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Financial Statement Presentation (Policies) | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block] | New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2019 — The following table provides a brief description of recent accounting pronouncements that had an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting pronouncements not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
New Accounting Standards Adopted
ASU Number and Name | Description | Date of Adoption | Effect on the financial statements upon adoption
2018-02, Income Statement — Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from AOCI | This amendment allows a reclassification of the stranded tax effects resulting from the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from AOCI to retained earnings at the election of the filer. Because this amendment only relates to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the underlying guidance that requires that the effect of a change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. | January 1, 2019 | The Company has not elected to reclassify any amounts to retained earnings. The Company’s accounting policy for releasing the income tax effects from AOCI occurs on a portfolio basis.
2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities | The standard updates the hedge accounting model to expand the ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components, reduce complexity, and ease certain documentation and assessment requirements. When facts and circumstances are the same as at the previous quantitative test, a subsequent quantitative effectiveness test is not required. The standard also eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness. For cash flow hedges, this means that the entire change in the fair value of a hedging instrument will be recorded in other comprehensive income and amounts deferred will be reclassified to earnings in the same income statement line as the hedged item. Transition method: modified retrospective with the cumulative effect adjustment recorded to the opening balance of retained earnings as of the initial application date. Prospective for presentation and disclosures. | January 1, 2019 | The adoption of this standard resulted in a $4 million increase to retained earnings.
2014-09, 2015-14, 2016-08, 2016-10, 2016-12, 2016-20, 2017-10, 2017-13, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) | ASC 606 was adopted by sPower on January 1, 2019. sPower was not required to adopt ASC 606 using the public adoption date, as sPower is an equity method investee that meets the definition of a public business entity only by virtue of the inclusion of its summarized financial information in the Company’s SEC filings. Under the previous revenue standard, the payment received by sPower for the transfer of Incentive Tax Credits related to projects was deferred and recognized in revenue over time. Under ASC 606, this payment is recognized at a point in time. | January 1, 2019 | The adoption of this standard resulted in an $8 million increase to retained earnings attributable to the AES Corporation stockholders’ equity.
2016-02, 2018-01, 2018-10, 2018-11, 2018-20, 2019-01, Leases (Topic 842) | See discussion of the ASU below. | January 1, 2019 | See impact upon adoption of the standard below.
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. 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, 2019, are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the year ending December 31, 2019. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the 2018 audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in the 2018 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2019 (the “2018 Form 10-K”).
Commitments and Contingencies | Litigation — The Company is involved in certain claims, suits and legal proceedings in the normal course of business. The Company accrues for litigation and claims when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated.
Segment Reporting | The segment reporting structure uses the Company’s management reporting structure as its foundation to reflect how the Company manages the businesses internally and is mainly organized by geographic regions, which provides a socio-political-economic understanding of our business. The management reporting structure is organized by four SBUs led by our President and Chief Executive Officer: US and Utilities, South America, MCAC, and Eurasia SBUs. Using the accounting guidance on segment reporting, the Company determined that its four operating segments are aligned with its four reportable segments corresponding to its SBUs. Corporate and Other — The results of the Fluence and Simple Energy equity affiliates are included in “Corporate and Other.” Also included are the results of the AES self-insurance company and corporate overhead costs which are not directly associated with the operations of our four reportable segments, and certain intercompany charges such as self-insurance premiums which are fully eliminated in consolidation. The Company uses Adjusted PTC as its primary segment performance measure. Adjusted PTC, a non-GAAP measure, is defined by the Company as pre-tax income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation excluding gains or losses of the consolidated entity due to (a) unrealized gains or losses related to derivative transactions and equity securities; (b) unrealized foreign currency gains or losses; (c) gains, losses, benefits and costs associated with dispositions and acquisitions of business interests, including early plant closures; (d) losses due to impairments; (e) gains, losses and costs due to the early retirement of debt; and (f) costs directly associated with a major restructuring program, including, but not limited to, workforce reduction efforts, relocations, and office consolidation. Adjusted PTC also includes net equity in earnings of affiliates on an after-tax basis adjusted for the same gains or losses excluded from consolidated entities. The Company has concluded that Adjusted PTC better reflects the underlying business performance of the Company and is the most relevant measure considered in the Company’s internal evaluation of the financial performance of its segments. Additionally, given its large number of businesses and complexity, the Company concluded that Adjusted PTC is a more transparent measure that better assists investors in determining which businesses have the greatest impact on the Company’s results. Revenue and Adjusted PTC are presented before inter-segment eliminations, which includes the effect of intercompany transactions with other segments except for interest, charges for certain management fees, and the write-off of intercompany balances, as applicable. All intra-segment activity has been eliminated within the segment. Inter-segment activity has been eliminated within the total consolidated results.
Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block] | The package of practical expedients (applied to all leases) that allowed lessees and lessors not to reassess:
a. | whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases,
b. | lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and
c. | whether initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases qualify for capitalization under ASC 842.
• | The transition practical expedient related to land easements, allowing us to carry forward our accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements, and
• The transition practical expedient for lessees that allowed businesses to not separate lease and non-lease components. The Company applied the practical expedient to all classes of underlying assets when valuing right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. Contracts where the Company is the lessor were separated between the lease and non-lease components.

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