Xcel Energy-Colorado took the unprecedented step of cutting power to some parts of the Front Range to minimize the risk of wildfires as strong winds walloped the region over the weekend, a move that stirred up its own storm of concerns
Xcel, Colorado’s largest electric utility, started considering a proactive shutdown of power Friday when forecasts called for wind gusts of up to 100 mph along the foothills Saturday into Sunday and sustained winds of up to 55 mph for the Interstate 25 corridor. The company cut off electricity to about 55,000 customers in six counties Saturday afternoon when the winds started roaring.
A total of roughly 150,000 Xcel customers lost power, either because of lines being shut down out of precaution or wind damage. As of 6 p.m, Monday, the utility reported 722 outages affecting 15,208 customers.
Xcel Energy expected to restore 90% of the power by the end of Monday and the rest Tuesday.
“We know that this is a challenge and hardship for some of our customers,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy-Colorado.
This was the first time the company has proactively cut electricity in Colorado to minimize the threat of wildfires. Xcel customers whose power was shut off have complained that they didn’t have enough notice and that the company wasn’t good about updating them.
In Boulder, officials said the city was caught short when the power was cut to two electrical substations that run a wastewater treatment plant. Employees had to act quickly to avoid sewage running into Boulder Creek, giving the city time to have Xcel turn on one of the substations.
Power companies are increasingly using the tactic of preemptive shutdowns as the climate has heated up and dried out, extending the wildfire season to year-round.
A combination of ferociously strong winds and unusually dry conditions drove the Marshall fire Dec. 30, 2021, in Louisville, Superior and parts of unincorporated Boulder County. The fire killed two people, destroyed 1,084 homes and businesses and did more than $2 billion in total property damage.
An investigation by Boulder County authorities said the fire started in two places: on the Twelve Tribes religious cult’s property when embers from an earlier fire reignited; and near part of Xcel’s electrical distribution system, where a power line became loose.
Xcel Energy faces nearly 300 lawsuits by homeowners, local governments and retail giant Target over the fire. Xcel disputes that its equipment started one of the fires that merged into one massive wildfire.
But in Texas, where a fire that started in February burned more than 1 million acres, Xcel Energy has said it appears its facilities contributed to igniting the blaze. A homeowner has sued the company.
Social media posts complaining about Xcel’s decision to cut power in parts of the Front Range over the weekend accused the company of wanting to prevent more lawsuits.
“The reason we’re doing this is to protect the public from wildfire conditions, full stop,” Kenney said. “Obviously, nobody likes getting sued and nobody wants to be sued, but this is a tool of public safety.”
Kenney said Xcel partly based its decision on forecasts by its meteorologists. The company also looked at the levels of humidity and moisture in the area’s vegetation. Computer models were used to chart the weather conditions and pinpoint where possible fires might erupt.
The National Weather Service had issued red-flag warnings, indicating high potential for wildfires. Gusts of more than 90 mph were recorded in parts of Boulder County, the weather service said.
Xcel notified customers Friday evening that their power might be turned off Saturday. Kenney said the company directly called and emailed the 55,000 customers and contacted them again Saturday morning when it was decided to shut off their electricity.
Eben Forrest, who owns the Terracotta plant shop and design consulting business on Pearl Street in Boulder, estimated his business lost about $5,000 when Xcel turned off his electricity. He had events planned for the weekend and wasn’t sure how to proceed until the company confirmed the shutdown.
“I wished there was more information available. I felt like it was pretty vague,” Forrest said
“We received an overwhelming amount of feedback from customers that wanted greater notice than the night before. It’s feedback that we hear loudly and clearly and are incorporating into our systems,” Kenney said.
More than 500 employees were working to restore power Monday, Kenney said. Turning on the power to the lines that were shut down requires more than flipping a switch, he said. Workers had to visually inspect 600 miles of lines and make any repairs before turning the electricity back on.
At this point, it’s unclear whether any of the lines turned off as a precaution blew down or were damaged.
Sarah Huntley, speaking for the Boulder Office of Disaster Management, said communities want utilities to look out for public safety. She said a few lines blown down ignited small fires when the power was turned back on, and crews quickly extinguished them.
Broken utility poles are seen along U.S. 36 between Lefthand Canyon Drive and Nelson Road in Boulder County after high winds were reported over the weekend, on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Matthew Jonas/Daily Camera)
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But Huntley said before cutting power to prevent wildfires, utilities should to assess unintended consequences. She alluded to when the power was cut to the two substations that power the wastewater treatment plant in northeast Boulder.
“When both those substations were de-energized, the facility became temporarily inoperable and we started to face the potential for overflow of raw sewage into Boulder Creek,” Huntley said.
That could have harmed the drinking water supply for downstream communities, Hunley said.
“Fortunately, we had really quick-thinking utility staffers on duty and they were able to troubleshoot the issue and divert wastewater into a tank that happened to be offline for construction,” Huntley said. “That gave us adequate time to have conversations with Xcel and for them to be able to turn on one of the power sources for the facility.”
Huntley said the local governments and Xcel Energy are talking about better communication going forward. She said local governments had “very little information” about which parts of the electrical system could be affected.
Xcel Energy spokesman Tyler Bryant said the company worked closely with the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center leading up to turning off the electricity.
“Because of that relationship with Boulder County EOC, we were able to quickly respond and energize the electric line feeding the wastewater treatment plant,” Bryant said.