On Friday night, Xcel Energy restored electricity to all customers in northern Colorado who were affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). The company reported that work continued Saturday morning to restore service in areas impacted by severe weather on Friday, with full restoration expected later that day.
A strong weather system brought wind gusts exceeding 65 miles per hour, creating an extreme wildfire risk. This prompted Xcel Energy to implement a PSPS in Larimer and Weld counties on Friday morning as a preventive measure. The high winds also caused thousands of unexpected outages outside the PSPS-affected area.
After conditions became safe, hundreds of employees and contractors from across Colorado were dispatched to inspect power lines, make repairs, and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“We appreciate the quick work of our employees, contractors and community partners,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy – Colorado. “We also appreciate our customers’ patience and support as we work to protect the safety of communities and reduce wildfire risk.”
Xcel Energy stated that it continues to invest in systems designed to lower future wildfire risks and limit the scale and duration of potential outages. Since launching its Wildfire Mitigation program in 2020, the company has made improvements such as replacing more than 8,000 distribution poles, inspecting nearly 19,000 poles, reviewing over 2,800 miles of transmission lines, completing hundreds of priority repairs on transmission equipment, and installing additional protective relays at substations.
Customers are encouraged to report any damage such as downed power lines or broken poles directly to Xcel Energy and stay clear of affected areas. The company provides multiple options for outage reporting: through its mobile app available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play; online at xcelenergy.com/out; via text message by sending OUT or STAT to 98936; or by calling 1-800-895-1999 for automated phone reporting.
Updates about outages, safety tips during adverse weather conditions, and information about preparedness can be found on Xcel Energy’s Event Update webpage.
The company explained that PSPS events are used based on factors like strong winds, low humidity, and extremely dry conditions. Even customers whose power lines are underground or who do not see immediate local damage may still experience outages depending on how their neighborhood is connected within the grid.
Xcel Energy is headquartered in Minneapolis and serves customers across eight states including Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. More information can be found at xcelenergy.com or via their social media channels.
