The Denver Post’s Lauren Penington and Katie Langford report that strong winds knocked out power for more than 100,000 Coloradans and that Xcel Energy may impose more planned outages on Friday. The utility said some customers in overlapping risk zones could be without electricity for more than three days if additional shutoffs are triggered. Forecast and observed gusts hit serious numbers, including a 96 mph reading at NCAR’s Mesa Lab.
The Post details 78 unplanned outages affecting about 63,959 customers on Wednesday alongside a proactive shutoff to roughly 50,000 more across Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld. Xcel says Friday cutoffs could begin as early as 6 a.m., and restoration takes time because crews must patrol every de-energized line before re-energizing. The Red Cross opened charging centers as communities coped.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Big picture. More than 100,000 affected Wednesday between unplanned failures and a 50,000 customer proactive shutoff. Friday cutoffs are on the table.
- Long dark stretch. In overlapping zones, Xcel warns some customers could be out for more than three days if Friday’s plan proceeds. Set the coolers and find the flashlights.
- Wind stats. Forecasts called for 80 mph in Boulder and 75 in Golden. Sensors clocked 96 mph at NCAR’s Mesa Lab and 93 near Colorado 93. Real wind, real consequences.
- Restoration reality. Crews must walk lines before flipping power back on. That means hours to days, not minutes, after the weather calms down.
- Not just Xcel’s map. CORE Electric also reported thousands out, while Red Cross opened charging centers in Lakewood and Evergreen.
My Bottom Line
More planned outages are coming on Friday, and families are not wrong to be frustrated. The PUC is pushing a path that will force more homes fully electric, while Xcel cannot keep power on when the wind shows up, like it has a thousand times before. If the policy is to electrify everything, then the first deliverable must be reliability. Not press conferences. Not panic alerts. Reliable juice.
Why does it seem mostly Xcel is reaching for the off switch while co-ops like United Power, Poudre Valley REA, and Platte River Power Authority largely keep lights on? Governance and incentives matter. I am thankful to be a United Power member.
Generator sales are through the roof. I am thinking about one, too. But people should not need to buy backup power to survive a breezy Friday. Fortify the grid. Manage the fuels under the lines with urgency. Add sectionalizing and sensors. Bury the highest-risk spans where the math works. Shutoffs should be rare and surgical, not habitual.
Let’s be honest. This is a taste of things to come when an all-electric mandate collides with a 100 percent renewables mandate. What gets mandated is rolling brownouts. If we do not fix the fundamentals, do not be shocked when you get power on odd numbered days. Colorado deserves better than that future. Build the resilient system first, then talk mandates.
Source: The Denver Post
