Power has been restored to all Xcel Energy customers in northern Colorado who were affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) implemented on Friday. The restoration was completed around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, with crews continuing work Saturday morning to address outages caused by severe weather, which are expected to be resolved later that day.
A strong weather system brought wind gusts exceeding 65 miles per hour, creating an extreme wildfire risk and prompting Xcel Energy to initiate a PSPS in Larimer and Weld counties early Friday as a precaution. High winds also led to additional unplanned outages outside the PSPS area.
Once conditions improved, hundreds of staff members and contractors from across Colorado were deployed to inspect power lines, carry out repairs, and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“We appreciate the rapid work of our employees, contractors and community partners,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy – Colorado. “We also thank our customers for their patience and support as we work to protect the safety of communities and reduce wildfire risk.”
Xcel Energy noted that power outages can be disruptive and stated it is making ongoing investments in systems designed to reduce future wildfire risks and limit the scale and duration of potential power interruptions.
Customers are encouraged to report any damage such as downed power lines or broken poles and are advised to stay clear of affected areas.
Outage reports can be made through the Xcel Energy mobile app available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play, online at xcelenergy.com/out, by texting OUT or STAT to 98936 for outage reporting or status updates, or by calling 1-800-895-1999 using the automated phone system.
Further information about event updates, safety tips during adverse weather conditions, outage reporting procedures, and preparation advice is available on Xcel Energy’s Event Update webpage.
The company explained that PSPS events help lower wildfire risks by shutting off power during dangerous conditions based on weather forecasts and other data sources. Factors influencing these decisions include high winds, low humidity, and extremely dry conditions. Even customers with underground lines or no visible local damage may experience outages due to how neighborhoods connect to the larger grid.
Since beginning its Wildfire Mitigation efforts in 2020, Xcel Energy has invested in system upgrades such as replacing over 8,300 distribution poles in 2024 alone; inspecting nearly 18,740 distribution poles; inspecting more than 2,800 miles of transmission lines; completing over 340 priority transmission equipment repairs; and installing new protective relays at substations.
Xcel Energy serves millions of customers across eight states—Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas—and is headquartered in Minneapolis. More details can be found at xcelenergy.com or via their social media channels.
