Colorado Gov. Jared Polis calls for transparency from Xcel as over 57,000 customers still without power
Over 80,000 homes or businesses are still without power in Colorado on Saturday, three days after the start of a major wind event that saw over 100,000 customers experiencing outages, either planned or unplanned.
The majority of those outages are being felt by those who have Xcel Energy, which reported about 57,000 customers without power as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, which is down from about 80,000 around 8 a.m. However, customers from YW Electric on the Eastern Plains, United Power and Poudre Valley REA in Northern Colorado, CORE Electric Co-op in the Denver metro area, and nearby mountain communities were also still experiencing outages days after Wednesday’s extreme high winds.
In the days leading up to Wednesday, Xcel said it was planning to cut power to thousands of Colorado homes, schools, and businesses in an effort to prevent wildfires, which ultimately impacted over 100,000 Xcel customers, between planned and unplanned outages.
RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday called on Xcel to provide more transparency and clear communication about these so-called “public safety power shutoffs,” echoing his concerns after Xcel did a similar shutoff ahead of a windstorm in 2024, which he said has not been addressed over a year and a half later.
“No Coloradan should be wondering if they will or will not have power, and when it may be turned on again, or worse, receive no communication or confusing communication,” he said in Friday’s statement. “Xcel Energy must do their part in keeping communities safe, while also ensuring they are informing communities with the best, most up-to-date information possible before, during and after weather events so that people, schools and institutions can make informed decisions.”
Polis went on to say that he plans to speak with Xcel representatives after this weather event is behind us.
“Unfortunately, our fire seasons are longer, and it’s even more important that our utilities share information and are partners in these situations,” he wrote. “I plan to address my concerns with the utility after the current weather systems resolve.”
Xcel said on Friday that it had begun inspecting power lines, making repairs, and restoring power, and said it would provide more updates throughout the day. On Saturday, the company said it had hundreds of workers in the field and expects “most customers” will have their power restored by 10 p.m.
More from CBS News
