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General
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]
(1)
General

PacifiCorp, which includes PacifiCorp and its subsidiaries, is a United States regulated electric company serving retail customers, including residential, commercial, industrial and other customers in portions of the states of Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and California. PacifiCorp owns, or has interests in, a number of thermal, hydroelectric, wind-powered and geothermal generating facilities, as well as electric transmission and distribution assets. PacifiCorp also buys and sells electricity on the wholesale market with public and private utilities, energy marketing companies, financial institutions and incorporated municipalities. PacifiCorp is subject to comprehensive state and federal regulation. PacifiCorp's subsidiaries support its electric utility operations by providing coal mining services. PacifiCorp is an indirect subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company ("MEHC"), a holding company based in Des Moines, Iowa that owns subsidiaries principally engaged in energy businesses. MEHC is a consolidated subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
 
The unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for interim financial information and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and regulations for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Management believes the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements contain all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for the fair presentation of the Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2012 and for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011. The results of operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.
 
The preparation of the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. Actual results may differ from the estimates used in preparing the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements. Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in PacifiCorp's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 describes the most significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements. There have been no significant changes in PacifiCorp's assumptions regarding significant accounting estimates and policies during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2012.