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The Commission is hiring multiple Rates Analysts. These positions will be part of a dynamic, collaborative, and energetic team aimed at progressing Minnesota’s energy transition to meet state goals and ensuring affordable and reliable service for all Minnesotans. Visit the PUC’s careers page for more information.
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Apply to DOE's Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship
The Public Utilities Commission was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a Clean Energy Innovator Fellow and applications are now open for recent graduates and early career energy professionals to apply. Innovator Fellows selected for this exciting program spend one to two years at public utility commissions or other critical energy organizations to advance clean energy and grid resilience solutions. Ideal candidates will already have clean energy related skills and an interest to build them further. Applications are due on June 12. Learn more and apply today!
Commission Calendar and Upcoming Events
The information below is subject to change. Current information available online at PUC calendar.
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DATE
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TIME
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DETAILS
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June 1
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9 AM
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Agenda Meeting: Xcel Energy electric rate case decision
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June 8
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10 AM
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Agenda Meeting: Xcel Time-Of-Use service tariff; Xcel Community Solar Garden tariff revisions; Magellan Pipeline route permit for Pipestone Reroute Project; Global Tel*Link revised tariff
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June 14
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6 PM
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Public Meeting: Heartland Corn Natural Gas Pipeline (Winthrop)
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June 15
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6 PM
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Public Meeting: Heartland Corn Natural Gas Pipeline (Virtual)
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June 19
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Holiday
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Office closed – Juneteenth holiday
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June 22
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10 AM
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Agenda Meeting: Line 3 Decommissioning Trust
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June 23
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10 AM
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MISO Quarterly Meeting and SPP Report presentation
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June 29
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10 AM
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Agenda Meeting: Xcel, Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power 2022 Fuel Clause Adjustment true ups; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on Demand Response; Xcel Renewable Development Fund grant
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Noteworthy Commission Decisions
Filings can be accessed using the docket number at: MN PUC eFiling Search
May 4, 2023
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Xcel Energy’s petition for approval of the Transmission Cost Recovery Rider revenue requirements for 2021-2022, and the resulting adjustment factors by customer class (21-814) The Commission required Xcel to begin collecting data on advanced meter performance and in November 2023, with Xcel’s next transmission cost recovery rider petition, to review Xcel’s proposal of performance incentive mechanisms. Additionally, to protect ratepayers’ investment in these new meters, the Commission voted to put cost caps in place and to review potential cost overruns or savings annually.
May 11, 2023
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Xcel Energy’s annual report on safety, reliability, and service quality and petition for approval of Electric Reliability Standards (20-406) The Commission voted to have Xcel retain an independent analyst to study their service quality map and examine the relationship between service quality and demographics. Xcel will file its analysis next year in its annual service quality docket. The map is also going to form a portion of the metrics in Xcel’s performance-based ratemaking docket (PBR) and will file an updated map each year. View the map here.
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Xcel Energy for approval of a Renewable*Connect Program modification (21-222) The Commission approved new reporting requirements and moved Windsource customers over to the Renewable*Connect program, with the opportunity to opt out. The modifications will ultimately allow more subscribers to join the program by adding renewable resources while maintaining protections put in place for non-subscribing ratepayers.
May 18, 2023
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Xcel Energy for approval of a Gas Utility Infrastructure Cost Rider True-up Report for 2021, updated costs for 2022, revenue requirements for 2023, and revised adjustment factors (22-578) The Commission approved Xcel’s petition to recover 2023 revenue requirements for Gas Utility Infrastructure Cost-related projects. To account for projects that Xcel indicated would no longer be done in 2023, the Commission’s approval includes an approximate $37,000 revenue reduction to the initial request.
Other decisions
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DOCKET
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FILING OR DOCKET SUMMARY
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21-339
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The Commission voted to reintegrate Otter Tail Power’s Astoria Station dual fuel proposal with the remainder of their Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The Commission will review their IRP by early 2024.
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19-568
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The Commission determined that Xcel’s cancellation of the Elk Creek Solar PPA was prudent and allowed the Company to recover its costs for replacement projects from Renewable*Connect customers.
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19-505
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The Commission denied the petition for reconsideration of their decision in the March 13, 2023, order to retain a 5-megawatt peak demand exemption for large industrial and commercial customers only for requests for aggregated building-level and anonymized customer energy use datasets.
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13-867
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The Commission approved a minor change to the formula for Xcel’s Applicable Retail Rate (ARR) bill credits, which compensates community solar gardens’ subscribers from before 2017. The Commission additionally ordered Xcel to file a proposal exploring transitioning ARR-era gardens to the Value of Solar rate, which applies to gardens from 2017 and later.
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22-170
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The Commission denied reconsideration of the March 15, 2023, order approving Xcel’s Resiliency Service Program.
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Public meetings and hearings
Summit Carbon Solutions Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Project: The Department of Commerce and the PUC held joint public meetings to discuss Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project May 2-4, 2023. Visit the project webpage for updates.
Lake Wilson Solar Energy: The Department of Commerce and PUC held joint public information and environmental assessment meetings on May 10-11, 2023. Project information and public comments found in dockets 21-791 and 21-792.
Great River Energy Transmission Line Rebuild Project in Stearns County: On May 17-18, 2023, the Office of Administrative Hearings held one in-person and one virtual public hearing and took public comment. Project information and public comments found in docket 22-235.
MERC rate case: The MERC public hearings were held May 15, 18 and 23, 2023. A total of four hearings were conducted with two held in person (Rosemount and Rochester) and two held virtually. Rate case record including public comments are found in docket 22-504.
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Notable New Dockets or Filings
You can search for a docket as well as subscribe to receive email notifications when new documents are added to a docket. Learn more on our eDockets webpage.
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DOCKET
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FILING OR DOCKET SUMMARY
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23-212
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Xcel filed a Notice Petition to initiate a competitive resource acquisition process for up to 800 MW of firm dispatchable resources in accordance with the IRP Order and the Xcel-Bid Contested Case/Track 2 bidding process. The petition includes proposed framework for PUC evaluation of proposals, resource attributes and evaluation metrics, requirements for proposals, proposed procedural schedule, Company’s notice plan, blackstart paper and applicant guide. Procedural timeline requests September 29, 2023, Order on Notice and Dates to Initiate Competitive Process and a Dec. 20, 2024, PUC decision on the Competitive Process.
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22-179
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Xcel filed a rate adjustment proposal to reduce the approved monthly fuel cost rates for July-September 2023 by $10M per month ($30M reduction total). Xcel notes that while below the 5% threshold, the Company received “a significant distribution from MISO’s excess congestion fund (ECF) due to a surplus at the end of 2022” (approx. $15M) and lower natural gas prices lower the fuel costs. As part of the FCA reform, this will go into effect unless someone objects.
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15-137
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Enbridge filed the Tribal Economic Opportunity and Labor Education Plan for the Project through March 31, 2023 – reporting $422M in economic opportunity for tribal nations, communities and contractors and a Project Labor Agreement with unions with hiring preferences for Tribal workforce. In total, 955 tribal members worked over 825k hours replacing Line 3.
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18-714, 16-521, 12-383
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Xcel filed the Q1 2023 Quarterly Report on MN DIP interconnection, noting the Company deemed complete 873 interconnection applications in Q1 (of 911 received) and has over 2,800 applications in interconnection process. The report also addresses progress on interconnection improvements like review timeframes, phasing out on-hold status on non-constrained feeders, parallel review, cost-sharing program, and group studies.
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18-699; 18-700; 18-701
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Plum Creek filed notice of an in-service date delay of likely more than a year (Initially proposed: 12/31/22 and now 12/31/26) and requested Commission determine the dates of CN and permits could be extended without rehearing or recertification. Plum Creek is 414 MW large wind energy conversion system and an associated 345 kV HVTL in Cottonwood, Murray, and Redwood Counties with PUC approval (9/23/21 Order) and has been working with NORAD on testing and solutions related to common air route surveillance radar.
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22-403; 19-368
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Xcel filed petition requesting two solar projects totaling 350 MW of solar (100 MW Apple River solar PPA and 250 MW Sherco Solar 3 self-builds to be complete by 2025 – both below $70/MWh levelized). This is short of the 900 MW of nameplate solar capacity they were targeting with the RFP.
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21-257
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MP filed a letter of vendor update noting that Shell Recharge Solutions (formerly Greenlots) was initially selected to install and service 16 DCFC chargers and provide software to manage; however, in April 2023, Shell Recharge informed MP they would not move forward with project due to internal restructuring. MP will reissue the RFP and acknowledges this will delay the initial completion timeline for the project.
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23-181, 23-180, 23-153
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Otter Tail Power (23-181), Minnesota Power (23-180), and Xcel (23-153) filed their 2024 annual forecasted fuel/energy and adjustment charges. Forecast average fuel costs range from $26 to $38 MWh depending on the utility.
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Get involved in the PUC process
The Commission encourages Minnesotans to get involved in our processes, stay informed on utility-related issues, and provide input on topics of interest. Visit our website to see what is currently open for public comment. Also, check out the series of short videos that explains who we are, how we work and how to get involved.
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