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Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes Tables [Abstract] |
Income Tax Expense On Continuing Operations |
|  |  | December 31,
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
|  |  | (in millions)
| Federal: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Current |  | $ | - |  | $ | (8) |  | $ | 3
| Deferred |  |  | (150) |  |  | (125) |  |  | (167)
| State: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Current |  |  | 1 |  |  | 1 |  |  | -
| Deferred |  |  | 1 |  |  | (19) |  |  | (11)
| Foreign: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Current |  |  | 852 |  |  | 678 |  |  | 527
| Deferred |  |  | (73) |  |  | 48 |  |  | 201
| Total |  | $ | 631 |  | $ | 575 |  | $ | 553
Reconciliation Of US Federal Income Tax Rates And AES Effective Tax Rate For The Current And Two Prior Years |
|  |  | December 31,
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
| Statutory Federal tax rate |  | 35% |  | 35% |  | 35%
| State taxes, net of Federal tax benefit |  | 0% |  | -3% |  | -2%
| Taxes on foreign earnings |  | -3% |  | -2% |  | -5%
| Valuation allowance |  | -3% |  | 0% |  | 0%
| Gain (loss) on sale of businesses |  | 0% |  | 4% |  | -3%
| Chilean withholding tax reversals |  | 0% |  | -3% |  | 0%
| Other - net |  | 0% |  | 0% |  | -1%
| Effective tax rate |  | 29% |  | 31% |  | 24%
Schedule Of Income Tax Payable And Receivable |
|  |  | December 31,
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010
|  |  | (in millions)
| Income taxes receivable - current |  | $ | 565 |  | $ | 504
| Income taxes receivable - noncurrent |  |  | 21 |  |  | 21
| Total income taxes receivable |  | $ | 586 |  | $ | 525
| Income taxes payable - current |  | $ | 773 |  | $ | 678
| Income taxes payable - noncurrent |  |  | 3 |  |  | 5
| Total income taxes payable |  | $ | 776 |  | $ | 683
Summary Of Deferred Tax Assets And Liabilities |
|  |  | December 31,
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010
|  |  | (in millions)
| Differences between book and tax basis of property |  | $ | 1,895 |  | $ | 1,260
| Cumulative translation adjustment |  |  | 38 |  |  | 94
| Other taxable temporary differences |  |  | 341 |  |  | 390
| Total deferred tax liability |  |  | 2,274 |  |  | 1,744
| Operating loss carryforwards |  |  | (1,482) |  |  | (1,615)
| Capital loss carryforwards |  |  | (112) |  |  | (84)
| Bad debt and other book provisions |  |  | (465) |  |  | (522)
| Retirement costs |  |  | (359) |  |  | (313)
| Tax credit carryforwards |  |  | (46) |  |  | (52)
| Other deductible temporary differences |  |  | (517) |  |  | (390)
| Total gross deferred tax asset |  |  | (2,981) |  |  | (2,976)
| Less: valuation allowance |  |  | 906 |  |  | 1,280
| Total net deferred tax asset |  |  | (2,075) |  |  | (1,696)
| Net deferred tax (asset)/liability |  | $ | 199 |  | $ | 48
Income Before Income Taxes, Foreign And Domestic |
|  |  | December 31,
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
|  |  | (in millions)
| U.S. |  | $ | (526) |  | $ | (539) |  | $ | (1,036)
| Non-U.S. |  |  | 2,693 |  |  | 2,392 |  |  | 3,296
| Total |  | $ | 2,167 |  | $ | 1,853 |  | $ | 2,260
Tax Years Potentially Subject To Examination And Jurisdictions |
| Jurisdiction |  | Tax Years Subject to Examination
| Argentina |  | 2005-2011
| Brazil |  | 2006-2011
| Cameroon |  | 2007-2011
| Chile |  | 1998-2011
| Colombia |  | 2008-2011
| El Salvador |  | 2008-2011
| United Kingdom |  | 2008-2011
| United States (Federal) |  | 1994-2011
Summary Of Income Tax Contingencies Text Block |
|  |  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
|  |  | (in millions)
| Balance at January 1 |  | $ | 437 |  | $ | 510 |  | $ | 554
| Additions for current year tax positions |  |  | 7 |  |  | 14 |  |  | 72
| Additions for tax positions of prior years |  |  | 49 |  |  | 51 |  |  | 7
| Reductions for tax positions of prior years |  |  | (18) |  |  | (46) |  |  | (9)
| Effects of foreign currency translation |  |  | (1) |  |  | (2) |  |  | 6
| Settlements |  |  | - |  |  | (67) |  |  | (104)
| Lapse of statute of limitations |  |  | (3) |  |  | (23) |  |  | (16)
| Balance at December 31 |  | $ | 471 |  | $ | 437 |  | $ | 510

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 9 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 48 -Paragraph 21 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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