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Tag: Xcel Energy

Xcel Seeks Gas Rate Hike as Colorado Customers Face Rising Utility Costs
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Xcel Seeks Gas Rate Hike as Colorado Customers Face Rising Utility Costs

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun Colorado consumer advocate says second rate-increase request in a quarter is testing the will of customers and the Public Utilities Commission. Xcel Energy is aiming to raise its gas customers’ bills by an average $7.59 a month — for a total of $190 million — to pay for safety improvements, rising operating and maintenance costs and investor returns. The company filed the proposed rate hike with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Monday. The rate request comes a little more than a month after Xcel Energy filed for a $356 million electric rate increase, which would raise the average residential electric bill 10% to $110 a month. In late November, the PUC also approved a $155 million plan to deal wi...
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Xcel Power Shutoffs Leave Colorado Small Businesses Facing Major Losses
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Xcel Power Shutoffs Leave Colorado Small Businesses Facing Major Losses

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette Restaurants west of Denver are still coming to grips with product losses and future revenue concerns after power shutoffs last week by Xcel Energy due to high winds. “It’s like living in a third-world country,” Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen and Abejas Bistro in Golden, said Tuesday. “We’re all behind the eight ball. I want to know, are we going to do this 10 times a year? What are we going to do in the future? Just shut down the town every day?” Xcel Energy turned off the power multiple times to at least 48,000 customers amid severe winds and extreme wildfire danger between Wednesday and Friday. As many as 160,000 customers were without power at some point, officials said. The initial shutoff occurred Wednesday morning ...
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Colorado Blackouts Offer a Stark Warning About the State’s Energy Future
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Blackouts Offer a Stark Warning About the State’s Energy Future

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado For those of you who shared this magical experience, congratulations — you’ve now had a sneak preview of Colorado’s 100% renewable energy lifestyle. No waiting. No reservation required. For us fortunate 110,000, the reality of “unreliable energy” arrived quickly: The house goes dark; people get cold; refrigerated food and medicines quietly die; folks on home oxygen machines fumble around in the dark for backup tanks; no cooked meals; garage doors refuse to open; Teslas sit silently, judging their owners, and worst of all — no electronic entertainment. Nirvana. Absolute green, renewable Nirvana. There’s a certain poetry in chasing a wind-powered energy future only to be plunged into darkness by a little wind. It’s l...
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Colorado Law Shields Xcel From Most Legal Claims Over Power Outages
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Law Shields Xcel From Most Legal Claims Over Power Outages

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Xcel Energy customers who lost refrigerated or frozen goods during the utility’s public safety power shutoffs face steep hurdles in recovering damages through lawsuits, given the limits on liabilities approved by state regulators. Colorado law and utility rate rules issued by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates commercial energy companies, limit liability for service interruptions, even when outages result from proactive de-energization to prevent wildfires. Xcel Energy’s rate rules, issued by the PUC and largely upheld by Colorado courts, contain clauses that shield the utility from claims for power interruptions. Jack Luellen, senior counsel at Buchalter, said these rules mean the company is not liable...
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Tens of Thousands Still Without Power as Xcel Eyes Another Front Range Shutdown
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Tens of Thousands Still Without Power as Xcel Eyes Another Front Range Shutdown

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado For just the second time in Colorado state history, Xcel Energy shut off power to thousands of people pre-emptively due to dangerous wind and fire conditions on Wednesday. At the height of the windstorm, 150,000 customers were without power.  More than 55,000 customers were still without power at midday on Thursday. There are delays in the power restoration process because Xcel crews are working with drones and helicopters to make sure there are no downed power lines in any areas where they are set to bring the lights back on. Xcel officials said they are also evaluating the need for a second public safety power shutoff this week -- starting at 5 a.m. Friday, when wind speeds are expected to reach hurricane or near-hur...
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Second Xcel Shutoff Looms as Evergreen Seniors Struggle Without Heat
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Second Xcel Shutoff Looms as Evergreen Seniors Struggle Without Heat

By Claire Lavezzorio | Denver7 With a second planned shutoff looming as part of Xcel Energy's fire prevention strategy, a group of Evergreen seniors reached out to Denver7 to voice their concerns. EVERGREEN, Colo. — Seniors at Green Ridge Meadows Apartments in Evergreen reached out to Denver7, worried about a second Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) by Xcel Energy. Residents of the HUD-assisted property just spent more than 24 hours without power, heat or hot water. A generator only powered their community room, hallway lights and elevator. The lights came back on around 5 p.m. Thursday, but now residents are preparing for a second preemptive power shutoff early Friday morning with high winds expected. "Our food is rotting in our re...
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Wind Forecast And Fire Risk Force School Schedule Changes In Metro Denver
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Wind Forecast And Fire Risk Force School Schedule Changes In Metro Denver

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado With strong winds and dry conditions forecast for Wednesday in Colorado, Xcel Energy says it will shut off power in large portions of the Denver metro area along the Front Range in an effort to prevent wildfires. As a result, some schools will be operating on a modified schedule while other school districts say they're in contact with Xcel Energy and might still change school schedules. While you should check with your child's school or school district for the latest information, as of Tuesday evening, the following changes or possible changes are in place: Weld County The Weld RE-4 School District says elementary school classes will be cancelled and middle and elementary schools will be getting out earl...
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What Xcel promised regulators and what customers were told before Dec. 17 shutoff warnings
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

What Xcel promised regulators and what customers were told before Dec. 17 shutoff warnings

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Coloradans are being asked to prepare for the chance of a planned outage on Dec. 17. The company’s public alerts tell people to watch the map. The filings tell a fuller story about thresholds, timelines and who is supposed to be in the loop when a shutoff is on the table. That framework was not created overnight. It was built through years of filings with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and formally approved in 2025. As of Dec. 16, the documents already on record allow for a clearer picture of what Xcel committed to regulators and what customers were actually told as the wind event approached. Dec. 17 was not an improvisation Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are not ad hoc emergency decisions. They are a s...
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Elbert County Pushes Back as Xcel Tries to Force Power Line Route Through Private Land
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Elbert County Pushes Back as Xcel Tries to Force Power Line Route Through Private Land

By: Tori Mason, Jaimie Dodge | CBS Colorado Elbert County neighbors have spent years fighting Xcel Energy, and it's not even their utility. Residents say they're exhausted, scared, and furious as Xcel works to push ahead with a transmission project that would cut directly through their land. Residents along the proposed Power Pathway route are still battling the utility over a segment of the 550-mile transmission line that would cross Elbert County. More than 50 people spoke against the project at a public hearing on Tuesday in Kiowa. Commissioners denied Xcel's local permit in June, but the company is now appealing to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which will make the final decision. That ruling isn't expected until April 2026. READ...
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Regulators Keep Pueblo Comanche Coal Unit Running While Xcel Repairs Newer Plant
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Regulators Keep Pueblo Comanche Coal Unit Running While Xcel Repairs Newer Plant

By Alexander Edwards | The Denver Gazette The Comanche Power Plant in Pueblo will continue to operate a coal-powered electrical generating unit that was slated for retirement this month for one more year. The move comes after Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility company, petitioned in November to keep one generator operating after an outage at the coal-fired power plant. Gov. Jared Polis backed the petition. On Wednesday, the Public Utilities Commission approved a variance submitted by the utility. This allows Comanche 2, which was slated to be retired on Dec. 31, to continue operating as Xcel fixes the Comanche 3. “The Commission found that the outage at Comanche 3 was the sole justification for the extension of Comanche 2,” a fact sheet released by th...
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