Torrington to seek Public Service Commission approval to pass about 5% wholesale power increase to customers
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Summary
The city will file a power cost adjustment with the Wyoming Public Service Commission to pass an estimated 5% increase in retail electrical rates effective April 1, 2025, after MEAN raised wholesale costs about 9.5% and staff forecasted the blended impact from multiple suppliers.
The Torrington City Council approved moving forward with a 2025 power cost adjustment (PCA) application to the Wyoming Public Service Commission that would raise retail electric rates by roughly 5% if the PSC approves the filing.
City Clerk/Treasurer Lynette Strecker told the council the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN), Torrington’s primary wholesale supplier, is increasing wholesale rates “about 9.5%,” and that staff and consultants evaluated all wholesale contracts and usage forecasts to arrive at a blended customer impact of a little over 5% effective April 1, 2025. Strecker said MEAN supplies about 80% of the city’s power while allocations from the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) provide the remaining roughly 20%.
Strecker outlined sample tariff changes in the PCA packet shown to council: a residential winter energy charge listed in the application would move from 7.9 cents per kilowatt-hour to 8.4 cents, and a summer winter/peak example would change from 9.8 cents to 10.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, reflecting the blended increase in the filing. She also said the city retains an experienced municipal utility attorney and an expert witness to prepare affidavits and testify in PSC proceedings.
The council approved a motion to file the PCA and, if the PSC approves, to make the rate change effective April 1. Council members discussed that the electric fund is a proprietary enterprise fund that must be self‑supporting; Strecker and council members emphasized the city is passing through wholesale cost increases rather than seeking additional profit.
Strecker noted Torrington must apply to the PSC because the city serves more than 700 customers outside the city limits; those customers are represented in rate proceedings by the PSC. The filing will proceed through PSC processes, including a scheduled hearing if required.
The council approved the motion by voice vote after a motion and second were offered; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.
