Financing Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended							6 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended					3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended							3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended					6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012		Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2012		Jun. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011		Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Subsidiaries [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 AEP Subsidiaries [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Subsidiaries [Member] Notes Payable One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Subsidiaries [Member] Notes Payable Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Generating Co [Member] Senior Unsecured Notes One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds One [Member]	Jul. 27, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds One [Member] Repayment Of Debt [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds Three [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds Four [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Securitization Bonds Five [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AEP Texas Central Co [Member] Pollution Control Bonds One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Appalachian Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member] Pollution Control Bonds One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member] Pollution Control Bonds Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Appalachian Power Co [Member] Land Note [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable One [Member]	Jul. 27, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable One [Member] Repayment Of Debt [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Three [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Four [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Five [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Six [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Other Long-term Debt [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Indiana Michigan Power Co [Member] Other Long-term Debt Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Ohio Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Ohio Power Co [Member] Pollution Control Bonds One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Ohio Power Co [Member] Senior Unsecured Notes One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member] Notes Payable One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Public Service Co of Oklahoma [Member] Notes Payable Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]		Jun. 30, 2011 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]		Jun. 30, 2011 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member]		Jun. 30, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member] Notes Payable One [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member] Notes Payable Two [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Southwestern Electric Power Co [Member] Senior Unsecured Notes One [Member]
Long-term Debt
Senior Unsecured Notes	$ 11,858,000,000			$ 11,858,000,000			$ 11,737,000,000
Pollution Control Bonds	1,958,000,000			1,958,000,000			2,112,000,000
Notes Payable	497,000,000			497,000,000			402,000,000
Securitization Bonds	2,389,000,000			2,389,000,000			1,688,000,000
Junior Subordinated Debentures	315,000,000			315,000,000			315,000,000
Spent Nuclear Fuel Obligation	265,000,000	[1]		265,000,000	[1]		265,000,000	[1]
Other Long-term Debt	51,000,000			51,000,000			29,000,000
Fair Value of Interest Rate Hedges	6,000,000			6,000,000			7,000,000
Unamortized Discount, Net	(37,000,000)			(37,000,000)			(39,000,000)
Total Long-term Debt Outstanding	17,302,000,000			17,302,000,000			16,516,000,000														3,677,116,000		3,677,116,000		3,726,251,000				2,131,501,000		2,131,501,000		2,057,675,000										3,860,044,000		3,860,044,000		4,054,148,000			949,897,000		949,897,000		947,364,000			2,047,676,000			2,047,676,000			1,728,637,000
Long-term Debt Due Within One Year	1,983,000,000			1,983,000,000			1,433,000,000		368,000,000	293,000,000											545,027,000		545,027,000		594,525,000				303,240,000		303,240,000		279,075,000										606,000,000		606,000,000		244,500,000			758,000		758,000		311,000			3,250,000			3,250,000			20,000,000
Long-term Debt	15,319,000,000			15,319,000,000			15,083,000,000		2,400,000,000	1,674,000,000											3,132,089,000		3,132,089,000		3,131,726,000				1,828,261,000		1,828,261,000		1,778,600,000										3,054,044,000		3,054,044,000		3,609,648,000			949,139,000		949,139,000		947,053,000			2,044,426,000			2,044,426,000			1,708,637,000
Long-term Debt and Other Securities Issued, Retired and Principal Payments Made
Issuances				1,272,000,000										312,000,000		308,000,000	180,000,000																							109,500,000	20,000,000														2,395,000										65,000,000		275,000,000
Retirements and Principal Payments				487,000,000		1,263,000,000					4,000,000	1,000,000	3,000,000		73,000,000			63,000,000	35,000,000	60,000,000			49,512,000	479,661,000		30,000,000	19,500,000	12,000			55,995,000	116,526,000		13,860,000	9,000,000	10,590,000	11,038,000	11,971,000	8,291,000			245,000			194,500,000	165,000,000		44,500,000	150,000,000			32,000	275,000,000			32,000				20,000,000		0				20,000,000
Interest Rate (Percentage)													6.33%	2.845%		0.88%	1.976%	4.98%	5.96%	1.125%						6.05%	5.00%	13.718%						5.44%		4.00%			2.12%			6.00%						4.85%							3.00%	3.00%									4.58%	7.03%	3.55%
Interest Rate											Variable																										Variable	Variable		Variable	Variable								Variable
Due Date											2017	2026	2037	2024		2017	2020	2013	2013	2012						2024	2021	2026						2013		2014	2015	2016	2016	2016	2015	2025						2012	2012						2027	2027									2032	2012	2022
Long- term Debt by Type of Debt and Maturity
Interest Rate (Minimum)												7.59%
Interest Rate (Maximum)												8.03%
Utility Money Pool Participants' Money Pool Activity and Authorized Borrowing Limits
Maximum Borrowings from Utility Money Pool																							275,241,000								0														126,975,000							0								227,087,000
Maximum Loans to Utility Money Pool																							22,979,000								246,882,000														290,356,000							120,424,000								97,022,000
Average Borrowings from Utility Money Pool																							193,156,000								0														50,680,000							0								147,338,000
Average Loans to Utility Money Pool																							22,570,000								163,557,000														97,642,000							66,085,000								46,496,000
Net Loans (Borrowings) to/from Utility Money Pool																					(144,415,000)		(144,415,000)						238,466,000		238,466,000												32,671,000		32,671,000					120,424,000		120,424,000					97,022,000			97,022,000
Authorized Short-term Borrowing Limit																							600,000,000								500,000,000														600,000,000							300,000,000								350,000,000
Maximum and Minimum Interest Rates
Maximum Interest Rate																							0.56%	0.56%							0.56%	0.56%													0.56%	0.56%						0.56%	0.56%							0.56%		0.56%
Minimum Interest Rate																							0.45%	0.06%							0.45%	0.06%													0.45%	0.06%						0.45%	0.06%							0.45%		0.06%
Average Interest Rates for Funds Borrowed from and Loaned to Utility Money Pool
Average Interest Rate for Funds Borrowed																							0.49%	0.38%							0.00%	0.44%													0.47%	0.45%						0.00%	0.41%							0.53%		0.25%
Average Interest Rate for Funds Loaned																							0.49%	0.27%							0.49%	0.23%													0.51%	0.25%						0.48%	0.19%							0.48%		0.33%
Short-term Debt:
Securitized Debt for Receivables	658,000,000	[2]		658,000,000	[2]		666,000,000	[2]
Commercial Paper	550,000,000			550,000,000			967,000,000
Line of Credit - Sabine	0	[3]		0	[3]		17,000,000	[3]																																																	0			0			17,016,000
Total Short-term Debt	1,208,000,000			1,208,000,000			1,650,000,000
Securitized Debt for Receivables	0.27%	[4]		0.27%	[4]		0.27%	[4]
Commercial Paper	0.46%	[4]		0.46%	[4]		0.51%	[4]
Line of Credit - Sabine	0.00%	[4]		0.00%	[4]		1.79%	[4]																																																	0.00%	[4]		0.00%	[4]		1.79%	[4]
Comparative Accounts Receivable Information
Effective Interest Rates on Securitization of Accounts Receivable	0.26%		0.26%	0.26%		0.28%
Net Uncollectible Accounts Receivable Written Off	6,000,000		6,000,000	14,000,000		17,000,000
Customer Accounts Receivable Managed Portfolio
Accounts Receivable Retained Interest and Pledged as Collateral Less Uncollectible Accounts	888,000,000			888,000,000			902,000,000
Total Principal Outstanding	658,000,000			658,000,000			666,000,000
Delinquent Securitized Accounts Receivable	35,000,000			35,000,000			38,000,000
Bad Debt Reserves Related to Securitized Sale of Accounts Receivable	21,000,000			21,000,000			18,000,000
Unbilled Receivables Related to Securitization, Sale of Accounts Receivable	355,000,000			355,000,000			370,000,000
Accounts Receivable and Accrued Unbilled Revenues
Accounts Receivable and Accrued Unbilled Revenues																					125,942,000		125,942,000		121,605,000				126,865,000		126,865,000		121,597,000										319,996,000		319,996,000		346,695,000			122,215,000		122,215,000		123,172,000			158,924,000			158,924,000			140,440,000
Fees Paid to AEP Credit for Customer Accounts Receivable Sold
Fees Paid to AEP Credit for Customer Accounts Receivable Sold																					1,556,000	2,239,000	3,686,000	4,814,000					1,521,000	1,508,000	3,064,000	3,135,000											4,622,000	4,405,000	10,538,000	8,440,000				1,825,000	1,483,000	3,557,000	2,717,000				1,548,000		1,303,000	2,934,000		2,403,000
Proceeds from Sale of Receivables
Proceeds from Sale of Receivables to AEP Credit																					295,879,000	284,715,000	642,405,000	650,924,000					320,415,000	315,551,000	659,996,000	666,572,000											656,737,000	831,835,000	1,494,634,000	1,742,873,000				303,729,000	317,060,000	576,524,000	585,629,000				379,114,000		375,903,000	700,722,000		690,027,000
Financing Activities (Textuals) [Abstract]
Commitment from Bank Conduits that Expire in One Year	385,000,000			385,000,000
Commitment from Bank Conduits that Expire in Three Years	315,000,000			315,000,000
Total Commitment from Bank Conduits to Finance Receivables	700,000,000			700,000,000
Amount Indicated on Cash Flows				1,261,000,000		1,074,000,000																	0	640,164,000							128,533,000	76,624,000													0	49,768,000						2,395,000	247,554,000							336,576,000		0
Trust Fund Assets One Time Fee Obligation for Nuclear Fuel Disposition	308,000,000			308,000,000			308,000,000
Three-year Credit Facility																													110,000,000		110,000,000
Auction Rate Tax Exempt Long Term Debt Outstanding	$ 583,000,000			$ 583,000,000																																							$ 463,000,000		$ 463,000,000
Period to Defer Interest Payments on Debentures				10
Maximum Percentage Debt to Capitalization				67.50%																			67.50%								67.50%														67.50%

[1] Pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, IandM, a nuclear licensee, has an obligation to the United States Department of Energy for spent nuclear fuel disposal. The obligation includes a one-time fee for nuclear fuel consumed prior to April 7, 1983. Trust fund assets related to this obligation were $308 million at both June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 and are included in Spent Nuclear Fuel and Decommissioning Trusts on our condensed balance sheets.

[2] Amount of securitized debt for receivables as accounted for under the ''Transfers and Servicing'' accounting guidance.

[3] This line of credit does not reduce available liquidity under AEP's credit facilities.

[4] Weighted average rate.