PUC Newsletter - November 2025

Nov. 5

9 AM

Stakeholder meeting: Distributed Generation Working Group (DGWG)

Nov. 6

10 AM

Agenda Meeting

• Otter Tail Power Energy Intensive, Trade-Exposed (25-201)

• Otter Tail Power New Thermal Market Energy Pricing Rider (25-253)

• Otter Tail Power Company’s petition for a transfer of property, a 1.5 - mile portion of the Lake Ardoch to Oslo - 115 kV transmission line to Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc (25-218)

• Elm Creek Wind II site permit for 150 MW project in Martin and Jackson Counties (09-553)

• CenterPoint Energy Minnesota Gas first Natural Gas Innovation Plan (23-215)

• Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s optional Integrated Resource Plan (25-266)

Nov. 11

Closed

Holiday – offices closed

Nov. 13

10 AM

Agenda Meeting

• Electric utilities compliance with Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Objectives standard obligations for 2024 (Docket 25-12, 02-1240)

• ECO financial incentives, 2024 tracker accounts, proposed riders, customer bill messages, rule variances, and carrying charges for the following utilities: Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power, Xcel Electric, CenterPoint Energy, Great Plains’ Natural Gas, Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation, Xcel Gas (25-48, 49, 50, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)

• Otter Tail Power’s annual rate update to its Transmission Cost Recovery Rider annual adjustment (24-204)

Nov. 17

6 PM

Public hearing: Wisconsin Power & Light Company’s Large Wind Energy Conversion System of up to 153 MW in Freeborn County (Alden)

Nov. 18

10 AM

Planning meeting: Impacts of the Federal Reconciliation Bill

Nov. 18

6 PM

Public hearing: Wisconsin Power & Light Company’s Large Wind Energy Conversion System of up to 153 MW in Freeborn County (Virtual)

Nov. 19

12 PM

6 PM

Public meeting: Lemon Hill Solar public information and an environmental scoping. (Rochester)

Nov. 20

10 AM

Agenda Meeting

• CenterPoint Energy 2025 annual depreciation study (25-286)

• Xcel Energy 2024 annual report of rate case approved true-up mechanisms and proposed electric refund and gas deferral plans (25-277)

• Xcel Energy’s Transmission Cost Recovery Rider (24-371)

• Carbon Free Standard reconsideration (23-151)

• CenturyLink (AT&T) transfer of control of Lumen’s Minnesota mass markets fiber business (25-279)

• Forks – Rost 161 kV transmission line project permit (24-232)

Nov. 20

6 PM

Public meeting: Lemon Hill Solar public information and an environmental scoping. (Virtual)

Nov. 25

10 AM

Agenda Meeting

• Dakota Electric Large Customer Tariff (25-178)

• Otter Tail Power Hoot Lake BESS – cost recovery path (25-395)

Nov. 27-28

Closed

Holiday – offices closed

Docket

Docket or filing summary

25-126

In its completeness determination on Lemon Hill Solar, the Commission required the applicant to provide additional information prior to the public information/environmental scoping mtgs (scheduled for Nov. 19-20). Lemon Hill Solar filed supplemental comments on October 16 regarding tourism, geology and ground water, surface waters, wildlife, rare and unique natural resources, stray voltage and solar components. In addition, these supplemental comments describe additional land rights that Lemon Hill Solar has secured since filing the Site Permit Application that will allow Lemon Hill Solar to place a segment of its collection lines within private easements, rather than in public rights of way.

20-867

Dodge County Wind completed these critical pre-construction milestones: 1) coordinated with MnDOT and prepared a Utility Accommodation Permit application, Dodge County Wind, LLC which was submitted to MnDOT on September 9, 2025; 2) completed staking activities along both sides of MN 56 between 690th St. and 710th St.; 3) continued coordination discussions with Xcel regarding potential relocation/ burial of distribution lines to accommodate the Transmission Facility; 4) executed a Road Use Agreement with Dodge County; and 5) applied for utility accommodation permits with Mower County.

25-289

Multiple organizations filed comments on Xcel’s Large General Time of Day and Large Peak-Controlled TOD (Data Centers).

11-409

Minnesota Power CARE: Minnesota Power filed a stakeholder process update noting the Company sent “communication to customers currently on the program waiting list - opening the affordability discount up to approximately 400 more participants, based on currently available information and pending processing of application data. While this is constructive progress, participants in this process have identified the need for additional time to thoughtfully evaluate the impacts of any proposed changes to Minnesota Power’s CARE program. Specifically, additional time is needed to evaluate a potential budget increase and related surcharge impacts, as well as prioritization criteria for any related expanded enrollment beyond the waiting list. Further, it has been acknowledged throughout this stakeholder process that the arrears forgiveness commitment as part of ALLETE’s Acquisition Filing would potentially have relevancy and bearing on this process, particularly as it relates to outreach. Participants have agreed to another meeting and Minnesota Power will update the Commission with a letter before the end of the year.

23-151

Carbon Free Standard – Utilities responded to the Commission’s request to provide plans to accelerate construction of projects to ensure eligibility for federal credits/incentives:

• Great River Energy has four wind projects over 1000MW in various stages of development
• Otter Tail Power listed Abercrombie Solar, Solway Solar, Battery Storage Projects, a 270MW wind project, two distributed solar projects and requests expedited review of cost recovery and issuance of orders
• CMPAS requests extending the expiration dates of environmental attribute credits for older, smaller wind projects, make no changes to the rules of CFS compliance for 3 years or not effective until at least 2034 – especially, re: 4-yr bank life of EACs for resources outside MN or to use of unbundled RECs; encourage extending and/or repowering existing wind projects; provide publicly available data for new wind, solar, and battery resources since federal resources are not available and not practical for small utilities to issue RFPs; and develop the record further on unbundled EACs.

Xcel notes ~1200 MW (wind, solar and BESS) already qualified, ~1900 MW (solar and BESS) pursuing qualification in 2025 and ~739 MW (wind) in 2026 and details strategies: Physical Work Test, securing binding contracts for some components, and participating in ERAS and recommends expedited regulatory approvals and resource acquisition processes and notes updated modeling shows a need for additional near-term capacity.

25-395

Otter Tail Power submitted a petition requesting approval to invest in and recover costs for the proposed Hoot Lake Battery Project. The company seeks to recover project costs through its Renewable Resources Cost Recovery Rider. The Commission had previously found the project to be consistent with OTP’s most recent resource plan. OTP requests expedited Commission action by November 20 to align MISO’s Expedited Resource Addition Study interconnection process timeline – MISO interconnection study results (Nov.4) and OTP execute the non-refundable Expedited Generator Interconnection Agreement (~ 20 days later). The petition outlines the project's benefits, including cost-effectiveness, reliability improvements, and alignment with the company’s Integrated Resource Plan. OTP emphasizes that the project’s costs and benefits will be fully allocated to MN customers and that the project was selected through a competitive procurement process.

24-432

Xcel Peak Time Rebate (PTR) Program: CEE filed supplemental comments noting PTR is not like other Demand Response (DR) in Energy Conservation Optimization portfolio because Xcel does not plan to bid it into MISO capacity market as an accredited resource due to voluntary participation and MISO rules appear to preclude using DR to reduce utility load forecasts (or capacity requirements at MISO). CEE requests additional info on how capacity benefit will be determined in Xcel’s proposal to bundle the DR in Integrated Resource Plan process. 

24-263, -264

Appleton to Benson 115-kilovolt HVTL Project: The Applicants (Great River Energy, Otter Tail Power Company, Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Agralite Electric Cooperative, and the City of Benson) filed Proposed Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations for the CN and Route Permit. They recommend ALJ conclude all criteria are met, affirming the Project's local load reliability need, and proposed revised special conditions. OTP agreed not to oppose a cost recovery cap for its share, with the specific amount due 90 days post-route permit order. Filings included responses agreeing to DNR conditions (e.g., avian diverters, aesthetic impact, tree clearing limits, Blanding's turtle revisions), US Fish and Wildlife Service impact minimization measures, and continued work with the Vegetation Management Planning Working Group.

23-160

Received numerous comments from property owners opposing various proposed routes for the Big Stone South to Alexandria 345 kV High Voltage Transmission Line Project. The primary opposition centered on adverse impacts to agricultural operations, including specific concerns that reroutes proposed for recreational accommodation should not be approved if they increase farmland impact, and that routes would negatively affect farm irrigation systems, farmland, and drainage ditches. This feedback regarding agricultural concerns is being used to inform the ongoing route permit process.

25-356

Xcel Energy-Gas rate case requests a net increase in gross revenues of $63.40 million (8.2%); the interim rate increase request is $51.47 million, or 6.8%, billed as a 16.19% increase on the base rate portion of customers’ bills. The Company estimates $5.84/mo for residential; whereas final rates would be $7.11/mo increase for residential customers.

25-359

Otter Tail Power rate case requests a net increase of ~$44.8m or 17.7% for a total present revenue of ~$253.2m and claim the drivers are infrastructure investments, grid resilience, energy transition and inflation; the interim rates would be an increase of ~12.6%. The Company proposes maintaining the 9.48% ROE approved in the last rate case. The Company’s press release estimates interim rate increase means $13.15/mo for residential and $43.67 for business on average, whereas, final rates would be $18.14/mo and $73.20/mo respectively. 

24-63

Xcel proposes to adjust the fuel costs to begin to return over-collected 2025 ahead of true up – “adjustment will reduce the approved monthly fuel cost rates by $10 million per month for four months beginning December 1, 2025, for a total reduction of $40 million …  over-recovered 2025 fuel costs by approximately $67 million, which is approximately 11.7 percent higher than forecast and exceeds the 5 percent threshold. Primary drivers for the overcollection are lower costs for natural gas generation than forecast and lower Community Solar Garden (CSG) costs due to less CSG generation than assumed in the forecast.”

Various

Rate-regulated electric utilities filed their biennial Integrated Distribution Plans which include Transportation Electrification Plans: Dakota Electric (Docket No. 25-139); Minnesota Power (Docket No. 25-140), Otter Tail Power Co. (Docket No. 25-141), Xcel Energy (Docket No. 25-142)

25-355

PUC filed Telephone Assistance Program (TAP) 6-month report noting a balance of more than $3 million and 3,786 TAP subscribers as of June 2025.  TAP provides a monthly $10 credit to low-income subscribers and collects a $0.03/month surcharge for all wireline access lines in Minnesota. MN Telecom Alliance filed comments supporting acceptance of the report and reducing the surcharge to $0 to draw down surplus.