Share-Based Payments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

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
	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2010		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
Granted		614,930	$	33.04
Converted NSTAR Awards upon Merger		617,394	$	36.79
Converted from NU Performance Shares upon Merger		451,358	$	34.32
Shares issued		(363,779)	$	29.05
Forfeited		(96,504)	$	34.97
Outstanding as of December 31, 2012		2,183,319	$	31.99

	Performance		Weighted Average
	Shares		Grant-Date
	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2010		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
Granted		225,935	$	35.09
Converted to RSUs upon Merger		(451,358)	$	34.32
Shares issued		(106,773)	$	24.52
Forfeited		-	$	-
Outstanding as of December 31, 2012		150,937	$	25.04

NU	For the Years Ended December 31,
(Millions of Dollars)	2012		2011		2010
Compensation Cost	$	25.8	$	12.3	$	10.5
Future Income Tax Benefit		10.2		4.9		4.2

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2012								2011								2010
(Millions of Dollars)		CL&P		NSTAR Electric⁽¹⁾		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		NSTAR Electric⁽¹⁾		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		NSTAR Electric⁽¹⁾		PSNH		WMECO
Compensation Cost		$	4.8	$	7.4	$	1.8	$	1.0	$	7.1	$	7.7	$	2.5	$	1.4	$	6.2	$	6.5	$	2.1	$	1.1
Future Income Tax
	Benefit		1.9		2.9		0.7		0.4		2.8		3.0		1.0		0.6		2.5		2.6		0.9		0.4


		Weighted Average		Intrinsic Value
	Options	Exercise Price		(Millions)
Outstanding and Exercisable - January 1, 2010	225,216	$	18.96
Exercised	(112,617)	$	19.12	$	1.0
Forfeited and Cancelled	-	$	-
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2010	112,599	$	18.80
Exercised	(65,225)	$	18.81	$	1.0
Forfeited and Cancelled	-	$	-
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2011	47,374	$	18.78
Converted NSTAR Options upon Merger	2,664,894	$	23.99
Exercised	(1,166,511)	$	22.53	$	18.7
Forfeited and Cancelled	-	$	-
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2012	1,545,757	$	24.92	$	21.9

- 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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