AMARILLO, Texas (Mar. 4, 2025) – Xcel Energy continues to evaluate weather conditions, and as rainfall and moisture trend higher in the area, a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that was anticipated for today will not be required in the South Plains region to reduce wildfire risk.

Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings remain active across our New Mexico and Texas service area and high winds are expected to last throughout the day, so Xcel Energy advises customers to remain prepared for potential unplanned outages. EPSS means that power lines are more sensitive and can stop the flow of energy if an issue is detected, such as a tree branch touching the line. In those cases, power will remain off until our crews can make sure it’s safe to turn it back on. These settings are intended to improve public safety during heightened risk conditions, but it means power outages are likely to last substantially longer than typical outages.

The status of current outages is tracked on the electric service outage map.

Power was restored to about 140 customers affected by yesterday's PSPS event in the Tucumcari, New Mexico area by 8:55 p.m. Xcel Energy crews worked efficiently to ensure the affected power lines were safe to re-energize, made repairs to damage caused by high winds and got the lights back on for customers. Visit our PSPS Event website for more information on proactive power shutoffs.

"We understand the inconvenience that power shutoffs cause, but the safety of our communities is our top priority,” said Adrian Rodriguez, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “We are proactively reducing wildfire risk during extreme weather conditions, and we appreciate our customers' patience as we work to keep everyone safe."

Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings activated

Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) are active across our Texas and New Mexico service territory.

  • When EPSS is activated, power lines can stop the flow of energy if an issue is detected, like a tree branch or other object touching the line.
  • EPSS does not mean the company has proactively turned off a customer’s power. If there is an outage while these settings are activated, it is the result of an issue on the power line.
  • Power will remain off until our crews can visually inspect power lines to make sure it is safe to turn them back on. This may mean that if an outage occurs, it could last longer.

Both EPSS and PSPS are only used when temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and other available fuel sources indicate a high risk for wildfire. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to take steps to reduce wildfire risk and keep our communities safe.

How customers can prepare, stay safe

Stay Informed

If other weather-related outages occur, it’s important for customers to have access to the most recent updates about their power restoration. Customers should make sure their account information and communications preferences are up to date through the Xcel Energy website.

The website hosts an outage map that displays information on the number of customers out and anticipated time for restoration when available. Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and X.

Customers can also visit the PSPS Event website for more information.

Build a Home Emergency Kit

Customers are encouraged to be prepared for an electric outage by keeping phones and other devices charged and building an outage kit with items that do not require electricity, including:

  • Battery-powered radio
  • Flashlights
  • Batteries
  • Backup phone chargers
  • A phone that does not require electricity
  • Non-electric alarm clock
  • Bottled water and non-perishable food
  • Manual can opener
  • First aid kit
  • Extension cords (for partial outages)
  • Manufacturer’s instructions on how to manually open power-operated doors (e.g. garage doors)
  • Xcel Energy phone numbers – (800) 895-1999 for residential or (800) 481-4700 for business

As an important reminder to customers who have medical equipment that relies on electric service, please take steps to prepare a backup power supply in case outages do occur. We will be contacting known medical customers in the area directly to inform them about forecasted severe weather and potential impacts.

We are continually investing in and building out our systems to reduce the risk of wildfire and limit the size, scale and duration of potential power disruptions. More tips for how to prepare for an outage are available here.

Report an Outage

Customers can help Xcel Energy get a jump on power restoration by reporting outages. Customers have several ways to report outages:

  • Via text by texting OUT to 98936 to report an outage, or text STAT to the same number to check the status of a power outage
  • By calling 1-800-895-1999 and following the prompts—the automated phone reporting system lets customers report outages in less than 60 seconds.

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About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on X and Facebook.