Xcel Energy Colorado customers face above-average outages every month since 2024, PUC analysis says
Xcel Energy customers in Colorado have experienced above-average power outages every month since January 2024, and 2026 is shaping up to be another high year for service interruptions, according to a Colorado Public Utilities Commission analysis presented Sept. 23.
Nick Bongiardina, a PUC staff analyst, told commissioners that the frequency of outages has increased across the Xcel service territory for more than two years. "In every single month of 2024, 2025 and the first half of 2026, customers have experienced an above-average number of outages," Bongiardina said during the commission's review.
The analysis is based on monthly outage reports the PUC ordered Xcel Energy to file after 90,000 customers experienced six or more outages in 2024, a 10-year record. Xcel Energy is Colorado's largest electricity provider, serving 1.6 million customers.
Between 2015 and 2023, the average outage duration per customer was 95 minutes. In the first six months of 2026 alone, the average already reached 89 minutes, and each subsequent outage will add to that figure, Bongiardina said.
"We are on pace in 2026 to have another high year for these outage minutes," he said.
Major winter storms, high wind events and wildfires are not the primary drivers of the increased outage minutes. Bongiardina said more frequent blackouts, even though shorter on average, are adding to the total.
PUC Chairman Eric Blank questioned whether the pattern was becoming "an unacceptable new normal" and asked what is causing the outages.
"It seems like this utility has tripled its capital spending from 2021 to 2025, increased its earnings by hundreds of millions of dollars and yet seems like it may be struggling to provide the most basic customer service," Blank said.
Erin O'Neill, PUC deputy director of fixed utilities, said the commission is "somewhat disappointed that we are not seeing any improvement yet." She added that more analysis is needed to identify root causes, and that the current period may not represent a long time frame for maintenance on a system of Xcel's size.
Xcel Energy said in a statement that it is working to verify the commission's findings. The company said aging infrastructure, new demands for electricity and climate risks are challenging the grid, and that it is investing $17.6 billion in Colorado through 2030 to address those needs.
"In the meantime, we will continue our work delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers while meeting the PUC's reporting requirements," the company said.
Xcel Energy customers who experience six or more outages, an outage lasting 18 hours or longer, or live in a census tract that collectively had 480 minutes without power automatically receive a credit on their bill. In 2025, 37,000 customers qualified for credits ranging from $70 to $140, totaling $3.6 million.
