Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Non-Controlling Interest (Details)

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Non-Controlling Interest (Details) (USD $)
 3 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Mar. 31, 2011
Dec. 31, 2011
Sep. 30, 2011
Chenier Partners [Member]
Apr. 30, 2007
Chenier Partners [Member]
Mar. 31, 2012
Chenier Partners [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Chenier Partners [Member]
Jan. 31, 2011
Chenier Partners [Member]
Maximum [Member]
Mar. 31, 2012
Cheniere LNG Holdings [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Cheniere LNG Holdings [Member]
Sep. 30, 2011
Cheniere Common Units Holding, LLC [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Common Unit Option [Member]
Cheniere LNG Holdings [Member]
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]                        
Net proceeds from issuance / sale of common units $ 2,843,000         $ 153,636,000 [1]     $ 203,946,000 [2]      
Distributions to Cheniere Partners' non-controlling interest (8,092,000)         (129,115,000) [3]            
Non-controlling interest share of loss of Cheniere Partners 2,438,000 641,000       27,579,000            
Non-controlling interest 200,888,000   208,575,000                  
Partners' Capital Account, Units, Sold in Public Offering       3,000,000 15,525,000 100,000 500,000          
Net proceeds from issuance of common units 2,843,000 1,515,000   43,300,000 98,400,000   9,000,000     203,900,000   39,400,000
At-the-Market Sale Program, Authorized Number of Units               1,000,000        
Partners' Capital Account, Units, Sold in Private Placement                     1,100,000 2,025,000
Price per Common Unit                     $ 15.25  
Proceeds from Issuance of common units to Cheniere Common UNits Holdings, LLC                     $ 16,400,000  
[1] In March and April 2007, we and Cheniere Partners completed a public offering of 15,525,000 Cheniere Partners common units (the "Cheniere Partners Offering"). Cheniere Partners received $98.4 million in net proceeds from the issuance of its common units to the public. Prior to January 1, 2009, a company was able to elect an accounting policy of recording a gain or loss on the sale of common equity of a subsidiary equal to the amount of proceeds received in excess of the carrying value of the parent’s investment. Effective January 1, 2009, the sale of common equity of a subsidiary is accounted for as an equity transaction. In January 2011, Cheniere Partners initiated an at-the-market program to sell up to 1.0 million common units, the proceeds from which would be used primarily to fund development costs associated with its proposed liquefaction project at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. As of December 31, 2011, Cheniere Partners had sold 0.5 million common units with net proceeds of $9.0 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, Cheniere Partners sold 0.1 million common units with net proceeds of $2.8 million related to this at-the-market program. In September 2011, Cheniere Partners sold 3.0 million common units in an underwritten public offering and 1.1 million common units to Cheniere Common Units Holding, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheniere, at a price of $15.25 per common unit. Cheniere Partners received net proceeds of $43.3 million and $16.4 million from the public offering and Cheniere Common Units Holding, LLC sale, respectively
[2] In conjunction with the Cheniere Partners Offering, Cheniere LNG Holdings, LLC ("Holdings") sold a portion of the Cheniere Partners common units held by it to the public, realizing net proceeds of $203.9 million, which included $39.4 million of net proceeds realized once the underwriters exercised their option to purchase an additional 2,025,000 common units from Holdings. Due to the subordinated distribution rights on our subordinated units, we have recorded those proceeds as a non-controlling interest.
[3] Cash distributions to the non-controlling interest are recorded directly against the non-controlling interest on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. There is no obligation beyond what is reflected in our consolidated financial statements to fund or absorb such distributions to the non-controlling interest. If in the future the non-controlling interest on our Consolidated Balance Sheets is reduced to zero, these distributions may increase the loss allocated to us.