Rate Matters (Details) (USD $)																									3 Months Ended									3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended									3 Months Ended					3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2012 Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Storm Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Storm Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Storm Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Storm Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Economic Development Rider [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Economic Development Rider [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Mountaineer Carbon Capture and Storage Product Validation Facility [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mountaineer Carbon Capture and Storage Product Validation Facility [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Environmental Rate Adjustment Clause [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Environmental Rate Adjustment Clause [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Deferred Wind Power Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Deferred Wind Power Costs [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Special Rate Mechanism for Century Aluminum [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Special Rate Mechanism for Century Aluminum [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Other Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Litigation Settlement [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Litigation Settlement [Member] Regulatory Assets Not Yet Being Recovered [Member] Regulatory Assets Currently Not Earning Return [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member] Environmental Rate Adjustment Clause [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Public Service Co Of Oklahoma [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Public Service Co Of Oklahoma [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Electric Security Plan Filing [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Electric Security Plan Filing [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member] Deferred Fuel Costs [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Electric Security Plan Filing [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member] Storm Costs [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Electric Security Plan Filing [Member] Significantly Excessive Earnings Test - 2009 [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Electric Security Plan Filing [Member] Significantly Excessive Earnings Test - 2010 [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio Distribution Base Rate Case [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Fuel Adjustment Clause Audit - 2009 [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Apr. 27, 2012 Fuel Adjustment Clause Audit - 2009 [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member] Settlement of Litigation [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Fuel Adjustment Clause Audit - 2010 and 2011 [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ormet Interim Arrangement [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Ohio IGCC Plant [Member] Ohio Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Turk Plant [Member] Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Turk Plant [Member] Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member] Electric Transmission [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 APCo's Filing for IGCC Plant [Member] Applicable to West Virginia Jurisdiction [Member] Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 APCo's Filing for IGCC Plant [Member] Applicable to FERC Jurisdiction [Member] Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 APCo's Filing for IGCC Plant [Member] Applicable to Virginia Jurisdiction [Member] Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Expanded Net Energy Charge [Member] Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Expanded Net Energy Charge [Member] Rate Matters Year Four [Member] Appalachian Power Co, Wheeling Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Fuel and Purchased Power 2008 [Member] Public Service Co Of Oklahoma [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Indiana Base Rate Case [Member] Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Big Sandy Unit Two Flue Gas Desulfurization System [Member] Kentucky Power Co [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Big Sandy Unit Two Flue Gas Desulfurization System [Member] Kentucky Power Co [Member] Wet Flue Gas Related Costs [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Seams Elimination Cost Allocation [Member]	Apr. 27, 2012 Virginia Fuel Filing [Member] Appalachian Power Co [Member] Fuel Filing [Member]	Apr. 27, 2012 Life Cycle Management Project [Member] Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Request for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity [Member]
Regulatory Assets Not Being Recovered [Abstract]
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	$ 5,291,000,000	$ 6,026,000,000	$ 161,000,000	$ 155,000,000	$ 24,000,000	$ 24,000,000	$ 2,000,000	$ 10,000,000	$ 13,000,000	$ 13,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 21,000,000	$ 18,000,000	$ 44,000,000	$ 38,000,000	$ 13,000,000	$ 13,000,000	$ 19,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 11,000,000	$ 11,000,000	$ 1,458,032,000	$ 1,481,193,000		$ 415,221,000	$ 394,276,000	$ 1,356,371,000	$ 1,370,504,000	$ 264,738,000	$ 266,545,000	$ 600,515,000	$ 602,979,000		$ 499,000,000															$ 334,000,000							$ 84,000,000
Rate Matters (Textuals) [Abstract]
Intervenors' Recommended Refund of POLR and Environmental Carrying Charge																																		698,000,000
Intervenors' Recommended Additional Refund of Excessive Earnings																																					22,000,000	62,000,000
Commission Staff's Recommended Refund of Excessive Earnings																																						23,000,000
Regulatory Assets, Noncurrent	5,291,000,000	6,026,000,000	161,000,000	155,000,000	24,000,000	24,000,000	2,000,000	10,000,000	13,000,000	13,000,000	14,000,000	14,000,000	21,000,000	18,000,000	44,000,000	38,000,000	13,000,000	13,000,000	19,000,000	14,000,000	11,000,000	11,000,000	1,458,032,000	1,481,193,000		415,221,000	394,276,000	1,356,371,000	1,370,504,000	264,738,000	266,545,000	600,515,000	602,979,000		499,000,000															334,000,000							84,000,000
Unrecognized Equity Carrying Costs																																																		7,000,000
Reversal of Liability																																		35,000,000
Reversal of Regulatory Asset																																				8,000,000
Current MW Day Capacity Cost																																		355
Negotiated MW Day Fixed Price for Customers Who Switch During the ESP Period																																		255
Proposed Percentage of SSO Load Which Will be Auctioned Through December 2014																																		5.00%
Reliability Pricing Model Rate per MW Day as of March 2012																																		146
Percentage of Customer Class Who Will Receive March 2012 Reliability Pricing Model Rate Through December 2012																																		21.00%
Percentage of Customer Class Who Will Receive March 2012 Reliability Pricing Model Rate Through December 2013																																		31.00%
Percentage of Customer Class Who Will Receive March 2012 Reliability Pricing Model Rate For Period January 2014 Through May 2015																																		41.00%
Requested Base Rate Increase																																							94,000,000														149,000,000
Requested Return on Equity																																							11.15%														11.15%
Rider for Annual Credit to Residential Ratepayers																																							15,000,000
2008 Coal Contract Settlement Proceeds to be Applied to Deferred Fuel Balance																																								65,000,000
Retail Jurisdictional Share of Gain to be Applied to the Fuel Adjustment Clause																																									30,000,000
Potential Refund of Carrying Costs																																										32,000,000
Potential Refund of Unrecognized Equity Carrying Costs																																										17,000,000
Deferred Fuel Adjustment Clause Related to Ormet Interim Arrangement as of September 2009																																											64,000,000
Unrecognized Equity Carrying Costs Related to Ormet Interim Arrangement as of September 2009																																											2,000,000
Collection of Authorized Pre-Construction Costs																																												24,000,000
Subsidiary's Ownership Percentage																																													73.00%
Total Current Estimated Generation Costs																																													1,800,000,000
Total Current Estimated Transmission Costs																																													122,000,000
Subsidiary's Estimated Share of the Generation Cost																																													1,300,000,000
Subsidiary's Estimated Share of the Transmission Costs																																													122,000,000
Asset Impairments and Other Related Charges																																													49,000,000
Construction Work in Progress	2,923,000,000	3,121,000,000																					193,637,000	565,841,000		1,499,757,000	1,443,569,000	364,474,000	354,465,000	66,030,000	70,371,000	253,831,000	236,096,000												1,500,000,000	110,000,000								25,000,000	15,000,000			74,000,000
Subsidiary's Capitalized AFUDC and Interest Excluding Costs Attributable to its Joint Owners																																													243,000,000									101,000,000
Contractual Construction Obligations of Joint Owners and Subsidiary																																													90,000,000
Transmission Contractual Construction Obligations of Subsidiary																																													6,000,000
Subsidiary's Share of the Contractual Construction Obligations																																													67,000,000
The PUCT Required Cap on the Plant, Excluding AFUDC and Related Transmission Costs																																													1,522,000,000
The PUCT Required Cap on CO2 Emission Costs (per ton)																																													28
Requested Increase in Rates																																																									117,000,000
Approved Cost Recovery																									30,000,000
Write-off of Regulatory Asset, Pretax																									31,000,000
Amount of Deferred Preconstruction IGCC Costs for Future Recovery																																															9,000,000	2,000,000	9,000,000
Requested Dresden Plant Surcharge																																																			32,000,000
Requested Increase of Construction Surcharges																																																			2,000,000
Requested Reduction in Rates																																																			34,000,000
Current Shareholder's Percentage of Off-System Sales Margins Sharing																																																				25.00%
The Intervenors' Proposed New Shareholder Percentage of Off-system Sales Margins Sharing																																																				10.00%
Requested Increase in Depreciation Expense																																																					25,000,000
Projected Capital Costs																																																						955,000,000				1,200,000,000
Allowance for Funds Used During Construction																																													243,000,000									101,000,000
Recognized Gross Seams Elimination Cost Allocation Revenue																																																								220,000,000
Potential Payment If Compliance Filing is Accepted																																																								20,000,000
Amount of Estimated Interest Included in Potential Payment																																																								5,000,000
Potential Receipt of Payment if Compliance Filing is Accepted																																																								10,000,000
Amount of Estimated Interest Included in Potential Receipt of Payment																																																								3,000,000
Amount of FERC Approved Settlements Applicable to SECA Revenue																																																								112,000,000
Remaining Amount of Contested SECA Revenues																																																								$ 108,000,000