DTE files new $474M rate hike request
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DTE Electric filed for a $474 million rate hike Tuesday, two months after the state approved a $242 million rate increase that took effect in March.
Why it matters: Michigan's largest utilities can seek rate hikes once a year, setting up a near-annual cycle that affects millions of customers.
State of play: The request to the Michigan Public Service Commission begins a 10-month review known as a "rate case," per MLive, meaning new rates would take effect in 2027.
- DTE, which serves about 2.3 million customers in southeast Michigan, says the increase — 9.7% monthly for the typical residential customer — is needed to improve grid reliability and move toward clean energy sources.
Yes, but: Regulators often approve smaller increases than utilities request.
- DTE's last hike was cut from a $574 million request to $242 million, which raised the average customer's monthly bill by 4.6%.
The intrigue: DTE says this could be its last rate request until 2028 — but only if a large data center project in Saline Township is built by the end of next year as planned and the utility secures "other regulatory approvals," such as this week's rate case, MLive reported.
What they're saying: Attorney General Dana Nessel said she'll challenge the request, calling the conditional pause on future hikes insufficient.
- "DTE only offers a break in rate hikes if they win some other, unnamed data center approvals," Nessel said in a statement.