DENVER A seven-month long investigation into Xcel Energys decision to purposely shut off power for thousands of people along the foothills ahead of a windstorm back in April has wrapped up, and the commission spearheading the probe is now requiring that Xcel make several improvements.
Gov. Jared Polis ordered the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to investigate the energy company after 55,000 Xcel Energy customers were left without power for several days, a move Xcel officials said was intended to protect residents from the risk of wildfires due to dangerous high winds and dry conditions that were forecast for the area.
The move by Xcel the first time the company has switched off power in Colorado ahead of a major wind event came 10 months after Boulder County officials announced that a disconnected Xcel Energy power line was partially to blame for sparking the 2021 Marshall Fire, which spread fast amid wind gusts of up to 115 mph in dry conditions, leaving more than 1,000 homes destroyed and resulting in the deaths of two people. The energy company continues to maintain its equipment did not start the most destructive fire in Colorado history.
In announcing the probe over, the PUC said it also considered recommendations to improve the energy companys communication and notification practices when implementing these preemptive power outages. Among some of the requirements, Xcel will have to take several steps, including:
Continued coordination, including the development of joint plans, with emergency response organizations across Xcels service territory` Testing messaging systems to reach customers dependent on medical equipment Clearly identifying critical customers, such as hospitals and wastewater facilities, to receive enhanced notifications Improving outage and potential proactive power shutoff mapping to be user-friendly, real-time, and indicate the reason for outages Improving notification prior to an event, and communication throughout an outage, to all of Xcels customers including businesses
The Commission recognized today that Xcel Energy made several, important voluntary improvements after the April outages. Todays decision builds on those commitments with additional steps that will help further prepare and protect customers during an outage, said PUC Director Rebecca White. We appreciate the hundreds of individuals, businesses and local governments that took the time to share their experiences with the April outages and ideas for improvement.
PUC officials said the commission will issue an order to finalize the decisions discussed during a hearing Monday, which can be viewed on the PUC YouTube channel.
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