Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Apr. 28 that she will intervene in DTE Energy’s latest request to raise electric rates by approximately $474.3 million annually, representing a 9.7% increase for residential customers. This comes two months after the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a $242.4 million increase for the utility.
Nessel said her office is committed to scrutinizing DTE’s filing and protecting Michigan utility customers from what she described as excessive costs and corporate greed. “Whether it’s massive half-a-billion-dollar rate hike requests or secret data center contracts, DTE continues to treat Michigan families like an open checkbook to satisfy its shareholders,” Nessel said. “As my office scrutinizes this latest filing, I expect to find the same brand of corporate greed we’ve seen every time before, from private jet travel to unsupported costs that do nothing to improve reliability or affordability for Michigan households struggling to keep the lights on. We will expose every outlandish cent and demand the MPSC prioritize utility customers over utility corporations.”
The announcement follows a recent statement by DTE suggesting it might not pursue an anticipated 2027 electric rate hike if its current request is approved, provided certain conditions are met—including timely approval of a controversial Saline Township OpenAI data center and other unnamed regulatory approvals related to data centers within its service territory.
Nessel responded last week: “The good news for DTE’s customers is that DTE is finally reckoning with the anger and exasperation of Michigan households pushed to the brink by DTE and Consumers Energy’s incessant rate hikes… I think every business and household would welcome a break from their constant and ever-growing rate hikes, but DTE only offers to skip their next rate hike after approval of their current rate hike case, their largest this decade… This isn’t a commitment, it’s a ransom note.” She added: “DTE cites ‘affordability benefits’ associated with their secret data center contracts that have never been proven, or even reviewed by consumer advocates… My office will scrutinize their every rate hike and data center proposal as thoroughly as we always do and testify in support of protecting Michigan ratepayers.”
DTE provides electricity service for about 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and natural gas service for another 1.3 million across the state.
According to Nessel’s office, interventions in previous utility cases have saved consumers more than $4.1 billion through proceedings before the MPSC. Recent requests from both DTE and Consumers Energy have included expenditures such as executive private jet travel, incentive compensation linked with shareholder returns, and other costs deemed unsupported or unreasonable during review processes.