PUC hearing centers on Black Hills' request to waive hosting-capacity map rule; costs and benefits disputed

Black Hills Colorado Electric LLC sought a waiver of the Public Utilities Commission rule requiring a hosting capacity analysis (HCA) and a public hosting-capacity map during an evidentiary hearing on July 24, 2025. The company said the exercise would impose substantial costs on customers and that local developers have not asked for the publicly hosted product now mandated by the rule.

The dispute was the single contested issue remaining in a broader settlement among Black Hills, trial staff and the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA). Under a settlement term described in testimony, Black Hills and commission trial staff agreed the company will "provide a detailed updated cost estimate in its next DSP filing for the development of a hosting capacity analysis and map, and at which time the company would have the option of requesting a waiver to the rule requirement." That settlement term is in the record as hearing exhibit 107 (settlement testimony) and was described repeatedly in cross-examination.

Why this matters: hosting-capacity analyses and maps are intended to help developers and local stakeholders identify locations on a distribution system where distributed energy resources (DER) such as rooftop solar and storage can connect with lower need for system upgrades. The issue affects developers, customers who pay the utility's costs through rates, and the PUC's oversight of distribution planning.

Costs and timing cited in testimony - Black Hills relied on a July 2024 consultant report by ICF (filed in…