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Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies Revenue Recognition - In May 2014, the FASB issued an accounting standards update, which was subsequently amended, that provides guidance on the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers and requires additional disclosures regarding such contracts. NEE is currently evaluating individual contracts to determine the impact this standards update will have on its consolidated financial statements. FPL and NEER generate substantially all of NEE’s operating revenues. FPL’s operating revenues are derived primarily from tariff-based sales that result from providing electricity to retail customers with no defined contractual term. For these types of sales, FPL expects that the operating revenues will be equivalent to the electricity delivered and billed in that period under the standards update, which is consistent with current practice. NEER continues to evaluate its individual contracts and awaits the final resolution of certain industry-specific implementation issues in order to determine the impact, if any, this standards update will have on NEE’s consolidated financial statements. NEE and FPL intend to apply this standards update retrospectively with the cumulative effect, if any, recognized as an adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2018. Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets - In February 2017, the FASB issued an accounting standards update regarding the accounting for partial sales of nonfinancial assets. NEE and FPL intend to apply this standards update retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as an adjustment to retained earnings and/or additional paid-in capital as of January 1, 2018, concurrent with the FASB's revenue recognition standards update. Based on NEE’s current analysis, this standards update is expected to affect the accounting and related financial statement presentation for the sales of differential membership interests to third-party investors and the sales of NEER assets to indirect subsidiaries of NEP. NEE anticipates the liability reflected as deferral related to differential membership interests - VIEs on NEE's consolidated balance sheets will be reclassified to noncontrolling interests and the amount currently being recognized in benefits associated with differential membership interests - net in NEE's consolidated statements of income will be reflected as a reduction to net income attributable to noncontrolling interests. Additionally, NEE continues to evaluate the sales of differential membership interests to third-party investors to determine if the amount or timing of income attributed to differential membership interests could change materially from amounts recorded under its current accounting method. For NEER asset sales to NEP, NEE anticipates the profit sharing liability currently reflected in noncurrent other liabilities on NEE’s consolidated balance sheets will be reclassified to additional paid-in capital and will no longer be amortized into income. While NEE continues to evaluate this standards update for other potential impacts the adoption may have on its consolidated financial statements, the adoption of this standards update is not expected to have an impact on FPL. Electric Plant, Depreciation and Amortization - NEER reviews the estimated useful lives of its fixed assets on an ongoing basis. NEER's most recent review indicated that the actual lives of certain equipment at its wind plants are expected to be longer than those previously estimated for depreciation purposes. As a result, effective January 1, 2017, NEER changed the estimated useful lives of certain wind plant equipment from 30 years to 35 years to better reflect the period during which these assets are expected to remain in service. This change increased net income attributable to NEE by approximately $15 million and $30 million and basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to NEE by approximately $0.03 and $0.06 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2017 the change is expected to increase net income attributable to NEE by approximately $60 million. Assets and Liabilities Associated with Assets Held for Sale - In January 2017, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of NEE completed the sale of its membership interests in its fiber-optic telecommunications business for net cash proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion, after repayment of $370 million of related long-term debt. In connection with the sale and the related consolidating state income tax effects, a gain of approximately $1.1 billion (approximately $685 million after tax) was recorded in NEE's condensed consolidated statements of income during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and is included in gains on disposal of a business/assets - net. The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities that were classified as held for sale on NEE's condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016 primarily represent property, plant and equipment and the related long-term debt. In the second quarter of 2016, a subsidiary of NEER completed the sale of the Texas natural gas generation facilities for net cash proceeds of approximately $456 million, after transaction costs and working capital adjustments. In connection with the sale and the related consolidating state income tax effects, a gain of approximately $254 million ($106 million after tax) was recorded in NEE's condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and is included in gains on disposal of a business/assets - net.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2122369 + Details
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