Share-Based Payments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Disclosure of Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award [Table Text Block]

			Weighted Average
	RSUs		Grant-Date
RSUs	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2009		912,991	$	24.75
Granted		347,112	$	23.26
Shares issued		(203,888)	$	25.55
Forfeited		(18,303)	$	26.26
Outstanding as of December 31, 2009		1,037,912	$	24.07
Granted		258,174	$	26.03
Shares issued		(267,951)	$	25.05
Forfeited		(13,656)	$	24.26
Outstanding as of December 31, 2010		1,014,479	$	24.31
Granted		208,533	$	33.87
Shares issued		(244,782)	$	24.47
Forfeited		(18,310)	$	23.74
Outstanding as of December 31, 2011		959,920	$	26.36

	Performance		Weighted Average
	Shares		Grant-Date
Performance Shares	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2009		-	$	-
Granted		104,150	$	23.93
Shares issued		-	$	-
Forfeited		(5,064)	$	23.96
Outstanding as of December 31, 2009		99,086	$	23.93
Granted		149,520	$	25.24
Shares issued		-	$	-
Forfeited		(47)	$	23.96
Outstanding as of December 31, 2010		248,559	$	24.72
Granted		244,870	$	33.76
Shares issued		-	$	-
Forfeited		(10,296)	$	30.47
Outstanding as of December 31, 2011		483,133	$	29.18

NU	For the Years Ended December 31,
(Millions of Dollars)	2011		2010		2009
Compensation Cost Recognized	$	12.3	$	10.5	$	8.8
Associated Future Income Tax Benefit Recognized		4.9		4.2		3.5

	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2011						2010						2009
(Millions of Dollars)	CL&P		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		PSNH		WMECO
Compensation Cost Recognized	$	7.1	$	2.5	$	1.4	$	6.2	$	2.1	$	1.1	$	5.3	$	1.7	$	0.9
Associated Future Income Tax Benefit Recognized		2.8		1.0		0.6		2.5		0.9		0.4		2.1		0.7		0.4

			Exercise Price Per Share
						Weighted		Intrinsic Value
	Options		Range			Average		(Millions)
Outstanding and exercisable - January 1, 2009		320,920	$ 14.94	-	$ 21.03	$	18.83
Exercised		(95,704)				$	18.54	$	0.6
Forfeited and cancelled		-				$	-
Outstanding and exercisable - December 31, 2009		225,216	$ 17.40	-	$ 21.03	$	18.96
Exercised		(112,617)				$	19.12	$	1.0
Forfeited and cancelled		-				$	-
Outstanding and exercisable - December 31, 2010		112,599	$ 17.40	-	$ 21.03	$	18.80
Exercised		(65,225)				$	18.81	$	1.0
Forfeited and cancelled		-				$	-
Outstanding and exercisable - December 31, 2011		47,374	$ 18.58	-	$ 18.90	$	18.78	$	0.8

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of components of a stock option or other award plan under which equity-based compensation is awarded to employees, typically comprised of the amount of unearned compensation (deferred compensation cost), compensation expense, and changes in the quantity and fair value of the shares (or other type of equity) granted, exercised, forfeited, and issued and outstanding pertaining to that plan. Disclosure may also include nature and general terms of such arrangements that existed during the period and potential effects of those arrangements on shareholders, effect of compensation cost arising from equity-based payment arrangements on the income statement, method of estimating the fair value of the goods or services received, or the fair value of the equity instruments granted, during the period, cash flow effects resulting from equity-based payment arrangements and, for registrants that accelerate vesting of out of the money share options, reasons for the decision to accelerate.

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