Commitments And Contingent Liabilities (Environmental Matters) (Detail) (USD $)							1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended						3 Months Ended				3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013 mi entity	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2009 Turbines MW	Mar. 31, 2013 PSE And G [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 PSE And G [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Power [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 PSEG [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 PSEG [Member]	Jun. 30, 2008 Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]	Dec. 31, 2003 Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Passaic River Site Contingency [Member] PSE And G [Member] Plant	Feb. 28, 2009 Passaic River Site Contingency [Member] Power [Member] Defendant	Mar. 31, 2013 PSE&G's Former MGP Sites [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 PSE&G's Former MGP Sites [Member] PSE And G [Member] Person	Dec. 31, 2006 PSE&G's Former MGP Sites [Member] PSE And G [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 PSD NSR Regulations Site Contingency [Member] Power [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 MGP Remediation Site Contingency [Member] PSE And G [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Remedial Investigation And Feasibility Study [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 PSE&G's Former MGP Sites [Member] PSE And G [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 PSE&G's Former MGP Sites [Member] Power [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Transferred To Power From Pse G [Member] Passaic River Site Contingency [Member] Plant
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Tax And Interest Deficiency								$ 4,000,000
Number of miles related to the Passaic River constituting a facility as determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency	8
Number of miles on Passaic River tidal reach required to be studied as determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency	17
Number of operating electric generating station (Essex Site)																						1
Number of former generating electric station												1
Number of former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites												4
Original estimated cost of feasibility study																20,000,000
Estimated, total cost of the study															110,000,000				30,000,000
Number of potentially responsible parties ("PRPs") in connection with environmental liabilities for operations conducted near Passaic River															73
Number of current potentially responsible parties ("PRPs") in connection with environmental liabilities for operations conducted near Passaic River															70
Percentage of cost attributable to potentially responsible party																				5.00%	1.00%
Estimated cleanup costs-low estimate										1,300,000,000
Estimated cleanup costs-high estimate										3,700,000,000
Estimated cleanup costs agreed to by two potentially responsible parties									80,000,000
Aggregate number of defendants including registrant entities Power and PSE&G included in NJDEP complaint filed February 2009													320
Aggregate number of PRPs directed by the NJDEP to arrange for natural resource damage assessment and interim compensatory restoration along the lower Passaic River											56
Estimated cost of interim natural resource injury restoration										950,000,000
Number of legal entities contacted by EPA in conjunction with Newark Bay study area contamination	11
Number of operating electric generating stations located on Hackensack River	2
Number of former MGP contamination sites located on Hackensack river in conjunction with Newark Bay study area contamination	1
Number of MGP sites identified by registrant and the NJDEP requiring some level of remedial action														38
Estimated expenditures, low end of range																		513,000,000
Estimated expenditures, high end of range																		649,000,000
Accrued environmental costs	464,000,000	537,000,000		413,000,000	486,000,000													513,000,000
Remediation liability recorded as other current liabilities																		111,000,000
Remediation liability recorded as environmental costs in noncurrent liabilities																		402,000,000
Regulatory assets																		513,000,000
Penalty per day from date of violation-minimum																	25,000
Penalty per day from date of violation-maximum																	37,500
Ownership percentage of Keystone Coal fired plant in Pennsylvania						23.00%
Parent companies share of investment in Clean Air Act requirements							147,000,000
Number of combustion turbines required to be retired to meet NOx emission reduction requirements			86
Number of MW required to be retired to meet NOx emission reduction requirements			1,750
Number of steam electric generation units requiring significant capital investment for additional controls or retirement as determined by NJDEP			4
Number of MW requiring significant capital investment for additional controls or retirement as determined by NJDEP			400
New Salem facility cooling towers estimated cost total	1,000,000,000					575,000,000
Capital Expenditures		$ 6,100,000,000