TL/DR –
The Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) in Michigan is seeking approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to change how it calculates power outages during catastrophic conditions. Currently, UPPCO is required to count each outage separately, but the company wants to count multiple outages during a single event as one. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has intervened, stating that the request is unreasonable and could undermine service quality rules.
Michigan Attorney General Challenges UPPCO’s Outage Credit Waiver Request
The Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, has stepped in regarding the Upper Peninsula Power Company’s (UPPCO’s) request for an outage credit waiver, currently before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for approval.
UPPCO is seeking a permanent waiver for how it counts outages, as per MPSC’s service quality rules. These regulations, updated last year, entitle customers to an outage credit if they suffer six or more outages within a year. MPSC-regulated utility companies are now required to track outages and issue automatic credits.
UPPCO seeks a waiver from rules requiring them to account for each outage during catastrophic conditions, defined as events where 10% or more customers lack power, or an emergency government declaration is in place.
The utility company wants MPSC permission to count multiple outages as a single incident during catastrophic conditions, instead of calculating each individually. “UPPCO’s primary focus has been and continues to be the restoration of electric service to all customers experiencing an outage in a safe and expeditious manner,” said Brett French, UPPCO VP of business development and communications.
Nessel intervened, asserting UPPCO’s waiver request could undermine the recently amended service quality rules. “My team will be carefully examining this request, but UPPCO’s insistence on a permanent waiver is already troubling”, said Nessel.
UPPCO customers are encouraged to share their thoughts by visiting the MPSC’s docket page for this matter, Docket U-21586.
The Department of Attorney General recently launched a website dedicated to its interventions in utility cases on behalf of Michigan ratepayers. The site features a Power Outage Credit Feedback & Inquiry Form, inviting customer feedback to help track outage-related trends and improve ratepayer advocacy.
Additional resources on the site include updated outage credit criteria for MPSC-regulated utilities, links for residents to attend MPSC meetings or file their own comment, the 2023 Utility Performance Report, and FAQs for consumer assistance.
The AG has intervened in every rate case before the MPSC since taking office in 2019, resulting in over $3.2 billion in savings for ratepayers.
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