March 18, 2021 MinnPost Walker Orenstein The severe cold in the southern U.S. last month will result in higher natural gas bills for a huge swath of Minnesotans. In response, a pair of Minnesota lawmakers have introduced a bill at the Legislature to help low-income people shoulder the extra costs. The new measure would distribute…
22Dec
Xcel residential electric rates to remain the same for another year
Published December 22, 2020 Last Thursday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved an arrangement that will avoid a rate increase for Xcel Energy’s residential customers in 2021. This fall, Xcel filed a “rate case” — a request to increase their base rates by 20 percent — with the PUC. At the time of filing,…
07Dec
CUB partners with Minnesota Power to analyze bill impacts of proposed rate designs
Published December 7, 2020 This month, CUB and Minnesota Power released the findings of joint research evaluating how real customers’ electricity bills would change under four new rate designs that are under consideration. Over the past several years, Minnesota Power (“MP”) has engaged in a pilot program, stakeholder discussions, and regulatory processes to assess whether…
03Nov
Xcel files request to increase revenues 20 percent
Published November 3, 2020 Xcel Energy has filed a request with the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to increase electric rates in Minnesota. Xcel is requesting a 20 percent increase in total revenues over three years. Residential customers would see a 14 percent increase in the first year, 1.5 percent in the second year, and…
09Jun
Minnesota Power customers will get refunds after utility resolves, PUC approves revised rate increase request
Published June 9, 2020 Last Thursday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously approved a resolution to Minnesota Power’s rate increase request that will result in immediate refunds for customers. The utility, which provides power to Duluth and parts of northeast, north-central, and central Minnesota, had originally requested a large rate increase, including a 15%…
27Apr
Minnesota Power seeks to lower rate hike, refund $12 million to customers
April 23, 2020 Duluth News Tribune Jimmy Lovrien If approved by regulators, Minnesota Power’s Jan. 1, 2020, rate increase will decrease from 5.8% to 4.1%, and the difference will be refunded to customers. Minnesota Power is aiming to lower its proposed rate hike and refund the difference to customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Duluth-based…
23Apr
Minnesota Power proposal to withdraw rate increase request could result in immediate savings for customers
Published April 23, 2020 Today, Minnesota Power filed a request to immediately reduce customer bills, to soon refund approximately $12 million to customers, and to withdraw its pending request for a rate increase. The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the circumstances surrounding Minnesota Power’s earlier rate increase request. In November, Minnesota Power filed a request…
16Jan
CUB working toward Senate bill to advance clean energy, protect consumers
January 16, 2020 Yesterday, the Minnesota Senate energy committee met in Rochester to discuss a new draft of the Clean Energy First bill, carried by Senator David Senjem. As the name suggests, the bill would require utilities to use clean sources of electricity unless they demonstrate that to do so would increase costs of make…
17Dec
Xcel withdraws general rate increase request, customers will see smaller increase in 2020
Published December 17, 2019 In November, Xcel requested permission to raise rates an average of 15.2% over three years. However, the utility agreed to withdraw its rate increase request last week. Instead, the Public Utilities Commission approved smaller increases to “true up” financial projections. Writing for the Star Tribune, Mike Hughlett reports: Xcel said that…
15May
What are fair utility rates for large and small customers? Let’s ask Sven and Ole.
Have you heard the old tale about how big businesses pay too much for their utilities, and subsidize residential and small businesses utility rates? Well ya, Ole’s heard that one, too.