Xcel Energy briefs Denver committee on wildfire mitigation, PSPS procedures and grid investments

Xcel Energy representatives briefed the Denver City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee April 29 on wildfire mitigation measures, public-safety power shutoff (PSPS) procedures and planned grid investments aimed at reducing the risk of utility-caused wildfires and improving response and restoration.

Grace Lopez Ramirez, Xcel’s local government and community affairs representative, and Lyle Moore, a community resilience manager, outlined the company’s Colorado footprint (more than 1,000,000 customers statewide, roughly 20,000 miles of transmission and 80,000 miles of distribution lines) and described recent PSPS events that affected large numbers of customers. “Back in December, we impacted 135,000 customers with our proactive de‑energization,” Grace Lopez Ramirez said, and Xcel reported replacing about 90 poles as part of post‑event repairs.

Xcel described a four‑to‑five‑step PSPS decision framework that begins with situational awareness (about 72 hours out) and moves through OEM briefings at 48 and 24 hours, targeted public messaging and, as a last resort, de‑energization of feeders during high‑wind, low‑humidity and low‑fuel‑moisture events. The company emphasized a data‑driven approach that factors in weather forecasts, asset exposure, vegetation strike potential and fire‑behavior modeling to narrow the area of concern.

Technology and detection measures include recloser devices to sectionalize feeders, Pano AI cameras to detect smoke quickly and more than 100 weather stations across the system; Xcel also uses drones for inspection and has meteorologists on staff to support operational decisions. Xcel highlighted a Public Safety Partner Portal (PSPP) that layers feeders and mapped critical infrastructure to help emergency managers and partners assess consequences before any de‑energization.

Xcel said Denver has not yet experienced a PSPS that included the city proper, though assets in Jefferson County and other adjacent jurisdictions have been affected. The company described resource centers (charging hubs) and a wildfire command center in Denver staffed 24/7 that coordinates detection, public messaging and restoration work. Xcel invited council members to tour the command center and said it will coordinate closely with Denver OEM, Denver Water, hospitals and other critical customers during elevated risk events.

Committee members thanked Xcel for the briefing and asked about public detection and notification; Xcel said AI cameras automatically notify the wildfire command center, which then alerts local fire services and emergency management partners, and that after‑action reports are used to refine PSPS decision-making and public communications.

Xcel also reiterated a planned grid investment of about $1.2 billion over five years in the Denver area for transmission, substations and distribution work to improve resiliency.