Investments (Selected Information Regarding Marketable Equity and Debt Securities) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2009
Available-for-sale securities:
Proceeds from sales	$ 1,757,000,000		$ 1,814,000,000	[1]	$ 1,478,000,000
Realized gains	79,000,000	[2]	111,000,000	[2]	215,000,000	[2]
Realized losses	92,000,000	[2]	63,000,000	[2]	211,000,000	[2]
Proceeds from Sale of Other Investments			$ 1,000,000,000

[1] The increase in proceeds primarily reflects the replacement of commingled funds with actively managed portfolios. Does not include $1 billion of proceeds reflected in Dominion's Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows from the sale of temporary investments consisting of time deposits and Treasury Bills, purchased following the sale of substantially all of Dominion's Appalachian E&P operations.

[2] Includes realized gains and losses recorded to the decommissioning trust regulatory liability as discussed in Note 2.