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On December 17, 2025 Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. PSPS events are implemented in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by power lines or other utility infrastructure. The Public Utilities Commission does not approve or deny Xcel’s use of proactive shutoffs however, the Agency does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
This is Xcel's second PSPS, the first being in April 2024. The PUC received extensive public input following the 2024 event, much of it focusing on lack of notice, inadequate communication during the event, poor mapping of impacted areas and insufficient planning to identify and protect critical infrastructure and facilities. Since 2024, the PUC has taken several steps requiring Xcel to improve its actions across each of these areas. These areas of improvement include:
Advance coordination with state and local emergency response agencies including holding practice shut off events (i.e. “table-top exercises)
Work with local governments to develop lists of critical infrastructure and facilities (e.g. hospitals and water treatment facilities) in order to prioritize communication and power restoration
Advance notice (starting as early as 72 hours in advance) to all potentially impacted customers along with regular updates leading up to the outage
Accurate and timely communication to customers during the outage
Tailored and advanced outreach to individual customers that have informed Xcel of dependence on electric-powered medical equipment
Accurate and detailed mapping both to help residential and commercial customers understand the scope of outages
The PUC also committed to create a new set of rules establishing permanent requirements and standards for public safety power shutoffs. Staff is currently working to draft these rules and welcomes input from Xcel customers on their experiences with the December 2025 event. This information will help ensure that the PUC’s rules are comprehensive.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
On December 17, 2025 Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. PSPS events are implemented in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by power lines or other utility infrastructure. The Public Utilities Commission does not approve or deny Xcel’s use of proactive shutoffs however, the Agency does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
This is Xcel's second PSPS, the first being in April 2024. The PUC received extensive public input following the 2024 event, much of it focusing on lack of notice, inadequate communication during the event, poor mapping of impacted areas and insufficient planning to identify and protect critical infrastructure and facilities. Since 2024, the PUC has taken several steps requiring Xcel to improve its actions across each of these areas. These areas of improvement include:
Advance coordination with state and local emergency response agencies including holding practice shut off events (i.e. “table-top exercises)
Work with local governments to develop lists of critical infrastructure and facilities (e.g. hospitals and water treatment facilities) in order to prioritize communication and power restoration
Advance notice (starting as early as 72 hours in advance) to all potentially impacted customers along with regular updates leading up to the outage
Accurate and timely communication to customers during the outage
Tailored and advanced outreach to individual customers that have informed Xcel of dependence on electric-powered medical equipment
Accurate and detailed mapping both to help residential and commercial customers understand the scope of outages
The PUC also committed to create a new set of rules establishing permanent requirements and standards for public safety power shutoffs. Staff is currently working to draft these rules and welcomes input from Xcel customers on their experiences with the December 2025 event. This information will help ensure that the PUC’s rules are comprehensive.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
Have feedback for the PUC about the December 2025 Public Safety Power Shutoff? Feel free to share here. Please note: This info will be public for other users to see.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Share Frustrating Lack of Communication During Outage on FacebookShare Frustrating Lack of Communication During Outage on TwitterShare Frustrating Lack of Communication During Outage on LinkedinEmail Frustrating Lack of Communication During Outage link
Our household was affected by Xcel Energy’s recent Public Safety Power Shutoff in Northern Colorado. We understand and support the need to prevent wildfires during extreme wind and drought conditions. The issue we experienced was not the shutoff itself, but the lack of clear and timely communication during the event.
Power was shut off at the announced time in the morning (10am), but throughout the entire day the outage status page provided no restoration estimate, displaying only “Invalid Date.” There were no meaningful updates on Xcel’s website, app, or social media as conditions changed. As a result, customers were left... Continue reading
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We live in Golden, right by South Table Mesa. We understand that the risk of wildfire is high with the dry weather and our proximity to the open space. We do not want to lose our home and are mindful of the anniversary of the Louiseville fire. We knew we would have a power outage because Xcel started sharing this with us 5 days ago. What we didn't know was that Xcel would not have an acceptable plan for how to get the power back on once the wind event was over. We didn't know schools would be closed. We... Continue reading
Share Public Comment Regarding Service Reliability and Restoration Communications on FacebookShare Public Comment Regarding Service Reliability and Restoration Communications on TwitterShare Public Comment Regarding Service Reliability and Restoration Communications on LinkedinEmail Public Comment Regarding Service Reliability and Restoration Communications link
I am submitting this comment to document my recent experience with repeated power outages and inconsistent restoration communications, which directly contradict claims that recent capital investments have improved reliability and restoration times.
Beginning on December 9, my electric service has been unstable, with repeated outages and intermittent restorations continuing through December 18. During this period, I received numerous automated alerts from Xcel Energy providing estimated restoration times that were repeatedly missed, revised, or later contradicted by subsequent messages.
Specifically:
I received multiple restoration estimates (including December 9, December 10, December 11, and later dates), none of which proved accurate.
I live in Genesee Colorado. We received notice that power would be out on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the wind died down Wednesday evening and it rained and snowed. It is now Thursday and there was no wind and I just received the text saying that power will not be restored until Sunday the 21st. This is clearly not a safety decision but an economic decision where Excel Energy is simply looking to save money by not sending out the required Crews to turn the power back on. It is an outrage.
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I live in JeffCo near Morrison. Half of our neighborhood has power and the other half doesn't. One of my neighbors less than .4 mile from me has power. Is my half of the neighborhood more at risk of fire than the other? Is there any expectation that our power goes back on sometime today (12/18) when it's been out since 10am 12/17? Do we know if there are downed power lines? Will the power be out through Friday 12/19 and if so until what time? We have no answers to any of our questions because we have had ZERO... Continue reading
Share Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on FacebookShare Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on TwitterShare Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on LinkedinEmail Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada link
On December 17, 2025, Xcel Energy cut power to my neighborhood in west Arvada under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) without actual high-risk conditions. (Neighborhood: Sunrise Ridge.)
The most troubling aspect is how arbitrary and unnecessary this shutdown appears to be. All surrounding neighborhoods — including areas that are more exposed to wind — have had power restored or were never shut off, while our neighborhood remains de-energized. This inconsistency makes it clear that if there were a legitimate ongoing wildfire risk, power would not have been restored to adjacent areas. Xcel has provided no explanation for why our
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I strongly support the effort to reduce wildfire risk. Unfortunately this has been horribly mismanaged. It seems like there was a whole lot of planning for the shutoff and no planning at all regarding restoration of power. It has been 24 hours now. We got a nice rain last night, and there is almost no wind. Xcel has not restored power, and they are not communicating at all. There doesn't even seem to be a plan to restore power. It is clear that the PUC and Xcel are not capable of managing these events. Like others, we lost hundreds of... Continue reading
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Zero wind from 3am to 10am. Light snow and power still out.
horrible communication from this monopoly. And isn't Xcel raising prices in 2026? Everybody knows they're doing this to avoid the risk of another lawsuit instead of actually fixing the issues they caused from their infrastructure
Screwing over 100,000+ families over some wind is ridiculous.
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hours. I have medication that is extremely expensive that must be refrigerated. All my communications said possibly but obviously they knew for a fact. At 10 am on the dot power went out. Hours before the wind even started. My work was also closed all day. My home did not have power but my neighbors across the street did all day. No other power company does this with worst wind. There has to be a better way. I had children that needed to eat. I’ll add and forgot to put in survey that I was told at 330 my power... Continue reading
Share Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on FacebookShare Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on TwitterShare Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on LinkedinEmail Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic link
I live in Evergreen, and while I understand the need for the shut off, especially given the numerous outages that happened even outside the shut off area, there has basically been no update or communication from Xcel since 10am yesterday, aside from telling us that there may need to be a shutoff on Friday as well. There is no known severity of damage, no rough estimates for restoration in nearly the entire metro. When I called their customer service, they don't have any better information and were surprised at the severity of the situation and lack of updates. They at... Continue reading
