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Equity Investments
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]  
Equity Investments [Text Block] EQUITY INVESTMENTS
Investment in ATC. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, ALLETE Transmission Holdings, owns approximately 8 percent of ATC, a Wisconsin-based utility that owns and maintains electric transmission assets in portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. We account for our investment in ATC under the equity method of accounting.
ALLETE’s Investment in ATC 
Millions 
Equity Investment Balance as of December 31, 2021$154.5 
Cash Investments2.7 
Equity in ATC Earnings5.4 
Distributed ATC Earnings(4.4)
Amortization of the Remeasurement of Deferred Income Taxes0.3 
Equity Investment Balance as of March 31, 2022$158.5 

ATC’s authorized return on equity is 10.02 percent, or 10.52 percent including an incentive adder for participation in a regional transmission organization, based on a 2020 FERC order which is subject to various outstanding legal challenges related to the refund period ordered by the FERC. If these legal challenges are successful, ATC may be required to provide refunds to its customers of up to approximately $66 million of which our share would be approximately $5 million pre-tax. In addition, the FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in April 2021 proposing to limit the 50 basis point incentive adder for participation in a regional transmission organization to only the first three years of membership in such an organization. If this proposal is adopted, our equity in earnings from ATC would be reduced by approximately $1 million pre-tax annually.

Investment in Nobles 2. Our subsidiary, ALLETE South Wind, owns 49 percent of Nobles 2, the entity that owns and operates a 250 MW wind energy facility in southwestern Minnesota pursuant to a 20-year PPA with Minnesota Power. We account for our investment in Nobles 2 under the equity method of accounting.

ALLETE’s Investment in Nobles 2
Millions
Equity Investment Balance as of December 31, 2021$163.5 
Equity in Nobles 2 Earnings (a)
0.1 
Distributed Nobles 2 Earnings(1.5)
Equity Investment Balance as of March 31, 2022$162.1 
(a)The Company also recorded net loss attributable to non-controlling interest of $3.2 million related to its investment in Nobles 2.