ReportWire

Tag: Public Utilities Commission

  • Customers push back on Xcel power shutoffs during Public Utilities Commission feedback session Wednesday

    DENVER — Frustrations and anger continue to linger surrounding Xcel Energy’s prolonged power shutoffs over the past two months.

    Xcel said these were necessary to mitigate wildfire risks amid dangerous weather, but customers got the chance to air out frustrations Wednesday directly to Public Utilities Commission (PUC) leaders — who oversee Xcel.

    During the Wednesday online public comment session, community members, business owners and city leaders all shared similar sentiments. They agreed these had to happen to keep us safe in windy conditions, but said shutting off power cannot be the only solution going forward.

    “If we’re here as local communities to save lives and protect our communities, we have to be able to prioritize our resources. And we can’t do that when the utility tells us they’re going to trigger a mass disaster by shutting down our entire city and the entire front range.” Boulder’s Deputy City Manager Chris Meschul said.

    Some of the impacts from the shutoff included business owners losing thousands of dollars in inventory and revenue and people like Jan Rose, who attended the meeting, being left in the cold and dark for days.

    “If Xcel would put some skin in the game and take some responsibility for the fact that they are a public service company. I expect them to buy at their expense, without a repair charge, a fleet of refrigerator trucks and haul them into communities where they intend to shut off power, to save everybody’s food,” Rose said.

    This was all part of Xcel’s wildfire mitigation plan, which was approved in 2025.

    But now, the plan is to take feedback like we heard in Wednesday’s meeting and create new rules.

    A spokesperson for PUC told Denver7 the rules will go into effect by the end of this year for all utility companies regulated by the commission, including Xcel and Black Hills.

    Xcel Energy sent Denver7 a statement in response that said in part:

    “We recognize the significant impacts Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) have had on residents, businesses and municipal operations, and we appreciate our customers’ feedback as we all work towards keeping our communities safe. We know being without power is disruptive and can be frustrating, so we take the decision to implement a PSPS very seriously.

    Beyond the PSPS events, hurricane-force winds in some areas damaged power poles and other infrastructure, leading to additional power outages… Once conditions improved, our crews worked 16-hour shifts to restore power to nearly 350,000 customers throughout the week and weekend…

    While we stand by our decision to prioritize safety, we acknowledge there are areas for improvement.
    Our teams continue to review the lessons learned from these events and will work with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to address customer concerns.”

    Prior coverage:

    Denver7

    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Allie Jennerjahn

    Denver7’s Allie Jennerjahn covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on crime, corruption and ways to protect your family. If you’d like to get in touch with Allie, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • South Dakota utility regulators decide energy storage facility needs a state permit

    A sign displays the names of South Dakota’s three elected public utilities commissioners outside of their Pierre office in January 2023. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

    State utility regulators split Tuesday in Pierre over whether a proposed 120-megawatt energy storage facility in northeast South Dakota requires a state permit, voting 2-1 to deny a developer’s request for an exemption.

    Crowned Ridge Energy Storage petitioned the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in August for a declaratory ruling that the project does not meet the legal definition of a facility subject to state permitting. The project is designed to store excess electricity from the electrical grid and from Crowned Ridge Wind’s turbines in the Watertown area. It would store enough electricity to power tens of thousands of homes. 

    Crowned Ridge is an affiliate of Florida-headquartered NextEra Energy Resources.

    Commissioner Chris Nelson moved to grant the company’s petition. He said regulating large-scale batteries would exceed the commission’s legal authority. 

    “Batteries don’t generate electricity,” Nelson said. “Secondly, if the Legislature had intended for these to be cited, they need to flat out say so, and not make us try to be electrochemical analysts to figure out whether it should or shouldn’t be.” 

    The energy storage facility, planned for commercial operation in December 2027, would be among the first large-scale energy storage projects in the state. Documents in the commission docket say the project would consist of rows of large lithium-ion batteries housed in white, semi-trailer-sized containers on about 15 acres.

    Examples of energy storage systems. (Courtesy of Public Utilities Commission)

    Mike Nadolski, a lawyer for the company, said the battery system does not generate new electricity and therefore falls outside the commission’s authority. He said the project simply stores and later injects that energy back into the power grid.

    The state’s three elected commissioners are assisted by staff. Staff attorney Amanda Reiss said their review centered on whether discharging stored power back into the grid could legally be considered “generation.” Staff wrote in their review that the project could qualify as an energy conversion facility, which would require a permit. Staff left the question to commissioners after noting the laws were open to interpretation.

    Commissioner Kristie Fiegen offered a substitute motion to deny the company’s petition and make it seek a permit.

    “Yes, energy is stored chemically, but when it comes out, electricity is generated,” Fiegen said. “I’d rather err on the side of customer protection.”

    Chairman Gary Hanson joined Fiegen, calling the matter “the beginning of a new era in electricity in South Dakota.” He said large-scale energy storage could reshape the grid and deserves regulation.

    The 2-1 vote means Crowned Ridge must pursue a state permit; however, commissioners said the Legislature could still clarify how battery storage projects should be treated under South Dakota law. The Legislature will begin its annual lawmaking session in January.

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  • Another California PG&E rate increase approved despite public outcry

    Another California PG&E rate increase approved despite public outcry

    (FOX40.COM) — The California Public Utilities Commission approved another hike in Pacific Gas & Electric rates that will go into effect in April 2024.

    The decision was made at Thursday’s California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) meeting despite several customers who vehemently spoke out against it. The added expense follows a 13% rate increase (almost $35 a month) that happened on Jan. 1, 2024.

    “The costs were not included in prior rates proceedings,” said Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) spokesperson, Mika Gazda. “We have requested to recover these costs over multiple years to limit the impact on customers.”

    According to PG&E, its 16 million customers can expect to see an additional $3.65 on their bills. As Pacific Gas & Electric continues to charge their customers more, many of them are fed up.

    “I feel like they’re greedy and I want it to stop,” said a PG&E customer who was in attendance at Thursday’s vote meeting.

    PG&E’s last earnings report showed that the company profited $2.4B in 2023 which is a 25% increase from 2022. Although it has more revenue, they said it had nothing to do with the rate increases and that 99% of the money is going toward its infrastructure. The leftover 1% went to stakeholders, according to PG&E.

    “Take the rate increase out of the profits and not out of our meager wages,” another PG&E customer said at the meeting.

    Several cries to halt the hikes rang out at the vote meeting, however, the CPUC voted in favor of more expensive PG&E bills.

    “The commission is falling for PG&E’s continued claims of crying poor -of saying they’re in a financial squeeze,” said Mark Toney, a member of the Utilities Reform Network.

    He added that PG&E customers need to prepare themselves because this won’t be the last increase in rates.

    In January 2024, PG&E requested an additional $14 a month for costs associated with wildfire prevention in California. The CPUC is expected to take up a vote on that soon.

    “PG&E is asking for a $14 a month increase and several others on top of this,” Toney said. “We’ve got to fix this broken system.”

    Veronica Catlin

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