Xcel Energy on Wednesday was granted a $112.2 million electricity-rate increase to cover costs of system upgrades.
The rate hike, approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, will increase average residential bills by $2.94 a month. Typical small-business bills will rise by $4.42 a month.
The increase starts July 1.
Xcel originally had filed for $159.3 million in higher rates. Negotiations among the PUC staff, the Office of Consumer Counsel, Xcel and other parties resulted in trimming $47 million from the original request.
Xcel also has filed for another electricity-rate hike of $180 million to cover anticipated costs in 2010. Hearings on that request will be held this fall.
The increase granted Wed nesday covered part of the costs of adding a coal-fired generator at the Comanche plant in Pueblo — a move that environmentalists opposed because of carbon emissions.
“The (PUC) is committed to a trajectory of reducing carbon emissions … and we are taking steps to do that,” PUC Chairman Ron Binz said. “But mothballing a plant with the capacity and efficiency of Comanche would have a jarring effect on rates, and consumers would pay dearly for it.”
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
