colorado public utilities commission

Xcel Energy-Colorado expects its rates to stay relatively flat in the second quarter of 2024, with a slight rise in electric rates and a small drop in natural gas bills. The utility said in a statement that based on natural gas costs, the typical residential customer could see a 4.17% decline, or $1.73, in the monthly bill. Rates for small commercial customers are expected to drop 4.82%, or $9.19, a month. Xcel said residential electric bills will likely increase on average 1.67%, or $1.49, a month and bills for small…

A bill that would provide state tax rebates to draw data centers to Colorado has run into opposition from critics who warn of the facilities’ large demands for energy and water and potentially higher costs for other electric customers. The legislation would offer state sales and use tax rebates for construction materials and equipment starting in 2026. Senate Bill 24-085 declares that investing in projects such as data centers “is crucial for the economy of the future” and Colorado, considered a growing high-tech hub, is…

Natural gas prices are lower than a year ago, when many Coloradans saw big jumps in their heating bills, but the need for help to pay utility bills remains high, say agencies that offer assistance. For the week ending Jan. 21, the nonprofit Energy Outreach Colorado fielded 555 applications for assistance and spent $333,229, said spokeswoman Denise Stepto. “The need is just unprecedented. These numbers are bigger than we’ve seen them before,” Stepto said. She attributes the ongoing need to overall elevated costs. And…

Xcel Energy-Colorado is seeking an increase in natural gas rates to boost its revenue by nearly $171 million, which the utility said will help pay for improvements to the gas distribution system as well as upgrades to the electric grid. The company said in a document filed Monday that a typical residential monthly bill would increase by 7.4% if the Colorado Public Utilities Commission grants its request to defer any increases until mid-February 2025. That’s when a temporary rider on customers’ bills to pay costs from a…

After spending $40,000 to electrify her Boulder home, which included installing heat pumps, K.K. DuVivier was ready to disconnect from natural gas and have her meter turned off. Then she got the bill to flip the switch: $5,333. The bill marked due Dec. 12 arrived after what DuVivier described as frustrating rounds of calls and emails as she tried to stop the gas service she no longer needs from Xcel Energy. The bill didn’t say why she owed more than $5,000. When she contacted Xcel again, DuVivier got an email saying the…

A committee of Pueblo community members has recommended that Xcel Energy-Colorado replace a coal plant, beset by longstanding mechanical and operational problems, with modular nuclear units or a gas plant that would capture the carbon dioxide emissions. However, a report released Friday by the Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee made clear that the group’s top choice is what it calls advanced nuclear technology. A nuclear facility will create more jobs and tax revenue for local governments, the report…

A federal agency has issued an order in the ongoing faceoffs between the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and its members in Colorado and three other states, clearing the way for a potential reshaping of a significant chunk of the region’s energy landscape. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission adopted a formula for showing electric cooperatives what it would cost them to end their contracts with the wholesale power provider. The parties are poring over this week’s 247-page order and crunching numbers.…

State regulators have rejected Xcel Energy-Colorado’s proposed electric resource plan in favor of a less costly one, cutting about $3 billion from the overall price tag. But environmental groups are criticizing the decision because it would reduce the level of renewable energy sources planned by the utility and add more new natural gas generation. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission endorsed the alternative proposal during a meeting last week. The PUC will continue deliberations this week on the rest of Xcel’s plan,…

A Durango-based electric cooperative that has vocally criticized the practices of Tri-State Generation and Transmission has filed a lawsuit accusing the utility of being “sneaky and underhanded.” The La Plata Electric Association is seeking to end its contract with the power supplier or be compensated for damages it says it has suffered. The lawsuit accuses Tri-State, a wholesale power provider, of breach of contract. The electric cooperative is among Colorado rural electric associations that have explored leaving…

While calling Xcel Energy’s proposed blueprint for the next several years transformational, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission is balking at nearly $3 billion in additional transmission costs — “jarring” one member called it — in the proposal. The PUC weighed in during a meeting Wednesday on the second phase of Xcel’s energy resource plan, which will help chart the utility’s spending and mix of resources to generate electricity through the rest of the decade. The company’s preference out of the different scenarios…