Around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Xcel Energy completed the restoration of electricity to all customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in northern Colorado. The company stated that crews continued working Saturday morning to restore power in areas impacted by Friday’s weather, with work expected to finish later that day.
A severe weather system brought wind gusts exceeding 65 miles per hour, creating extreme wildfire risk and prompting Xcel Energy to implement a PSPS in Larimer and Weld counties early Friday as a precautionary measure. The high winds also caused thousands of unexpected outages for customers outside the designated PSPS area.
Once conditions were safe, hundreds of employees and contractors from across Colorado were dispatched to inspect power lines, make repairs, and restore service.
“We appreciate the quick work of our employees, contractors, and community partners,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy – Colorado. “We also appreciate the patience and support of our customers as we work to protect community safety and reduce wildfire risk.”
Xcel Energy noted that it continues to invest in systems designed to reduce wildfire risks and limit both the scope and duration of potential outages. Since launching its Wildfire Mitigation efforts in 2020, Xcel Energy has replaced over 8,300 distribution poles, inspected more than 18,700 poles, examined nearly 2,900 miles of transmission lines, completed hundreds of priority equipment repairs, and installed additional protection relays at substations during 2024.
The company encouraged customers to report any damage such as downed power lines or broken poles and advised people to stay clear of affected areas. Customers can report outages through Xcel Energy’s mobile app available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play; online at xcelenergy.com/out; by texting OUT or STAT to 98936; or by calling 1-800-895-1999 for automated reporting.
Further updates about events, preparation tips for adverse weather conditions, outage reporting instructions, and safety information are available on Xcel Energy’s event update page.
According to Xcel Energy’s description of PSPS events, even neighborhoods with underground power lines or no visible local damage may be impacted due to how communities are connected within the overall grid. The company emphasized its ongoing commitment to improve reliability while transitioning toward cleaner energy sources for millions of customers across eight states from its Minneapolis headquarters.
“Around 9:30 p.m. on Friday night teams finished restoring electric service for all Xcel Energy customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (or PSPS) in northern Colorado. Teams continue working Saturday morning to restore service in areas impacted by Friday’s weather and expect those efforts will conclude Saturday,” said Robert Kenney.
“We appreciate the quick work of our employees, contractors and community partners,” Kenney added. “We also appreciate our customers’ patience and support as we work to protect community safety and reduce wildfire risk.”
Xcel Energy serves millions of customers with electricity and gas services in Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas.
