Wisconsin Energy

We Energies has filed proposals with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for rate hikes in 2025 and 2026. It says the funds would help reduce customer power outages, build infrastructure and meet new environmental standards.”The vast, vast majority of this filing is to pay for new power plants, solar, wind and natural gas plants that have already been approved by the Public Service Commission,” said Brendan Conway, We Energies spokesperson.This comes after a January storm knocked out power to more than 200,000 We Energies customers. Some of this money would help keep power on during storms by burying power lines and increasing the trimming of trees.”We’ve seen an incredible increase in severe weather power outages and that’s 100,000 customers or more have lost power,” Conway said. “So since 2020, we’ve had eight times that has happened. In the previous 43 years, it happened six times.”If the proposals are passed, the company said a typical residential electric bill is estimated to go up $10 to $11 per month for 2025. Another $7 to $8 would be added in 2026.Natural gas would increase $6 to $8 per months in 2025. We Energies steam customers in downtown Milwaukee would see an 8.4% increase in 2025. Gas and electric are not expected to increase in 2026.Tom Content with the watchdog group Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin said those costs can add up.”Customers have seen such bill inflation over the long game and this is a two year case. So everything’s going to be analyzed. What they’re looking for for 2025 and 2026, they’re doing it all at once and so the impact is significant.”Content said it’s important to address the outages, “but it’s also important to make sure that there’s balance, that we’re not gold plating the system.”The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin could make a decision sometime in November or December. There will be public hearings beforehand.