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MidAmerican Energy Company Seeks Rejection of Procedural Schedules Proposed by Iowa Utilities Board Parties

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

MidAmerican Energy Company has responded to the procedural schedules proposed by various parties, including the Office of Consumer Advocate, Iowa Business Energy Coalition, Tech Customers (Google LLC, META Platforms, Inc., and Microsoft Corporation), and Environmental Organizations, in the Iowa Utilities Board docket RPU-2022-0001. The company seeks to reject the proposed schedules and adopt its own, arguing that the extensions proposed by the parties are excessive and will delay the project, harming its implementation and diminishing customer benefits.

Key Takeaways:

  • MidAmerican Energy Company has filed a reply to the responses to its motion to extend the procedural schedule in the Iowa Utilities Board docket RPU-2022-0001.
  • The company disagrees with the lengthy extensions proposed by the parties, which would result in a restart of the Wind PRIME project and potentially the longest advance ratemaking case ever conducted.
  • MidAmerican argues that the proposed schedules would cover 243 days (just under 35 weeks) from August 31, 2022, to finish, compared to the company's proposed schedule of 168 days (24 weeks) from the date of filing its rebuttal testimony.
  • Delaying the procedural schedule will harm the project and diminish customer benefits, as MidAmerican has already detailed in its August 19, 2022 motion to extend the procedural schedule.
  • MidAmerican disagrees with the notion that delaying the procedural schedule will give the company the opportunity to identify project sites with certainty and improve the project's economics, citing the sworn rebuttal testimony of MidAmerican witnesses Fehr and Jablonski.

Statistics:

  • The proposed schedule by IBEC, the OCA, and the Tech Customers would cover 243 days (just under 35 weeks) from August 31, 2022, to finish.
  • The proposed schedule by MidAmerican would cover 168 days (24 weeks) from August 31, 2022, to finish.
  • Wind PRIME is comparable in size to Wind XI and is comparable in content to Wind XI and Wind XII.
  • MidAmerican's last five advance ratemaking cases averaged 127 days or 18 weeks from date of filing to approval.
  • The proposed list of project sites will become smaller and more certain if the Board delays Wind PRIME, but only because competitors have already taken many of the sites, stripping MidAmerican of flexibility in site selection.

Sources:

  • "Reply to Responses to Motion to Extend Procedural Schedule" by MidAmerican Energy Company, filed with the Iowa Utilities Board on September 2, 2022, RPU-2022-0001.
  • "Cover Letter," In re: MidAmerican Energy Company, Iowa Utils. Bd. Docket No. RPU-2022-0001, p.1 (filed January 19, 2022).
  • "Rebuttal Testimony of MidAmerican witness Thomas Specketer" (discussing applicable provisions of the IRA and their impacts).
  • "Rebuttal Testimony of MidAmerican witness Michael Fehr" (discussing increased competition for sites and the importance of maintaining flexibility in site selection).
  • "Rebuttal Testimony of MidAmerican witness Jablonski" (discussing potential site purchased by a Tech Customer and the importance of maintaining flexibility in site selection).
  • Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Pub. L. No. 117-169, 136 Stat 1818 (August 16, 2022).

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