Regulatory Matters

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Abstract]

Regulatory Matters

REGULATORY MATTERS

Ludington Accounting Application

During April 2022, DTE Electric and Consumers Energy Company (“Consumers”) filed a complaint against Toshiba America Energy Systems (“TAES”) and its parent corporation for defective and non-conforming work relating to the overhaul and upgrade of the Ludington Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Plant (“Ludington”). Refer to the Ludington Plant Contract Dispute section of Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Commitments and Contingencies,” for additional information regarding the complaint and ongoing legal proceedings.

DTE Electric and Consumers, joint owners of Ludington, believe that certain costs must be incurred in the near term for repairing and/or replacing defective work performed by TAES in order to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of the plant. In November 2022, DTE Electric and Consumers filed an accounting application with the MPSC for authority to defer these costs as a regulatory asset. DTE Electric and Consumers are seeking the regulatory asset for their respective 49% and 51% shares of these costs, to be offset by any potential litigation proceeds. The parties are also seeking that appropriate recovery and ratemaking treatment may be granted in a future rate case or other proceeding. A response in this filing is currently expected in the second quarter 2023.

2023 Electric Rate Case Filing

DTE Electric filed a rate case with the MPSC on February 10, 2023 requesting an increase in base rates of $622 million based on a projected twelve-month period ending November 30, 2024, and an increase in return on equity from 9.9% to 10.25%. The requested increase in base rates is primarily due to increased investments in plant involving generation and the electric distribution system, as well as related increases to depreciation and property tax expenses. These investments will support DTE Energy's goals to reduce carbon emissions and improve power reliability. The requested increase in base rates is also due to a projected sales decline from the level included in current rates and inflationary impacts on operating and interest costs. A final MPSC order in this case is expected in December 2023.

2023 Securitization Filing

On April 3, 2023, DTE Electric filed an application with the MPSC requesting a financing order to approve the securitization of $496 million of qualified costs related to the net book value of the St. Clair and Trenton Channel generation plants. The filing requests recovery of these qualifying costs from DTE Electric's customers. A final MPSC order is expected by July 2023.