Xcel Energy has submitted its 2025-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, as the company is expanding its work and programs to minimize risk associated with wildfires believed to be caused by electric equipment.
The plan proposes investments and improvements to existing measures while integrating industry experience, incorporating evolving risk assessment methodologies and sophisticated modeling tools, and adding new technology.
“This proposed plan utilizes strategies and technologies that have proven to be successful around the country in reducing wildfire threats from utility equipment,” said Robert Kenney, President of Xcel Energy – Colorado. “The plan builds on work that’s already underway, expanding the scope, pace, and scale of what’s already in place, while leveraging new and emerging technology to go even further.”
Proposed investments and improvements in the 2025-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan include:
· Greater situational awareness: adding weather stations for detailed information near power lines and equipment and tripling the number of Artificial Intelligence cameras for early smoke detection.
· Technology-enabled infrastructure inspections: updating the schedule for pole and equipment inspections in wildfire risk zones, using inspections to create 3D maps of equipment and terrain in high-threat areas.
· Infrastructure improvements: multi-year program to identify and replace or upgrade equipment, underground targeted power lines, replace and repair poles, and rebuild transmission lines in high-risk areas.
· Expanded and risk-informed vegetation management: accelerating and expanding efforts in high-risk areas, and setting new standards for inspections, clearance, and pruning frequency.
· Expanded use of enhanced powerline safety settings (also known as wildfire safety settings): increasing the number of feeders to be set to safety settings remotely, sectionalizing lines in order to impact fewer customers, and adding equipment in high-risk areas and new technology to improve the program.
· Public safety power shutoff program: incorporating experiences gained from the recent PSPS event to refine this tool, providing enhanced interactive web maps reflecting outage areas, proposing a back-up energy rebate program, and reflecting the work already underway to
educate, prepare, and support customers and to better communicate and coordinate with public safety partners.
· Organizational growth: expanding wildfire risk team to include further expertise in the areas of (1) meteorology and fire science, (2) risk management, assessment, and analytics, (3) wildfire strategy and performance, (4) regulatory and policy, including a dedicated outreach and communications resource, and (5) incident command for severe risk events.
Additionally, the plan includes new customer, public safety partner, and community outreach protocols.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will review the plan, and the public will have the opportunity to weigh in through the full regulatory process. A typical residential bill is expected to increase by approximately 9.56% or $8.88 per month through incremental, bi-annual changes, by January 1, 2028, upon receiving approval.
