Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	May 09, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	ck0000096271
Entity Registrant Name	TAMPA ELECTRIC COMPANY
Entity Central Index Key	0000096271
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		10