526 
Five years thereafter$172,598 $20,325 
The projected benefit payments for SERP for each year through 2027 and the next five years thereafter are shown in the following table:

(THOUSANDS)20232024202520262027FIVE
YEARS
THEREAFTER
SERP$4,840 $4,908 $5,054 $5,175 $5,133 $25,167 
Schedule of 401(k) Plan Expense Cleco’s 401(k) Plan expense for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 was as follows:
 FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)202220212020
401(k) Plan expense
$8,704 $9,366 $9,685 
The expense of the 401(k) Plan related to Cleco’s other subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 was as follows:
 FOR THE YEAR ENDED DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)202220212020
401(k) Plan expense
$4,079 $4,350 $4,424 
CLECO POWER  
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]  
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet
Cleco Power
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Current$4,310 $4,432 
Non-current$30,082 $39,315 
Cleco Power
AT DEC. 31,
(THOUSANDS)20222021
Current$672 $679 
Non-current$9,087 $12,909