Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s proposed allocation of customer service-related costs in its rate case for the 2020-2022 period fails to reflect the cost differentials between bundled and unbundled electric distribution customers, according to a group of community choice aggregators operating in the utility’s territory. The differentials have become important with the advent of community…
Last year, 89 utilities, representing nearly half of all major U.S. electric utilities, filed rate cases with state regulatory commissions, the largest number since 1983, according to a July 19 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The aggregated value of utility-rate hike requests in 2018 was $6.8 billion, and regulators approved a total increase…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission on July 17 adopted a settlement requiring FirstEnergy Corp.’s distribution utilities to revise their rates to reflect the savings from the federal tax cut law that slashed the corporate income tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The agreement calls for credits and rate revisions…
DTE Electric Company asked the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve a pilot program that will test six distinct rates within the residential rate class, according to a July 19 filing. In May, the agency provided an extension to the implementation of the time-of-use rate structure ordered last year and authorized the company to test…
Lawmakers in California quickly approved legislation providing investor-owned utilities with $21 billion to help them pay for wildfire damages linked to their transmission equipment. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill on July 12. The bill gives companies two options. One is a $10.5 billion state-backed line of credit to pay for wildfire damages that…
Minnesota Power, a unit of ALLETE Inc., proposed a rate adjustment to recover the costs related to on-going transmission projects, which include the 500-kilovolt Great Northern Transmission Line that will deliver 383 megawatts of hydropower from Manitoba Hydro beginning in 2020, according to a July 9 filing with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The company…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on June 25 approved Xcel Energy Inc.’s 2018 rate adjustments for its revenue decoupling mechanism, which results in bill credits totaling $13 million for residential and small business customers that are subject to the program. The adjustment is calculated to match the actual electric revenue per customer to the level…
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will host the first meeting on June 26 for working groups tasked with discussing measures that promote and protect consumer interests in the retail electric competitive supply market, according to a June 14 memorandum. The regulator issued an order on Jan. 23 opening the investigation, which will discuss measures including…
The New York Public Service Commission has flagged four energy service companies (ESCOs) over their failure to submit annual compliance filings under Unifrom Business Practices, according to June 14 notices. Bluesource Energy LLC failed to submit the yearly statement (January 31 Statement) that the information and attachments contained in the ESCO’s Retail Access Application Form and…
The New York Public Service Commission imposed negative adjustments in the revenues of the New York State Electric & Gas Corporation, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, and Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc. for shortfalls in their reliability and customer service metrics last year. Major storms continue to challenge utilities, accounting for more than 80…
The Court of Common Pleas in Hampton County on June 11 finalized a settlement in a class action lawsuit over the costs that South Carolina Electric & Gas Company’s electric ratepayers have incurred towards the abandoned VC Summer nuclear power project. The settlement includes a $115 million cash component, an estimated $60 million to $85…
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection denied Williams Partners LP a water quality certification for its nearly $1 billion Northeast Supply Enhancement natural gas project, over concerns that it would “adversely impact surface water quality”, according to a June 6 press release. The move follows the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s decision just last month to deny “without…