Minnesota Power, an ALLETE Company

How a Request For A Rate Increase Works

We file any request for an electric rate increase with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) when our costs to deliver safe and reliable electricity are higher than what customers are paying in rates on their monthly bills.

Unlike most businesses, we can’t raise prices (rates) on our own to meet increasing expenses or losses in revenue. The MPUC regulates investor-owned electric utilities in Minnesota, including deciding how much we can charge customers for service. It conducts an open, transparent process to review these requests and set rates, including opportunities for public input and participation.

Our filing begins a process commonly called a rate case. The MPUC will review our detailed projections of how we will conduct our operations, make investments in the electric grid and generation supplies, and how to pay for those costs. Commissioners will make a decision on our rates after listening to public input from customers, business groups, cities, agencies, and other special interest organizations. The process generally takes about 18 months to complete. All Minnesota Power customers will have opportunities to offer comments during the rate case.