Just months into her PSC tenure, Jill Kringstad is now navigating the fiercest test yet: a proposed 19.34% electricity rate increase by Xcel Energy in North Dakota. With public hearings set for Oct. 13 in Bismarck and beyond, the spotlight is squarely on her for how she’ll adjudicate this high‐stakes showdown.
On Oct. 1, the PSC officially scheduled public input sessions at noon and 6 p.m. in Bismarck (State Capitol hearing room) for Xcel customers to comment on the rate request. Xcel’s plan would raise annual revenue in ND by $44.556 million, or 19.34%, affecting 97,000 customers statewide.
The rate case hinges on major shifts in Xcel’s generation mix: its move away from coal has been flagged as a driving force behind the rate request. PSC utilities director Victor Schock warned that full approval of a nearly 20% hike would be “unusual,” hinting commissioners may seek compromise.
Meanwhile, in August, PSC approved a 1,470 MW natural gas power plant (Bison Generation Station) in Williams County — a project Kringstad publicly backed as essential for meeting future demand.
On grid expansion, Kringstad joined her colleagues in condemning a slate of MISO transmission projects, labeling proposed cost allocations “unjust and unreasonable” to ND ratepayers — estimating as much as $5/month extra on average customer bills.
Also emerging: PSC, with Kringstad’s involvement, is investigating misleading utility mailers. Some letters promoting home equipment insurance bore utility logos despite not being offered by the utility itself.
As a native of Bismarck, Kringstad’s decisions will be judged not just for technical merit but for local loyalty. Rate decisions now carry personal optics: will she protect residents’ pocketbooks — especially in the capital? Her backing of the gas-fired Bison plant signals stronger her appetite for dispatchable generation to counter coal retirements.
But as Xcel pushes generation shifts, she must temper cost burdens — especially in DenBismarck where utility bills are highly visible. From mailer investigations to public input sessions, Kringstad’s handling of process — fairness in hearings, clear communication, protecting consumers — will influence how locals view her tenure.
“This project meets the growing need for power … at a time when many states are retiring dispatchable power.” - Jill Kringstad
October’s hearings could redefine Jill Kringstad’s PSC legacy — either as a champion for fair rates in Bismarck or a commissioner seen as too cozy with utilities. If she threads the needle — pushing for modern energy infrastructure while holding rate demands in check — the Bismarck community might see in her a regulator who both understands local impact and embraces the grid’s future.
