The two utilities are asking state regulators to reconsider a ruling saying they could not pass on all the costs to ratepayers. The matter now will likely end up in front of the Minnesota appeals court.
Fargo, Grand Forks could pick up most of North Dakota s $50M natural gas bill from Texas freeze
The sole natural gas provider to both cities, the Xcel Energy subsidiary Northern States Power, has asked for approval on the recovery of close to $33 million of unforecast costs over four days of the February freeze. Regulators want another look at their numbers. Written By: Adam Willis | ×
Xcel Energy natural gas technicians Marshall Zutter (left) and Darren Erickson monitor natural gas flow at the regulation station Tuesday, Feb. 16, near the intersection of Wise Road and Highway 371 as the temperatures remained below zero. The technicians are on the scene to manually adjust gas pressure if needed down the line. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
Reporter
MARSHALL The extreme cold temperatures that hit much of the country in February created surging demand for natural gas and spiking prices and it could have an effect on gas bills in the Marshall area as well.
It’s still not certain exactly what individual customers of Great Plains Natural Gas can expect, said company spokesperson Mark Hanson. However, it’s estimated that gas price increases will translate into an impact of $200 to $300 for each customer, Hanson said. That amount isn’t likely to show up on customers’ gas bills all at once, however, and Hanson said Great Plains is working with the Public Utilities Commission to determine how to recover the money with the least impact to customers.