Commitments And Contingent Liabilities (Environmental Matters) (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) Potentially_Responsible_Party entity site Station Plant mi	Mar. 31, 2007 Potentially_Responsible_Party
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Number of miles related to the Passaic River constituting a facility as determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency | mi	17
Number of miles on Passaic River tidal reach required to be studied as determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency | mi	8
Cash out settlement offer for PRPs with minimal responsibility	$ 280,600
Number of additional legal entities contacted by EPA in conjunction with Newark Bay study area contamination | entity	11
Number of operating electric generating stations located on Hackensack River | Station	2
Number of former MGP contamination sites located on Hackensack river in conjunction with Newark Bay study area contamination | site	1
PSE And G [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Percentage of cost attributable to potentially responsible party	7.00%
Power [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Ownership percentage of Keystone Coal fired plant in Pennsylvania	23.00%
Psd Nsr Regulations Site Contingency [Member] | Power [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Penalty per day from date of violation-minimum	$ 25,000
Penalty per day from date of violation-maximum	$ 37,500
Pse G S Former Mgp Sites [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Number of potentially responsible parties ("PRPs") in connection with environmental liabilities for operations conducted near Passaic River | Potentially_Responsible_Party	52	73
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	$ 190,000,000
Total Spend of Study to date	160,000,000
Company Share of Total Spend of Study to date	$ 11,000,000
Pse G S Former Mgp Sites [Member] | Power [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Percentage of cost attributable to potentially responsible party	1.00%
Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Estimated Cleanup Costs EPA Preferred Method	$ 2,300,000,000
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	$ 57,000,000
Number Of Additional Potentially Responsible Parties Directed By New Jersey Department Of Environmental Protection To Arrange Damage Assessment For Lower Passaic River | Potentially_Responsible_Party	56
Estimated cleanup costs agreed to by two potentially responsible parties	$ 80,000,000
Estimated cost of interim natural resource injury restoration	$ 950,000,000
Passaic River Site Contingency [Member] | PSE And G [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Number of former generating electric station | Plant	1
Number of former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites | Plant	4
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies, Period Increase (Decrease)	$ 36,000,000
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	46,000,000
CPG Targeted Method Cleanup Costs Low Estimate	10,000,000
Passaic River Site Contingency [Member] | Power [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies, Period Increase (Decrease)	8,000,000
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	11,000,000
CPG Targeted Method Cleanup Costs Low Estimate	3,000,000
Mgp Remediation Site Contingency [Member] | PSE And G [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Remediation Liability Recorded As Other Current Liabilities	74,000,000
Remediation Liability Recorded As Other Noncurrent Liabilities	312,000,000
Regulatory Assets	386,000,000
Remedial Investigation And Feasibility Study [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Estimated, total cost of the study	30,000,000
Estimated Total Cost Of Study Low End of Range	$ 25,000,000
Passaic River mile 10.9 contaminant removal [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Percentage of cost attributable to potentially responsible party	3.00%
Minimum [Member] | Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	$ 518,000,000
Minimum [Member] | Passaic River Site targeted remedy [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	518,000,000
Minimum [Member] | Mgp Remediation Site Contingency [Member] | PSE And G [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	386,000,000
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	386,000,000
Maximum [Member] | Passaic River Site Contingency [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	3,200,000,000
Maximum [Member] | Passaic River Site targeted remedy [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	772,000,000
Maximum [Member] | Mgp Remediation Site Contingency [Member] | PSE And G [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	$ 443,000,000