Restoration work underway as Xcel Energy prepares for Public Safety Power Shutoff Friday

DENVER— (December 18, 2025)— Xcel Energy is preparing for another Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Friday, while crews work quickly to restore outages from yesterday’s wind event and PSPS. Friday’s PSPS event is expected to impact 67,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties beginning as early as 5 a.m. Weather conditions are expected to start improving around 6 p.m. Friday evening, though high winds that may create wildfire risk and cause outages are expected to continue through the evening. Given Friday's event there will be added days to restoration for some customers, meaning some may experience more than 3 days of being without power. Customers should know crews will work as quickly as possible to safely restore power.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs reduce the risk of wildfires and protect public safety. Xcel Energy uses weather forecasts and other data sources to decide how to best protect its communities and customers. High winds, low relative humidity and dry ground conditions are key factors and will be present tomorrow morning. The conditions tomorrow morning will match or exceed Wednesday’s conditions, which saw wind gusts over 100 miles per hour.

“We recognize the challenges our customers face when being without power for an extended period of time. We appreciate their patience as our crews work tirelessly to restore power. We appreciate their understanding of the public safety necessity of a PSPS. We are aware tomorrow’s PSPS event will impact some of the same customers involved in yesterday’s wind event. Turning off the power is not a decision we take lightly and our crews are working safely and diligently to restore power as quickly as possible,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy—Colorado.

More than 585 crew members began restoration work last night to restore power to the 120,000 customers who had a sustained outage. As of 2 p.m. about 26,000 were still without power. While crews are working as quickly as possible, restoration could take up to several days. Crews must inspect power lines and repair damage before they can be safely re-energized. As crews restore power, the public is reminded to give them the space they need to do their job safely and efficiently.

Xcel Energy reminds customers there may be unplanned outages outside of the PSPS event due to high winds or Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, which will be active across affected areas. Customers should stay clear of any downed power lines and report them, as well as any damage they see to Xcel Energy.

Resource Centers

Xcel Energy is working with the American Red Cross to open resource centers for customers impacted by power outages caused by today’s severe wind event. Customers impacted by outages will have access to phone charging the following resource centers:

• Evergreen Library – 5000 County Hwy 73, Evergreen, CO 80439 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Servicios de la Raza – 3131 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
• Belmar Library – 555 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80226 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
• Gilpin County School – 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk, CO 80422 (Open Until Further Notice)

The Xcel Energy Red Trucks will also be at the resource centers providing support and information to customers.

Report Outages, Damage 

Customers can help Xcel Energy get a jump on power restoration by reporting outages and are encouraged to also report any damage to power lines that they see. They should also stay away from any downed power lines and broken power poles and contact Xcel Energy.

Customers have several ways to report outages:

• Through the Xcel Energy mobile app, available in the Apple App Store and through Google Play.    
• Online at xcelenergy.com/out   
• 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

Event updates and tips to prepare, stay safe, report outages and stay informed when severe weather strikes can be found on the Xcel Energy Event Update webpage.

How customers can prepare, stay safe 

Stay Informed 

Xcel Energy will provide updates for this specific weather event on its website. Customers can check the outage map for up-to-date information on outages and estimated restorations times, when available. They should make sure their account information and communications preferences are up to date in  My Account. 

Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and X. 

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 for potential extended outages, including on Friday. https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/billing-payment/energy-assistance/medical-exemption-program.

Xcel Energy is continually investing in and building out its systems to reduce the risk of wildfire and limit the size, scale, and duration of potential power disruptions. Since beginning its Wildfire Mitigation work in 2020, the company has invested in system improvements including the following improvements made in 2024: 

• Replacing 8,337 distribution poles 

• Inspecting 18,740 distribution poles 

• Inspecting 2,832 miles of transmission lines 

• Completing 345 priority repairs on transmission equipment 

• Installing 18 substation protection relays 

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About Xcel Energy  

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a leading energy provider, dedicated to serving millions of customers with excellence. We make energy work better for customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar — delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient and sustainable energy. 

We are committed to leading the clean energy transition, meeting our customers’ need for more cleaner power, while keeping bills as low as possible. Because the people we serve depend on us to power their lives. 

Headquartered in Minneapolis, we work every day to generate and distribute electricity and gas to customers across eight states: Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on X and Facebook.