‘It’s astonishing’: Nessel plans to intervene as DTE files notice for new rate hike 5 days after last approval
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is once again planning to step in as DTE Energy has indicated plans to request another rate hike before the Michigan Public Service Commission.
DTE entered a filing announcement on Tuesday, Feb. 24, formally and publicly announcing its intent to seek another electric rate hike “on or around April 27, 2026,” according to the AG’s office.
The filing came just five days after the MPSC approved the latest rate hike for DTE — totaling around $242 million. Since 2020, according to the AG’s office, the MPSC has approved more than $1 billion in annual revenue increases for DTE, “despite continued reliability and affordability concerns.”
“It’s astonishing that our current system allows DTE to announce their next rate hike case less than one week after locking in a $242 million rate hike, all while the utility projects record profits,” Nessel said, per a press release. “How many times are Michigan families expected to reach deeper into their pockets to bankroll record profits and shareholder dividends for DTE and Consumers Energy’s Wall Street investors, while reliability and affordability remain out of reach?”
Nessel said the MPSC “must wake up” to the impacts that rate hike approvals have on utility ratepayers. Nessel says her office will continue to advocate “for the best interests of utility customers in every major case, whether it’s new stunning rate hikes or secret data center contracts.”
The exact dollar amount DTE will be seeking in its next rate hike request is unknown at this time. The utility had initially requested a rate hike of $574 million, which would have increased residential rates by 11%. The AG’s office says a summary of the new rate hike request is expected to be filed before the formal application, which the utility indicates will be filed in April.
In a written statement to News 10, a DTE spokesperson noted the filing in late April will begin a 10-month process and no rate hike would occur until 2027.
“DTE Energy’s recent investments in the electric system resulted in 2025 being the most reliable year for customers in nearly two decades — there was a 60% reduction in the time spent without power on top of the nearly 70% reduction achieved in 2024, with significantly fewer power interruptions and faster restoration when outages do occur. In the face of increasingly extreme weather and to deliver on the commitment to improve reliability, the company must continue to invest to deliver the energy our customers demand and deserve. Our upcoming filing in late April will be the start of a 10-month process — a rate adjustment will not occur until 2027.”
The AG’s office says recent rate hikes from DTE and Consumers Energy — the two biggest utilities in the state — have included “such inappropriate costs as private jet travel for executive staff and other unsupported expenditures that could not be demonstrated to be reasonable or prudent.”
Rate hike cases currently open before the MPSC include DTE’s latest natural gas rate hike request (U-21973), as well as Consumers Energy’s electric rate hike request (U-21870) and natural gas rate hike request (U-21981).
Still pending before the Commission is Attorney General Nessel’s motion to reopen DTE’s application for approval of two special contracts to service an anticipated hyperscale AI data center in Saline Township, citing DTE’s “failure to fully agree to conditions meant to protect its customers from subsidizing the costs to service the data center.”
Nessel said she’s continuing to call for the matter to be reopened and subjected to a contested case proceeding because DTE “failed to accept the Commission’s conditions.”
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