Northwestern Energy has filed a rate hike request with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
The company is requesting increases that will total about twenty six million dollars.
Northwestern spokesman Tom Glanzer says environmental changes to their power plants are driving the increase.
Glanzer says they have not requested an electricity rate hike since 1980.
Glanzer says they will file an immense amount of information with the PUC.
Glanzer says the average increase per household would be about sixteen dollars a month. He says it could be mid-summer or later before the PUC makes a decision.
