With the high wind conditions forecast and occurring Saturday into Sunday, Xcel Energy is taking steps the company believes will enhance public safety and decrease the risk of wildfire. In certain areas, Xcel Energy is planning to de-energize power lines beginning Saturday at 3:00 p.m. lasting into Sunday.

An estimated 55,000 Xcel Energy customers may be affected, and the communities that may experience a power shutoff are primarily in Boulder, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Douglas and Broomfield counties, and the West Denver Metro area along the foothills. Extreme winds can also impact the system to cause an outage on lines that have not been proactively de-energized.

De-energizing is a last resort measure to reduce the risk of a wildfire and ensure public safety. If a line is proactively de-energized, Xcel will not turn the power back on until the high fire risk has passed, conditions are safe, and crews have visually inspected the line. Outage restoration times will also depend on damages from the storm.

Xcel Energy will attempt to communicate with customers who will be affected by a power shutoff. Customers who have medical equipment which relies on electric service should prepare for potential extended outages in case proactive shutoffs are necessary.

Xcel is also changing settings on many of the company’s powerlines. Typically, when there is an issue that causes a power outage on a line, such as a tree branch contacting the line, equipment on the system will attempt to restore power automatically. Xcel Energy is changing the settings to prevent the automatic restoration of power. Instead, crews will patrol the area to ensure it is safe to restore service. This safety measure means power outages are likely to last longer.

There is an event page on the Xcel Energy website with current outage information.