Xcel Energy Rate Case — taxes & xmsn rider
June 27th, 2016
Really! Xcel Energy has paid less than $1 million in federal income taxes in the 7 years from 2009 through 2015!
This is from the Direct Testimony of Nancy Campbell, Department of Commerce DER:
Here’s the Exhibit she refers to, scroll down to “NAC-20” at the very end, where you’ll find Xcel’s answer to IR 1171:
I’m looking into whether any intervenor or state agency is looking at the Xcel Energy proposal to take transmission out of CWIP rate adjustments and put into general rates. What they’re asking is:
(this paragraph is is repeated a few times). This Transmission Cost Recovery plan can be found by searching the Xcel Energy Rate Case Application (PUC Docket 15-826):
But this transmission cost recovery is at a rate that is FERC approved MISO rates, challenged at FERC, and greatly reduced in the FERC ALJ’s Order — note Xcel Energy’s “DCF result” is 8.40%, a long way from 12.38% (on the very last page):
The issue, per the ALJ:
Here’s a more detailed look at the issues in the Complaint:
And cost apportionment for these projects is spread out in MISO Schedule 26A (updated every year). This is how they’re apportioning costs among the utilities handling the many zones in MISO:
Yeah, it’s impossible to read — here’s the Excel spreadsheet (2014 version, this is updated annually):
There’s lots of testimony in this rate case, including from the “Minnesota Large Industrial Group” (note Minnesota large industrial customers pay lower per kw cost than us regular residential customers!), and so digging through this is just the beginning…
And remember, this is the case where the ALJ denied Overland and No CapX 2020 intervention, saying:
Further, the Petition states that purposes for which No CapX 2020 was “specifically formed” (fn 22 omitted) was to participate in dockets which are now closed, raising the question of why No CapX 2020 continues to exist.
Really, that’s what the judge said!
Why No CapX 2020 continues to exist? Perhaps to raise issues that no one else is raising?!?! Oh, well, they can’t have that, can they…
Speaking of Xcel Energy, they’re in the news: