Financial Statement Presentation (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

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 months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the year ending December 31, 2023. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the 2022 audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in the 2022 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2023 (the “2022 Form 10-K”).

Schedule of Cash and Cash Equivalents [Table Text Block]

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash — The following table provides a summary of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash amounts reported on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet that reconcile to the total of such amounts as shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions):

	March 31, 2023		December 31, 2022
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,441	$	1,374
Restricted cash	456		536
Debt service reserves and other deposits	180		177
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	$	2,077	$	2,087