April 19, 2022 Energy and Policy Institute Karlee Weinmann CenterPoint Energy paid its CEO a total of $37.8 million last year, far exceeding executive pay at peer companies while it sought massive rate hikes for customers already struggling to keep up with skyrocketing utility bills. A review of executive compensation at large U.S. utilities places David Lesar’s…
05Mar
Report takes aim at CenterPoint’s gains from Texas merger
March 1, 2022 MPR News Kirsti Marohn An advocacy group is raising questions about CenterPoint Energy’s financial interest in a Texas-based energy company that it says made billions of dollars from natural gas price spikes following a February 2021 winter storm. The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, which advocates for utility customers, released the report…
01Mar
Is CenterPoint “having its cake and eating it too” when recovering Winter Storm Uri costs from Minnesotans?
Published March 1, 2022 A report issued by CUB today raises questions about Texas-based CenterPoint Energy’s financial interest in another Texas company that made billions during the February 2021 Winter Storm Uri. The report comes while CenterPoint’s Minnesota-based subsidiary is attempting to pass on approximately $466 million in costs associated with last year’s storm to…
27Dec
Electric and gas rates set to rise across Minnesota
December 27, 2021 MPR News Dan Kraker It’s been a busy few weeks at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The PUC is charged with approving the rates that the state’s regulated utilities can charge for their electric and natural gas service. And right now, the state’s biggest electric and gas utilities are all requesting rate…
06Dec
CenterPoint & MN Power customers will see interim rate increase in January, but less than each utility initially requested
Published December 6, 2021 Last week, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved interim rate increases for both CenterPoint Energy and Minnesota Power. Customers of each utility will see the interim charge on their bills beginning in January. In both decisions, energy affordability for residential customers was at the front of the PUC’s consideration. CenterPoint…
10Nov
CenterPoint and Xcel each request gas rate hikes of over 6%, but also offer alternatives
Published November 10, 2021 As they say: when it rains, it pours. On top of already high natural gas prices — and in addition to rate hike filings by Minnesota Power and Xcel’s electricity business — the state’s two largest natural gas utilities have also requested to increase their base rates of providing service. In…
09Nov
CenterPoint, Xcel file for gas rate increases of over 6%
November 1, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett Minnesota’s largest natural-gas providers — CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy — Monday asked regulators for a rate increase of about 6.5 %, in standard requests that this year would add to costs that are already soaring for other reasons. Sharp increases in the commodity cost of gas are…
18May
Minnesota regulators do not approve CenterPoint’s proposed investment in advanced meters
Published May 18, 2021 I recently wrote a blog about CenterPoint Energy’s petition to begin installing smart meters at the homes and businesses of its Minnesota customers. Like any time a regulated utility asks to spend its customers’ money, this proposal required approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). CUB recommended that the Commission…
05Apr
CUB recommends the Commission deny CenterPoint’s proposed investment in advanced meters
Published April 5, 2021 CenterPoint Energy has asked Minnesota regulators for permission to begin installing smart meters to serve its residential natural gas customers. However, CenterPoint provided very little justification for charging customers the hefty price of these advanced meters and has not demonstrated that the value to customers will be worth the expense. For…
17Mar
February cold snap could cost CenterPoint customers additional $354, plus interest
March 17, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett CenterPoint Energy is proposing to spread the cost of a colossal natural gas price spike — $354 per household on average — over two years to help cushion the blow to Minnesota consumers and the company itself. The deep freeze that paralyzed Texas last month ignited U.S. wholesale…