Minneapolis (Dec. 16, 2021) – Xcel Energy crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to assess damage and restore power to customers after an extreme wind event rolled through Minnesota yesterday and today. The winds knocked down power poles, sent tree limbs into lines and caused other damage. More than 450 employees and contractors are responding to this event and even more people are being brought in to assist with restoration efforts.

As of 9 a.m., Xcel Energy crews have successfully restored power to about 86,000 Minnesota customers while 8,000 remain without power, with the majority of those being in southeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area. Visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/outages_and_emergencies to find the number of customers currently affected.

Xcel Energy knows losing power is hard and we appreciate customers’ understanding, patience and kindness as our crew members work to restore power. When it comes to restoring power, top priority is given to situations that threaten public safety, such as live downed wires. Repair priority is based on what will restore power to the largest number of customers most quickly, such as transmission lines or feeder lines that serve large amounts of customers.

Xcel Energy urges safety and caution

Please use caution when traveling in affected areas and stay away from downed lines. Contact Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 to report downed lines or natural gas leaks. Call 911 to report an emergency.

Report your outage.

Customers can help Xcel Energy get a jump on power restoration by reporting outages. Customers have a number of ways to report their outage.

  • 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.
  • Call 1-800-895-1999 and follow the prompts—the automated phone reporting system lets customers report outages in less than 60 seconds. Once the cause of the problem is identified, the system or an Xcel Energy representative will provide customers with an estimated restoration time.

Stay informed

If outages occur, it’s important for customers to have access to the most recent updates about their power restoration. Customers can stay informed by visiting the Xcel Energy website where there’s an outage map that displays information on the number of customers out and anticipated time for restoration. Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and Twitter.

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 www.xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.