Overview
- The Public Service Commission voted Thursday to approve a modified We Energies rate increase, cutting the utility’s original request but postponing exact dollar amounts until a written order is issued in the coming weeks.
- We Energies says the new revenue will pay for grid resilience and clean-energy work such as solar, wind and battery projects, expanded tree trimming and burying power lines to reduce outages.
- This will be the utility’s sixth rate increase since 2020, and residential bills in Wisconsin have risen about 24% over that period, which consumer groups say means even a smaller increase will hurt families and small businesses.
- Commissioners and advocates said the hike is driven in part by fast growth in power demand from data centers and by infrastructure needs, and they noted state law limits the PSC’s power to fully weigh affordability and long-term planning.
- The decision has prompted local political pushback in Milwaukee, where city leaders and protesters called for a study of a municipally owned utility and the Common Council approved $1.3 million to explore that option.