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%…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
The Minnesota House and Senate have passed their major energy packages, and negotiations are beginning on these and all areas of spending and policy. The legislature is set to adjourn on May 20, and, as usual, the majority of bills will be settled during the final weeks or days of session. Most energy provisions are…
Recently, the Senate took action to shift hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs from the state’s largest industry onto regular people. On March 14, the Senate Energy Committee heard Senator David Senjem’s Clean Energy First Act (SF 1456). Clean Energy First was a carefully written bill that would require utilities to look first…
Recently, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has been in the news a lot. Articles about the Commission (as the PUC is often referred) have graced local headlines across the state. The Commission’s recent decisions on the Enbridge pipeline, Minnesota Power’s proposal to construct a new generation facility, and Governor-elect Walz’s opportunity to appoint a new…
Back in the fall of 2017, we informed you about a multi-year rate increase approved for Xcel Energy electricity customers. The first, and largest, portion of rate increases went into effect on October 1, 2017, and now it’s time to get ready for another round. Effective January 1, 2019, Xcel customers will face an increase…
