Regulatory Matters

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Public Utilities, General Disclosures [Abstract]

Regulatory Matters

REGULATORY MATTERS

2021 Securitization Filing

On June 23, 2021, the MPSC issued a financing order authorizing DTE Electric to issue Securitization bonds for qualified costs of up to $236 million, including $73 million for the net book value of the River Rouge generation plant, $157 million for tree trimming surge program costs, and $6 million for other qualified costs. The financing order further authorized customer charges for the timely recovery of the debt service costs on the Securitization bonds and other ongoing qualified costs.

On March 17, 2022, DTE Electric closed on the issuance of Securitization bonds of $236 million. Refer to Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Long-Term Debt,” for additional information regarding the terms of the bonds and use of proceeds. Upon closing the transaction, DTE Electric recognized Securitized regulatory assets of $230 million, which were reclassified from existing Regulatory assets for the net book value of the River Rouge plant and tree trimming surge program. Debt service costs relating to tree trimming will be recovered over a period not to exceed 5 years, while amounts relating to River Rouge will be recovered over a period not to exceed 14 years.

2022 Electric Rate Case Filing

DTE Electric filed a rate case with the MPSC on January 21, 2022 requesting an increase in base rates of $388 million based on a projected twelve-month period ending October 31, 2023. The requested increase in base rates is primarily due to an increase in net plant resulting from generation and distribution investments, as well as related increases to depreciation and property tax expenses. The rate filing also requested an increase in return on equity from 9.9% to 10.25% and includes projected changes in sales. A final MPSC order in this case is expected in November 2022.

2022 Accounting Application

On June 17, 2022, DTE Gas filed a request with the MPSC to accelerate amortization of the regulatory liability for non-plant-related accumulated deferred income tax balances that resulted from the TCJA. DTE Gas is seeking approval to increase amortization up to $20 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, which would fully amortize this portion of the liability by July 2026 instead of April 2029. The accelerated amortization would not impact customer rates and would allow DTE Gas to defer its next rate case filing to no earlier than February 1, 2023. An order from the MPSC is expected by the end of the third quarter 2022.