Commissioner says he's tired of Xcel's 'mess-ups'

NORTH DAKOTA - Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer says he's tired of Xcel Energy's mistakes after hearing the company sent incorrect electric bills to about 5,000 North Dakota customers. A company official says Xcel is frustrated, too.

"We've had some of those same discussions," said Mark Nisbet, the principal manager for Xcel in North Dakota.

Xcel said it mistakenly did not include the minimum service charge for some billing cycles in November — which is either $5.50 or $7.50, depending on the service. The utility is seeking to cancel the current bills for the affected customers and issue new ones. It had considered notifying the customers using prerecorded calls.

Commissioners asked the company to wait while they check administrative rules.

The PSC said it is the third time in recent memory that Xcel has had billing problems.

"My patience is growing weary... and I just think there has to be a limit to how much of this sloppiness we're expected to tolerate — and certainly how much the ratepayers are expected to tolerate," Cramer said.

"This is a really big company and, quite honestly, I think the bigness of the company is part of the problem," he said.

Nisbet said the company will work with the PSC staff.

"We're disappointed too, and we're pledging to work with the commission to make sure we find a suitable answer," Nisbet said.

In September, Xcel Energy said it was replacing about 23,500 natural gas meter readers in Fargo, West Fargo and Grand Forks because many of them have malfunctioned. The PSC said the faulty equipment caused billing mistakes for about 4,400 Xcel natural gas customers in North Dakota last winter.

Nisbet said the latest problem happened when the company was analyzing changes in its billing system and it slipped into the actual production mode, affecting about 5,000 customers.

"It was caught fairly quickly," he said. "We have about 85,000 customers."

Related News

nb power

Electricity subsidies to pulp and paper mills to continue, despite NB Power's rising debt

FREDERICTON - An effort to fix NB Power's struggling finances that is supposed to involve a look at "all options" will not include a review of the policy that requires the utility to subsidize electricity prices for six New Brunswick pulp and paper mills, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development.

The program is meant "to enable New Brunswick's pulp and paper companies have access to competitive priced electricity,"  said the department's communications officer Nick Brown in an email Monday 

"Keeping our large industries competitive with other Canadian jurisdictions is important," he wrote, knocking down the idea the subsidy…

READ MORE
wind turbines pincher creek

Alberta is a powerhouse for both green energy and fossil fuels

READ MORE

german-energy-demand-hits-historic-low-amid-economic-stagnation

German Energy Demand Hits Historic Low Amid Economic Stagnation

READ MORE

philippines-reaffirms-clean-energy-commitment

Philippines Reaffirms Clean Energy Commitment at APEC Summit

READ MORE

china solar panel manufacturing

China's electric power woes cast clouds on U.S. solar's near-term future

READ MORE