The AES Corporation (AES) 10-Q 6 Nov 18 2018 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information - $ / shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	AES
Entity Registrant Name	AES CORP
Entity Central Index Key	874,761
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	662,297,479
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,187	$ 949
Restricted cash	441	274
Short-term investments	401	424
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $16 and $10, respectively	1,510	1,463
Inventory	562	562
Prepaid expenses	97	62
Other current assets	706	630
Current held-for-sale assets	111	2,034
Total current assets	5,015	6,398
Property, Plant and Equipment:
Land	470	502
Electric generation, distribution assets and other	25,055	24,119
Accumulated depreciation	(8,033)	(7,942)
Construction in progress	3,616	3,617
Property, plant and equipment, net	21,108	20,296
Other Assets:
Investments in and advances to affiliates	1,277	1,197
Debt service reserves and other deposits	494	565
Goodwill	1,059	1,059
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $472 and $441, respectively	400	366
Deferred income taxes	88	130
Service concession assets, net of accumulated amortization of $0 and $206, respectively	0	1,360
Loan receivable	1,441	0
Other noncurrent assets	1,607	1,741
Total other assets	6,366	6,418
TOTAL ASSETS	32,489	33,112
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	1,299	1,371
Accrued interest	272	228
Accrued and other liabilities	1,151	1,232
Non-recourse debt, includes $368 and $1,012, respectively, related to variable interest entities	1,308	2,164
Current held-for-sale liabilities	17	1,033
Total current liabilities	4,047	6,028
NONCURRENT LIABILITIES
Recourse debt	3,815	4,625
Non-recourse debt, includes $2,832 and $1,358, respectively, related to variable interest entities	14,273	13,176
Deferred income taxes	1,214	1,006
Other noncurrent liabilities	2,552	2,595
Total noncurrent liabilities	21,854	21,402
Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	879	837
THE AES CORPORATION STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common stock ($0.01 par value, 1,200,000,000 shares authorized; 817,203,691 issued and 662,297,479 outstanding at September 30, 2018 and 816,312,913 issued and 660,388,128 outstanding at December 31, 2017)	8	8
Additional paid-in capital	8,328	8,501
Accumulated deficit	(1,133)	(2,276)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,020)	(1,876)
Treasury stock, at cost (154,906,212 and 155,924,785 shares at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively)	(1,878)	(1,892)
Total AES Corporation stockholders’ equity	3,305	2,465
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS	2,404	2,380
Total equity	5,709	4,845
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	$ 32,489	$ 33,112

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 16	$ 10
Other intangible assets, accumulated amortization	472	441
Service Concession Asset, Accumulated Depreciation	$ 0	$ 206
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,200,000,000	1,200,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	817,203,691	816,312,913
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	662,297,479	660,388,128
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	154,906,212	155,924,785
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Non-recourse debt - current, balance at variable interest entities	$ 1,308	$ 2,164
Consolidated Variable Interest Entities [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Non-recourse debt - current, balance at variable interest entities	368	1,012
Non-recourse debt - noncurrent, balance at variable interest entities	$ 2,832	$ 1,358

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Total Revenue	$ 2,837	$ 2,693	$ 8,114	$ 7,887
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	2,166	2,053	6,187	6,067
Operating margin	671	640	1,927	1,820
General and administrative expenses	(43)	(52)	(134)	(155)
Interest expense	(255)	(297)	(799)	(860)
Interest income	79	63	231	185
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(11)	(49)	(187)	(44)
Other expense	(29)	(36)	(42)	(67)
Other income	10	16	30	103
Loss (gain) on disposal and sale of businesses	(21)	(1)	856	(49)
Asset impairment expense	(74)	(2)	(166)	(260)
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)	5	22	(44)	14
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	332	304	1,672	687
Income tax expense	(146)	(93)	(509)	(246)
Net equity in earnings of affiliates	6	24	31	33
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	192	235	1,194	474
Income (loss) from operations of discontinued businesses, net of income tax expense of $0, $17, $2 and $24, respectively	(4)	26	(9)	35
Gain from disposal of discontinued businesses, net of income tax expense of $2, $0, $44 and $0, respectively	3	0	199	0
NET INCOME	191	261	1,384	509
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable stock of subsidiaries	(90)	(88)	(311)	(298)
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	101	152	1,075	181
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0	(21)	2	(30)
AMOUNTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION COMMON STOCKHOLDERS:
Income from continuing operations, net of tax	102	147	883	176
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(1)	5	192	5
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	$ 101	$ 152	$ 1,075	$ 181
BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders, net of tax	$ 0.15	$ 0.22	$ 1.33	$ 0.27
Income from discontinued operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders, net of tax	0	0.01	0.29	0.01
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION COMMON STOCKHOLDERS	0.15	0.23	1.62	0.28
DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders, net of tax	0.15	0.22	1.33	0.27
Income from discontinued operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders, net of tax	$ 0	$ 0.01	$ 0.29	$ 0.01
DILUTED SHARES OUTSTANDING	665	663	664	662
DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE	$ 0.13	$ 0.12	$ 0.26	$ 0.24
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION COMMON STOCKHOLDERS	$ 0.15	$ 0.23	$ 1.62	$ 0.28
Electric Transmission [Member]
Total Revenue	$ 777	$ 853	$ 2,215	$ 2,449
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	638	704	1,856	2,088
Electricity, Generation [Member]
Total Revenue	2,060	1,840	5,899	5,438
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	$ 1,528	$ 1,349	$ 4,331	$ 3,979

Condensed Consolidated Statem_2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations (parentheticals) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Discontinued Operation, Tax Effect of Discontinued Operation	$ 0	$ 17	$ 2	$ 24
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale [Member]
Discontinued Operation, Tax Effect of Discontinued Operation	$ 2	$ 0	$ 44	$ 0

Condensed Consolidated Statem_3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
NET INCOME	$ 191	$ 261	$ 1,384	$ 509
Foreign currency translation activity:
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of income tax benefit of $2, $1, $3 and $0, respectively	(42)	80	(159)	29
Reclassification to earnings, net of $0 income tax	(3)	0	(1)	98
Total foreign currency translation adjustments	(45)	80	(160)	127
Derivative activity:
Change in derivative fair value, net of income tax benefit (expense) of $(3), $(6), $(3) and $15, respectively	15	5	32	(42)
Reclassification to earnings, net of income tax benefit (expense) of $(7), $5, $(15) and $(6), respectively	21	1	67	50
Total change in fair value of derivatives	36	6	99	8
Pension activity:
Reclassification to earnings, net of income tax expense of $0, $4, $2 and $10, respectively	1	7	5	20
Total pension adjustments	1	7	5	20
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)	(8)	93	(56)	155
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	183	354	1,328	664
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(114)	(127)	(416)	(360)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	$ 69	$ 227	$ 912	$ 304

Condensed Consolidated Statem_4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustments, income tax benefit	$ 2	$ 1	$ 3	$ 0
Foreign currency reclassification to earnings, net of income tax (expense) benefit	0	0	0	0
Change in derivative fair value, net of income tax (expense) benefit	(3)	(6)	(3)	15
Derivative reclassification to earnings, net of income tax (expense) benefit	(7)	5	(15)	(6)
Pension, Reclassifications to Earnings, Net of Income Tax (expense) benefit	$ 0	$ (4)	$ (2)	$ (10)

Condensed Consolidated Statem_5

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income	$ 1,384	$ 509
Adjustments to net income:
Depreciation and amortization	770	884
Loss (gain) on disposal and sale of businesses	(856)	49
Impairment expenses	172	260
Deferred income taxes	221	(3)
Provisions for contingencies	1	30
Loss on extinguishment of debt	187	44
Net loss on sales of assets	23	34
Gain on sale of discontinued operations	(243)	0
Other	206	73
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable	(125)	(279)
(Increase) decrease in inventory	(13)	(66)
(Increase) decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets	15	140
(Increase) decrease in other assets	(22)	(266)
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and other current liabilities	(29)	162
Increase (decrease) in income taxes payable, net and other taxes payable	(61)	(4)
Increase (decrease) in other liabilities	51	134
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,681	1,701
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Capital expenditures	(1,592)	(1,587)
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash acquired, and equity method investments	(66)	(590)
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments	1,796	39
Proceeds from the sale of assets	15	0
Sale of short-term investments	1,010	2,942
Purchase of short-term investments	(1,215)	(2,673)
Contributions to equity affiliates	(101)	(49)
Other investing	(37)	(37)
Net cash used in investing activities	(190)	(1,955)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Borrowings under the revolving credit facilities	1,434	1,489
Repayments under the revolving credit facilities	(1,595)	(851)
Issuance Of Recourse Debt	1,000	1,025
Repayments of recourse debt	(1,781)	(1,353)
Issuance of non-recourse debt	1,509	2,703
Repayments of non-recourse debt	(1,139)	(1,731)
Payments for financing fees	(32)	(96)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests	(199)	(263)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests and redeemable security holders	40	59
Dividends paid on AES common stock	(258)	(238)
Payments for financed capital expenditures	(186)	(100)
Proceeds from Sale of Ownership Interests	0	60
Other financing	44	(26)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(1,163)	678
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(50)	21
(Increase) decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses	56	(107)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents, Period Increase (Decrease), Excluding Exchange Rate Effect	334	338
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning	1,788	1,960
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, ending	2,122	2,298
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES:
Cash payments for interest, net of amounts capitalized	683	797
Cash payments for income taxes, net of refunds	313	291
SCHEDULE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Non-cash acquisition of intangible assets	14	0
Noncash or Part Noncash Acquisition, Debt Assumed	119	0
Conversion of Alto Maipo loans and accounts payable into equity (see Note 10—Equity)	0	279
Fluence [Member] | Non-cash [Member]
SCHEDULE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Non-cash contributions of assets and liabilities for Fluence acquisition	$ 20	$ 0

Condensed Consolidated Statem_6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity Statement - USD ($) $ in Millions		Total	AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]	Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 5,700		$ 2,906
Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		509		328
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax		127		10
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Derivatives Qualifying as Hedges, Net of Tax		8		3
Other Comprehensive (Income) Loss, Defined Benefit Plan, after Reclassification Adjustment, after Tax		20		19
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax		155
Temporary Equity, Other Changes	[1]	(19)		0
Noncontrolling Interest Decrease Due To Disposition Of Businesses	[2]	0		0
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders		(261)		(261)
Capital Contributions From Noncontrolling Interests		17		17
Dividends, Common Stock		158		0
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Share-based Compensation, Net of Forfeitures		12		0
Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Sale of Parent Equity Interest		69		47
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Redemptions or Purchase of Interests		115		(85)
Temporary Equity, Net Income		9		9
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		6,179		2,993
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	[3]	31		0
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		4,845		2,380
Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		1,384		309
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax		(160)	$ (232)	72
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Derivatives Qualifying as Hedges, Net of Tax		99		35
Other Comprehensive (Income) Loss, Defined Benefit Plan, after Reclassification Adjustment, after Tax		5		0
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax		(56)
Temporary Equity, Other Changes	[1]	(4)		0
Noncontrolling Interest Decrease Due To Disposition Of Businesses	[2]	(250)		(250)
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders		(253)		(253)
Capital Contributions From Noncontrolling Interests		6		6
Dividends, Common Stock		172		0
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Share-based Compensation, Net of Forfeitures		18		0
Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Sale of Parent Equity Interest		20		21
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Redemptions or Purchase of Interests		0		0
Temporary Equity, Net Income		3		3
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		5,709		2,404
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	[3]	$ 168		$ 81
[1]	Adjustment to record the redeemable stock of Colon at fair value.
[2]	See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions
[3]	See Note 1 —Financial Statement Presentation, New Accounting Standards Adopted

Financial Statement Presentatio

Financial Statement Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
FINANCIAL STATEMENT PRESENTATION	FINANCIAL STATEMENT PRESENTATION The prior period condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Form 10-Q”) have been reclassified to reflect the businesses classified as discontinued operations as discussed in Note 16 —Discontinued Operations . Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to comply with newly adopted accounting standards. See further detail in the new accounting pronouncements discussion. 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. 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, and cash flows. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the year ending December 31, 2018 . The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the 2017 audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in the 2017 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2018 (the “ 2017 Form 10-K”). Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash — The following table provides a summary of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash amounts reported on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet that reconcile to the total of such amounts as shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,187 $ 949 Restricted cash 441 274 Debt service reserves and other deposits 494 565 Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash $ 2,122 $ 1,788 New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2018 — 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 2017-07, Compensation — Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost This standard changes the presentation of non-service costs associated with defined benefit plans and updates the guidance so that only the service cost component will be eligible for capitalization. Transition method: retrospective for presentation of non-service cost and prospective for the change in capitalization. January 1, 2018 For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, $2 million and $1 million of gains primarily related to the expected return on plan assets were reclassified from Costs of Sales to Other Expense, respectively. 2017-05, Other Income — Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Topic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets This standard clarifies the scope and application of ASC 610-20 on the sale, transfer, and derecognition of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers, including partial sales. It also provides guidance on how gains and losses on transfers of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers are recognized. The standard also clarifies that the derecognition of businesses is under the scope of ASC 810. The standard must be adopted concurrently with ASC 606, however an entity will not have to apply the same transition method as ASC 606. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2018 As more transactions will not meet the definition of a business due to the adoption of ASU 2017-01, more dispositions or partial sales will be out of the scope of ASC 810 and will be under this standard. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business The standard requires an entity to first evaluate whether substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, and if that threshold is met, the set is not a business. As a second step, at least one substantive process should exist to be considered a business. Transition method: prospective. January 1, 2018 Some acquisitions and dispositions will now fall under a different accounting model. This will reduce the number of transactions that are accounted for as business combinations and therefore future acquired goodwill. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) This standard requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. January 1, 2018 For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, cash provided by operating activities increased by $12 million, cash used in investing activities decreased by $327 million, and cash provided by financing activities was unchanged. 2016-01, Financial Instruments — Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities The standard significantly revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. It also amends certain disclosures of financial instruments. Transition method: modified retrospective. Prospective for equity investments without readily determinable fair value. January 1, 2018 No material impact upon adoption of the standard. 2014-09, 2015-14, 2016-08, 2016-10, 2016-12, 2016-20, 2017-10, 2017-13, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2018 See impact upon adoption of the standard below. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," and its subsequent corresponding updates ("ASC 606"). Under this standard, an entity shall recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company applied the modified retrospective method of adoption to the contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the previous revenue recognition standard. For contracts that were modified before January 1, 2018, the Company reflected the aggregate effect of all modifications when identifying the satisfied and unsatisfied performance obligations, determining the transaction price and allocating the transaction price. The cumulative effect to our January 1, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 was as follows (in millions): Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Balance at December 31, 2017 Adjustments Due to ASC 606 Balance at January 1, 2018 Assets Other current assets $ 630 $ 61 $ 691 Deferred income taxes 130 (24 ) 106 Service concession assets, net 1,360 (1,360 ) — Loan receivable — 1,490 1,490 Equity Accumulated deficit (2,276 ) 67 (2,209 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,876 ) 19 (1,857 ) Noncontrolling interest 2,380 81 2,461 The Mong Duong II power plant in Vietnam is the primary driver of changes in revenue recognition under the new standard. This plant is operated under a build, operate, and transfer contract and will be transferred to the Vietnamese government after the completion of a 25-year PPA. Under the previous revenue recognition standard, construction costs were deferred to a service concession asset, which was expensed in proportion to revenue recognized for the construction element over the term of the PPA. Under ASC 606, construction revenue and associated costs are recognized as construction activity occurs. As construction of the plant was substantially completed in 2015, revenues and costs associated with the construction were recognized through retained earnings, and the service concession asset was derecognized. A loan receivable was recognized for the future expected payments for the construction performance obligation. As the payments for the construction performance obligation occur over a 25-year term, a significant financing element was determined to exist which is accounted for under the effective interest rate method. The other performance obligation to operate and maintain the facility is measured based on the capacity made available. The impact to our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2018 resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 as compared to the previous revenue recognition standard was as follows (in millions): September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Assets Other current assets $ 706 $ 641 $ 65 Deferred income taxes 88 112 (24 ) Service concession assets, net — 1,287 (1,287 ) Loan receivable 1,441 — 1,441 TOTAL ASSETS 32,489 32,294 195 Equity Accumulated deficit (1,133 ) (1,231 ) 98 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,020 ) (2,038 ) 18 Noncontrolling interest 2,404 2,325 79 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 32,489 32,294 195 The impact to our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three and six months ended September 30, 2018 resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 as compared to the previous revenue recognition standard was as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Total revenue $ 2,837 $ 2,855 $ (18 ) Total cost of sales (2,166 ) (2,180 ) 14 Operating margin 671 675 (4 ) Interest income 79 64 15 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates 332 321 11 Income tax expense (146 ) (147 ) 1 INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 192 180 12 NET INCOME 191 179 12 NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION 101 89 12 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Total revenue $ 8,114 $ 8,168 $ (54 ) Total cost of sales (6,187 ) (6,227 ) 40 Operating margin 1,927 1,941 (14 ) Interest income 231 186 45 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates 1,672 1,641 31 Income tax expense (509 ) (509 ) — INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 1,194 1,163 31 NET INCOME 1,384 1,353 31 NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION 1,075 1,044 31 New Accounting Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Effective — The following table provides a brief description of recent accounting pronouncements that could have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements once adopted. Accounting pronouncements not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have no material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. New Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Effective ASU Number and Name Description Date of Adoption Effect on the financial statements upon adoption 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract This standard aligns the accounting for implementation costs incurred for a cloud computing arrangement that is a service with the requirement for capitalizing implementation costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Transition method: retrospective or prospective. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. 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. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests Part 1 of this standard changes the classification of certain equity-linked financial instruments when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. Transition method: retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-08, Receivables — Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities This standard shortens the period of amortization for the premium on certain callable debt securities to the earliest call date. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-04, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment This standard simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment by removing the requirement to calculate the implied fair value. Instead, it requires that an entity records an impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments The standard updates the impairment model for financial assets measured at amortized cost. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking "expected loss" model that generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowance for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses as it is done today, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance rather than a reduction in the amortized cost of the securities. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted only as of January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-02, 2018-01, 2018-10, 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt the standard on January 1, 2019; see below for the evaluation of the impact of its adoption on the consolidated financial statements. ASU 2016-02 and its subsequent corresponding updates will require lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for most leases, and recognize expenses in a manner similar to the current accounting method. For lessors, the guidance modifies the lease classification criteria and the accounting for sales-type and direct financing leases. The guidance also eliminates the current real estate-specific provisions. The standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements (January 1, 2017). The FASB amended the standard to add an optional transition method that allows entities to continue to apply the guidance in ASC 840 Leases in the comparative periods presented in the year they adopt the new lease standard. Under this transition method, the Company will apply the transition provisions on January 1, 2019. At transition, lessees and lessors are permitted to make an election to apply a package of practical expedients that allow them not to reassess: (1) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (2) lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and (3) whether initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases qualify for capitalization under ASC 842. These three practical expedients must be elected as a package and must be consistently applied to all leases. Furthermore, entities are also permitted to make an election to use hindsight when determining lease term and lessees can elect to use hindsight when assessing the impairment of right-of-use assets. The Company has established a task force focused on the identification of contracts that would be under the scope of the new standard and on the assessment and measurement of the right-of-use asset and related liability. Additionally, the implementation team has been working on the configuration of a lease accounting tool that will support the implementation and the subsequent accounting. The implementation of this tool is in the latest phase and it is expected to be completed by the effective date. The implementation team is also in the process of evaluating changes to our business processes, systems and controls to support recognition and disclosure under the new standard. The Company has preliminarily concluded that it will use the package of practical expedients at transition. The main impact expected as of the effective date is the recognition of right-of-use assets and related liabilities for all contracts that contain a lease and for which the Company is the lessee. However, the income statement presentation and the expense recognition pattern are not expected to change.

Inventory

Inventory	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
INVENTORY	INVENTORY The following table summarizes the Company’s inventory balances as of the periods indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Fuel and other raw materials $ 278 $ 284 Spare parts and supplies 284 278 Total $ 562 $ 562

Fair Value

Fair Value	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
FAIR VALUE	FAIR VALUE The fair value of current financial assets and liabilities, debt service reserves and other deposits approximate their reported carrying amounts. The estimated fair values of the Company’s assets and liabilities have been determined using available market information. By virtue of these amounts being estimates and based on hypothetical transactions to sell assets or transfer liabilities, the use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts. For further information on our valuation techniques and policies, see Note 4— Fair Value in Item 8.— Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of our 2017 Form 10-K. Recurring Measurements — The following table presents, by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of the dates indicated (in millions). For the Company’s investments in marketable debt securities, the security classes presented are determined based on the nature and risk of the security and are consistent with how the Company manages, monitors and measures its marketable securities: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets DEBT SECURITIES: Available-for-sale: Unsecured debentures $ — $ 60 $ — $ 60 $ — $ 207 $ — $ 207 Certificates of deposit — 270 — 270 — 153 — 153 Total debt securities — 330 — 330 — 360 — 360 EQUITY SECURITIES: Mutual funds 21 45 — 66 20 52 — 72 Other equity securities — 3 — 3 — — — — Total equity securities 21 48 — 69 20 52 — 72 DERIVATIVES: Interest rate derivatives — 65 5 70 — 15 — 15 Cross-currency derivatives — 26 — 26 — 29 — 29 Foreign currency derivatives — 22 221 243 — 29 240 269 Commodity derivatives — 9 8 17 — 30 5 35 Total derivatives — assets — 122 234 356 — 103 245 348 TOTAL ASSETS $ 21 $ 500 $ 234 $ 755 $ 20 $ 515 $ 245 $ 780 Liabilities DERIVATIVES: Interest rate derivatives $ — $ 60 $ 101 $ 161 $ — $ 111 $ 151 $ 262 Cross-currency derivatives — 2 — 2 — 3 — 3 Foreign currency derivatives — 54 — 54 — 30 — 30 Commodity derivatives — 4 — 4 — 19 1 20 Total derivatives — liabilities — 120 101 221 — 163 152 315 TOTAL LIABILITIES $ — $ 120 $ 101 $ 221 $ — $ 163 $ 152 $ 315 As of September 30, 2018 , all AFS debt securities had stated maturities within one year. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , no other-than-temporary impairments of marketable securities were recognized in earnings or Other Comprehensive Income . Gains and losses on the sale of investments are determined using the specific-identification method. The following table presents gross proceeds from the sale of AFS securities during the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Gross proceeds from sale of AFS securities (1) $ 713 $ 365 $ 1,127 $ 1,158 _____________________________ (1) Three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 include $119 million non-cash proceeds from non-convertible debentures at Guaimbê Solar Complex. See Note 18 —Acquisitions for further information. The following tables present a reconciliation of net derivative assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 (presented net by type of derivative in millions). Transfers between Level 3 and Level 2 are determined as of the end of the reporting period and principally result from changes in the significance of unobservable inputs used to calculate the credit valuation adjustment. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at July 1 $ (111 ) $ 219 $ 10 $ 118 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity 12 — — 12 Included in regulatory liabilities — — (2 ) (2 ) Settlements 3 2 — 5 Balance at September 30 $ (96 ) $ 221 $ 8 $ 133 Total gains for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ 1 $ 2 $ — $ 3 Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at July 1 $ (195 ) $ 239 $ 9 $ 53 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings (5 ) 12 — 7 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity (2 ) — — (2 ) Settlements 10 (9 ) (3 ) (2 ) Balance at September 30 $ (192 ) $ 242 $ 6 $ 56 Total gains (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ (1 ) $ 3 $ — $ 2 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at January 1 $ (151 ) $ 240 $ 4 $ 93 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings 28 (3 ) 1 26 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity 48 — — 48 Included in regulatory liabilities — — 6 6 Settlements 12 (16 ) (3 ) (7 ) Transfers of assets/(liabilities), net into Level 3 1 — — 1 Transfers of (assets)/liabilities, net out of Level 3 (34 ) — — (34 ) Balance at September 30 $ (96 ) $ 221 $ 8 $ 133 Total gains (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ 32 $ (19 ) $ 1 $ 14 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at January 1 $ (179 ) $ 255 $ 5 $ 81 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings (5 ) 12 (1 ) 6 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity (29 ) — — (29 ) Included in regulatory liabilities — — 10 10 Settlements 28 (25 ) (8 ) (5 ) Transfers of assets/(liabilities), net into Level 3 (7 ) — — (7 ) Balance at September 30 $ (192 ) $ 242 $ 6 $ 56 Total losses for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ — $ (12 ) $ — $ (12 ) The following table summarizes the significant unobservable inputs used for Level 3 derivative assets (liabilities) as of September 30, 2018 (in millions, except range amounts): Type of Derivative Fair Value Unobservable Input Amount or Range (Weighted Average) Interest rate $ (96 ) Subsidiaries’ credit spreads 1.78% to 4.38% (3.63%) Foreign currency: Argentine Peso 221 Argentine peso to USD currency exchange rate after one year 42.08 to 166.5 (99.21) Commodity: Other 8 Total $ 133 For interest rate derivatives and foreign currency derivatives, increases (decreases) in the estimates of the Company’s own credit spreads would decrease (increase) the value of the derivatives in a liability position. For foreign currency derivatives, increases (decreases) in the estimate of the above exchange rate would increase (decrease) the value of the derivative. Nonrecurring Measurements The Company measures fair value using the applicable fair value measurement guidance. Impairment expense is measured by comparing the fair value at the evaluation date to the then-latest available carrying amount. The following table summarizes our major categories of assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis and their level within the fair value hierarchy (in millions): Measurement Date Carrying Amount (1) Fair Value Pretax Loss Nine months ended September 30, 2018 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Equity Method Investments Elsta 09/30/2018 $ 21 $ — $ 16 $ — $ 5 Long-lived assets held and used: (2) U.S. generation facility 09/30/2018 185 — — 33 156 Measurement Date Carrying Amount (1) Fair Value Pretax Loss Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Long-lived assets held and used: (2) DPL 02/28/2017 $ 77 $ — $ — $ 11 $ 66 Other 02/28/2017 15 — — 7 8 Held-for-sale businesses: (3) Kazakhstan Hydroelectric 06/30/2017 190 — 92 — 92 Kazakhstan 03/31/2017 171 — 29 — 94 _____________________________ (1) Represents the carrying values at the dates of initial measurement, before fair value adjustment. (2) See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. (3) Per the Company’s policy, pretax loss is limited to the impairment of long-lived assets. Any additional loss will be recognized on completion of the sale. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further information. When determining the fair value of the U.S. generation facility’s long-lived assets, the Company used the market approach based on prices and unobservable inputs from transactions involving comparable assets as the inputs for the Level 3 nonrecurring measurement. Asset Retirement Obligation — During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company increased the asset retirement obligation at IPL by $53 million . This increase was due to ash pond closure costs and revised closure dates associated with an EPA rule regulating CCR and additional coal pile remediation costs. The Company uses the cost approach to determine the fair value of ARO liabilities, which is estimated by discounting expected cash outflows to their present value using market based rates at the initial recording of the liabilities. Cash outflows are based on the approximate future disposal costs as determined by market information, historical information or other management estimates. These inputs to the fair value of the ARO liabilities would be considered Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. Financial Instruments not Measured at Fair Value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets The following table presents (in millions) the carrying amount, fair value and fair value hierarchy of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are not measured at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , but for which fair value is disclosed: September 30, 2018 Carrying Amount Fair Value Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Accounts receivable — noncurrent (1) $ 105 $ 224 $ — $ — $ 224 Liabilities: Non-recourse debt 15,581 15,429 — 12,699 2,730 Recourse debt 3,820 3,901 — 3,901 — December 31, 2017 Carrying Amount Fair Value Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Accounts receivable — noncurrent (1) $ 163 $ 217 $ — $ 6 $ 211 Liabilities: Non-recourse debt 15,340 15,890 — 13,350 2,540 Recourse debt 4,630 4,920 — 4,920 — _____________________________ (1) These amounts primarily relate to amounts due from CAMMESA, the administrator of the wholesale electricity market in Argentina, and are included in Other noncurrent assets in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value and carrying amount of these receivables exclude VAT of $14 million and $31 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017

Derivative Instruments and Hedg

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES	DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES For further information on the derivative and hedging accounting policies see Note 1— General and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Derivatives and Hedging Activities of Item 8.— Financial Statements and Supplementary Data in the 2017 Form 10-K. Volume of Activity — The following table presents the Company’s maximum notional (in millions) over the remaining contractual period by type of derivative as of September 30, 2018 , regardless of whether they are in qualifying cash flow hedging relationships, and the dates through which the maturities for each type of derivative range: Derivatives Maximum Notional Translated to USD Latest Maturity Interest rate (LIBOR and EURIBOR) $ 4,499 2042 Cross-currency swaps (Chilean Unidad de Fomento and Chilean peso) 376 2029 Foreign Currency: Argentine peso 73 2026 Chilean peso 334 2021 Colombian peso 163 2020 Brazilian real 80 2019 Others, primarily with weighted average remaining maturities of a year or less 246 2021 Accounting and Reporting — Assets and Liabilities — The following tables present the fair value of assets and liabilities related to the Company’s derivative instruments as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 (in millions): Fair Value September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Assets Designated Not Designated Total Designated Not Designated Total Interest rate derivatives $ 68 $ 2 $ 70 $ 15 $ — $ 15 Cross-currency derivatives 26 — 26 29 — 29 Foreign currency derivatives — 243 243 8 261 269 Commodity derivatives — 17 17 5 30 35 Total assets $ 94 $ 262 $ 356 $ 57 $ 291 $ 348 Liabilities Interest rate derivatives $ 159 $ 2 $ 161 $ 125 $ 137 $ 262 Cross-currency derivatives 2 — 2 3 — 3 Foreign currency derivatives 29 25 54 1 29 30 Commodity derivatives — 4 4 9 11 20 Total liabilities $ 190 $ 31 $ 221 $ 138 $ 177 $ 315 September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Fair Value Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities Current $ 74 $ 69 $ 84 $ 211 Noncurrent 282 152 264 104 Total $ 356 $ 221 $ 348 $ 315 As of September 30, 2018 , all derivative instruments subject to credit risk-related contingent features were in an asset position. Credit Risk-Related Contingent Features (1) December 31, 2017 Present value of liabilities subject to collateralization $ 15 Cash collateral held by third parties or in escrow 9 _____________________________ (1) Based on the credit rating of certain subsidiaries Earnings and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) — The next table presents (in millions) the pre-tax gains (losses) recognized in AOCL and earnings related to all derivative instruments for the periods indicated: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Effective portion of cash flow hedges Gains (losses) recognized in AOCL Interest rate derivatives $ 26 $ (6 ) $ 81 $ (79 ) Cross-currency derivatives 3 12 (2 ) 14 Foreign currency derivatives (11 ) (4 ) (44 ) (15 ) Commodity derivatives — 9 — 23 Total $ 18 $ 11 $ 35 $ (57 ) Gains (losses) reclassified from AOCL into earnings Interest rate derivatives $ (12 ) $ (19 ) $ (42 ) $ (63 ) Cross-currency derivatives (8 ) 14 (26 ) 18 Foreign currency derivatives (8 ) (1 ) (9 ) (24 ) Commodity derivatives — 10 (5 ) 13 Total $ (28 ) $ 4 $ (82 ) $ (56 ) Loss reclassified from AOCL to earnings due to discontinuance of hedge accounting (1) $ — $ — $ — $ (16 ) Gains (losses) recognized in earnings related to Ineffective portion of cash flow hedges $ — $ 4 $ (3 ) $ 4 Not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency derivatives (10 ) 5 144 (13 ) Commodity derivatives and other 2 1 33 7 Total $ (8 ) $ 6 $ 177 $ (6 ) _____________________________ (1) Cash flow hedge was discontinued because it was probable the forecasted transaction will not occur. AOCL is expected to decrease pre-tax income from continuing operations for the twelve months ended September 30, 2019 by $66 million

Financing Receivables

Financing Receivables	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Receivables [Abstract]
FINANCING RECEIVABLES	FINANCING RECEIVABLES Receivables with contractual maturities of greater than one year are considered financing receivables. The Company’s financing receivables are primarily related to amended agreements or government resolutions that are due from CAMMESA, the administrator of the wholesale electricity market in Argentina. The following table presents financing receivables by country as of the dates indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Argentina $ 83 $ 177 Panama 27 — Other 9 17 Total $ 119 $ 194 Argentina —

Investment In and Advances To A

Investment In and Advances To Affiliates	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Abstract]
INVESTMENTS IN AND ADVANCES TO AFFILIATES	INVESTMENTS IN AND ADVANCES TO AFFILIATES Summarized Financial Information — The following table summarizes financial information of the Company’s 50%-or-less-owned affiliates that are accounted for using the equity method (in millions): Nine Months Ended September 30, 50%-or-less-Owned Affiliates 2018 2017 Revenue $ 734 $ 532 Operating margin 119 91 Net income 36 44 Simple Energy — In April 2018, the Company invested $35 million in Simple Energy, a provider of utility-branded marketplaces and omni-channel instant rebates. As the Company does not control Simple Energy, the investment is accounted for as an equity method investment and is reported as part of Corporate and Other. Fluence — On January 1, 2018, Siemens and AES closed on the creation of the Fluence joint venture with each party holding a 50% ownership interest. The Company contributed $7 million in cash and $20 million in non-cash assets from the AES Advancion energy storage development business as consideration for the transaction, and received an equity interest in Fluence with a fair value of $50 million . See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further discussion. Fluence is a global energy storage technology and services company. As the Company does not control Fluence, the investment is accounted for as an equity method investment. The Fluence equity method investment is reported as part of Corporate and Other. sPower — In February 2017, the Company and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (“AIMCo”) entered into an agreement to acquire FTP Power LLC (“sPower”). In July 2017, AES closed on the acquisition of its 48% ownership interest in sPower for $461 million . In November 2017, AES acquired an additional 2% ownership interest in sPower for $19 million

Debt

Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
DEBT	DEBT Recourse Debt In March 2018, the Company repurchased via tender offers $671 million aggregate principal of its existing 5.50% senior unsecured notes due in 2024 and $29 million of its existing 5.50% senior unsecured notes due in 2025 . As a result of these transactions, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $44 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . In March 2018, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal of 4.00% senior notes due in 2021 and $500 million of 4.50% senior notes due in 2023 . The Company used the proceeds from these issuances to repurchase via tender offer in full the $228 million balance of its 8.00% senior notes due in 2020 and the $690 million million balance of its 7.375% senior notes due in 2021 . As a result of these transactions, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $125 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . In August 2017, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.125% senior notes due in 2027 . The Company used these proceeds to redeem at par $240 million aggregate principal of its existing LIBOR + 3.00% senior unsecured notes due in 2019 and repurchased $217 million of its existing 8.00% senior unsecured notes due in 2020 . As a result of the latter transactions, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $36 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 . In May 2017, the Company closed on $525 million aggregate principal LIBOR + 2.00% secured term loan due in 2022 . In June 2017, the Company used these proceeds to redeem at par all $517 million aggregate principal of its existing Term Convertible Securities. As a result of the latter transaction, the Company recognized a net loss on extinguishment of debt of $6 million for the three and six months ended September 30, 2017 . In March 2017, the Company repurchased via tender offers $276 million aggregate principal of its existing 7.375% senior unsecured notes due in 2021 and $24 million of its existing 8.00% senior unsecured notes due in 2020 . As a result of these transactions, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $47 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 . Non-Recourse Debt During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company’s subsidiaries had the following significant debt transactions: Subsidiary Transaction Period Issuances Repayments Loss on Extinguishment of Debt Southland Q1, Q2, Q3 $ 587 $ — $ — Tietê Q1 385 (231 ) — Alto Maipo Q2 104 — — DPL Q2 — (106 ) (6 ) Gener Q3 — (104 ) (7 ) Angamos Q3 — (98 ) — AES Argentina — In February 2017, AES Argentina issued $300 million aggregate principal of unsecured and unsubordinated notes due in 2024 . The net proceeds from this issuance were used for the prepayment of $75 million of non-recourse debt related to the construction of the San Nicolas Plant resulting in a gain on extinguishment of debt of approximately $65 million . Non-Recourse Debt in Default — The current portion of non-recourse debt includes the following subsidiary debt in default as of September 30, 2018 (in millions). Subsidiary Primary Nature of Default Debt in Default Net Assets AES Puerto Rico Covenant $ 322 $ 135 AES Ilumina (Puerto Rico) Covenant 35 17 $ 357 The above defaults are not payment defaults. All of the subsidiary non-recourse debt defaults were triggered by failure to comply with covenants and/or other conditions such as (but not limited to) failure to meet information covenants, complete construction or other milestones in an allocated time, meet certain minimum or maximum financial ratios, or other requirements contained in the non-recourse debt documents of the applicable subsidiary. The AES Corporation’s recourse debt agreements include cross-default clauses that will trigger if a subsidiary or group of subsidiaries for which the non-recourse debt is in default provides more than 20% or more of the Parent Company’s total cash distributions from businesses for the four most recently completed fiscal quarters. As of September 30, 2018 , the Company had no

Contingencies and Commitments

Contingencies and Commitments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Guarantees, Letters of Credit and Commitments — In connection with certain project financings, acquisitions and dispositions, power purchases and other agreements, the Parent Company has expressly undertaken limited obligations and commitments, most of which will only be effective or will be terminated upon the occurrence of future events. In the normal course of business, the Parent Company has entered into various agreements, mainly guarantees and letters of credit, to provide financial or performance assurance to third parties on behalf of AES businesses. These agreements are entered into primarily to support or enhance the creditworthiness otherwise achieved by a business on a stand-alone basis, thereby facilitating the availability of sufficient credit to accomplish their intended business purposes. Most of the contingent obligations relate to future performance commitments which the Company or its businesses expect to fulfill within the normal course of business. The expiration dates of these guarantees vary from less than one year to more than 18 years . The following table summarizes the Parent Company’s contingent contractual obligations as of September 30, 2018 . Amounts presented in the following table represent the Parent Company’s current undiscounted exposure to guarantees and the range of maximum undiscounted potential exposure. The maximum exposure is not reduced by the amounts, if any, that could be recovered under the recourse or collateralization provisions in the guarantees. Contingent Contractual Obligations Amount (in millions) Number of Agreements Maximum Exposure Range for Individual Agreements (in millions) Guarantees and commitments $ 435 21 <$1 — 68 Letters of credit under the unsecured credit facility 348 6 $2 — 247 Letters of credit under the senior secured credit facility 43 25 <$1 — 14 Asset sale related indemnities (1) 27 1 $27 Total $ 853 53 _____________________________ (1) Excludes normal and customary representations and warranties in agreements for the sale of assets (including ownership in associated legal entities) where the associated risk is considered to be nominal. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company paid letter of credit fees ranging from 1% to 3% per annum on the outstanding amounts of letters of credit. Contingencies Environmental — The Company periodically reviews its obligations as they relate to compliance with environmental laws, including site restoration and remediation. For each period ended September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , the Company had recognized liabilities of $5 million for projected environmental remediation costs. Due to the uncertainties associated with environmental assessment and remediation activities, future costs of compliance or remediation could be higher or lower than the amount currently accrued. Moreover, where no liability has been recognized, it is reasonably possible that the Company may be required to incur remediation costs or make expenditures in amounts that could be material but could not be estimated as of September 30, 2018 . In aggregate, the Company estimates the range of potential losses, where estimable, related to environmental matters to be up to $16 million . The amounts considered reasonably possible do not include amounts accrued as discussed above. 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. The Company has recognized aggregate liabilities for all claims of approximately $48 million and $50 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively. These amounts are reported on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets within Accrued and other liabilities and Other noncurrent liabilities . A significant portion of these accrued liabilities relate to regulatory matters and commercial disputes in international jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that these accrued liabilities will be adequate to cover all existing and future claims or that we will have the liquidity to pay such claims as they arise. Where no accrued liability has been recognized, it is reasonably possible that some matters could be decided unfavorably to the Company and could require the Company to pay damages or make expenditures in amounts that could be material but could not be estimated as of September 30, 2018 . The material contingencies where a loss is reasonably possible primarily include disputes with offtakers, suppliers and EPC contractors; alleged violation of laws and regulations; income tax and non-income tax matters with tax authorities; and regulatory matters. In aggregate, the Company estimates the range of potential losses, where estimable, related to these reasonably possible material contingencies to be between $99 million and $127 million

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidiari

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidiaries (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Redeemable Stock of Subsidiaries [Abstract]
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Table Text Block]	REDEEMABLE STOCK OF SUBSIDIARIES The following table summarizes the Company’s redeemable stock of subsidiaries balances as of the periods indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 IPALCO common stock $ 618 $ 618 Colon quotas (1) 201 159 IPL preferred stock 60 60 Total redeemable stock of subsidiaries $ 879 $ 837 _____________________________ (1) Characteristics of quotas are similar to common stock. Colon — Our partner in Colon made capital contributions of $34 million and $30 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2018

Equity

Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
EQUITY	EQUITY Changes in Equity — The following table is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending equity attributable to stockholders of The AES Corporation, NCI and total equity as of the periods indicated (in millions): Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 The Parent Company Stockholders’ Equity NCI Total Equity The Parent Company Stockholders’ Equity NCI Total Equity Balance at the beginning of the period $ 2,465 $ 2,380 $ 4,845 $ 2,794 $ 2,906 $ 5,700 Net income 1,075 309 1,384 181 328 509 Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax (232 ) 72 (160 ) 117 10 127 Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax 64 35 99 5 3 8 Total pension adjustments, net of income tax 5 — 5 1 19 20 Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle (1) 87 81 168 31 — 31 Fair value adjustment (2) (4 ) — (4 ) (19 ) — (19 ) Disposition of businesses (3) — (250 ) (250 ) — — — Distributions to noncontrolling interests — (253 ) (253 ) — (261 ) (261 ) Contributions from noncontrolling interests — 6 6 — 17 17 Dividends declared on common stock (172 ) — (172 ) (158 ) — (158 ) Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation 18 — 18 12 — 12 Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests (1 ) 21 20 22 47 69 Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests — — — 200 (85 ) 115 Less: Net loss attributable to redeemable stock of subsidiaries — 3 3 — 9 9 Balance at the end of the period $ 3,305 $ 2,404 $ 5,709 $ 3,186 $ 2,993 $ 6,179 _____________________________ (1) See Note 1 —Financial Statement Presentation, New Accounting Standards Adopted for further information. (2) Adjustment to record the redeemable stock of Colon at fair value. (3) See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further information. Equity Transactions with Noncontrolling Interests Dominican Republic — On September 28, 2017, Linda Group, an investor-based group in the Dominican Republic acquired an additional 5% of our Dominican Republic business for $60 million , pre-tax. This transaction resulted in a net increase of $25 million to the Company’s additional paid-in capital and noncontrolling interest, respectively. No gain or loss was recognized in net income as the sale was not considered a sale of in-substance real estate. As the Company maintained control after the sale, our businesses in the Dominican Republic continue to be consolidated by the Company within the MCAC SBU reportable segment. Alto Maipo — On March 17, 2017, AES Gener completed the legal and financial restructuring of Alto Maipo. As part of this restructuring, AES indirectly acquired the 40% ownership interest of the noncontrolling shareholder, for a de minimis payment, and sold a 6.7% interest in the project to the construction contractor. This transaction resulted in a $196 million increase to the Parent Company’s Stockholders’ Equity due to an increase in additional-paid-in capital of $229 million , offset by the reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive losses from NCI to the Parent Company Stockholders’ Equity of $33 million . No gain or loss was recognized in net income as the sale was not considered to be a sale of in-substance real estate. After completion of the sale, the Company has an effective 62% economic interest in Alto Maipo. As the Company maintained control of the partnership after the sale, Alto Maipo continues to be consolidated by the Company within the South America SBU reportable segment. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss — The following table summarizes the changes in AOCL by component, net of tax and NCI, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 (in millions): Foreign currency translation adjustment, net Unrealized derivative gains (losses), net Unfunded pension obligations, net Total Balance at the beginning of the period $ (1,486 ) $ (333 ) $ (57 ) $ (1,876 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (231 ) 9 — (222 ) Amount reclassified to earnings (1 ) 55 5 59 Other comprehensive income (loss) (232 ) 64 5 (163 ) Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle — 19 — 19 Balance at the end of the period $ (1,718 ) $ (250 ) $ (52 ) $ (2,020 ) Reclassifications out of AOCL are presented in the following table. Amounts for the periods indicated are in millions and those in parentheses indicate debits to the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations: AOCL Components Affected Line Item in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Foreign currency translation adjustment, net Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses $ 3 $ — $ 19 $ (98 ) Net gain from disposal of discontinued businesses — — (18 ) $ — Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ 3 $ — $ 1 $ (98 ) Unrealized derivative gains (losses), net Non-regulated revenue $ (1 ) $ 12 $ (6 ) $ 22 Non-regulated cost of sales (1 ) (2 ) $ (3 ) (11 ) Interest expense (11 ) (20 ) $ (38 ) (63 ) Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) (15 ) 14 $ (35 ) (4 ) Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates (28 ) 4 (82 ) (56 ) Income tax expense 7 (5 ) 15 6 Income from continuing operations (21 ) (1 ) (67 ) (50 ) Less: Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable stock of subsidiaries 1 1 12 10 Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ (20 ) $ — $ (55 ) $ (40 ) Amortization of defined benefit pension actuarial loss, net General and administrative expenses $ (1 ) $ — $ (2 ) $ 1 Other expense — (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates (1 ) (1 ) (3 ) — Income from continuing operations (1 ) (1 ) (3 ) — Net income (loss) from operations of discontinued businesses — (6 ) — (20 ) Net gain from disposal of discontinued operations — — (2 ) — Net income (1 ) (7 ) (5 ) (20 ) Less: Loss (income) from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interest — 6 — 16 Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ (1 ) $ (1 ) $ (5 ) $ (4 ) Total reclassifications for the period, net of income tax and noncontrolling interests $ (18 ) $ (1 ) $ (59 ) $ (142 ) Common Stock Dividends — The Parent Company paid dividends of $0.13 per outstanding share to its common stockholders during the first , second and third quarters of 2018 for dividends declared in December 2017 , February and July 2018, respectively. On October 5, 2018, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.13

Segments

Segments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
SEGMENTS	SEGMENTS 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. During the first quarter of 2018, the Andes and Brazil SBUs were merged in order to leverage scale and are now reported together as part of the South America SBU. Further, Puerto Rico and El Salvador businesses, formerly part of the MCAC SBU, were combined with the US SBU, which is now reported as the US and Utilities SBU. 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. All prior period results have been retrospectively revised to reflect the new segment reporting structure. 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. The following tables present financial information by segment for the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Revenue 2018 2017 2018 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 1,230 $ 1,086 $ 3,252 $ 3,179 South America SBU 923 834 2,664 2,377 MCAC SBU 462 397 1,276 1,120 Eurasia SBU 224 380 935 1,204 Corporate and Other 7 9 21 29 Eliminations (9 ) (13 ) (34 ) (22 ) Total Revenue $ 2,837 $ 2,693 $ 8,114 $ 7,887 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Adjusted PTC 2018 2017 2018 2017 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates $ 332 $ 304 $ 1,672 $ 687 Add: Net equity in earnings of affiliates 6 24 31 33 Less: Income from continuing operations before taxes, attributable to noncontrolling interests (116 ) (112 ) (409 ) (405 ) Pre-tax contribution 222 216 1,294 315 Unrealized derivative and equity securities losses (gains) 16 (8 ) 4 (7 ) Unrealized foreign currency losses (gains) (7 ) (21 ) 42 (54 ) Disposition/acquisition losses (gains) 17 1 (822 ) 109 Impairment expense 80 2 172 264 Losses (gains) on extinguishment of debt (1 ) 48 177 43 Restructuring costs — — 3 — Total Adjusted PTC $ 327 $ 238 $ 870 $ 670 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Adjusted PTC 2018 2017 2018 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 167 $ 138 $ 363 $ 288 South America SBU 128 67 381 289 MCAC SBU 81 91 215 209 Eurasia SBU 37 61 175 218 Corporate, Other and Eliminations (86 ) (119 ) (264 ) (334 ) Total Adjusted PTC $ 327 $ 238 $ 870 $ 670 Total Assets September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 11,971 $ 11,297 South America SBU 11,049 10,874 MCAC SBU 4,477 4,087 Eurasia SBU 4,588 4,557 Assets held-for-sale 111 2,034 Corporate and Other 293 263 Total Assets $ 32,489 $ 33,112

Revenue (Notes)

Revenue (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]	REVENUE Revenue is earned from the sale of electricity from our utilities and the production and sale of electricity and capacity from our generation facilities. Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Revenue is recorded net of any taxes assessed on and collected from customers, which are remitted to the governmental authorities. Utilities — Our utilities sell electricity directly to end-users, such as homes and businesses, and bill customers directly. The majority of our utility contracts have a single performance obligation, as the promises to transfer energy, capacity, and other distribution and/or transmission services are not distinct. Additionally, as the performance obligation is satisfied over time as energy is delivered, and the same method is used to measure progress, the performance obligation meets the criteria to be considered a series. Utility revenue is classified as regulated on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. In exchange for the right to sell or distribute electricity in a service territory, our utility businesses are subject to government regulation. This regulation sets the framework for the prices (“tariffs”) that our utilities are allowed to charge customers for electricity. Since tariffs are determined by the regulator, the price that our utilities have the right to bill corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the utility's performance completed in each period. The Company also has some month-to-month contracts. Revenue under these contracts is recognized using an output method measured by the MWh delivered each month, which best depicts the transfer of goods or services to the customer, at the approved tariff. The Company has businesses where it sells and purchases power to and from ISOs and RTOs. Our utility businesses generally purchase power to satisfy the demand of customers that is not contracted through separate PPAs. In these instances, the Company accounts for these transactions on a net hourly basis because the transactions are settled on a net hourly basis. In limited situations, a utility customer may choose to receive generation services from a third-party provider, in which case the Company may serve as a billing agent for the provider and recognize revenue on a net basis. Generation — Most of our generation fleet sells electricity under contracts to customers such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries. Our generation contracts, based on specific facts and circumstances, can have one or more performance obligations as the promise to transfer energy, capacity, and other services may or may not be distinct depending on the nature of the market and terms of the contract. Similar to our utilities businesses, as the performance obligations are generally satisfied over time and use the same method to measure progress, the performance obligations meet the criteria to be considered a series. In measuring progress toward satisfaction of a performance obligation, the Company applies the "right to invoice" practical expedient when available, and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to consideration from a customer that corresponds directly with the value of the performance completed to date. Revenue from generation businesses is classified as non-regulated on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. For contracts determined to have multiple performance obligations, we allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price using a market or expected cost plus margin approach. Additionally, the Company allocates variable consideration to one or more, but not all, distinct goods or services that form part of a single performance obligation when (1) the variable consideration relates specifically to the efforts to transfer the distinct good or service and (2) the variable consideration depicts the amount to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring the promised good or service to the customer. Revenue from generation contracts is recognized using an output method, as energy and capacity delivered best depicts the transfer of goods or services to the customer. Performance obligations including energy or ancillary services (such as operations and maintenance and dispatch services) are generally measured by the MWh delivered. Capacity, which is a stand-ready obligation to deliver energy when required by the customer, is measured using MWs. In certain contracts, if plant availability exceeds a contractual target, the Company may receive a performance bonus payment, or if the plant availability falls below a guaranteed minimum target, we may incur a non-availability penalty. Such bonuses or penalties represent a form of variable consideration and are estimated and recognized when it is probable that there will not be a significant reversal. In assessing whether variable quantities are considered variable consideration or an option to acquire additional goods and services, the Company evaluates the nature of the promise and the legally enforceable rights in the contract. In some contracts, such as requirement contracts, the legally enforceable rights merely give the customer a right to purchase additional goods and services which are distinct. In these contracts, the customer's action results in a new obligation, and the variable quantities are considered an option. When energy or capacity is sold or purchased in the spot market or to ISOs, the Company assesses the facts and circumstances to determine gross versus net presentation of spot revenues and purchases. Generally, the nature of the performance obligation is to sell surplus energy or capacity above contractual commitments, or to purchase energy or capacity to satisfy deficits. Generally, on an hourly basis, a generator is either a net seller or a net buyer in terms of the amount of energy or capacity transacted with the ISO. In these situations, the Company recognizes revenue for the hours where the generator is a net seller and cost of sales for the hours where the generator is a net buyer. Certain generation contracts contain operating leases where capacity payments are generally considered the lease elements. In such cases, the allocation between the lease and non-lease elements is made at the inception of the lease following the guidance in ASC 840. Minimum lease payments from such contracts are recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the lease term whereas contingent rentals are recognized when earned. Lease revenue is presented separately from revenue from contracts with customers below. The following table presents our revenue from contracts with customers and other revenue for the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 US and Utilities SBU South America SBU MCAC SBU Eurasia SBU Corporate and Other/ Eliminations Total Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 759 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 759 Other regulated revenue 18 — — — — 18 Total regulated revenue $ 777 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 777 Non-Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 386 $ 922 $ 440 $ 152 $ (2 ) $ 1,898 Other non-regulated revenue (1) 67 1 22 72 — 162 Total non-regulated revenue $ 453 $ 923 $ 462 $ 224 $ (2 ) $ 2,060 Total revenue $ 1,230 $ 923 $ 462 $ 224 $ (2 ) $ 2,837 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 US and Utilities SBU South America SBU MCAC SBU Eurasia SBU Corporate and Other/ Eliminations Total Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,176 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 2,176 Other regulated revenue 39 — — — — 39 Total regulated revenue $ 2,215 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 2,215 Non-Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 774 $ 2,661 $ 1,211 $ 701 $ (11 ) $ 5,336 Other non-regulated revenue (1) 263 3 65 234 (2 ) 563 Total non-regulated revenue $ 1,037 $ 2,664 $ 1,276 $ 935 $ (13 ) $ 5,899 Total revenue $ 3,252 $ 2,664 $ 1,276 $ 935 $ (13 ) $ 8,114 _____________________________ (1) Other non-regulated revenue primarily includes lease and derivative revenue not accounted for under ASC 606. Contract Balances — The timing of revenue recognition, billings, and cash collections results in accounts receivable and contract liabilities. Accounts receivable represent unconditional rights to consideration and consist of both billed amounts and unbilled amounts typically resulting from sales under long-term contracts when revenue recognized exceeds the amount billed to the customer. We bill both generation and utilities customers on a contractually agreed-upon schedule, typically at periodic intervals (e.g., monthly). The calculation of revenue earned but not yet billed is based on the number of days not billed in the month, the estimated amount of energy delivered during those days and the estimated average price per customer class for that month. Our contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue which is classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to recognize revenue. The current portion of our contract liabilities is reported in Accrued and other liabilities and the noncurrent portion is reported in Other noncurrent liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The contract liabilities from contracts with customers were $116 million and $131 million as of September 30, 2018 and January 1, 2018, respectively. Of the $131 million of contract liabilities reported at January 1, 2018, $33 million was recognized as revenue during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . A significant financing arrangement exists for our Mong Duong plant in Vietnam. The plant was constructed under a build, operate, and transfer contract and will be transferred to the Vietnamese government after the completion of a 25 year PPA. The performance obligation to construct the facility was substantially completed in 2015. Approximately $1.4 billion of contract consideration related to the construction, but not yet collected through the 25 year PPA, was reflected as a loan receivable as of September 30, 2018 . Remaining Performance Obligations — The transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations represents future consideration for unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) performance obligations at the end of the reporting period. As of September 30, 2018 , the aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was $16 million

Other Income and Expense

Other Income and Expense	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other Income and Other Expense Disclosure [Text Block]	OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSE Other income generally includes gains on asset sales and liability extinguishments, favorable judgments on contingencies, gains on contract terminations, allowance for funds used during construction and other income from miscellaneous transactions. Other expense generally includes losses on asset sales and dispositions, losses on legal contingencies, defined benefit plan non-service costs, and losses from other miscellaneous transactions. The components are summarized as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Other Income Legal settlements (1) $ — $ — $ — $ 60 Allowance for funds used during construction (US Utilities) 1 7 8 20 Other 9 9 22 23 Total other income $ 10 $ 16 $ 30 $ 103 Other Expense Loss on sale and disposal of assets (2) $ 20 $ 5 $ 25 $ 26 Water rights write-off — 15 — 18 Allowance for other receivables — 15 — 15 Other 9 1 17 8 Total other expense $ 29 $ 36 $ 42 $ 67 _____________________________ (1) In December 2016, the Company and YPF entered into a settlement agreement in which all parties agreed to give up any and all legal action related to gas supply contracts that were terminated in 2008 and have been in dispute since 2009. In January 2017, the YPF board approved the agreement and paid the Company $60 million , thereby resolving all uncertainties around the dispute. (2) In September 2018, the Company recorded a $20 million

Asset Impairment Expense

Asset Impairment Expense	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Impairment or Disposal of Tangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
ASSET IMPAIRMENT EXPENSE	ASSET IMPAIRMENT EXPENSE The following table presents our asset impairment expense by asset group for the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 U.S. generation facility $ 73 $ — $ 156 $ — Kazakhstan hydroelectric — 2 — 92 Kazakhstan CHPs — — — 94 DPL — — — 66 Other 1 — 10 8 Total $ 74 $ 2 $ 166 $ 260 U.S. generation facility — In June 2018, the Company tested the recoverability of its long-lived assets at a generation facility in the U.S. due to an unfavorable economic outlook resulting in uncertainty around future cash flows. The Company determined that the carrying amount of the asset group, including long-lived assets, was not recoverable. The asset group was determined to have a fair value of $127 million as of June 30, 2018 using a combination of the income and market approaches. As a result, the Company recognized an asset impairment expense of $83 million . The generation facility is reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. In the third quarter of 2018, as a result of updated assumptions regarding the future use of the assets, management’s expectations of future cash flows for the facility decreased. Given updated inputs, the asset group was determined to have a fair value of $55 million as of September 30, 2018 and additional impairment expense of $73 million was recognized. Given the uncertainty regarding the future use of the asset group, the Company will continue to monitor the economic outlook for the facility on an ongoing basis. DPL — In March 2017, the Board of Directors of DPL approved the retirement of the DPL operated and co-owned Stuart coal-fired and diesel-fired generating units, and the Killen coal-fired generating unit and combustion turbine on or before June 1, 2018. The Company performed an impairment analysis and determined that the carrying amounts of the facilities were not recoverable. The Stuart and Killen asset groups were determined to have fair values of $3 million and $8 million , respectively, using the income approach. As a result, the Company recognized total asset impairment expense of $66 million . The Stuart and Killen units were retired in May 2018. Prior to their retirement, Stuart and Killen were reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further information. Kazakhstan hydroelectric — In April 2017, the Government of Kazakhstan stated the concession agreements would not be extended for Shulbinsk HPP and Ust-Kamenogorsk HPP, two hydroelectric plants in Kazakhstan, and initiated the process to transfer these plants back to the government. The Company performed an impairment analysis and determined that the carrying value of the asset group of $190 million , which included cumulative translation losses of $100 million , was greater than its fair value less costs to sell of $92 million . As a result, the Company recognized asset impairment expense of $92 million limited to the carrying value of the long-lived assets. The Company completed the transfer of the plants in October 2017. Prior to their transfer, the Kazakhstan hydroelectric plants were reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. Kazakhstan CHPs — In January 2017, the Company entered into an agreement for the sale of Ust-Kamenogorsk CHP and Sogrinsk CHP, its combined heating and power coal plants in Kazakhstan. Upon meeting the held-for-sale criteria in the first quarter of 2017, the Company performed an impairment analysis and determined that the carrying value of the asset group of $171 million , which included cumulative translation losses of $92 million , was greater than its fair value less costs to sell of $29 million . As a result, the Company recognized asset impairment expense of $94 million limited to the carrying value of the long-lived assets. The Company completed the sale of its interest in the Kazakhstan CHP plants in April 2017. Prior to their sale, the plants were reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions

Dispositions (Notes)

Dispositions (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
DISPOSITIONS AND HELD-FOR-SALE BUSINESSES	DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS Due to a portfolio evaluation in the first half of 2016, management decided to pursue a strategic shift of its distribution companies in Brazil, Sul and Eletropaulo, to reduce the Company's exposure to the Brazilian distribution market. The disposals of Sul and Eletropaulo were completed in October 2016 and June 2018, respectively. In November 2017, Eletropaulo converted its preferred shares into ordinary shares and transitioned the listing of those shares to the Novo Mercado, which is a listing segment of the Brazilian stock exchange with the highest standards of corporate governance. Upon conversion of the preferred shares into ordinary shares, AES no longer controlled Eletropaulo, but maintained significant influence over the business. As a result, the Company deconsolidated Eletropaulo. After deconsolidation, the Company's 17% ownership interest was reflected as an equity method investment. The Company recorded an after-tax loss on deconsolidation of $611 million , which primarily consisted of $455 million related to cumulative translation losses and $243 million related to pension losses reclassified from AOCL. In December 2017, all the remaining criteria were met for Eletropaulo to qualify as a discontinued operation. Therefore, its results of operations and financial position were reported as such in the consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. In June 2018, the Company completed the sale of its entire 17% ownership interest in Eletropaulo through a bidding process hosted by the Brazilian securities regulator, CVM. Gross proceeds of $340 million were received at our subsidiary in Brazil, subject to the payment of taxes. Upon disposal of Eletropaulo, the Company recorded a pre-tax gain on sale of $243 million (after-tax $199 million ). Prior to its classification as discontinued operations, Eletropaulo was reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. The following table summarizes the carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities of discontinued operations at December 31, 2017 (in millions): December 31, 2017 Assets of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses: Investments in and advances to affiliates (1) $ 86 Total assets of discontinued operations $ 86 Other assets of businesses classified as held-for-sale (2) 1,948 Total assets of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses $ 2,034 Liabilities of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses: Other liabilities of businesses classified as held-for-sale (2) 1,033 Total liabilities of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses $ 1,033 _____________________________ (1) Represents the Company's 17% ownership interest in Eletropaulo. (2) Electrica Santiago, the DPL Peaker Assets and Masinloc were classified as held-for-sale as of December 31, 2017 . See Note 17 — Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further information. Excluding the gain on sale, income from discontinued operations and cash flows from operating and investing activities of discontinued operations were immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The following table summarizes the major line items constituting income from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Income from discontinued operations, net of tax: Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Revenue — regulated $ 945 $ 2,726 Cost of sales (876 ) (2,573 ) Other income and expense items that are not major (26 ) (94 ) Income from discontinued operations $ 43 $ 59 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (21 ) (30 ) Income from discontinued operations attributable to The AES Corporation $ 22 $ 29 Income tax expense (17 ) (24 ) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax $ 5 $ 5 The following table summarizes the operating and investing cash flows from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Cash flows provided by operating activities of discontinued operations $ 129 $ 254 Cash flows used in investing activities of discontinued operations (61 ) (181 ) Held-for-Sale Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande — In June 2018, AES Gener entered into an agreement to sell the transmission lines held by Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande (“CTNG”) for $220 million , subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. As of September 30, 2018 , CTNG was classified as held-for-sale, but did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. CTNG’s carrying value at September 30, 2018 was $99 million . CTNG is reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Pre-tax income attributable to AES was immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively. Dispositions Electrica Santiago — In May 2018, AES Gener completed the sale of Electrica Santiago for total consideration of $287 million , including a contingent liability of $9 million , resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $69 million after post-closing adjustments. Electrica Santiago consisted of four gas and diesel-fired generation plants in Chile. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to its sale, Electrica Santiago was reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Stuart and Killen — In May 2018, DPL retired the co-owned Stuart coal-fired and diesel-fired generating units, and the Killen coal-fired generating unit and combustion turbine. Prior to their retirement, Stuart and Killen were reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. Masinloc — In March 2018, the Company completed the sale of its entire 51% equity interest in Masinloc for cash proceeds of $1.05 billion , resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $773 million after post-closing adjustments and U.S. tax expense of $155 million . Masinloc consisted of a coal-fired generation plant in operation, a coal-fired generation plant under construction, and an energy storage facility all located in the Philippines. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to its sale, Masinloc was reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. DPL peaker assets — In March 2018, DPL completed the sale of six of its combustion turbine and diesel-fired generation facilities and related assets ("DPL peaker assets") for total proceeds of $239 million , inclusive of estimated working capital and subject to customary post-closing adjustments, resulting in a loss on sale of $2 million . The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to their sale, the DPL peaker assets were reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. Beckjord facility — In February 2018, DPL transferred its interest in Beckjord, a coal-fired generation facility retired in 2014, including its obligations to remediate the facility and its site. The transfer resulted in cash expenditures of $15 million , inclusive of disposal charges, and a loss on disposal of $12 million . Prior to the transfer, Beckjord was reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. Advancion Energy Storage — In January 2018, the Company deconsolidated the AES Advancion energy storage development business and contributed it to the Fluence joint venture, resulting in a gain on sale of $23 million . See Note 6 —Investments in and Advances to Affiliates for further discussion. Prior to the transfer, the AES Advancion energy storage development business was reported as part of Corporate and Other. Kazakhstan CHPs — In April 2017, the Company completed the sale of Ust-Kamenogorsk CHP and Sogrinsk CHP, its combined heating and power coal plants in Kazakhstan, for net proceeds of $24 million . The Company recognized a pre-tax loss on sale of $48 million , primarily related to cumulative translation losses. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to their sale, the Kazakhstan CHP plants were reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. Excluding any impairment charges or gain/loss on sale, pre-tax income attributable to AES of disposed businesses was as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Masinloc $ — $ 26 $ 9 $ 78 Stuart and Killen (1) 8 9 38 1 DPL peaker assets — 11 7 12 Other — 2 5 23 Total $ 8 $ 48 $ 59 $ 114 _____________________________ (1)

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	ACQUISITIONS Guaimbê Solar Complex — In September 2018, AES Tietê completed the acquisition of the Guaimbê Solar Complex (“Guaimbê”) from Cobra do Brasil for $152 million , subject to post-closing adjustments, comprised of the exchange of $119 million of non-convertible debentures in project financing and additional cash consideration of $33 million . The transaction was accounted for as an asset acquisition, therefore the consideration transferred, plus transaction costs, were allocated to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their relative fair values. Any differences arising from post-closing adjustments will be allocated accordingly. Guaimbê is reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Alto Sertão II — In August 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of the Alto Sertão II Wind Complex (“Alto Sertão II”) from Renova Energia S.A for $179 million , plus the assumption of $346 million of non-recourse debt. At closing, the Company made a cash payment of $143 million , which excluded holdbacks related to indemnifications. In September 2018, an additional $12 million was paid to settle a portion of the remaining indemnification liability. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company finalized the purchase price allocation related to the acquisition of Alto Sertão II. There were no significant adjustments made to the preliminary purchase price allocation recorded in the third quarter of 2017 when the acquisition was completed. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date were recorded at fair value, including a contingent liability for earn-out payments of $18 million , based on the final purchase price allocation at March 31, 2018. Subsequent changes to the fair value of the earn-out payments will be reflected in earnings. Alto Sertão II is reported in the South America

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
EARNINGS PER SHARE	EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic and diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock and potential common stock outstanding during the period. Potential common stock, for purposes of determining diluted earnings per share, includes the effects of dilutive RSUs, stock options and convertible securities. The effect of such potential common stock is computed using the treasury stock method or the if-converted method, as applicable. The following table is a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted earnings per share computation for income from continuing operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , where income represents the numerator and weighted average shares represent the denominator. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 (in millions, except per share data) Income Shares $ per Share Income Shares $ per Share BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders $ 102 662 $ 0.15 $ 147 660 $ 0.22 EFFECT OF DILUTIVE SECURITIES Restricted stock units — 3 — — 3 — DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 102 665 $ 0.15 $ 147 663 $ 0.22 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 (in millions, except per share data) Income Shares $ per Share Income Shares $ per Share BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders $ 883 661 $ 1.33 $ 176 660 $ 0.27 EFFECT OF DILUTIVE SECURITIES Restricted stock units — 3 — — 2 — DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 883 664 $ 1.33 $ 176 662 $ 0.27 The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded stock awards and convertible debentures which would be anti-dilutive. The calculation of diluted earnings per share excluded 2 million and 6 million stock awards outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

Discontinued Operations and Hel

Discontinued Operations and Held for sale businesses (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure [Text Block]	DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS Due to a portfolio evaluation in the first half of 2016, management decided to pursue a strategic shift of its distribution companies in Brazil, Sul and Eletropaulo, to reduce the Company's exposure to the Brazilian distribution market. The disposals of Sul and Eletropaulo were completed in October 2016 and June 2018, respectively. In November 2017, Eletropaulo converted its preferred shares into ordinary shares and transitioned the listing of those shares to the Novo Mercado, which is a listing segment of the Brazilian stock exchange with the highest standards of corporate governance. Upon conversion of the preferred shares into ordinary shares, AES no longer controlled Eletropaulo, but maintained significant influence over the business. As a result, the Company deconsolidated Eletropaulo. After deconsolidation, the Company's 17% ownership interest was reflected as an equity method investment. The Company recorded an after-tax loss on deconsolidation of $611 million , which primarily consisted of $455 million related to cumulative translation losses and $243 million related to pension losses reclassified from AOCL. In December 2017, all the remaining criteria were met for Eletropaulo to qualify as a discontinued operation. Therefore, its results of operations and financial position were reported as such in the consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. In June 2018, the Company completed the sale of its entire 17% ownership interest in Eletropaulo through a bidding process hosted by the Brazilian securities regulator, CVM. Gross proceeds of $340 million were received at our subsidiary in Brazil, subject to the payment of taxes. Upon disposal of Eletropaulo, the Company recorded a pre-tax gain on sale of $243 million (after-tax $199 million ). Prior to its classification as discontinued operations, Eletropaulo was reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. The following table summarizes the carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities of discontinued operations at December 31, 2017 (in millions): December 31, 2017 Assets of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses: Investments in and advances to affiliates (1) $ 86 Total assets of discontinued operations $ 86 Other assets of businesses classified as held-for-sale (2) 1,948 Total assets of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses $ 2,034 Liabilities of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses: Other liabilities of businesses classified as held-for-sale (2) 1,033 Total liabilities of discontinued operations and held-for-sale businesses $ 1,033 _____________________________ (1) Represents the Company's 17% ownership interest in Eletropaulo. (2) Electrica Santiago, the DPL Peaker Assets and Masinloc were classified as held-for-sale as of December 31, 2017 . See Note 17 — Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for further information. Excluding the gain on sale, income from discontinued operations and cash flows from operating and investing activities of discontinued operations were immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The following table summarizes the major line items constituting income from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Income from discontinued operations, net of tax: Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Revenue — regulated $ 945 $ 2,726 Cost of sales (876 ) (2,573 ) Other income and expense items that are not major (26 ) (94 ) Income from discontinued operations $ 43 $ 59 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (21 ) (30 ) Income from discontinued operations attributable to The AES Corporation $ 22 $ 29 Income tax expense (17 ) (24 ) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax $ 5 $ 5 The following table summarizes the operating and investing cash flows from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Cash flows provided by operating activities of discontinued operations $ 129 $ 254 Cash flows used in investing activities of discontinued operations (61 ) (181 ) Held-for-Sale Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande — In June 2018, AES Gener entered into an agreement to sell the transmission lines held by Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande (“CTNG”) for $220 million , subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. As of September 30, 2018 , CTNG was classified as held-for-sale, but did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. CTNG’s carrying value at September 30, 2018 was $99 million . CTNG is reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Pre-tax income attributable to AES was immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively. Dispositions Electrica Santiago — In May 2018, AES Gener completed the sale of Electrica Santiago for total consideration of $287 million , including a contingent liability of $9 million , resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $69 million after post-closing adjustments. Electrica Santiago consisted of four gas and diesel-fired generation plants in Chile. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to its sale, Electrica Santiago was reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Stuart and Killen — In May 2018, DPL retired the co-owned Stuart coal-fired and diesel-fired generating units, and the Killen coal-fired generating unit and combustion turbine. Prior to their retirement, Stuart and Killen were reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. Masinloc — In March 2018, the Company completed the sale of its entire 51% equity interest in Masinloc for cash proceeds of $1.05 billion , resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $773 million after post-closing adjustments and U.S. tax expense of $155 million . Masinloc consisted of a coal-fired generation plant in operation, a coal-fired generation plant under construction, and an energy storage facility all located in the Philippines. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to its sale, Masinloc was reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. DPL peaker assets — In March 2018, DPL completed the sale of six of its combustion turbine and diesel-fired generation facilities and related assets ("DPL peaker assets") for total proceeds of $239 million , inclusive of estimated working capital and subject to customary post-closing adjustments, resulting in a loss on sale of $2 million . The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to their sale, the DPL peaker assets were reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. Beckjord facility — In February 2018, DPL transferred its interest in Beckjord, a coal-fired generation facility retired in 2014, including its obligations to remediate the facility and its site. The transfer resulted in cash expenditures of $15 million , inclusive of disposal charges, and a loss on disposal of $12 million . Prior to the transfer, Beckjord was reported in the US and Utilities SBU reportable segment. Advancion Energy Storage — In January 2018, the Company deconsolidated the AES Advancion energy storage development business and contributed it to the Fluence joint venture, resulting in a gain on sale of $23 million . See Note 6 —Investments in and Advances to Affiliates for further discussion. Prior to the transfer, the AES Advancion energy storage development business was reported as part of Corporate and Other. Kazakhstan CHPs — In April 2017, the Company completed the sale of Ust-Kamenogorsk CHP and Sogrinsk CHP, its combined heating and power coal plants in Kazakhstan, for net proceeds of $24 million . The Company recognized a pre-tax loss on sale of $48 million , primarily related to cumulative translation losses. The sale did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. Prior to their sale, the Kazakhstan CHP plants were reported in the Eurasia SBU reportable segment. See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. Excluding any impairment charges or gain/loss on sale, pre-tax income attributable to AES of disposed businesses was as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Masinloc $ — $ 26 $ 9 $ 78 Stuart and Killen (1) 8 9 38 1 DPL peaker assets — 11 7 12 Other — 2 5 23 Total $ 8 $ 48 $ 59 $ 114 _____________________________ (1)

Income Taxes (Notes)

Income Taxes (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	INCOME TAXES The Company’s provision for income taxes is based on the estimated annual effective tax rate, plus discrete items. The effective tax rates for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2018 were 44% and 30% , respectively. The effective tax rates for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2017 were 31% and 36% , respectively. The difference between the Company’s effective tax rates for the 2018 and 2017 periods and the U.S. statutory tax rates of 21% and 35% , respectively, related primarily to U.S. taxes on foreign earnings, foreign tax rate differentials, the impacts of foreign currency fluctuations at certain foreign subsidiaries, and nondeductible expenses. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“The TCJA”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The TCJA reduced the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% , required companies to pay a one-time transition tax on earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries that were previously tax deferred, and created new taxes on certain foreign sourced earnings. We are applying the guidance in Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) when accounting for the enactment date effect of the TCJA. We recognized a reasonable estimate of the tax effects of the TCJA as of December 31, 2017. In the third quarter of 2018, the Company recorded $33 million of discrete tax expense, increasing the provisional adjustment to the U.S. one-time transition tax to $708 million . However, as of September 30, 2018 , our accounting is not complete. Our estimates may also be affected as we gain a more thorough understanding of the TCJA, including proposed regulations released by the U.S. Treasury Department on August 1 related to the one-time transition tax. We expect to complete our analysis of the final impacts of the TCJA in the fourth quarter. For further discussion on the TCJA, see Note 20— Income Taxes in Item 8.— Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of our 2017 Form 10-K. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company completed the sale of its entire 51% equity interest in Masinloc, resulting in pre-tax gain of approximately $773 million . The sale resulted in approximately $155 million of discrete tax expense in the U.S. under the new GILTI provision, which subjects the earnings of foreign subsidiaries to current U.S. taxation to the extent those earnings exceed an allowable return. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for details of the sale. In the second quarter of 2018, the Company completed the sale of Electrica Santiago for total proceeds of $287 million , resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $69 million after post-closing adjustments. The sale resulted in approximately $25 million of discrete tax expense. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions for details of the sale. The impact of foreign currency devaluation in Argentina was approximately $16 million and $38 million of discrete tax expense for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2018 , respectively. The same amounts for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2017 are $4 million and $8 million

Financial Statement Presentat_2

Financial Statement Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block]	New Accounting Standards Adopted ASU Number and Name Description Date of Adoption Effect on the financial statements upon adoption 2017-07, Compensation — Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost This standard changes the presentation of non-service costs associated with defined benefit plans and updates the guidance so that only the service cost component will be eligible for capitalization. Transition method: retrospective for presentation of non-service cost and prospective for the change in capitalization. January 1, 2018 For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, $2 million and $1 million of gains primarily related to the expected return on plan assets were reclassified from Costs of Sales to Other Expense, respectively. 2017-05, Other Income — Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Topic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets This standard clarifies the scope and application of ASC 610-20 on the sale, transfer, and derecognition of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers, including partial sales. It also provides guidance on how gains and losses on transfers of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers are recognized. The standard also clarifies that the derecognition of businesses is under the scope of ASC 810. The standard must be adopted concurrently with ASC 606, however an entity will not have to apply the same transition method as ASC 606. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2018 As more transactions will not meet the definition of a business due to the adoption of ASU 2017-01, more dispositions or partial sales will be out of the scope of ASC 810 and will be under this standard. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business The standard requires an entity to first evaluate whether substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, and if that threshold is met, the set is not a business. As a second step, at least one substantive process should exist to be considered a business. Transition method: prospective. January 1, 2018 Some acquisitions and dispositions will now fall under a different accounting model. This will reduce the number of transactions that are accounted for as business combinations and therefore future acquired goodwill. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) This standard requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. January 1, 2018 For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, cash provided by operating activities increased by $12 million, cash used in investing activities decreased by $327 million, and cash provided by financing activities was unchanged. 2016-01, Financial Instruments — Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities The standard significantly revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. It also amends certain disclosures of financial instruments. Transition method: modified retrospective. Prospective for equity investments without readily determinable fair value. January 1, 2018 No material impact upon adoption of the standard. 2014-09, 2015-14, 2016-08, 2016-10, 2016-12, 2016-20, 2017-10, 2017-13, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2018 See impact upon adoption of the standard below. New Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Effective ASU Number and Name Description Date of Adoption Effect on the financial statements upon adoption 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract This standard aligns the accounting for implementation costs incurred for a cloud computing arrangement that is a service with the requirement for capitalizing implementation costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Transition method: retrospective or prospective. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. 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. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests Part 1 of this standard changes the classification of certain equity-linked financial instruments when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. Transition method: retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-08, Receivables — Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities This standard shortens the period of amortization for the premium on certain callable debt securities to the earliest call date. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-04, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment This standard simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment by removing the requirement to calculate the implied fair value. Instead, it requires that an entity records an impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments The standard updates the impairment model for financial assets measured at amortized cost. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking "expected loss" model that generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowance for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses as it is done today, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance rather than a reduction in the amortized cost of the securities. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted only as of January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-02, 2018-01, 2018-10, 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt the standard on January 1, 2019; see below for the evaluation of the impact of its adoption on the consolidated financial statements.
Consolidation	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, and cash flows. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the year ending December 31, 2018 . The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the 2017 audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in the 2017 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2018 (the “ 2017
Commitments and Contingencies	Litigation —
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. During the first quarter of 2018, the Andes and Brazil SBUs were merged in order to leverage scale and are now reported together as part of the South America SBU. Further, Puerto Rico and El Salvador businesses, formerly part of the MCAC SBU, were combined with the US SBU, which is now reported as the US and Utilities SBU. 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. All prior period results have been retrospectively revised to reflect the new segment reporting structure. 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.

Contingencies and Commitments C

Contingencies and Commitments Contingencies and Commitments (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Litigation —

Segments Segments (Policies)

Segments Segments (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
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. During the first quarter of 2018, the Andes and Brazil SBUs were merged in order to leverage scale and are now reported together as part of the South America SBU. Further, Puerto Rico and El Salvador businesses, formerly part of the MCAC SBU, were combined with the US SBU, which is now reported as the US and Utilities SBU. 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. All prior period results have been retrospectively revised to reflect the new segment reporting structure. 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.

Earnings Per Share EPS Policy (

Earnings Per Share EPS Policy (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Basic and diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock and potential common stock outstanding during the period. Potential common stock, for purposes of determining diluted earnings per share, includes the effects of dilutive RSUs, stock options and convertible securities. The effect of such potential common stock is computed using the treasury stock method or the if-converted method, as applicable.

Financial Statement Presentat_3

Financial Statement Presentation New Accounting Standards (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block]	New Accounting Standards Adopted ASU Number and Name Description Date of Adoption Effect on the financial statements upon adoption 2017-07, Compensation — Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost This standard changes the presentation of non-service costs associated with defined benefit plans and updates the guidance so that only the service cost component will be eligible for capitalization. Transition method: retrospective for presentation of non-service cost and prospective for the change in capitalization. January 1, 2018 For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, $2 million and $1 million of gains primarily related to the expected return on plan assets were reclassified from Costs of Sales to Other Expense, respectively. 2017-05, Other Income — Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Topic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets This standard clarifies the scope and application of ASC 610-20 on the sale, transfer, and derecognition of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers, including partial sales. It also provides guidance on how gains and losses on transfers of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers are recognized. The standard also clarifies that the derecognition of businesses is under the scope of ASC 810. The standard must be adopted concurrently with ASC 606, however an entity will not have to apply the same transition method as ASC 606. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2018 As more transactions will not meet the definition of a business due to the adoption of ASU 2017-01, more dispositions or partial sales will be out of the scope of ASC 810 and will be under this standard. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business The standard requires an entity to first evaluate whether substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, and if that threshold is met, the set is not a business. As a second step, at least one substantive process should exist to be considered a business. Transition method: prospective. January 1, 2018 Some acquisitions and dispositions will now fall under a different accounting model. This will reduce the number of transactions that are accounted for as business combinations and therefore future acquired goodwill. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) This standard requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. January 1, 2018 For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, cash provided by operating activities increased by $12 million, cash used in investing activities decreased by $327 million, and cash provided by financing activities was unchanged. 2016-01, Financial Instruments — Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities The standard significantly revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. It also amends certain disclosures of financial instruments. Transition method: modified retrospective. Prospective for equity investments without readily determinable fair value. January 1, 2018 No material impact upon adoption of the standard. 2014-09, 2015-14, 2016-08, 2016-10, 2016-12, 2016-20, 2017-10, 2017-13, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2018 See impact upon adoption of the standard below. New Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Effective ASU Number and Name Description Date of Adoption Effect on the financial statements upon adoption 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract This standard aligns the accounting for implementation costs incurred for a cloud computing arrangement that is a service with the requirement for capitalizing implementation costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Transition method: retrospective or prospective. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. 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. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 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. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests Part 1 of this standard changes the classification of certain equity-linked financial instruments when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. Transition method: retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-08, Receivables — Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities This standard shortens the period of amortization for the premium on certain callable debt securities to the earliest call date. Transition method: modified retrospective. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2017-04, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment This standard simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment by removing the requirement to calculate the implied fair value. Instead, it requires that an entity records an impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments The standard updates the impairment model for financial assets measured at amortized cost. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking "expected loss" model that generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowance for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses as it is done today, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance rather than a reduction in the amortized cost of the securities. January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted only as of January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the standard on its consolidated financial statements. 2016-02, 2018-01, 2018-10, 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842) See discussion of the ASU below. January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt the standard on January 1, 2019; see below for the evaluation of the impact of its adoption on the consolidated financial statements.

Financial Statement Presentat_4

Financial Statement Presentation Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash and Cash Equivalents [Table Text Block]	Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash — The following table provides a summary of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash amounts reported on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet that reconcile to the total of such amounts as shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,187 $ 949 Restricted cash 441 274 Debt service reserves and other deposits 494 565 Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash $ 2,122 $ 1,788

Financial Statement Presentat_5

Financial Statement Presentation Adoption of ASU 606 2018 (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Policy Text Block [Abstract]
Schedule of Prospective Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements [Table Text Block]	The cumulative effect to our January 1, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 was as follows (in millions): Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Balance at December 31, 2017 Adjustments Due to ASC 606 Balance at January 1, 2018 Assets Other current assets $ 630 $ 61 $ 691 Deferred income taxes 130 (24 ) 106 Service concession assets, net 1,360 (1,360 ) — Loan receivable — 1,490 1,490 Equity Accumulated deficit (2,276 ) 67 (2,209 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,876 ) 19 (1,857 ) Noncontrolling interest 2,380 81 2,461 September 30, 2018 resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 as compared to the previous revenue recognition standard was as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Total revenue $ 2,837 $ 2,855 $ (18 ) Total cost of sales (2,166 ) (2,180 ) 14 Operating margin 671 675 (4 ) Interest income 79 64 15 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates 332 321 11 Income tax expense (146 ) (147 ) 1 INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 192 180 12 NET INCOME 191 179 12 NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION 101 89 12 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Total revenue $ 8,114 $ 8,168 $ (54 ) Total cost of sales (6,187 ) (6,227 ) 40 Operating margin 1,927 1,941 (14 ) Interest income 231 186 45 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates 1,672 1,641 31 Income tax expense (509 ) (509 ) — INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 1,194 1,163 31 NET INCOME 1,384 1,353 31 NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION 1,075 1,044 31 September 30, 2018 resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 as compared to the previous revenue recognition standard was as follows (in millions): September 30, 2018 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Adoption Impact Assets Other current assets $ 706 $ 641 $ 65 Deferred income taxes 88 112 (24 ) Service concession assets, net — 1,287 (1,287 ) Loan receivable 1,441 — 1,441 TOTAL ASSETS 32,489 32,294 195 Equity Accumulated deficit (1,133 ) (1,231 ) 98 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,020 ) (2,038 ) 18 Noncontrolling interest 2,404 2,325 79 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 32,489 32,294 195

Inventory (Tables)

Inventory (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventory Balance By Type	The following table summarizes the Company’s inventory balances as of the periods indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Fuel and other raw materials $ 278 $ 284 Spare parts and supplies 284 278 Total $ 562 $ 562

Fair Value (Tables)

Fair Value (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Marketable Securities [Table Text Block]	The following table presents gross proceeds from the sale of AFS securities during the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Gross proceeds from sale of AFS securities (1) $ 713 $ 365 $ 1,127 $ 1,158 _____________________________ (1) Three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 include $119 million non-cash proceeds from non-convertible debentures at Guaimbê Solar Complex. See Note 18 —Acquisitions for further information.
Fair value hierarchy for recurring measurements table	The following table presents, by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of the dates indicated (in millions). For the Company’s investments in marketable debt securities, the security classes presented are determined based on the nature and risk of the security and are consistent with how the Company manages, monitors and measures its marketable securities: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets DEBT SECURITIES: Available-for-sale: Unsecured debentures $ — $ 60 $ — $ 60 $ — $ 207 $ — $ 207 Certificates of deposit — 270 — 270 — 153 — 153 Total debt securities — 330 — 330 — 360 — 360 EQUITY SECURITIES: Mutual funds 21 45 — 66 20 52 — 72 Other equity securities — 3 — 3 — — — — Total equity securities 21 48 — 69 20 52 — 72 DERIVATIVES: Interest rate derivatives — 65 5 70 — 15 — 15 Cross-currency derivatives — 26 — 26 — 29 — 29 Foreign currency derivatives — 22 221 243 — 29 240 269 Commodity derivatives — 9 8 17 — 30 5 35 Total derivatives — assets — 122 234 356 — 103 245 348 TOTAL ASSETS $ 21 $ 500 $ 234 $ 755 $ 20 $ 515 $ 245 $ 780 Liabilities DERIVATIVES: Interest rate derivatives $ — $ 60 $ 101 $ 161 $ — $ 111 $ 151 $ 262 Cross-currency derivatives — 2 — 2 — 3 — 3 Foreign currency derivatives — 54 — 54 — 30 — 30 Commodity derivatives — 4 — 4 — 19 1 20 Total derivatives — liabilities — 120 101 221 — 163 152 315 TOTAL LIABILITIES $ — $ 120 $ 101 $ 221 $ — $ 163 $ 152 $ 315
Fair Value, Net Derivative Assets (Liabilities) measured on a recurring basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation Table	The following tables present a reconciliation of net derivative assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 (presented net by type of derivative in millions). Transfers between Level 3 and Level 2 are determined as of the end of the reporting period and principally result from changes in the significance of unobservable inputs used to calculate the credit valuation adjustment. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at July 1 $ (111 ) $ 219 $ 10 $ 118 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity 12 — — 12 Included in regulatory liabilities — — (2 ) (2 ) Settlements 3 2 — 5 Balance at September 30 $ (96 ) $ 221 $ 8 $ 133 Total gains for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ 1 $ 2 $ — $ 3 Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at July 1 $ (195 ) $ 239 $ 9 $ 53 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings (5 ) 12 — 7 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity (2 ) — — (2 ) Settlements 10 (9 ) (3 ) (2 ) Balance at September 30 $ (192 ) $ 242 $ 6 $ 56 Total gains (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ (1 ) $ 3 $ — $ 2 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at January 1 $ (151 ) $ 240 $ 4 $ 93 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings 28 (3 ) 1 26 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity 48 — — 48 Included in regulatory liabilities — — 6 6 Settlements 12 (16 ) (3 ) (7 ) Transfers of assets/(liabilities), net into Level 3 1 — — 1 Transfers of (assets)/liabilities, net out of Level 3 (34 ) — — (34 ) Balance at September 30 $ (96 ) $ 221 $ 8 $ 133 Total gains (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ 32 $ (19 ) $ 1 $ 14
Derivative Assets, Significant unobservable inputs	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Interest Rate Foreign Currency Commodity Total Balance at January 1 $ (179 ) $ 255 $ 5 $ 81 Total realized and unrealized gains (losses): Included in earnings (5 ) 12 (1 ) 6 Included in other comprehensive income — derivative activity (29 ) — — (29 ) Included in regulatory liabilities — — 10 10 Settlements 28 (25 ) (8 ) (5 ) Transfers of assets/(liabilities), net into Level 3 (7 ) — — (7 ) Balance at September 30 $ (192 ) $ 242 $ 6 $ 56 Total losses for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets and liabilities held at the end of the period $ — $ (12 ) $ — $ (12 ) The following table summarizes the significant unobservable inputs used for Level 3 derivative assets (liabilities) as of September 30, 2018
Fair value hierarchy for nonrecurring measurements table	. The following table summarizes our major categories of assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis and their level within the fair value hierarchy (in millions): Measurement Date Carrying Amount (1) Fair Value Pretax Loss Nine months ended September 30, 2018 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Equity Method Investments Elsta 09/30/2018 $ 21 $ — $ 16 $ — $ 5 Long-lived assets held and used: (2) U.S. generation facility 09/30/2018 185 — — 33 156 Measurement Date Carrying Amount (1) Fair Value Pretax Loss Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Long-lived assets held and used: (2) DPL 02/28/2017 $ 77 $ — $ — $ 11 $ 66 Other 02/28/2017 15 — — 7 8 Held-for-sale businesses: (3) Kazakhstan Hydroelectric 06/30/2017 190 — 92 — 92 Kazakhstan 03/31/2017 171 — 29 — 94 _____________________________ (1) Represents the carrying values at the dates of initial measurement, before fair value adjustment. (2) See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense for further information. (3) Per the Company’s policy, pretax loss is limited to the impairment of long-lived assets. Any additional loss will be recognized on completion of the sale. See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions
Financial instruments not measured at fair value in the condensed consolidated balance sheets	s The following table presents (in millions) the carrying amount, fair value and fair value hierarchy of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are not measured at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , but for which fair value is disclosed: September 30, 2018 Carrying Amount Fair Value Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Accounts receivable — noncurrent (1) $ 105 $ 224 $ — $ — $ 224 Liabilities: Non-recourse debt 15,581 15,429 — 12,699 2,730 Recourse debt 3,820 3,901 — 3,901 — December 31, 2017 Carrying Amount Fair Value Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Accounts receivable — noncurrent (1) $ 163 $ 217 $ — $ 6 $ 211 Liabilities: Non-recourse debt 15,340 15,890 — 13,350 2,540 Recourse debt 4,630 4,920 — 4,920 — _____________________________ (1) These amounts primarily relate to amounts due from CAMMESA, the administrator of the wholesale electricity market in Argentina, and are included in Other noncurrent assets in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value and carrying amount of these receivables exclude VAT of $14 million and $31 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017

Derivative Instruments and He_2

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Interest Rate And Cross Currency Derivatives By Type Table	The following table presents the Company’s maximum notional (in millions) over the remaining contractual period by type of derivative as of September 30, 2018 , regardless of whether they are in qualifying cash flow hedging relationships, and the dates through which the maturities for each type of derivative range: Derivatives Maximum Notional Translated to USD Latest Maturity Interest rate (LIBOR and EURIBOR) $ 4,499 2042 Cross-currency swaps (Chilean Unidad de Fomento and Chilean peso) 376 2029 Foreign Currency: Argentine peso 73 2026 Chilean peso 334 2021 Colombian peso 163 2020 Brazilian real 80 2019 Others, primarily with weighted average remaining maturities of a year or less 246 2021
Derivative Assets Liabilities At Fair Value Net By Balance Sheet Classification And Type Table	The following tables present the fair value of assets and liabilities related to the Company’s derivative instruments as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 (in millions): Fair Value September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Assets Designated Not Designated Total Designated Not Designated Total Interest rate derivatives $ 68 $ 2 $ 70 $ 15 $ — $ 15 Cross-currency derivatives 26 — 26 29 — 29 Foreign currency derivatives — 243 243 8 261 269 Commodity derivatives — 17 17 5 30 35 Total assets $ 94 $ 262 $ 356 $ 57 $ 291 $ 348 Liabilities Interest rate derivatives $ 159 $ 2 $ 161 $ 125 $ 137 $ 262 Cross-currency derivatives 2 — 2 3 — 3 Foreign currency derivatives 29 25 54 1 29 30 Commodity derivatives — 4 4 9 11 20 Total liabilities $ 190 $ 31 $ 221 $ 138 $ 177 $ 315 September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Fair Value Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities Current $ 74 $ 69 $ 84 $ 211 Noncurrent 282 152 264 104 Total $ 356 $ 221 $ 348 $ 315 As of September 30, 2018 , all derivative instruments subject to credit risk-related contingent features were in an asset position. Credit Risk-Related Contingent Features (1) December 31, 2017 Present value of liabilities subject to collateralization $ 15 Cash collateral held by third parties or in escrow 9 _____________________________ (1)
Gain Loss In Earnings On Ineffective Portion Of Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges Table	The next table presents (in millions) the pre-tax gains (losses) recognized in AOCL and earnings related to all derivative instruments for the periods indicated: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Effective portion of cash flow hedges Gains (losses) recognized in AOCL Interest rate derivatives $ 26 $ (6 ) $ 81 $ (79 ) Cross-currency derivatives 3 12 (2 ) 14 Foreign currency derivatives (11 ) (4 ) (44 ) (15 ) Commodity derivatives — 9 — 23 Total $ 18 $ 11 $ 35 $ (57 ) Gains (losses) reclassified from AOCL into earnings Interest rate derivatives $ (12 ) $ (19 ) $ (42 ) $ (63 ) Cross-currency derivatives (8 ) 14 (26 ) 18 Foreign currency derivatives (8 ) (1 ) (9 ) (24 ) Commodity derivatives — 10 (5 ) 13 Total $ (28 ) $ 4 $ (82 ) $ (56 ) Loss reclassified from AOCL to earnings due to discontinuance of hedge accounting (1) $ — $ — $ — $ (16 ) Gains (losses) recognized in earnings related to Ineffective portion of cash flow hedges $ — $ 4 $ (3 ) $ 4 Not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency derivatives (10 ) 5 144 (13 ) Commodity derivatives and other 2 1 33 7 Total $ (8 ) $ 6 $ 177 $ (6 )

Financing Receivables (Tables)

Financing Receivables (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Receivables [Abstract]
Financing Receivables Table	The following table presents financing receivables by country as of the dates indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Argentina $ 83 $ 177 Panama 27 — Other 9 17 Total $ 119 $ 194

Investments In and Advances To

Investments In and Advances To Affiliates (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Abstract]
Investments In and Advances to Affiliates Financial Information	The following table summarizes financial information of the Company’s 50%-or-less-owned affiliates that are accounted for using the equity method (in millions): Nine Months Ended September 30, 50%-or-less-Owned Affiliates 2018 2017 Revenue $ 734 $ 532 Operating margin 119 91 Net income 36 44

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Non-recourse debt [Table Text Block]	During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company’s subsidiaries had the following significant debt transactions: Subsidiary Transaction Period Issuances Repayments Loss on Extinguishment of Debt Southland Q1, Q2, Q3 $ 587 $ — $ — Tietê Q1 385 (231 ) — Alto Maipo Q2 104 — — DPL Q2 — (106 ) (6 ) Gener Q3 — (104 ) (7 ) Angamos Q3 — (98 ) —
Debt In Default	The current portion of non-recourse debt includes the following subsidiary debt in default as of September 30, 2018 (in millions). Subsidiary Primary Nature of Default Debt in Default Net Assets AES Puerto Rico Covenant $ 322 $ 135 AES Ilumina (Puerto Rico) Covenant 35 17 $ 357

Contingencies and Commitments (

Contingencies and Commitments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule Of Contingent Contractual Obligations [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the Parent Company’s contingent contractual obligations as of September 30, 2018 . Amounts presented in the following table represent the Parent Company’s current undiscounted exposure to guarantees and the range of maximum undiscounted potential exposure. The maximum exposure is not reduced by the amounts, if any, that could be recovered under the recourse or collateralization provisions in the guarantees. Contingent Contractual Obligations Amount (in millions) Number of Agreements Maximum Exposure Range for Individual Agreements (in millions) Guarantees and commitments $ 435 21 <$1 — 68 Letters of credit under the unsecured credit facility 348 6 $2 — 247 Letters of credit under the senior secured credit facility 43 25 <$1 — 14 Asset sale related indemnities (1) 27 1 $27 Total $ 853 53 _____________________________ (1)

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidia_2

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidiaries (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Redeemable Stock of Subsidiaries [Abstract]
Temporary Equity [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the Company’s redeemable stock of subsidiaries balances as of the periods indicated (in millions): September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 IPALCO common stock $ 618 $ 618 Colon quotas (1) 201 159 IPL preferred stock 60 60 Total redeemable stock of subsidiaries $ 879 $ 837

Equity (Tables)

Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Stockholders Equity	The following table is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending equity attributable to stockholders of The AES Corporation, NCI and total equity as of the periods indicated (in millions): Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 The Parent Company Stockholders’ Equity NCI Total Equity The Parent Company Stockholders’ Equity NCI Total Equity Balance at the beginning of the period $ 2,465 $ 2,380 $ 4,845 $ 2,794 $ 2,906 $ 5,700 Net income 1,075 309 1,384 181 328 509 Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax (232 ) 72 (160 ) 117 10 127 Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax 64 35 99 5 3 8 Total pension adjustments, net of income tax 5 — 5 1 19 20 Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle (1) 87 81 168 31 — 31 Fair value adjustment (2) (4 ) — (4 ) (19 ) — (19 ) Disposition of businesses (3) — (250 ) (250 ) — — — Distributions to noncontrolling interests — (253 ) (253 ) — (261 ) (261 ) Contributions from noncontrolling interests — 6 6 — 17 17 Dividends declared on common stock (172 ) — (172 ) (158 ) — (158 ) Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation 18 — 18 12 — 12 Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests (1 ) 21 20 22 47 69 Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests — — — 200 (85 ) 115 Less: Net loss attributable to redeemable stock of subsidiaries — 3 3 — 9 9 Balance at the end of the period $ 3,305 $ 2,404 $ 5,709 $ 3,186 $ 2,993 $ 6,179 _____________________________ (1) See Note 1 —Financial Statement Presentation, New Accounting Standards Adopted for further information. (2)
Components Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The following table summarizes the changes in AOCL by component, net of tax and NCI, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 (in millions): Foreign currency translation adjustment, net Unrealized derivative gains (losses), net Unfunded pension obligations, net Total Balance at the beginning of the period $ (1,486 ) $ (333 ) $ (57 ) $ (1,876 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (231 ) 9 — (222 ) Amount reclassified to earnings (1 ) 55 5 59 Other comprehensive income (loss) (232 ) 64 5 (163 ) Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle — 19 — 19 Balance at the end of the period $ (1,718 ) $ (250 ) $ (52 ) $ (2,020 )
Schedule Of Amounts Reclassified Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Reclassifications out of AOCL are presented in the following table. Amounts for the periods indicated are in millions and those in parentheses indicate debits to the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations: AOCL Components Affected Line Item in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Foreign currency translation adjustment, net Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses $ 3 $ — $ 19 $ (98 ) Net gain from disposal of discontinued businesses — — (18 ) $ — Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ 3 $ — $ 1 $ (98 ) Unrealized derivative gains (losses), net Non-regulated revenue $ (1 ) $ 12 $ (6 ) $ 22 Non-regulated cost of sales (1 ) (2 ) $ (3 ) (11 ) Interest expense (11 ) (20 ) $ (38 ) (63 ) Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) (15 ) 14 $ (35 ) (4 ) Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates (28 ) 4 (82 ) (56 ) Income tax expense 7 (5 ) 15 6 Income from continuing operations (21 ) (1 ) (67 ) (50 ) Less: Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable stock of subsidiaries 1 1 12 10 Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ (20 ) $ — $ (55 ) $ (40 ) Amortization of defined benefit pension actuarial loss, net General and administrative expenses $ (1 ) $ — $ (2 ) $ 1 Other expense — (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates (1 ) (1 ) (3 ) — Income from continuing operations (1 ) (1 ) (3 ) — Net income (loss) from operations of discontinued businesses — (6 ) — (20 ) Net gain from disposal of discontinued operations — — (2 ) — Net income (1 ) (7 ) (5 ) (20 ) Less: Loss (income) from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interest — 6 — 16 Net income attributable to The AES Corporation $ (1 ) $ (1 ) $ (5 ) $ (4 ) Total reclassifications for the period, net of income tax and noncontrolling interests $ (18 ) $ (1 ) $ (59 ) $ (142 )

Segments (Tables)

Segments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Revenue By Segment Table	The following tables present financial information by segment for the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Revenue 2018 2017 2018 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 1,230 $ 1,086 $ 3,252 $ 3,179 South America SBU 923 834 2,664 2,377 MCAC SBU 462 397 1,276 1,120 Eurasia SBU 224 380 935 1,204 Corporate and Other 7 9 21 29 Eliminations (9 ) (13 ) (34 ) (22 ) Total Revenue $ 2,837 $ 2,693 $ 8,114 $ 7,887 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Adjusted PTC 2018 2017 2018 2017 Income from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates $ 332 $ 304 $ 1,672 $ 687 Add: Net equity in earnings of affiliates 6 24 31 33 Less: Income from continuing operations before taxes, attributable to noncontrolling interests (116 ) (112 ) (409 ) (405 ) Pre-tax contribution 222 216 1,294 315 Unrealized derivative and equity securities losses (gains) 16 (8 ) 4 (7 ) Unrealized foreign currency losses (gains) (7 ) (21 ) 42 (54 ) Disposition/acquisition losses (gains) 17 1 (822 ) 109 Impairment expense 80 2 172 264 Losses (gains) on extinguishment of debt (1 ) 48 177 43 Restructuring costs — — 3 — Total Adjusted PTC $ 327 $ 238 $ 870 $ 670 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Total Adjusted PTC 2018 2017 2018 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 167 $ 138 $ 363 $ 288 South America SBU 128 67 381 289 MCAC SBU 81 91 215 209 Eurasia SBU 37 61 175 218 Corporate, Other and Eliminations (86 ) (119 ) (264 ) (334 ) Total Adjusted PTC $ 327 $ 238 $ 870 $ 670 Total Assets September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 US and Utilities SBU $ 11,971 $ 11,297 South America SBU 11,049 10,874 MCAC SBU 4,477 4,087 Eurasia SBU 4,588 4,557 Assets held-for-sale 111 2,034 Corporate and Other 293 263 Total Assets $ 32,489 $ 33,112

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Abstract]
Revenue, Practical Expedient, Remaining Performance Obligation, Description	The Company has elected to apply the optional disclosure exemptions under ASC 606. Therefore, the amount above excludes contracts with an original length of one year or less, contracts for which we recognize revenue based on the amount we have the right to invoice for services performed, and variable consideration allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied performance obligation when the consideration relates specifically to our efforts to satisfy the performance obligation and depicts the amount to which we expect to be entitled. As such, consideration for energy is excluded from the amounts above as the variable consideration relates to the amount of energy delivered and reflects the value the Company expects to receive for the energy transferred. Estimates of revenue expected to be recognized in future periods also exclude unexercised customer options to purchase additional goods or services that do not represent material rights to the customer.
Disaggregation of Revenue [Table Text Block]	The following table presents our revenue from contracts with customers and other revenue for the periods indicated (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 US and Utilities SBU South America SBU MCAC SBU Eurasia SBU Corporate and Other/ Eliminations Total Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 759 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 759 Other regulated revenue 18 — — — — 18 Total regulated revenue $ 777 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 777 Non-Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 386 $ 922 $ 440 $ 152 $ (2 ) $ 1,898 Other non-regulated revenue (1) 67 1 22 72 — 162 Total non-regulated revenue $ 453 $ 923 $ 462 $ 224 $ (2 ) $ 2,060 Total revenue $ 1,230 $ 923 $ 462 $ 224 $ (2 ) $ 2,837 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 US and Utilities SBU South America SBU MCAC SBU Eurasia SBU Corporate and Other/ Eliminations Total Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 2,176 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 2,176 Other regulated revenue 39 — — — — 39 Total regulated revenue $ 2,215 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 2,215 Non-Regulated Revenue Revenue from contracts with customers $ 774 $ 2,661 $ 1,211 $ 701 $ (11 ) $ 5,336 Other non-regulated revenue (1) 263 3 65 234 (2 ) 563 Total non-regulated revenue $ 1,037 $ 2,664 $ 1,276 $ 935 $ (13 ) $ 5,899 Total revenue $ 3,252 $ 2,664 $ 1,276 $ 935 $ (13 ) $ 8,114

Other Income and Expense (Table

Other Income and Expense (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Schedule of other Income and other expense [Table Text Block]	Other income generally includes gains on asset sales and liability extinguishments, favorable judgments on contingencies, gains on contract terminations, allowance for funds used during construction and other income from miscellaneous transactions. Other expense generally includes losses on asset sales and dispositions, losses on legal contingencies, defined benefit plan non-service costs, and losses from other miscellaneous transactions. The components are summarized as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Other Income Legal settlements (1) $ — $ — $ — $ 60 Allowance for funds used during construction (US Utilities) 1 7 8 20 Other 9 9 22 23 Total other income $ 10 $ 16 $ 30 $ 103 Other Expense Loss on sale and disposal of assets (2) $ 20 $ 5 $ 25 $ 26 Water rights write-off — 15 — 18 Allowance for other receivables — 15 — 15 Other 9 1 17 8 Total other expense $ 29 $ 36 $ 42 $ 67 _____________________________ (1) In December 2016, the Company and YPF entered into a settlement agreement in which all parties agreed to give up any and all legal action related to gas supply contracts that were terminated in 2008 and have been in dispute since 2009. In January 2017, the YPF board approved the agreement and paid the Company $60 million , thereby resolving all uncertainties around the dispute. (2) In September 2018, the Company recorded a $20 million

Asset Impairment Expense (Table

Asset Impairment Expense (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Impairment or Disposal of Tangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Details of Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held and Used by Asset	Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 U.S. generation facility $ 73 $ — $ 156 $ — Kazakhstan hydroelectric — 2 — 92 Kazakhstan CHPs — — — 94 DPL — — — 66 Other 1 — 10 8 Total $ 74 $ 2 $ 166 $ 260

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted Table	The following table is a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted earnings per share computation for income from continuing operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , where income represents the numerator and weighted average shares represent the denominator. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 (in millions, except per share data) Income Shares $ per Share Income Shares $ per Share BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders $ 102 662 $ 0.15 $ 147 660 $ 0.22 EFFECT OF DILUTIVE SECURITIES Restricted stock units — 3 — — 3 — DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 102 665 $ 0.15 $ 147 663 $ 0.22 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 (in millions, except per share data) Income Shares $ per Share Income Shares $ per Share BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders $ 883 661 $ 1.33 $ 176 660 $ 0.27 EFFECT OF DILUTIVE SECURITIES Restricted stock units — 3 — — 2 — DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 883 664 $ 1.33 $ 176 662 $ 0.27

Discontinued Operations and H_2

Discontinued Operations and Held for sale businesses (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disclosure of Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Table Text Block]	Held-for-Sale Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande — In June 2018, AES Gener entered into an agreement to sell the transmission lines held by Compañia Transmisora del Norte Grande (“CTNG”) for $220 million , subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. As of September 30, 2018 , CTNG was classified as held-for-sale, but did not meet the criteria to be reported as discontinued operations. CTNG’s carrying value at September 30, 2018 was $99 million . CTNG is reported in the South America SBU reportable segment. Pre-tax income attributable to AES was immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the major line items constituting income from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Income from discontinued operations, net of tax: Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Revenue — regulated $ 945 $ 2,726 Cost of sales (876 ) (2,573 ) Other income and expense items that are not major (26 ) (94 ) Income from discontinued operations $ 43 $ 59 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (21 ) (30 ) Income from discontinued operations attributable to The AES Corporation $ 22 $ 29 Income tax expense (17 ) (24 ) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax $ 5 $ 5 The following table summarizes the operating and investing cash flows from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Cash flows provided by operating activities of discontinued operations $ 129 $ 254 Cash flows used in investing activities of discontinued operations (61 ) (181 ) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Masinloc $ — $ 26 $ 9 $ 78 Stuart and Killen (1) 8 9 38 1 DPL peaker assets — 11 7 12 Other — 2 5 23 Total $ 8 $ 48 $ 59 $ 114

Financial Statement Presentat_6

Financial Statement Presentation New Accounting Pronouncement Adopted (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Total Revenue	$ 2,837	$ 2,693	$ 8,114	$ 7,887
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	(2,166)	(2,053)	(6,187)	(6,067)
Operating margin	671	640	1,927	1,820
Interest income	79	63	231	185
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	332	304	1,672	687
Income tax expense	146	93	509	246
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	192	235	1,194	474
NET INCOME	191	261	1,384	509
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	101	152	1,075	181
Other current assets	706		706		$ 691	$ 630
Deferred income taxes	88		88		106	130
Service concession assets, net	0		0		0	1,360
Loan receivable	1,441		1,441		1,490	0
TOTAL ASSETS	32,489		32,489			33,112
Accrued and other liabilities	1,151		1,151			1,232
Accumulated deficit	(1,133)		(1,133)		(2,209)	(2,276)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,020)		(2,020)		(1,857)	(1,876)
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS	2,404		2,404		2,461	2,380
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	32,489		32,489			33,112
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	(1,187)		(1,187)			(949)
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current	(441)		(441)			(274)
Other Restricted Assets, Noncurrent	(494)		(494)			(565)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	2,122	2,298	2,122	2,298		$ 1,788	$ 1,960
ASC 606 Impact [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Total Revenue	(18)		(54)
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	14		40
Operating margin	(4)		(14)
Interest income	15		45
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	11		31
Income tax expense	1		0
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	12		31
NET INCOME	12		31
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	12		31
Other current assets	65		65		61
Deferred income taxes	(24)		(24)		(24)
Service concession assets, net	(1,287)		(1,287)		(1,360)
Loan receivable	1,441		1,441		1,490
TOTAL ASSETS	195		195
Accumulated deficit	98		98		67
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	18		18		19
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS	79		79		$ 81
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	195		195
Balance Without the Adoption of ASC 606 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,855		8,168
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	(2,180)		(6,227)
Operating margin	675		1,941
Interest income	64		186
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	321		1,641
Income tax expense	(147)		(509)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	180		1,163
NET INCOME	179		1,353
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	89		1,044
Other current assets	641		641
Deferred income taxes	112		112
Service concession assets, net	1,287		1,287
Loan receivable	0		0
TOTAL ASSETS	32,294		32,294
Accumulated deficit	(1,231)		(1,231)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,038)		(2,038)
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS	2,325		2,325
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	$ 32,294		$ 32,294
Accounting Standard Update 2016-09 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Cumulative Effect of Change on Equity or Net Assets		327		327
Inc (Dec) in Cash provided by Operating Actitvities [Domain] | Accounting Standard Update 2016-09 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Cumulative Effect of Change on Equity or Net Assets		12		12
Dec (Inc) In Net Cash Used by Financing Activities [Domain] | Accounting Standard Update 2016-09 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Cumulative Effect of Change on Equity or Net Assets		$ 0		$ 0
Other Expense [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2017-07 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Description of Prior-period Information Retrospectively Adjusted		2		1

Inventory (Details)

Inventory (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Fuel and other raw materials	$ 278	$ 284
Spare parts and supplies	284	278
Total	$ 562	$ 562

Fair Value (Recurring Measureme

Fair Value (Recurring Measurements) (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	$ 74	$ 2	$ 166	$ 260
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	133	56	133	56	$ 118	$ 93	$ 53	$ 81
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	755		755			780
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	221		221			315
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		7	26	6
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	5	(2)	(7)	(5)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			(1)	(7)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			(34)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	3	2	14	(12)
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	(2)		6	10
Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	(96)	(192)	(96)	(192)	(111)	(151)	(195)	(179)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		(5)	28	(5)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	3	10	12	28
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			(1)	(7)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			(34)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	1	(1)	32	0
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	0		0	0
Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	221	242	221	242	219	240	239	255
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		12	(3)	12
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	2	(9)	(16)	(25)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			0	0
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	2	3	(19)	(12)
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	0		0	0
Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	8	6	8	6	$ 10	4	$ 9	$ 5
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		0	1	(1)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	0	(3)	(3)	(8)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			0	0
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	0	0	1	0
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	(2)		6	10
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	21		21			20
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	500		500			515
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	120		120			163
Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	234		234			245
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	101		101			152
Mutual Fund [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	66		66			72
Mutual Fund [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	21		21			20
Mutual Fund [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	45		45			52
Mutual Fund [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Equity Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	3		3			0
Equity Funds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Equity Funds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	3		3			0
Equity Funds [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Other Debt Obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	60		60			207
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Other Debt Obligations [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Other Debt Obligations [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	60		60			207
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Other Debt Obligations [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	270		270			153
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	270		270			153
Available-for-sale Securities [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	330		330			360
Debt Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	330		330			360
Debt Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Equity Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	69		69			72
Equity Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	21		21			20
Equity Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	48		48			52
Equity Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	356		356			348
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	221		221			315
Derivative [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	161		161			262
Derivative [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	2		2			3
Derivative [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	54		54			30
Derivative [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	4		4			20
Derivative [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	122		122			103
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	120		120			163
Derivative [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	60		60			111
Derivative [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	2		2			3
Derivative [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	54		54			30
Derivative [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	4		4			19
Derivative [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	234		234			245
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	101		101			152
Derivative [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	101		101			151
Derivative [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability Value	0		0			1
Derivative [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	70		70			15
Derivative [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	65		65			15
Derivative [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	5		5			0
Derivative [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	26		26			29
Derivative [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	26		26			29
Derivative [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	243		243			269
Derivative [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	22		22			29
Derivative [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	221		221			240
Derivative [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	17		17			35
Derivative [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	0		0			0
Derivative [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	9		9			30
Derivative [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Asset Value	8		8			$ 5
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12	(2)	48	(29)
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12	(2)	48	(29)
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	0	0	0	0
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	0	$ 0	0	$ 0
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	$ 221		$ 221
Minimum [Member] | Argentina, Pesos | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina	42.1		42.1
Maximum [Member] | Argentina, Pesos | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina	166.5		166.5
Weighted Average [Member] | Argentina, Pesos | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina	99.2		99.2
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring			1.78%
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring			4.38%
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring			3.63%

Fair Value Investment in Market

Fair Value Investment in Marketable Securities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Gain Loss On Marketable Securities
Other-than-temporary impairment of marketable securities			$ 0
Gross proceeds from sales of AFS securities	$ 713	$ 365	$ 1,127	$ 1,158

Fair Value (Level 3 Reconciliat

Fair Value (Level 3 Reconciliation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	$ 133	$ 56	$ 133	$ 56	$ 118	$ 93	$ 53	$ 81
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		7	26	6
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Purchases, Sales, Issues, Settlements [Abstract]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	5	(2)	(7)	(5)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			1	7
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			(34)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	3	2	14	(12)
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12	(2)	48	(29)
Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	(96)	(192)	(96)	(192)	(111)	(151)	(195)	(179)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		(5)	28	(5)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Purchases, Sales, Issues, Settlements [Abstract]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	3	10	12	28
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			1	7
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			(34)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	1	(1)	32	0
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12	(2)	48	(29)
Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	221	242	221	242	219	240	239	255
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		12	(3)	12
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Purchases, Sales, Issues, Settlements [Abstract]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	2	(9)	(16)	(25)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			0	0
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	2	3	(19)	(12)
Foreign currency derivatives [Member] | Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	0	0	0	0
Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	8	6	8	6	$ 10	$ 4	$ 9	$ 5
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		0	1	(1)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Purchases, Sales, Issues, Settlements [Abstract]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	0	(3)	(3)	(8)
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers Into Level 3			0	0
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Liability, Transfers out of Level 3			0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	0	0	1	0
Commodity Contract [Member] | Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value (Quantitative Inform

Fair Value (Quantitative Information) (Details) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	$ 133	$ 118	$ 93	$ 56	$ 53	$ 81
Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	(96)	(111)	(151)	(192)	(195)	(179)
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	221	219	240	242	239	255
Commodity Contract [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	8	$ 10	$ 4	$ 6	$ 9	$ 5
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis with Unobservable Inputs	$ 221
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value Derivative Assets Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Inputs [Abstract]
Argentine Peso to U.S. Dollar currency exchange rate after 1 year	42.1
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value Derivative Assets Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Inputs [Abstract]
Argentine Peso to U.S. Dollar currency exchange rate after 1 year	166.5
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Weighted Average [Member]
Fair Value Derivative Assets Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Inputs [Abstract]
Argentine Peso to U.S. Dollar currency exchange rate after 1 year	99.2
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring	1.78%
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring	4.38%
Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Weighted Average [Member]
Fair Value Inputs Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring	3.63%

Fair Value (Nonrecurring Measur

Fair Value (Nonrecurring Measurements) (Details) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Asset Impairment Charges				$ 172	$ 260
Other Asset Impairment Charges		$ 74	$ 2	166	260
IPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Asset Retirement Obligation		53		53
Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]				66
Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]			156
Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]				8
Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]				92
Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]				94
Equity Method Investments [Member] | Elsta [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Other Asset Impairment Charges	[1]			5
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring		55		55		$ 127
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		11		11
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	33		33
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		7		7
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		92		92
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		29		29
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]		0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]		77		77
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]	185		185
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]		15		15
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]		190		190
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]		$ 171		$ 171
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Equity Method Investments [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Elsta [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Equity Method Investments [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Elsta [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	16		16
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Equity Method Investments [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Elsta [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1]	0		0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Equity Method Investments [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | Elsta [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring	[1],[2]	$ 21		$ 21
Measurement Input, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				(1.50%)
Measurement Input, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Maximum [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				(3.00%)
Measurement Input, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Minimum [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				(1.00%)
Measurement Input, Operating Margin [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				30.00%
Measurement Input, Operating Margin [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Maximum [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				36.00%
Measurement Input, Operating Margin [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Minimum [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				25.00%
Measurement Input, Discount Rate [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Valuation, Income Approach [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				9.00%
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Weighted Average [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				3.63%
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				4.38%
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Measurement Input, Entity Credit Risk [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value Measurement Inputs, Nonrecurring				1.78%
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Weighted Average [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina		99.2		99.2
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina		166.5		166.5
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
U S Dollar Indexation In Argentina		42.1		42.1
[1]	. (2) See Note 14 —Asset Impairment Expense
[2]	_ (1)

Fair Value (Instruments Not Mea

Fair Value (Instruments Not Measured at Fair Value) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Carrying Amount [Member]
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Accounts receivable - noncurrent	[1]	$ 105	$ 163
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Non-recourse debt		15,581	15,340
Recourse debt		3,820	4,630
Fair Value [Member]
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Value added tax		14	31
Accounts receivable - noncurrent	[1]	224	217
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Non-recourse debt		15,429	15,890
Recourse debt		3,901	4,920
Level 1 [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Accounts receivable - noncurrent	[1]	0	0
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Non-recourse debt		0	0
Recourse debt		0	0
Level 2 [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Accounts receivable - noncurrent	[1]	0	6
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Non-recourse debt		12,699	13,350
Recourse debt		3,901	4,920
Level 3 [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Accounts receivable - noncurrent	[1]	224	211
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Non-recourse debt		2,730	2,540
Recourse debt		$ 0	$ 0
[1]	) These amounts primarily relate to amounts due from CAMMESA, the administrator of the wholesale electricity market in Argentina, and are included in Other noncurrent assets in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value and carrying amount of these receivables exclude VAT of $14 million and $31 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017

Derivative Instruments and He_3

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Part 1 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		$ (12)	$ 3	$ (12)
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	$ 0		0	0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	(2)	9	16	25
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	(54)		(54)		$ (30)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	2	3	(19)	(12)
Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		5	(28)	5
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	0		0	0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	(3)	(10)	(12)	(28)
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	(161)		(161)		(262)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	1	(1)	32	0
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Libor and Euribor [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	4,499		4,499
Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	(2)		(2)		(3)
Commodity Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		0	(1)	1
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	(2)		6	10
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	0	3	3	8
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	(4)		(4)		(20)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	0	0	1	0
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings		(7)	(26)	(6)
Fair Value Measurements With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Recurring Basis Regulatory Assets Liabilities	(2)		6	10
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Settlements	(5)	2	7	5
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	(221)		(221)		$ (315)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Period Increase (Decrease)	3	2	14	(12)
Unidad de Fomento (funds code) | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	376		376
Euro EUR [Member] | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	80		80
Argentina, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	73		73
Chile, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	334		334
Colombia, Pesos | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	163		163
Other unspecified currency [Domain] | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Derivatives, notional amount	246		246
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	0	0	0	0
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12	(2)	48	(29)
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	0	0	0	0
Other comprehensive income - Derivative activity [Member]
Derivative Tables [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Gain (Loss) Included in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	$ 12	$ (2)	$ 48	$ (29)

Derivative Instruments and He_4

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Part 2 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	$ 221	$ 315
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	356	348
Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	74	84
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	69	211
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	282	264
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	152	104
Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	190	138
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	94	57
Not Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	31	177
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	262	291
Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	161	262
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	70	15
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	159	125
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	68	15
Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	2	137
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	2	0
Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	2	3
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	26	29
Cross currency derivatives [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	2	3
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	26	29
Cross currency derivatives [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	0	0
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	0	0
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	54	30
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	243	269
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	29	1
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	0	8
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	25	29
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	243	261
Commodity Contract [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	4	20
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	17	35
Commodity Contract [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	0	9
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	0	5
Commodity Contract [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member]
Liabilities
Derivative Liabilities, Gross	4	11
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Amount Not Offset Against Collateral [Abstract]
Derivative Assets, Gross	$ 17	$ 30

Derivative Instruments and He_5

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Part 3 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net	$ (28)	$ 4	$ (82)	$ (56)
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gain (Losses) Recognized in AOCL	18	11	35	(57)
Gains (Losses) Recognized in Earnings (ineffective portion)	0	4	(3)	4
Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Commodity Contract [Member]
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net	0	10	(5)	13
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gain (Losses) Recognized in AOCL	0	9	0	23
Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net	(8)	(1)	(9)	(24)
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gain (Losses) Recognized in AOCL	(11)	(4)	(44)	(15)
Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Cross currency derivatives [Member]
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net	(8)	14	(26)	18
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gain (Losses) Recognized in AOCL	3	12	(2)	14
Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss Before Tax Expected Increase Decrease Next Twelve Months	(66)		(66)
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net	(12)	(19)	(42)	(63)
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gain (Losses) Recognized in AOCL	26	(6)	81	(79)
Loss on Discontinuation of Cash Flow Hedge Due to Forecasted Transaction Probable of Not Occurring	0	0	0	(16)
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gains (Losses) Recognized in Earnings (not designated as hedging instruments)	(8)	6	177	(6)
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Contract [Member]
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gains (Losses) Recognized in Earnings (not designated as hedging instruments)	2	1	33	7
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Foreign currency derivatives [Member]
Gain Loss By Type Of Derivative Tables
Gains (Losses) Recognized in Earnings (not designated as hedging instruments)	$ (10)	$ 5	$ 144	$ (13)

Derivative Instruments and He_6

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Credit Risk-Related Contingent Features (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, Net Liability Position, Aggregate Fair Value	$ 221	$ 315
Contracts Subject To Netting Arrangements [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, Net Liability Position, Aggregate Fair Value		15
Collateral Already Posted, Aggregate Fair Value		$ 9

Financing Receivables (Details)

Financing Receivables (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Financing receivable	$ 119		$ 119			$ 194
Argentina [Member]
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Financing receivable	83		83			177
Other Entity [Member]
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Financing receivable	9		9			17
PANAMA
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Financing receivable	27		27			$ 0
Fluence [Member]
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired					50.00%
Other Expense [Member]
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Allowance for other receivables	$ 0	$ 15	$ 0	$ 15

Investments In and Advances T_2

Investments In and Advances To Affiliates (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Apr. 09, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Nov. 15, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Revenue					$ 2,837	$ 2,693	$ 8,114	$ 7,887
Operating margin					671	640	1,927	1,820
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments					$ 6	$ 24	31	33
Minority Owned Affiliates [Member]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Revenue							734	532
Operating margin							119	91
Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interest							36	44
Simple Energy [Member]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	$ 35
sPower [Member]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage			2.00%	48.00%
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired			$ 19	$ 461
Fluence [Member]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Interest in Joint Venture		$ 7
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired		50.00%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred		$ 50
Non-cash [Member] | Fluence [Member]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Line Items]
Contribution of Property		$ 20					$ 20	$ 0

Debt - Recourse Debt (Details)

Debt - Recourse Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 01, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt		$ (11)	$ (49)	$ (187)	$ (44)
7.375% Senior Notes Due 2021 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redeemed notes	$ 276			690
5.5% Senior Notes Due 2024 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redeemed notes		671
5.5% Senior Notes Due 2025 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redeemed notes		$ 29
8.0% Senior Notes Due 2020 [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redeemed notes	$ 24			$ 228	217
5.125% Senior Notes Due 2027 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redeemed notes					240
Senior Notes [Member] | Convertible Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issued senior notes			517		517
Senior Notes [Member] | LIBOR 2.00% Senior Notes Due in 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issued senior notes			$ 525		$ 525
Senior Notes [Member] | 4.0% Senior Notes Due 2021 [Domain] [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes		4.00%		4.00%
Issued senior notes		$ 500		$ 500
Senior Notes [Member] | 4.5% Senior Notes Due 2023 [Domain] [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes		4.50%		4.50%
Issued senior notes		$ 500		$ 500
Senior Notes [Member] | 5.5% Senior Notes Due 2024 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes		5.50%		5.50%
Senior Notes [Member] | 5.5% Senior Notes Due 2025 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes		5.50%		5.50%
Senior Notes [Member] | 8.0% Senior Notes Due 2020 [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes			8.00%		8.00%
Senior Notes [Member] | 5.125% Senior Notes Due 2027 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes			5.125%		5.125%
Issued senior notes			$ 500		$ 500
Unsecured Debt [Member] | 7.375% Senior Notes Due 2021 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes						7.375%
Unsecured Debt [Member] | 8.0% Senior Notes Due 2020 [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior notes						8.00%
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member] | 4.0% Senior Notes Due 2021 [Domain] [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt				$ (125)
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member] | 5.5% Senior Notes Due 2024 [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt				(44)
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member] | 8.0% Senior Notes Due 2020 [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt			(47)	$ (36)
Secured Debt [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member] | LIBOR 2.00% Senior Notes Due in 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt			$ (6)
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | LIBOR 2.00% Senior Notes Due in 2022 [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate				2.00%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Senior Unsecured Note LIBOR plus 3% due 2019 [Member] | Recourse Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate					3.00%

Debt - Non-Recourse Debt Narrat

Debt - Non-Recourse Debt Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt defaults at risk of causing cross default		0		0
Loss on extinguishment of debt		$ 11	$ 49	$ 187	$ 44
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt	$ 75
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | AES Southland [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				0
Issued new debt		587		587
Repayments of Long-term Debt				0
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | AES Tiete [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				0
Issued new debt		385		385
Repayments of Long-term Debt				(231)
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | Alto Maipo [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				0
Issued new debt		104		104
Repayments of Long-term Debt				0
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | Andes - Generation [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt			(65)
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				(6)
Issued new debt		0		0
Repayments of Long-term Debt				(106)
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | Gener Subsidiary [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				(7)
Issued new debt		0		0
Repayments of Long-term Debt				(104)
Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | Angamos [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt				0
Issued new debt		$ 0		0
Repayments of Long-term Debt				$ (98)
7.75% Senior Notes Due 2024 [Member] | Nonrecourse Debt [Member] | Andes - Generation [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issued new debt			$ 300		$ 300

Debt - Subsidiary Non-recourse

Debt - Subsidiary Non-recourse Debt in Default or Accelerated (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Nonrecourse Debt Default [Line Items]
Materiality threshold for cash distribution from business to Parent	20.00%
Debt defaults at risk of causing cross default	0
Debt Default Amount	$ 357
Covenant Violation [Member] | PUERTO RICO
Nonrecourse Debt Default [Line Items]
Net Assets	135
Debt Default Amount	322
Covenant Violation [Member] | AES llumina [Member]
Nonrecourse Debt Default [Line Items]
Net Assets	17
Debt Default Amount	$ 35

Contingencies and Commitments_2

Contingencies and Commitments (Details) $ in Millions		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)agreement	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Guarantees Letters Of Credit [Abstract]
The range of expiration dates of guarantees made by the Parent Company		less than one year to more than 18 years
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted		$ 853
Number of Agreements | agreement		53
Environmental Remediation Contingency [Domain]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies		$ 5	$ 5
Guarantee Obligations [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted		$ 435
Number of Agreements | agreement		21
Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	[1]	$ 27
Number of Agreements | agreement	[1]	1
Minimum [Member] | Guarantee Obligations [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		$ 1
Minimum [Member] | Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	[1]	$ 27
Minimum [Member] | Standby Letters of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Letter of credit fee percentage paid		1.00%
Maximum [Member] | Environmental Remediation Contingency [Domain]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		$ 16
Maximum [Member] | Guarantee Obligations [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		68
Maximum [Member] | Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss	[1]	$ 27
Maximum [Member] | Standby Letters of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Letter of credit fee percentage paid		3.00%
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted		$ 348
Number of Agreements | agreement		6
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		$ 2
Unsecured Debt [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		247
Secured Debt [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted		$ 43
Number of Agreements | agreement		25
Secured Debt [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		$ 1
Secured Debt [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Contingent Contractual Obligations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss		$ 14
[1]	(1) Excludes normal and customary representations and warranties in agreements for the sale of assets (including ownership in associated legal entities) where the associated risk is considered to be nominal.

Contingencies and Commitments -

Contingencies and Commitments - Loss Contingencies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Environmental Remediation Contingency [Domain]
Environmental Contingencies
Liability recorded for projected environmental remediation costs	$ 5	$ 5
Litigation [Member]
Litigation Contingencies
Aggregate reserves for claims deemed both probable and reasonably estimable	48	$ 50
Maximum [Member] | Environmental Remediation Contingency [Domain]
Litigation Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss ( Equal to or less than)	16
Maximum [Member] | Litigation [Member]
Litigation Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss ( Equal to or less than)	127
Minimum [Member] | Litigation [Member]
Litigation Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss ( Equal to or less than)	$ 99

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidia_3

Redeemable Stocks of Subsidiaries (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Other Charges	[1]	$ (4)	$ (19)
Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests		879		$ 837
Temporary Equity, Net Income		3	9
Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Sale of Parent Equity Interest		20	69
Colon [Domain]
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Other Charges		34	30
Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	[2]	201		159
IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. [Member]
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests		618		618
IPL Subsidiary [Member]
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests		60		$ 60
Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Other Charges	[1]	0	0
Temporary Equity, Net Income		3	9
Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Sale of Parent Equity Interest		$ 21	$ 47
[1]	Adjustment to record the redeemable stock of Colon at fair value.
[2]	(1) Characteristics of quotas are similar to common stock.

Equity (Details)

Equity (Details) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017
Changes In Equity Disclosure [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax				$ (222,000,000)
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent		$ 3,305,000,000		3,305,000,000			$ 2,465,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance				4,845,000,000	$ 5,700,000,000
Net income		191,000,000	$ 261,000,000	1,384,000,000	509,000,000
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		90,000,000	88,000,000	311,000,000	298,000,000
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax		(45,000,000)	80,000,000	(160,000,000)	127,000,000
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax		36,000,000	6,000,000	99,000,000	8,000,000
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax		1,000,000	7,000,000	5,000,000	20,000,000
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle (1)	[1]	168,000,000	31,000,000	168,000,000	31,000,000
Temporary Equity, Other Changes	[2]			(4,000,000)	(19,000,000)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests				6,000,000	17,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interests				(253,000,000)	(261,000,000)
Disposition of businesses (3)	[3]			(250,000,000)	0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation				18,000,000	12,000,000
Dividends declared on common stock				(172,000,000)	(158,000,000)
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests				20,000,000	69,000,000
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests				0	115,000,000
Temporary Equity, Net Income				3,000,000	9,000,000
Ending Balance		5,709,000,000	6,179,000,000	5,709,000,000	6,179,000,000
Additional Paid in Capital		8,328,000,000		8,328,000,000			8,501,000,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax		(2,020,000,000)		(2,020,000,000)		$ (1,857,000,000)	$ (1,876,000,000)
AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax				(232,000,000)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Designated or Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Changes In Equity Disclosure [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax				9,000,000
Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]
Changes In Equity Disclosure [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax				(231,000,000)
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment [Member]
Changes In Equity Disclosure [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax				0
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax				5,000,000
Parent [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance				2,465,000,000	2,794,000,000
Net income				1,075,000,000	181,000,000
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax				(232,000,000)	117,000,000
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax				64,000,000	5,000,000
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax				5,000,000	1,000,000
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle (1)	[1]	87,000,000	31,000,000	87,000,000	31,000,000
Temporary Equity, Other Changes	[2]			(4,000,000)	(19,000,000)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests				0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests				0	0
Disposition of businesses (3)	[3]			0	0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation				18,000,000	12,000,000
Dividends declared on common stock				(172,000,000)	(158,000,000)
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests				(1,000,000)	22,000,000
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests				0	200,000,000
Temporary Equity, Net Income				0	0
Ending Balance		3,305,000,000	3,186,000,000	3,305,000,000	3,186,000,000
Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance				2,380,000,000	2,906,000,000
Net income				309,000,000	328,000,000
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax				72,000,000	10,000,000
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax				35,000,000	3,000,000
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax				0	19,000,000
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle (1)	[1]	81,000,000	0	81,000,000	0
Temporary Equity, Other Changes	[2]			0	0
Contributions from noncontrolling interests				6,000,000	17,000,000
Distributions to noncontrolling interests				(253,000,000)	(261,000,000)
Disposition of businesses (3)	[3]			(250,000,000)	0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation				0	0
Dividends declared on common stock				0	0
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests				21,000,000	47,000,000
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests				0	(85,000,000)
Temporary Equity, Net Income				3,000,000	9,000,000
Ending Balance		$ 2,404,000,000	$ 2,993,000,000	$ 2,404,000,000	$ 2,993,000,000
Alto Maipo [Member]
Changes In Equity Disclosure [Line Items]
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent								$ 196,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Additional Paid in Capital								229,000,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax								$ (33,000,000)
[1]	See Note 1 —Financial Statement Presentation, New Accounting Standards Adopted
[2]	Adjustment to record the redeemable stock of Colon at fair value.
[3]	See Note 17 —Held-for-Sale and Dispositions

Equity Equity Transactions with

Equity Equity Transactions with Noncontrolling Interests (Details) - USD ($)	Sep. 28, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Additional Paid in Capital		$ 8,328,000,000			$ 8,328,000,000			$ 8,501,000,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax		(2,020,000,000)			(2,020,000,000)		$ (1,857,000,000)	(1,876,000,000)
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent		3,305,000,000			3,305,000,000			$ 2,465,000,000
Loss (gain) on disposal and sale of businesses		$ (21,000,000)	$ (1,000,000)		$ 856,000,000	$ (49,000,000)
Dominican Republic [Member]
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners			5.00%			5.00%
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses	$ 60,000,000
Gain on Disposition of Stock in Subsidiary, Recorded to APIC						$ 25,000,000
Loss (gain) on disposal and sale of businesses						$ 0
Alto Maipo [Member]
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired				40.00%
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent				62.00%
Additional Paid in Capital				$ 229,000,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax				$ (33,000,000)
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners				6.70%
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent				$ 196,000,000
Loss (gain) on disposal and sale of businesses				$ 0

Equity Accumulated Other Compre

Equity Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	$ (1,133,000,000)		$ (1,133,000,000)		$ (2,209,000,000)	$ (2,276,000,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent			(163,000,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(8,000,000)	$ 93,000,000	(56,000,000)	$ 155,000,000
Unfunded pension obligation, Net of Tax	(52,000,000)		(52,000,000)			(57,000,000)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, Net of Tax	(1,718,000,000)		(1,718,000,000)			(1,486,000,000)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(2,020,000,000)		(2,020,000,000)		(1,857,000,000)	(1,876,000,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			(222,000,000)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cumulative Changes in Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges, Effect Net of Tax	(250,000,000)		(250,000,000)			$ (333,000,000)
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			59,000,000
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	(45,000,000)	80,000,000	(160,000,000)	127,000,000
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives Arising During Period, Net of Tax	15,000,000	5,000,000	32,000,000	(42,000,000)
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax	1,000,000	$ 7,000,000	5,000,000	$ 20,000,000
AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax			(232,000,000)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Designated or Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			9,000,000
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			55,000,000
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives Arising During Period, Net of Tax			64,000,000
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			0
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			5,000,000
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax			5,000,000
Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			(231,000,000)
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			(1,000,000)
Alto Maipo [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax							$ (33,000,000)
ASC 606 Impact [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	98,000,000		98,000,000		67,000,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	$ 18,000,000		18,000,000		$ 19,000,000
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			19,000,000
ASC 606 Impact [Member] | Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Designated or Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			19,000,000
ASC 606 Impact [Member] | Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), before Reclassifications, Net of Tax			$ 0

Equity Reclassifications Out of

Equity Reclassifications Out of AOCL (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Non-regulated cost of sales	$ (2,166)	$ (2,053)	$ (6,187)	$ (6,067)
General and Administrative Expense	(43)	(52)	(134)	(155)
Other Expenses	(29)	(36)	(42)	(67)
Interest expense	(255)	(297)	(799)	(860)
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)	5	22	(44)	14
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	332	304	1,672	687
Income tax expense	(146)	(93)	(509)	(246)
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	6	24	31	33
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	192	235	1,194	474
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation During Phase-out Period, Net of Tax	(4)	26	(9)	35
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax	3	0	199	0
Net income	191	261	1,384	509
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0	(21)	2	(30)
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	101	152	1,075	181
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			59
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	21	1	(856)	49
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax	(18)	(1)	(59)	(142)
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Attributable to Parent [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			(1)
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Attributable to Parent [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax	0	0	(18)	0
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	3	0	1	(98)
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	3	0	19	(98)
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
General and Administrative Expense	(1)	0	(2)	1
Other Expenses	0	(1)	(1)	(1)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	(1)	(1)	(3)	0
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	(1)	(1)	(3)	0
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation During Phase-out Period, Net of Tax	0	(6)	0	(20)
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax	0	0	(2)	0
Net income	(1)	(7)	(5)	(20)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Non-regulated revenue	(1)	12	(6)	22
Non-regulated cost of sales	1	2	3	11
Interest expense	11	20	38	63
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)	(15)	14	(35)	(4)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES	(28)	4	(82)	(56)
Income tax expense	7	(5)	15	6
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	(21)	(1)	(67)	(50)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Less: Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable stock of subsidiaries	1	1	12	10
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Attributable to Parent [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			55
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Attributable to Parent [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	(20)	0	(55)	(40)
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Attributable to Parent [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, Net of Tax			5
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Attributable to Parent [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0	6	0	16
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AES CORPORATION	$ (1)	$ (1)	$ (5)	$ (4)

Equity Common Stock Dividends (

Equity Common Stock Dividends (Details) - $ / shares	Oct. 05, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid		$ 0.13	$ 0.13	$ 0.13
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared		$ 0.13			$ 0.12	$ 0.26	$ 0.24
Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared	$ 0.13

Segments (Details)

Segments (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)segment	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of strategic business units | segment			4
Number of reportable segments | segment			4
Revenue
Total Revenue	$ 2,837	$ 2,693	$ 8,114	$ 7,887
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	327	238	870	670
Reconciliation To Income From Continuing Operations Before Taxes
Unrealized derivative losses (gains)	16	(8)	4	(7)
Unrealized foreign currency transaction losses (gains)	(7)	(21)	42	(54)
Disposition/acquisition losses (gains)	17	1	(822)	109
Impairment losses	80	2	172	264
Extinguishment of debt losses (gains)	(1)	48	177	43
Pretax contribution	222	216	1,294	315
Net equity in earnings of affiliates	6	24	31	33
Less: Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes, attributable to noncontrolling interests	(116)	(112)	(409)	(405)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	332	304	1,672	687
Restructuring Costs	0	0	3	0
Assets
Total Assets	32,489		32,489		$ 33,112
Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	2,837	2,693	8,114	7,887
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	327	238	870	670
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	(9)	(13)	(34)	(22)
US and Utilities [Domain]
Revenue
Total Revenue	1,230		3,252
Assets
Total Assets	11,971		11,971		11,297
US and Utilities [Domain] | Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	1,230	1,086	3,252	3,179
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	167	138	363	288
MCAC [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	462		1,276
Assets
Total Assets	4,477		4,477		4,087
MCAC [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	462	397	1,276	1,120
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	81	91	215	209
EURASIA [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	224		935
Assets
Total Assets	4,588		4,588		4,557
EURASIA [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	224	380	935	1,204
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	37	61	175	218
Corporate Other And Other Eliminations [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	(2)		(13)
Assets
Total Assets	293		293		263
Corporate Other And Other Eliminations [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	7	9	21	29
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	(86)	(119)	(264)	(334)
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Assets
Total Assets	111		111		2,034
South America [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	923		2,664
Assets
Total Assets	11,049		11,049		$ 10,874
South America [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue
Total Revenue	923	834	2,664	2,377
Adjusted PTC
Adjusted Pretax Contribution	$ 128	$ 67	$ 381	$ 289

Revenue (Details)

Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 2,837	$ 2,693	$ 8,114	$ 7,887
Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	759		2,176
Other non-606 revenue	18		39
Revenues	777		2,215
Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	1,898		5,336
Other non-606 revenue	162		563
Revenues	2,060		5,899
US and Utilities [Domain]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	1,230		3,252
US and Utilities [Domain] | Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	759		2,176
Other non-606 revenue	18		39
Revenues	777		2,215
US and Utilities [Domain] | Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	386		774
Other non-606 revenue	67		263
Revenues	453		1,037
South America [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	923		2,664
South America [Member] | Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	0		0
Other non-606 revenue	0		0
Revenues	0		0
South America [Member] | Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	922		2,661
Other non-606 revenue	1		3
Revenues	923		2,664
MCAC [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	462		1,276
MCAC [Member] | Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	0		0
Other non-606 revenue	0		0
Revenues	0		0
MCAC [Member] | Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	440		1,211
Other non-606 revenue	22		65
Revenues	462		1,276
Eurasia - Generation [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	224		935
Eurasia - Generation [Member] | Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	0		0
Other non-606 revenue	0		0
Revenues	0		0
Eurasia - Generation [Member] | Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	152		701
Other non-606 revenue	72		234
Revenues	224		935
Corporate Other And Other Eliminations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	(2)		(13)
Corporate Other And Other Eliminations [Member] | Regulated Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	0		0
Other non-606 revenue	0		0
Revenues	0		0
Corporate Other And Other Eliminations [Member] | Non-regulated revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	(2)		(11)
Other non-606 revenue	0		(2)
Revenues	$ (2)		$ (13)

Revenue Contract Balances (Deta

Revenue Contract Balances (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Contract with Customer, Liability	$ 116	$ 131
Contract with Customer, Liability, Revenue Recognized	33
Loan receivable	$ 1,441	$ 1,490	$ 0

Revenue Remaining Performance O

Revenue Remaining Performance Obligations (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Remaining Performance Obligations [Abstract]
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Amount	$ 16

Other Income and Expense - Othe

Other Income and Expense - Other Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income [Line Items]
Other income		$ 10	$ 16	$ 30	$ 103
Other Income [Member]
Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income [Line Items]
Litigation Settlement, Amount Awarded from Other Party	[1]	0	0	0	60
Public Utilities, Allowance for Funds Used During Construction, Additions		1	7	8	20
Other Nonoperating Income		9	9	22	23
Other income		$ 10	$ 16	$ 30	$ 103
[1]	(1) In December 2016, the Company and YPF entered into a settlement agreement in which all parties agreed to give up any and all legal action related to gas supply contracts that were terminated in 2008 and have been in dispute since 2009. In January 2017, the YPF board approved the agreement and paid the Company $60 million

Other Income and Expense - Ot_2

Other Income and Expense - Other Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Schedule of other expense [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets			$ (23)	$ (34)
Other Expenses	$ 29	$ 36	42	67
Other Expense [Member]
Schedule of other expense [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets	20	5	25	26
Water Rights Write-Off	0	15	0	18
Allowance for other receivables	0	15	0	15
Other Nonoperating Expense	9	1	17	8
Other Expenses	$ 29	$ 36	$ 42	$ 67

Asset Impairment Expense (Detai

Asset Impairment Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use	$ 74		$ 2		$ 166	$ 260
US Generation Facility [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use	73	$ 83	0		156	0
Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of	0		2		0	92
Kazakhstan [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of	0		0		0	94
DPL Subsidiary [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use	0		0		0	66
Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use	1		0		10	8
Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring			190			190
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)						100
Fair Value Less Costs To Sell			$ 92			$ 92
Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring				$ 171
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)				92
Fair Value Less Costs To Sell				29
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of				94
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | US Generation Facility [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Assets, fair value	$ 55	$ 127			$ 55
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Stuart Station [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Assets, fair value				3
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] | Killen Station [Member]
Asset Impairment Expense [Line Items]
Assets, fair value				$ 8

Dispositions Dispositions (Deta

Dispositions Dispositions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use	$ 74		$ 2	$ 166	$ 260
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments				1,796	39
Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses	(21)		(1)	856	(49)
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Individually Significant Component Disposed of or Held-for-sale, Excluding Discontinued Operations, Attributable to Parent, before Income Tax	8		48	59	114
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Electrica Santiago (Gener ESSA) [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments				287
Disposal group, consideration, contingent liability	9			9
Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses				69
Tax on gain (loss) on disposition of business		$ 25
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Masinloc Subsidiary [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Individually Significant Component Disposed of or Held-for-sale, Excluding Discontinued Operations, Attributable to Parent, before Income Tax	0		26	9	78
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments				1,050
Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses				773
Tax on gain (loss) on disposition of business				155
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments					24
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal					(48)
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | DPL Peaking Generation [Domain]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Individually Significant Component Disposed of or Held-for-sale, Excluding Discontinued Operations, Attributable to Parent, before Income Tax	8		9	38	1
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | DPL Peaking Generation [Domain]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Individually Significant Component Disposed of or Held-for-sale, Excluding Discontinued Operations, Attributable to Parent, before Income Tax	0		11	7	12
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments				239
Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses		(2)
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Beckjord Facility [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal		(12)
Asset Retirement Obligation, Cash Paid to Settle		(15)
Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Individually Significant Component Disposed of or Held-for-sale, Excluding Discontinued Operations, Attributable to Parent, before Income Tax	0		2	5	23
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Compania Transmisora del Norte Grande [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring	99			99
Proceeds from the sale of businesses, net of cash and restricted cash sold, and equity method investments	220
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Advancion Energy Storage [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal and sale of businesses		$ 23
Kazakhstan [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of	$ 0		$ 0	$ 0	$ 94

Acquisitions (Details)

Acquisitions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jan. 01, 2018	Nov. 15, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018
sPower [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		$ 19	$ 461
Alto Sertao II [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred					$ 179
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired					143
Non Recourse Debt Total					$ 346
Payment for Contingent Consideration Liability, Financing Activities				$ 12
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability							$ 18
Fluence [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	$ 50
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	50.00%
Bauru Solar Complex [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Asset Acquisition, Purchase Price						$ 152
Project Financing Disbursed						119
Asset Acquisition, Consideration Transferred						$ 33

Earnings Per Share (Details)

Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE
Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders (Income)	$ 102	$ 147	$ 883	$ 176
Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders (Shares)	662	660	661	660
Income from continuing operations attributable to The AES Corporation common stockholders, net of tax	$ 0.15	$ 0.22	$ 1.33	$ 0.27
EFFECT OF DILUTIVE SECURITIES
Dilutive Securities, Effect on Basic Earnings Per Share, Options and Restrictive Stock Units	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Restricted stock units (Shares)	3	3	3	2
Dilutive Securities Effect On Basic EPS, dilutive Restricted Stock Units, per diluted share	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Diluted Share	$ 0.15	$ 0.22	$ 1.33	$ 0.27
Income Loss From Continuing Operations Diluted	$ 102	$ 147	$ 883	$ 176
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	665	663	664	662
Stock Compensation Plan [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	2	6	2	6

Subsequent Events (Details)

Subsequent Events (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Oct. 16, 2018	Nov. 15, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates				$ (1,796)	$ (39)
sPower [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		$ 19	$ 461
sPower [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates	$ (86)

Discontinued Operations and H_3

Discontinued Operations and Held for sale businesses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended				6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Nov. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 20, 2018
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	$ (1,486)		$ (1,718)					$ (1,718)		$ (1,486)
Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Discontinued Operations					$ 129				$ 254
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Revenue					945				2,726
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Costs of Goods Sold					(876)				(2,573)
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax			3		0			199	0
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Expense					(26)				(94)
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax					43				59
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) from Disposal of Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax								243	0
Income (loss) on discontinued operations, before tax, attributable to Noncontrolling interest					(21)				(30)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, before income tax, attributable to parent					22				29
Discontinued Operation, Tax Effect of Discontinued Operation			0		(17)			(2)	(24)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent			(1)		5			192	5
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Assets	2,034									2,034
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Liabilities	1,033									1,033
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities, Discontinued Operations					(61)				(181)
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates								1,796	39
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business			21		1			(856)	49
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Assets	1,948									1,948
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Liabilities	1,033									1,033
DPL Peaking Generation [Domain] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates								239
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business				$ 2
Compania Transmisora del Norte Grande [Member] | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring			99					99
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates			220
Masinloc Subsidiary [Member] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates								1,050
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business								(773)
Electrica Santiago (Gener ESSA) [Member] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates								287
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business								(69)
Kazakhstan [Member] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates									24
Masinloc Subsidiary [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent											51.00%
Eletropaulo Subsidiary [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operations, Investments in and Advances to Affiliates	$ 86									86
Discontinued Operation, Equity Method Investment Retained after Disposal, Ownership Interest Prior to Disposal	17.00%
Deconsolidation, Gain (Loss), Amount		$ (611)
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)										(455)
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Pension Gains (Losses)										(243)
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax								199
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) from Disposal of Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax								243
Eletropaulo Subsidiary [Member] | Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Assets	$ 86									$ 86
Kazakhstan [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of			0		0			0	94
Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of			$ 0		2			$ 0	92
Eletropaulo Subsidiary [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses							$ 340
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Kazakhstan [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring						$ 171
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)						92
Fair Value Less Costs To Sell						29
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of						$ 94
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Kazakhstan Hydro [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Assets Carrying Amount Disclosure Nonrecurring					190				190
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)									100
Fair Value Less Costs To Sell					$ 92				$ 92

Risks and Uncertainties (Detail

Risks and Uncertainties (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Unusual Risk or Uncertainty [Line Items]
Debt Default Amount	$ 357
Investments in and Advance to Affiliates, Subsidiaries, Associates, and Joint Ventures	1,277	$ 1,197
PUERTO RICO | Covenant Violation [Member]
Unusual Risk or Uncertainty [Line Items]
Debt Default Amount	322
AES llumina [Member] | Covenant Violation [Member]
Unusual Risk or Uncertainty [Line Items]
Debt Default Amount	$ 35

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 20, 2018
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
One-time Transition Tax Rate	$ (146)		$ (93)	$ (509)	$ (246)
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	$ 21		$ 1	$ (856)	$ 49
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent	44.00%		31.00%	30.00%	36.00%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent				21.00%	35.00%
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates				$ 1,796	$ 39
Electrica Santiago (Gener ESSA) [Member] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business				(69)
Tax on gain (loss) on disposition of business		$ 25
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates				287
Masinloc Subsidiary [Member] | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business				(773)
Tax on gain (loss) on disposition of business				155
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses and Interests in Affiliates				1,050
Argentina [Member]
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
Income Tax Expense (Benefit), due to Foreign Currency Exposure	$ 16		$ 4	38	$ 8
Masinloc Subsidiary [Member]
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
Disposal Group Not Discontinued Operation Ownership Interest Sold						51.00%
UNITED STATES
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
One-time Transition Tax Rate				(708)
Change in Accounting Estimate, Type [Domain] | UNITED STATES
Income Tax Disclosures [Line Items]
One-time Transition Tax Rate				$ (33)