Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Financial Instruments - Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments (Details)

v2.4.0.6
Financial Instruments - Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified
 1 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
2016 Senior Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2016 Senior Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2016 Senior Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2016 Senior Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2020 Notes
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2020 Notes
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2020 Notes
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2020 Notes
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
Liquefaction Credit Facility [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Liquefaction Credit Facility [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
Liquefaction Credit Facility [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Liquefaction Credit Facility [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2013 Senior Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2013 Senior Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2013 Senior Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2013 Senior Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
Convertible Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Convertible Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
Convertible Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
Convertible Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2007 Term Loan due May 31, 2012 [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2007 Term Loan due May 31, 2012 [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2007 Term Loan due May 31, 2012 [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2007 Term Loan due May 31, 2012 [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Apr. 30, 2012
2008 Loans [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2008 Loans [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2008 Loans [Member]
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
2008 Loans [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Dec. 31, 2011
2008 Loans [Member]
Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]                                                          
Notes Payable, Fair Value Disclosure $ 1,647,113,000 [1] $ 1,642,418,000 [1] $ 1,824,177,000 [1] $ 1,650,630,000 [1] $ 420,000,000 [1] $ 0 [1] $ 437,850,000 [1] $ 0 [1]         $ 0 [1] $ 550,000,000 [1] $ 0 [1] $ 555,500,000 [1] $ 0 [1] $ 194,724,000 [1] $ 0 [1] $ 186,740,000 [1]                  
Line of Credit Facility, Fair Value of Amount Outstanding                 100,000,000 [2] 0 [2] 100,000,000 [2] 0 [2]                                  
Loans Payable, Fair Value Disclosure                                         0 [3] 298,000,000 [3] 0 [3] 292,728,000 [3]   0 [4] 282,293,000 [4] 0 [4] 282,293,000 [4]
Long-term Debt                                                 8,400,000        
Debt Conversion, Converted Instrument, Shares Issued                                                 1.7        
Debt Conversion, Converted Instrument, Amount                                                 $ 1,400,000        
[1] The Level 2 estimated fair value was based on quotations obtained from broker-dealers who make markets in these and similar instruments based on the closing trading prices on December 31, 2012 and 2011, as applicable.
[2] The Level 3 estimated fair value of the Liquefaction Credit Facility as of December 31, 2012 was determined to be the carrying amount due to our ability to call this debt at anytime without penalty.
[3] The 2007 Term Loan was closely held by few holders, and purchases and sales were infrequent and were conducted on a bilateral basis without price discovery by us. This loan was not rated and had unique covenants and collateral packages such that comparisons to other instruments were imprecise. Nonetheless, we provided an estimate of the fair value of this loan as of December 31, 2011 based on an index of the yield to maturity of CCC rated debt of other companies in the energy sector, resulting in Level 3 categorization. In January 2012, the 2007 Term Loan was paid in full.
[4] The Level 3 estimated fair value of the 2008 Loans as of December 31, 2011 was determined to be the same as the carrying amount due to our ability to call the debt (other than the debt held by Scorpion) at anytime without penalty or a make-whole payment for an early redemption. In April 2012, Scorpion exchanged all $8.4 million of its loan for 1.7 million shares of Cheniere common stock and $1.4 million cash. In June 2012, the 2008 Loans were paid in full and the credit agreement and related agreements were terminated