Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Debt - Convertible Notes (Details)

v3.10.0.1
Debt - Convertible Notes (Details)
 3 Months Ended 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
USD ($)
$ / shares
Jun. 30, 2017
USD ($)
Jun. 30, 2018
USD ($)
d
$ / shares
Jun. 30, 2017
USD ($)
Convertible Debt [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest per contractual rate $ 58,000,000 $ 54,000,000 $ 116,000,000 $ 107,000,000
2021 Cheniere Convertible Unsecured Notes [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Aggregate original principal 1,000,000,000   1,000,000,000  
Debt component, net of discount and debt issuance costs 1,081,000,000   1,081,000,000  
Equity component $ 207,000,000   207,000,000  
Conversion value in excess of principal     $ 0  
Maturity date     May 28, 2021  
Contractual interest rate 4.875%   4.875%  
Effective interest rate [1] 8.40%   8.40%  
Remaining debt discount and debt issuance costs amortization period [2]     2 years 333 days  
2021 Cheniere Convertible Unsecured Notes [Member] | Note Holders [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price | $ / shares $ 93.64   $ 93.64  
2025 CCH Holdco II Convertible Senior Notes [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Aggregate original principal $ 1,000,000,000   $ 1,000,000,000  
Debt component, net of discount and debt issuance costs 1,350,000,000   1,350,000,000  
Equity component $ 0   0  
Conversion value in excess of principal     $ 0  
Maturity date     Mar. 01, 2025  
Contractual interest rate 11.00%   11.00%  
Effective interest rate [1] 11.90%   11.90%  
Remaining debt discount and debt issuance costs amortization period [2]     2 years 93 days  
2025 CCH Holdco II Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Cheniere [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Debt Instrument, Convertible,Threshold Market Capitalization $ 10,000,000,000   $ 10,000,000,000  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Percentage of Conversion 1, Discount to VWAP     10.00%  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Consecutive Trading Days | d     90  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Percentage Of Conversion 2, Discount to closing price of common stock     10.00%  
2025 CCH Holdco II Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Note Holders [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Debt Instrument, Convertible,Threshold Market Capitalization 10,000,000,000   $ 10,000,000,000  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Consecutive Trading Days | d     90  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Earliest date of conversion, Period after closing     6 months  
2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Aggregate original principal 625,000,000   $ 625,000,000  
Debt component, net of discount and debt issuance costs 310,000,000   310,000,000  
Equity component $ 194,000,000   194,000,000  
Conversion value in excess of principal     $ 0  
Maturity date     Mar. 15, 2045  
Contractual interest rate 4.25%   4.25%  
Effective interest rate [1] 9.40%   9.40%  
Remaining debt discount and debt issuance costs amortization period [2]     26 years 265 days  
2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Note Holders [Member]        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price | $ / shares $ 138.38   $ 138.38  
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Ratio per $1,000 principal amount, in shares     7.2265  
[1] Rate to accrete the discounted carrying value of the convertible notes to the face value over the remaining amortization period.
[2] We amortize any debt discount and debt issuance costs using the effective interest over the period through contractual maturity except for the 2025 CCH HoldCo II Convertible Senior Notes, which are amortized through the date they are first convertible by holders into our common stock.