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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
November 19, 2024, at 9:30 A.M. CST
Room 413, Capitol Building
Pierre, South Dakota
NOTE: Docket participants who wish to join this meeting by conference call should contact the Commission at 605-773-3201 by 5:00 p.m. CST on Monday, November 18, 2024, to reserve a phone line. Lines are limited and assigned on a first come, first served basis, subject to possible reassignment to accommodate persons who must appear in a proceeding. Ultimately, if you wish to participate in docket discussion at the Commission Meeting and a line is not available, you may have to appear in person.
NOTE: To listen to the Commission Meeting live please go to the PUC’s website puc.sd.gov and click on the LIVE link on the home page. The Commission requests persons who will only be listening to proceedings and not actively appearing in a case listen via the webcast to free phone lines for those who have to appear. The Commission meetings are archived on the PUC’s website under the Commission Actions tab. Click on “Commission Meeting Archives,” to access the recordings.
NOTE: Notice is further given to persons with disabilities that this Commission meeting is being held in a physically accessible place. If you have special needs, please notify the Commission and we will make all necessary arrangements.
AGENDA OF COMMISSION MEETING
Administration
1. Approval of the Minutes of the Commission Meeting Held on November 7, 2024 (Staff: Janeth Merriman)
Consumer Reports
1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Telecommunications
1. TC23-043 In the Matter of the Filing of TEMPO TELECOM, LLC’s Application for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in the State of South Dakota for the Limited Purpose of Providing Lifeline Service to Qualifying Customers (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On August 23, 2023, TEMPO TELECOM, LLC (TEMPO) filed a Petition for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) in the State of South Dakota. TEMPO is seeking ETC designation for the limited purpose of providing Lifeline service to qualifying customers. On September 26, 2023, the Commission issued an Order granting intervention to the South Dakota Telecommunications Association. On November 5, 2024, TEMPO filed a letter requesting to withdraw its application without prejudice.
TODAY, shall the Commission grant TEMPO’s request to withdraw its application without prejudice?
Electric
1. EL24-016 In the Matter of the Petition of Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy for Approval of Its 2023 Demand Side Management Report and 2025 Proposed Demand Side Management Plan (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson; Staff Attorney: Logan Schaefbauer)
On May 1, 2024, the Commission received a Petition from Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy (Xcel) requesting approval of the 2023 Demand Side Management (DSM) Status Report and 2025 DSM Plan. Specifically, Xcel requests approval of its 2023 DSM Tracker account, the incentive earned for 2023 program performance, the proposed 2025 DSM Cost Adjustment Factor of $0.000453 per kWh, and the proposed DSM Plan for 2025. On August 23, 2024, Xcel filed responses to staff’s data request and revised the proposed 2025 DSM Cost Adjustment Factor from $0.000453 per kWh to $0.000457 per kWh with water heating and $0.000452 per kWh without water heating. Xcel requests an effective date of January 1, 2025, for the DSM Cost Adjustment Factor.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve Xcel’s 2023 Demand Side Management Status Report and tracker account, the performance incentive earned for 2023, the proposed 2025 Demand Side Management Plan, and the proposed 2025 Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment Factor of $0.000457 per kWh with a January 1, 2025, effective date? OR how shall the Commission proceed?
2. EL24-030 In the Matter of the Petition of Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy for Approval of Its 2025 Transmission Cost Recovery Eligibility and Rate Adjustment (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson; Staff Attorneys: Logan Schaefbauer, Jennie Fuerst)
On August 30, 2024, the Commission received a petition from Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy (Xcel) for approval of its 2025 Transmission Cost Recovery (TCR) Rider, TCR rate factor, and tracker account report. For 2025, Xcel proposes recovery of the South Dakota jurisdictional portion of the revenue requirements related to 31 transmission projects located throughout its service territory. Xcel proposes to include six new projects for 2025. Xcel proposes to recover $1,843,576 associated with the 31 transmission projects for the 2025 calendar year. When combined with the 2024 over-collection balance of $43,045 and Midcontinent Independent System Operator Regional Expansion Criteria and Benefits (MISO RECB) credit of $809,380, the resulting 2025 revenue requirement is $991,151. The total of the transmission investment costs, the MISO RECB credit, and the tracker balance results in an average bill impact of $0.33 per month for a typical residential electric customer using 750 kWh per month. This is an increase of $0.18 per month from the current TCR Rider recovery. Xcel proposes to implement a rate of $0.000441 per kWh applied to all energy billed to each customer class beginning January 1 through December 31, 2025. This represents an increase of $0.000236 from the existing rate of $0.000205 per kWh.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the updated transmission cost recovery rate factor and updated tariff sheet with an effective date of January 1, 2025?
3. EL24-034 In the Matter of the Petition of Otter Tail Power Company for Approval of the Transmission Cost Recovery Rider Rate (Staff Analyst: Joseph Rezac; Staff Attorneys: Logan Schaefbauer, Jennie Fuerst)
On November 1, 2024, the Commission received Otter Tail Power Company’s (Otter Tail) petition for approval of its annual update to its Transmission Cost Recovery Rider (TCR) rate. Otter Tail’s petition updates its TCR rates to collect revenue requirements over the 12-month recovery period of March 2025 through February 2026. This update includes actual investment costs, expenses, and revenues associated with existing projects and approved recovery items through September 2024, updated forecast information for the remainder of the current recovery period which ends February 29, 2025, and forecasted information for the proposed recovery period ending February 28, 2026. No new projects are included in this annual update. Otter Tail updates the D2 allocation factor to include all load changes in compliance with the docket EL21-031 order. Otter Tail states that residential customers using 1,000 kWh per month will see a bill increase of approximately $0.42. Otter Tail proposes a rate implementation date of March 1, 2025.
TODAY, shall the Commission assess a filing fee in the amount of up to $50,000.00 to account for actual expenses incurred in review of this filing commencing from the filing date?
Items for Commission Discussion
Public Comment
Individuals who wish to make public comments to the commission may do so during this time. All who offer public comments are requested to sign in at the commission meeting or let the commission know of their wish to speak when they call in to reserve a phone line. Time limits for comments may be determined at the discretion of the commission.
Announcements
1. The PUC will host a Large Load Education Session on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. CST in Room 414 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota. The agenda includes discussion from representatives of investor-owned utilities, generation and transmission cooperatives, regional transmission organizations and data centers. A livestream audio webcast of the session will be available from the PUC’s website, puc.sd.gov.
2. The PUC office will be closed November 28-29, 2024, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
3. Commissioners and staff will meet with representatives of the South Dakota Electric Utility Companies on Monday, December 2, 2024, at 12:00 p.m., noon, CST at the Capitol Lake Visitor Center, 650 E. Capitol Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota. The agenda is to discuss company activities.
4. The next regular commission meeting will be Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. CST in the Floyd Matthew Training Center in the Foss Building, 523 E. Capitol Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota.
5. A joint evidentiary hearing for dockets EL24-024 - In the Matter of the Petition of Gevo Net-Zero 1, LLC to have Kingsbury Electric Cooperative, Inc. Assigned as its Electric Provider in the Service Area of Otter Tail Power Company and EL24-025 - In the Matter of the Petition of Dakota Renewable Hydrogen, LLC to have Kingsbury Electric Cooperative, Inc. Assigned as its Electric Provider in the Service Area of Otter Tail Power Company will be held December 9-11, 2024, beginning at 9:00 a.m. CST, in Room 414 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota.
6. Commission meetings are scheduled for December 17 and 31, 2024.
/s/ Cindy Kemnitz .
Cindy Kemnitz
Finance Manager
puc@state.sd.us
November 13, 2024
