Xcel Energy has received permission from regulators in North Dakota to implement a $15.7 million electric rate increase on May 1 to fund reductions in feeder-level outage duration, bolster the utility's tree-trimming budget and replace aging underground cables.
Xcel released a statement explaining that the new charges will be less than interim rates that have been in effect, so it expects most customers to get a monthly bill reduction of about $1.40.
The infrastructure improvements will take place in Xcel's North Dakota service area, which covers about 90,000 customers.
