Acquisitions Dispositions and Discontinued Operations (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011
Acquisitions Dispositions and Discontinued Operations (Textuals) [Abstract]
Acquisitions of Assets	$ 85,000,000	$ 2,000,000
Goodwill	90,000,000		76,000,000
Transmission Facilities Sold to ETT	8,000,000	69,000,000
Generation and Marketing [Member] | BlueStar Energy [Member]
Acquisitions Dispositions and Discontinued Operations (Textuals) [Abstract]
Acquisitions of Assets	70,000,000
Goodwill	14,000,000
Intangible Assets Associated with Sales Contracts and Customer Accounts	59,000,000
Liabilities Associated with Supply Contracts	25,000,000
AEP Texas Central Co [Member] | Utility Operations [Member]
Acquisitions Dispositions and Discontinued Operations (Textuals) [Abstract]
Transmission Facilities Sold to ETT		5,000,000
Ohio Power Co [Member]
Acquisitions Dispositions and Discontinued Operations (Textuals) [Abstract]
Acquisitions of Assets	23,000	1,489,000
Transmission Facilities Sold to ETT	$ 2,827,000	$ 23,895,000