Lansing, Michigan – Another fight over electricity costs is already taking shape in Michigan, even before Consumers Energy’s latest approved increase reaches customer bills.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office will again step into major rate cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission, renewing what has become a familiar battle over utility costs.
Her statement came after Consumers Energy submitted a filing announcement to the MPSC on April 3, signaling plans to seek another electric rate increase on or after June 2, 2026 — the first day the company is allowed to make that request under current law.
The timing alone drew sharp attention. Just seven days earlier, the MPSC approved a $276.6 million electric rate hike for Consumers Energy, with that increase set to take effect May 1, 2026. Since 2020, the commission has approved nearly $800 million in annual revenue increases for the utility. The most recent decision also allows Consumers Energy to earn a 9.9% return on equity on new capital spending projects, including those tied to new data center construction.
How much the company will seek in its next case is still unknown. A summary is expected before the formal application arrives in June. But the scale of earlier requests offers a clue. In its previous case, Consumers Energy asked for a $436 million rate increase along with a $24.3 million surcharge, a proposal that would have pushed household rates up by 13%.
“The rate hike just approved by the MPSC hasn’t even taken effect yet, and Consumers Energy is already gearing up to reach back into the pockets of Michigan families,” Nessel said.
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She argued that customers are stuck in a system where they have no real choice in who provides their energy, yet continue to face repeated requests for more money. Nessel also said her office will closely examine the new filing, while urging lawmakers from both parties to address what she described as a broken structure for ratepayers.
Her office pointed to recent utility filings from both Consumers Energy and DTE that included costs it considers improper, such as private jet travel for top executives, millions in executive incentive pay linked to shareholder returns, and other expenses that, it said, were not shown to be reasonable or necessary.
Several other cases remain open before the commission, including Consumers Energy’s natural gas request in case U-21981, DTE’s natural gas request in U-21973, SEMCO Energy Gas Company’s request in U-22002, and Upper Peninsula Power Company’s electric case in U-22032. DTE has also filed notice of another planned electric rate request, just five days after its last one was approved.
Consumers Energy provides electricity to about 1.9 million customers in Michigan and natural gas to roughly 1.8 million more, meaning the outcome of its next request could again ripple across households statewide.