Colorado regulators support extending Xcel outage reporting through 2028

Colorado Public Utilities Commission commissioners expressed support Sept. 23 for extending Xcel Energy’s outage reporting requirements through 2028, after staff found outage frequency above historical monthly averages throughout the first half of 2026 and all of 2024 and 2025.

Staff compared each month’s results from 2024 through June 2026 with the average for that same month from 2015 through 2023. In January, February and June 2026, outages came close to twice the corresponding historical average, staff said. Staff identified outage frequency as the biggest factor behind customers’ total time without power, but did not identify a specific cause for the outages. The commission meeting recording includes the staff presentation and commissioners’ discussion.

Outage duration showed a less consistent pattern. Including major-event days, duration was broadly similar to the historical average, with substantial variation from year to year. Excluding those days, most months were above average, but by a smaller margin than for frequency. By mid-2026, customers had experienced about 89 outage minutes per customer in this day-to-day comparison, compared with a 2015–2023 average of about 95 minutes. The 2026 figure covers only the first half of the year.

Staff recommended continuing the reporting requirements established in Decision C25-0457 through the end of 2028. The proposed changes would clarify outage-log entries, including designations for enhanced power safety settings and “WSO”; add year-end electric-account counts by service territory, region and feeder, broken out by residential, commercial and industrial customers; and provide annual reliability metrics covering all events and days for comparison across years.

Commissioners expressed support, and the chair directed staff to prepare a decision. The recording does not include a written order. The proceeding is listed as 25M-0265E by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.