Governor Jared Polis acknowledged that Colorado is more vulnerable to wildfires, so it’s important Xcel learns how to be proactive before future storms.on April 9, criticizing the utility for its decision-making and lack of clarity with customers since shutting off electricity for tens of thousands on Saturday, April 6. Polis also directed the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates Xcel in the state, to investigate what happened and require a better plan in the future.
On April 6 and 7, over 155,000 homes and businesses experienced power outages, with around 800 customers still without power as of April 10. Xcel turned off power for 55,000 customers on April 6 as a public safety measure in the face of extreme wind predictions, while 100,000 others experienced sustained power outages during the storm. The utility provider says another 84,000 customers had momentary outages, as well.This is the first time Xcel has performed a public safety shutoff in Colorado.
“I heard from many frustrated Coloradans who lost power for multiple days without clear indication from Xcel when it would be restored,” Polis wrote. “Once again, the company failed to minimize outages and effectively communicate with customers about an upcoming change that would impact people’s regular lives.”
Polis also told the PUC to require better communication with customers for future preventative shutoffs, including expected restoration timelines and clearer information about where and when shutoffs will occur, particularly for the emergency and healthcare systems. He also specifically called out “We acknowledge that there are ways to improve in the way we executed this public safety power shutoff, and we look forward to our continued dialogue with stakeholders, which has already started,” Xcel continues. “We are committed to making changes and improvements as we work together as a state to respond to rapidly evolving weather events.”Polis chimed in then
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