NEWS RELEASE
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF REGULATORY AGENCIES
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DENVER – The Public Utilities Commission (Commission) announced Wednesday a set of actions in response to the power outages over the weekend of April 6-7 and Xcel Energy’s deployment of a precautionary outage that impacted tens of thousands of residents.
The three-member Commission voted unanimously to open a formal investigatory process to document actions taken by Xcel during the storm, including customer notification and power restoration as well as to hear customers’ concerns. In initiating this process, the Commission will investigate what immediate and long-term regulatory actions might be needed for future prescribed outage events and deployment of alternative system operations intended to reduce the risk of wildfire.
The Commission will request detailed information from Xcel on the wind storm response and outages, including planning and communications, and seek input from impacted residents, local governments, businesses, and critical care providers.
“As Governor Polis noted in his letter to Xcel Energy, shutting off power to customers is a serious and challenging decision,” said Chair Eric Blank. “A decision this impactful requires a high level of concern and attention for customers. We want to make sure that the Commission sets those expectations and holds our utilities accountable.”
On Monday, April 7 the Commission opened an online survey and comment form to seek immediate input. Additionally, the Commission will host a virtual public comment hearing on April 17, from 4-7 pm. To provide public comment, please register here - https://bit.ly/49uWSDa. For those who just wish to listen, all meetings are streamed here - https://www.youtube.com/@COPublicUtilitiesCommission. Later this month, the Commission will notice and convene a workshop with Xcel and stakeholder groups to hear more details and explore lessons-learned.
Over the weekend of April 6-7, Colorado experienced a weather event that brought wind gusts of nearly 100 mph in some areas of the state and sustained high winds throughout the weekend. The outages and weather impacts were concentrated in the northern front range. Approximately 168,000 people across 9 counties were without power statewide during the event. 55,000 of these were the result of an intentional, precautionary outage, known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), conducted by Xcel to reduce the possibility of wildfire. This was the first deployment of a PSPS in the state. The other impacted customers were the result of severe damage to portions of the electrical grid that required repair before customer service could be restored.
About PUC
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) serves the public interest by effectively regulating utilities and facilities so that the people of Colorado receive safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced services consistent with the economic, environmental and social values of our state.
The Commission strives to accommodate all members of the public at its hearings and meetings by providing services for foreign language users and persons with disabilities upon receipt of a reasonable accommodation request.
About DORA
The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the marketplace and is committed to promoting a fair and competitive business environment in Colorado. Consumer protection is our mission. Visit www.dora.colorado.gov for more information or call 303-894-7855/toll free 1-800-886-7675.
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