Guarantees And Indemnifications	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Guarantees And Indemnifications [Abstract]
Guarantees And Indemnifications	7. Guarantees and Indemnifications Duke Energy and its subsidiaries have various financial and performance guarantees and indemnifications which are issued in the normal course of business. As discussed below, these contracts include performance guarantees, stand-by letters of credit, debt guarantees, surety bonds and indemnifications. Duke Energy and its subsidiaries enter into these arrangements to facilitate commercial transactions with third parties by enhancing the value of the transaction to the third party. On January 2, 2007, Duke Energy completed the spin-off of its natural gas businesses to shareholders. Guarantees that were issued by Duke Energy or its affiliates, or were assigned to Duke Energy prior to the spin-off remained with Duke Energy subsequent to the spin-off. Guarantees issued by Spectra Energy Capital, LLC (Spectra Capital) or its affiliates prior to the spin-off remained with Spectra Capital subsequent to the spin-off, except for certain guarantees that are in the process of being assigned to Duke Energy. During this assignment period, Duke Energy has indemnified Spectra Capital against any losses incurred under these guarantee obligations. The maximum potential amount of future payments associated with the guarantees issued by Spectra Capital is $206 million. Duke Energy has issued performance guarantees to customers and other third parties that guarantee the payment and performance of other parties, including certain non-wholly-owned entities, as well as guarantees of debt of certain non-consolidated entities and less than wholly-owned consolidated entities. If such entities were to default on payments or performance, Duke Energy would be required under the guarantees to make payments on the obligations of the less than wholly-owned entity. The maximum potential amount of future payments Duke Energy could have been required to make under these guarantees as of December 31, 2011 was $291 million. Of this amount, $50 million relates to guarantees issued on behalf of less than wholly-owned consolidated entities, with the remainder related to guarantees issued on behalf of third parties and unconsolidated affiliates of Duke Energy. Of the guarantees noted above, $330 million of the guarantees expire between 2012 and 2028, with the remaining performance guarantees having no contractual expiration. Included in the maximum potential amount of future payments discussed above is $40 million of maximum potential amounts of future payments associated with guarantees issued to customers or other third parties related to the payment or performance obligations of certain entities that were previously wholly-owned by Duke Energy but which have been sold to third parties, such as DukeSolutions, Inc. (DukeSolutions) and Duke Engineering & Services, Inc. (DE&S). These guarantees are primarily related to payment of lease obligations, debt obligations, and performance guarantees related to provision of goods and services. Duke Energy has received back-to-back indemnification from the buyer of DE&S indemnifying Duke Energy for any amounts paid related to the DE&S guarantees. Duke Energy also received indemnification from the buyer of DukeSolutions for the first $2.5 million paid by Duke Energy related to the DukeSolutions guarantees. Further, Duke Energy granted indemnification to the buyer of DukeSolutions with respect to losses arising under some energy services agreements retained by DukeSolutions after the sale, provided that the buyer agreed to bear 100% of the performance risk and 50% of any other risk up to an aggregate maximum of $2.5 million (less any amounts paid by the buyer under the indemnity discussed above). Additionally, for certain performance guarantees, Duke Energy has recourse to subcontractors involved in providing services to a customer. These guarantees have various terms ranging from 2012 to 2021, with others having no specific term. Duke Energy has guaranteed certain issuers of surety bonds, obligating itself to make payment upon the failure of a former non-wholly-owned entity to honor its obligations to a third party, as well as used bank-issued stand-by letters of credit to secure the performance of non-wholly-owned entities to a third party or customer. Under these arrangements, Duke Energy has payment obligations which are triggered by a draw by the third party or customer due to the failure of the non-wholly-owned entity to perform according to the terms of its underlying contract. Substantially all of these guarantees issued by Duke Energy relate to projects at Crescent that were under development at the time of the joint venture creation in 2006. Crescent filed Chapter 11 petitions in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in June 2009. During 2009, Duke Energy determined that it was probable that it will be required to perform under certain of these guarantee obligations and recorded a charge of $26 million associated with these obligations, which represented Duke Energy's best estimate of its exposure under these guarantee obligations. At the time the charge was recorded, the face value of the guarantees was $70 million, which has since been reduced to $18 million as of December 31, 2011, as Crescent continues to complete some of its obligations under these guarantees. Duke Energy has entered into various indemnification agreements related to purchase and sale agreements and other types of contractual agreements with vendors and other third parties. These agreements typically cover environmental, tax, litigation and other matters, as well as breaches of representations, warranties and covenants. Typically, claims may be made by third parties for various periods of time, depending on the nature of the claim. Duke Energy's potential exposure under these indemnification agreements can range from a specified amount, such as the purchase price, to an unlimited dollar amount, depending on the nature of the claim and the particular transaction. Duke Energy is unable to estimate the total potential amount of future payments under these indemnification agreements due to several factors, such as the unlimited exposure under certain guarantees. At December 31, 2011, the amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for the guarantees and indemnifications mentioned above, including performance guarantees associated with projects at Crescent for which it is probable that Duke Energy will be required to perform, is $19 million. This amount is primarily recorded in Other within Deferred Credits and Other Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

7. Guarantees and Indemnifications

Duke Energy and its subsidiaries have various financial and performance guarantees and indemnifications which are issued in the normal course of business. As discussed below, these contracts include performance guarantees, stand-by letters of credit, debt guarantees, surety bonds and indemnifications. Duke Energy and its subsidiaries enter into these arrangements to facilitate commercial transactions with third parties by enhancing the value of the transaction to the third party.

On January 2, 2007, Duke Energy completed the spin-off of its natural gas businesses to shareholders. Guarantees that were issued by Duke Energy or its affiliates, or were assigned to Duke Energy prior to the spin-off remained with Duke Energy subsequent to the spin-off. Guarantees issued by Spectra Energy Capital, LLC (Spectra Capital) or its affiliates prior to the spin-off remained with Spectra Capital subsequent to the spin-off, except for certain guarantees that are in the process of being assigned to Duke Energy. During this assignment period, Duke Energy has indemnified Spectra Capital against any losses incurred under these guarantee obligations. The maximum potential amount of future payments associated with the guarantees issued by Spectra Capital is $206 million.

Duke Energy has issued performance guarantees to customers and other third parties that guarantee the payment and performance of other parties, including certain non-wholly-owned entities, as well as guarantees of debt of certain non-consolidated entities and less than wholly-owned consolidated entities. If such entities were to default on payments or performance, Duke Energy would be required under the guarantees to make payments on the obligations of the less than wholly-owned entity. The maximum potential amount of future payments Duke Energy could have been required to make under these guarantees as of December 31, 2011 was $291 million. Of this amount, $50 million relates to guarantees issued on behalf of less than wholly-owned consolidated entities, with the remainder related to guarantees issued on behalf of third parties and unconsolidated affiliates of Duke Energy.

Of the guarantees noted above, $330 million of the guarantees expire between 2012 and 2028, with the remaining performance guarantees having no contractual expiration.

Included in the maximum potential amount of future payments discussed above is $40 million of maximum potential amounts of future payments associated with guarantees issued to customers or other third parties related to the payment or performance obligations of certain entities that were previously wholly-owned by Duke Energy but which have been sold to third parties, such as DukeSolutions, Inc. (DukeSolutions) and Duke Engineering & Services, Inc. (DE&S). These guarantees are primarily related to payment of lease obligations, debt obligations, and performance guarantees related to provision of goods and services. Duke Energy has received back-to-back indemnification from the buyer of DE&S indemnifying Duke Energy for any amounts paid related to the DE&S guarantees. Duke Energy also received indemnification from the buyer of DukeSolutions for the first $2.5 million paid by Duke Energy related to the DukeSolutions guarantees. Further, Duke Energy granted indemnification to the buyer of DukeSolutions with respect to losses arising under some energy services agreements retained by DukeSolutions after the sale, provided that the buyer agreed to bear 100% of the performance risk and 50% of any other risk up to an aggregate maximum of $2.5 million (less any amounts paid by the buyer under the indemnity discussed above). Additionally, for certain performance guarantees, Duke Energy has recourse to subcontractors involved in providing services to a customer. These guarantees have various terms ranging from 2012 to 2021, with others having no specific term.

Duke Energy has guaranteed certain issuers of surety bonds, obligating itself to make payment upon the failure of a former non-wholly-owned entity to honor its obligations to a third party, as well as used bank-issued stand-by letters of credit to secure the performance of non-wholly-owned entities to a third party or customer. Under these arrangements, Duke Energy has payment obligations which are triggered by a draw by the third party or customer due to the failure of the non-wholly-owned entity to perform according to the terms of its underlying contract. Substantially all of these guarantees issued by Duke Energy relate to projects at Crescent that were under development at the time of the joint venture creation in 2006. Crescent filed Chapter 11 petitions in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in June 2009. During 2009, Duke Energy determined that it was probable that it will be required to perform under certain of these guarantee obligations and recorded a charge of $26 million associated with these obligations, which represented Duke Energy's best estimate of its exposure under these guarantee obligations. At the time the charge was recorded, the face value of the guarantees was $70 million, which has since been reduced to $18 million as of December 31, 2011, as Crescent continues to complete some of its obligations under these guarantees.

Duke Energy has entered into various indemnification agreements related to purchase and sale agreements and other types of contractual agreements with vendors and other third parties. These agreements typically cover environmental, tax, litigation and other matters, as well as breaches of representations, warranties and covenants. Typically, claims may be made by third parties for various periods of time, depending on the nature of the claim. Duke Energy's potential exposure under these indemnification agreements can range from a specified amount, such as the purchase price, to an unlimited dollar amount, depending on the nature of the claim and the particular transaction. Duke Energy is unable to estimate the total potential amount of future payments under these indemnification agreements due to several factors, such as the unlimited exposure under certain guarantees.

At December 31, 2011, the amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for the guarantees and indemnifications mentioned above, including performance guarantees associated with projects at Crescent for which it is probable that Duke Energy will be required to perform, is $19 million. This amount is primarily recorded in Other within Deferred Credits and Other Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.