Boulder Leaders Urge Xcel to Find Long-Term Solution for Power Shutoffs

City officials say public safety power shutoffs cannot be the new normal, as residents and businesses suffered during recent outages.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 11:55pm

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Boulder city leaders held a virtual meeting to provide more context around Xcel Energy's recent public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events in the area. While not defending or criticizing Xcel's actions, the leaders explained the utility's process and the work still needed to prevent future shutoffs. They acknowledged that residents should not have to "accept" the current situation, as fire risk continues to increase due to frequent drought conditions. The presentation also detailed plans to harden the power grid through undergrounding power lines and using non-sparking equipment, with Xcel's Wildlife Mitigation Plan accounting for roughly $2 billion in improvements, a large portion of which is earmarked for the Boulder area.

Why it matters

The recent PSPS events in Boulder left thousands of residents and businesses without power for days, causing significant disruption and financial losses. City leaders recognize that this cannot become the new normal and are pressing Xcel to find long-term solutions to improve grid resilience and reduce the need for such shutoffs, especially as climate change increases fire risk in the region.

The details

During the virtual meeting, Boulder officials provided more context around Xcel's PSPS process, explaining that de-energizing vulnerable power lines was necessary for crew safety before severe winds arrived, and that damage inspections had to be completed before power could be restored even after the winds subsided. The presentation also took a closer look at the areas on the edge of the urban area that were most affected, and detailed plans for undergrounding power lines or rebuilding them with steel poles and non-sparking equipment as part of Xcel's $2 billion Wildlife Mitigation Plan.

  • In December 2025, Xcel Energy conducted two public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events in the Boulder area due to wild windstorms.
  • On January 30, 2026, the City of Boulder held a virtual meeting to provide more context and details around the PSPS events.

The players

Xcel Energy

A major electric and natural gas utility company that serves customers in Colorado, including the Boulder area.

City of Boulder

The local government of Boulder, Colorado, which held the virtual meeting to address residents' concerns about the recent PSPS events.

Carolyn Elam

The Sustainability Senior Manager for the City of Boulder.

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What they’re saying

“We are in for some potentially tough times for a little while here, change is gonna take a couple of years for these construction projects to happen.”

— Carolyn Elam, Sustainability Senior Manager, City of Boulder (denver7.com)

What’s next

The Colorado General Assembly's Joint Energy Committee will meet on Friday at 1 p.m. with Xcel, members of the Public Utilities Commission, and officials from the areas impacted by the recent PSPS events. Business owners and residents will be able to publicly testify at this meeting.

The takeaway

While Xcel's efforts to harden the power grid and reduce fire risk are necessary, Boulder leaders make it clear that the current situation of frequent public safety power shutoffs is unacceptable for residents and businesses. The city is pressing Xcel to find long-term solutions that provide reliable electricity without the need for disruptive outages, especially as climate change exacerbates the region's fire danger.