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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
April 23, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. CDT
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 10:00 a.m. CDT on Thursday, April 23, 2026, 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 must 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
Consumer Reports
1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Administration
1. Approval of the Minutes of the Commission Meeting Held on April 7, 2026 (Staff: Janeth Merriman)
2. AA26-001 Establishment of the Gross Receipts Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2027 (Deputy Executive Director & Finance Manager: Cindy Kemnitz, Staff Attorney: Jennie Fuerst)
SDCL Chapter 49-1A establishes the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Gross Receipts Tax Fund (Fund). This Fund is financed by assessing a tax on the annual intrastate gross receipts received by a utility. The Fund is used by the Commission to defray regulatory expenses related to the regulation of telecommunications, electricity, and natural gas. On April 1 of each year, each utility and telecommunications company doing business in South Dakota shall file with the Commission, on forms provided by the Commission, the amount of its gross receipts derived from customers within South Dakota during the preceding calendar year pursuant to SDCL 49-1A-4. The report shall be sworn to and verified by an officer of the company. The Commission shall, by order, establish the rate and assess the tax authorized in SDCL 49-1A-3 which, together with any funds remaining from the current fiscal year and the $250 minimum gross receipt tax, will fund the Commission’s budget for the next fiscal year and provide a contingency reserve in an amount not to exceed the prior year’s budget. In accordance with SDCL 49-1A-5, the tax is due and payable on July 15 of each year. On April 9, 2026, staff filed a letter requesting a docket be opened in this matter.
TODAY, shall the Commission establish the rate and assess the Gross Receipts Tax as authorized in SDCL 49-1A-3?
Electric
1. EL24-023 In the Matter of the Application by Deuel Harvest Wind Energy South LLC for Energy Facility Permits of a Wind Energy Facility and a 345-kV Transmission Facility in Deuel County, South Dakota, for the South Deuel Wind Project (Staff Analysts: Jon Thurber, Darren Kearney; Staff Attorneys: Amanda Reiss, Logan Schaefbauer)
On June 28, 2024, the Commission received an Application for Energy Facility Permits (Application) from Deuel Harvest Wind Energy South LLC (Deuel Harvest or Applicant), an affiliate of Invenergy LLC. Deuel Harvest proposes to construct a wind energy facility and a 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line (Gen-Tie Line) to be located in Deuel County, South Dakota, known as the South Deuel Wind Project (Project). The total installed capacity of the Project, which includes up to 68 wind turbines and an approximately 6-mile long 345 kV generator transmission tie line, would not exceed 260 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity and deliver up to 250 MW to the point of interconnection. On March 10, 2025, the Commission issued a Final Decision and Order Granting Permits to Construct Facilities; Notice of Entry (Order). On July 18, 2025, the Commission issued an Order Granting Partial Exemption of Permit Conditions pursuant to Condition 38, to allow Deuel Harvest to conduct limited construction activities at two turbine sites. On April 13, 2026, Deuel Harvest filed a Request for Partial Exemption from the Order to allow Deuel Harvest to conduct limited construction activities at two additional turbine sites. On April 14, 2026, Intervenor Arla Hamann Poindexter filed a Letter objecting to the request for partial exemptions.
TODAY, shall the Commission grant Deuel Harvest’s request for a partial exemption of certain permit conditions pursuant to Condition 38, to allow Deuel Harvest to conduct limited construction activities at the two specified turbine sites? Or how shall the Commission proceed?
2. EL26-005 In the Matter of the Filing by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., a Subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc., for Approval of the Annual Update to Its Transmission Cost Recovery Rider Rate (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson)
On February 27, 2026, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. (MDU) filed for approval of its annual update to its Transmission Cost Recovery (TCR) Rider. MDU states the proposed tariff change is necessary to reflect the projected 2026 charges assessed to MDU for transmission-related services provided by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool, along with the projected revenues and/or credits received by MDU for transmission-related services, including transmission revenues from a large customer taking service under MDU’s Rate 45 tariff. MDU proposes a TCR Rider rate of $0.00114 per kWh to be effective May 1, 2026, which is an increase of $0.00241 per kWh from current rate authorized in the last TCR filing.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the revised Transmission Cost Recovery Rider rate and revised tariff sheet with an effective date of May 1, 2026?
3. EL26-007 In the Matter of the Filing of Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy for Approval of Its 2025 Economic Development Activities and 2026 Economic Development Budget (Staff Analyst: Joseph Rezac)
On March 13, 2026, Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy (Xcel) filed for approval of its 2025 Economic Development Annual Report and 2026 Economic Development Budget. The filing includes Xcel’s report on the 2025 budgeted and actual economic development expenses and provides documentation of the actual expenses incurred. The filing also details a proposed economic development budget for 2026.
TODAY,shall the Commission approve Xcel Energy’s 2025 Economic Development Report and its 2026 Economic Development Budget?
Natural Gas
1. NG26-002 In the Matter of the Filing by NorthWestern Public Service Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy for Approval of Changes to Its Contract Sales Service Rate 86 and Other Natural Gas Tariff Sheets (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson)
On February 17, 2026, NorthWestern Energy Public Service Corporation dba Northwestern Energy filed for revisions to its South Dakota Gas Rate Schedule tariff. The two primary revisions in this filing are a proposal that customers who do not contract their fixed price gas supply for two consecutive winters be removed from Rate 86 and moved to Rate 82, 84 or 85, whichever is most appropriate for the customer, and the removal of the separate true-up mechanism for Rate 86 and combining it with the retail true-up mechanism. Other changes to the tariff are as a result of the two primary changes as well as other minor revisions.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the tariff revisions effective May 1, 2026?
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. Commissioners will attend the Center for Public Utilities’ Current Issues conference, April 19-22, 2026, at the Eldorado Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2. The next regular commission meeting will be Friday, May 8, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. CDT in Room 413 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota.
3. Commission meetings are scheduled for May 19 and June 2, 2026.
/s/ Travis Heasley
Travis Heasley
Operations Specialist
puc@state.sd.us
April 16, 2026
