Financial Statement Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Consolidation

Consolidation — In this Quarterly Report, the terms “AES,” “the Company,” “us” or “we” refer to the consolidated entity, including its subsidiaries and affiliates. The terms “The AES Corporation” or “the Parent Company” refer only to the publicly held holding company, The AES Corporation, excluding its subsidiaries and affiliates. Furthermore, VIEs in which the Company has a variable interest have been consolidated where the Company is the primary beneficiary. Investments in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting, except for our investment in Alto Maipo, for which we have elected the fair value option as permitted under ASC 825. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Interim Financial Presentation — The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, as contained in the FASB ASC, for interim financial information and Article 10 of Regulation S-X issued by the SEC. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual fiscal reporting periods. In the opinion of management, the interim financial information includes all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations, financial position, comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the year ending December 31, 2022. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the 2021 audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in the 2021 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2022 (the “2021 Form 10-K”).

Reclassifications — To comply with newly adopted accounting standards, certain prior period adjustments in the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. The beneficial conversion feature associated with the Equity Units was reclassified from Additional paid-in capital to Preferred stock in the Consolidated Balance Sheet for the year ended December 31, 2021. See further detail in the new accounting pronouncements discussion.