Overview:

  • DTE Energy signals new rate increase request days after winning approval for a $242 million hike.
  • The utility reported $1.5 billion in profits for 2025.
  • Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and conservation groups are calling for reforms to stop constant rate increases.

By BEN SOLIS, Michigan Advance
Feb. 27, 2026

The state’s attorney general and a group of conservation activists shared calls to action on Friday after DTE Energy issued another rate increase request, filed earlier this week with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

A copy of the company’s filing, which is available on the commission’s rate case database, shows that DTE intends to file a formal application for a rate increase on or around April 27. 

The new filing was submitted to the state on Tuesday, Feb. 24, mere days after the commission approved a $242.2 million rate increase on the utility’s customers.

As one of the largest energy companies in the state, DTE provides energy to 2.3 million customers across southeast Michigan. On average, residential ratepayers can expect to see their bill increase by $4.23 a month, DTE said in a statement. The newly approved rates will take effect March 5, 2026.

But DTE is now going in again for another bite at the apple. The filing submitted this week does not include a dollar figure for the new request, but it does say the increase, if approved, would affect all customers in its service territory and was based on a project test year for a 12-month period ending on Feb. 29, 2028.

The company in a news release issued earlier this month reported earnings of $1.5 billion in 2025, which was up from $1.4 billion in 2024. DTE also championed its work to secure an agreement to power Oracle and OpenAI’s planned hyperscale data center in Saline Township, which is being developed by Related Companies.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has been at the forefront of fighting against steep regulated utility rate increases during her tenure as the state’s top prosecutor, said she has concerns.

“It’s astonishing that our current system allows DTE to announce their next rate hike case less than one week after locking in a $242 million rate hike, all while the utility projects record profits,” Nessel said on social media. “How many times are Michigan families expected to reach deeper into their pockets to bankroll record profits and shareholder dividends for DTE and Consumers Energy’s Wall Street investors, while reliability and affordability remain out of reach?”

Nessel called on the commission to “wake up to the impacts their constant rate hike approvals are having on utility ratepayers across our state.”

“My office will continue to advocate for the best interests of utility customers in every major case, whether it’s new stunning rate hikes or secret data center contracts,” Nessel said.

DTE announced a new rate hike case this week, a mere five days after their last rate hike was approved. Since 2020, the MPSC has approved more than $1 billion in annual revenue increases for DTE, despite continued reliability and affordability concerns. pic.twitter.com/Ivg4HwUQFj

— Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (@MIAttyGen) February 27, 2026

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters echoed Nessel’s concerns and called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would create a Ratepayers Bill of Rights. The legislation was introduced late last year.

“Just days after DTE Energy secured a $242 million increase on our electricity bills, they are at it again announcing they will file another rate hike in the coming months,” Alex Kellogg, energy accountability manager for the league, said in a statement. “DTE made $1.5 billion in profits in 2025, and the financial success for their shareholders is coming off the backs of working Michigan families, many of whom are struggling to keep up with rising energy bills.”

The legislation in question would ban political contributions from regulated utilities to lawmakers, and stop Michigan families and businesses from funding CEO bonuses and corporate lavish lifestyles, the group said. It would also guarantee the right to reliable, affordable energy for every household, empower residents to choose their own electric provider and communities to produce more of their own clean energy — like community solar — without obstruction from monopoly utilities.

“The never-ending cycle of constant rate hikes and no accountability must end,” Kellogg added. “Leaders must step up to pass a ratepayer bill of rights to give Michiganders relief and rein in corporate utility greed.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.

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