Black Hills Energy seeks Wyoming base rate increase for Q1 2024
In a rate review application filed with the Wyoming Public Service Commission (WPSC) last week, Black Hills Energy asked to raise base rates by $19.3 million as a way to recover capital infrastructure and operational costs related to natural gas service.
The last rate review for Black Hills took place in 2019, and in the years since, the company noted completion of more than $140 million in system safety, integrity and reliability projects for its natural gas utility system. Now, the company’s proposal would see average residential customers bear monthly bill increases of approximately $6.74, while average small general customers could see bill increases of about $13.70 per month. In all cases, the new rates would go into effect as of Q1 2024.
“We take very seriously our responsibility to keep our customers safe and warm by providing reliable energy when our customers need it,” Dustin McKen, Black Hills Energy’s director of Wyoming operations, said. “It’s therefore our responsibility to consistently and prudently make critical investments on behalf of our customers to support the safety and reliability of our natural gas system. We recognize the impact these investments can have on customer bills so we are very diligent in our planning.”
The company also requests an extension of the Wyoming Integrity Rider (WIR), which supports ongoing infrastructure replacement projects, gas meter and yard line replacement projects mandated by federal regulations. The rider was approved by the WPSC in 2019 and will expire later this year.
