Name:	por_CommodityContractAssetElectricity
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of the asset arising from commodity contracts related to purchases or sales of natural gas.

No definition available.

Name:	por_CommodityContractAssetNaturalGas
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of the liabilities arising from commodity contracts related to purchases or sales of electricity.

No definition available.

Name:	por_CommodityContractLiabilitiesElectricity
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of the liabilities arising from commodity contracts related to purchases or sales of natural gas.

No definition available.

Name:	por_CommodityContractLiabilitiesNaturalGas
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

Corporate debt securities held in decommissioning trust assets

No definition available.

Name:	por_CorporateDebtSecuritiesHeldInDecommissioningTrustAssets
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

debt securities - domestic government

No definition available.

Name:	por_DebtSecuritiesDomesticGovernment
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Domestic Equity Securities

No definition available.

Name:	por_DomesticEquitySecurities
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Fair Value - Money market funds

No definition available.

Name:	por_FairValueMoneyMarketFunds
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Liabilities from price risk management activities: [Abstract]

No definition available.

Name:	por_LiabilitiesFromPriceRiskManagementActivitiesAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	por_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Fair value portion of probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482106/820-10-50-2

Name:	us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Fair value portion of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Also includes short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Fair value portion of the amount that could be realized under a life insurance contract or contracts owned by the entity, commonly known as corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) or bank-owned life insurance (BOLI).

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_CashSurrenderValueFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482106/820-10-50-2

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (b)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482106/820-10-50-2

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482106/820-10-50-3

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueAssetsAndLiabilitiesMeasuredOnRecurringAndNonrecurringBasisLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

The aggregate fair value as of the balance sheet date of financial instruments and other positions owned by the entity including: (1) mortgages, mortgage-backed and asset backed securities; (2) US government and agency obligations; (3) state and municipal government obligations; (4) other sovereign government debt; (5) corporate obligations; (6) corporate equities; (7) principal investments; (8) derivative contracts; and (9) physical commodities. Includes both pledged and unpledged holdings.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 940
-SubTopic 320
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147481961/940-320-45-2

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentsOwnedAtFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Fair value of financial and nonfinancial obligations.

Name:	us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

Investment in short-term money-market instruments (such as commercial paper, banker's acceptances, repurchase agreements, government securities, certificates of deposit, and so forth) which are highly liquid (that is, readily convertible to known amounts of cash) and so near their maturity that they present an insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Generally, only investments with original maturities of three months or less qualify as cash equivalents by definition. Original maturity means an original maturity to the entity holding the investment. For example, both a three-month US Treasury bill and a three-year Treasury note purchased three months from maturity qualify as cash equivalents. However, a Treasury note purchased three-years ago does not become a cash equivalent when its remaining maturity is three months.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_MoneyMarketFundsAtCarryingValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Debt (bills, notes or bonds) that are issued by the government of the United States which are short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Generally, only investments with original maturities of three months or less qualify under that definition. Original maturity means original maturity to the entity holding the investment. For example, both a three-month US Treasury bill and a three-year Treasury note purchased three months from maturity qualify as cash equivalents. However, a Treasury note purchased three-years ago does not become a cash equivalent when its remaining maturity is three months.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_USGovernmentSecuritiesAtCarryingValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByMeasurementBasisAxis=us-gaap_PortionAtOtherThanFairValueFairValueDisclosureMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: