Xcel Energy outlines wildfire mitigation plan, warns PSPS in Lake County is a matter of "when" not "if"

Blair McGarry, area manager for Xcel Energy serving Lake County, told the Lake County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 23 that the utility is implementing a statewide wildfire mitigation plan that includes new modeling, monitoring and operational measures and warned that public safety power shutoffs could occur in the county.

McGarry said the company has invested “over $500,000,000 in wildfire mitigation activities across the state” since 2020, and described efforts to strengthen lines, widen vegetation clearances, add weather stations, deploy drones and use wildfire‑spread modeling to inform operational decisions.

The presentation matters because the measures can reduce wildfire risk but also lengthen outages when the utility shifts to enhanced power safety settings or executes PSPS events, affecting residents, critical facilities and businesses.

Xcel is using a wildfire spread model the presentation identified as Technasilva Wildfire Analyst to combine dynamic weather, wind vectors and fuel moisture to estimate where a fire might spread. McGarry said the company is also expanding vegetation management around lines and has increased clearance to 10 feet in the county where crews have performed work.

The company described “enhanced power safety settings,” in which automatic reclosures on distribution lines are turned off; a line that faults will not automatically reenergize and must be patrolled before restoration. McGarry said that practice “causes longer, more extended outages” because crews must inspect lines and that Xcel deploys drones to speed inspections when conditions permit.

McGarry called PSPS a “tool of last resort” and said Colorado has seen such shutoffs. She said, “It is not a matter of if we execute a PSPS in your community, it is a matter of when.” She reviewed Xcel’s April 2024 PSPS on the Boulder front range, saying the company proactively shut off power to 55,000 customers and that about 155,000 customers ultimately lost power during that event. McGarry said the company now notifies medically vulnerable customers 48 to 72 hours in advance when possible and is working with offices of emergency management to identify critical facilities such as wastewater treatment plants.

McGarry described communications improvements: press releases, outreach to local officials, outbound calls, texts and emails to affected customers, website updates and social media. She cautioned PSPS events can be “days‑long” and urged residents to keep contact information current with the utility and to be prepared for extended outages.

She also addressed cybersecurity and system resilience in general terms and said Xcel remains focused on safety, reliability and affordability. McGarry said the company treats wildfire risk as a high priority because wildfire‑caused damage can affect borrowing costs and, ultimately, rates.

Commissioners and staff asked for local reliability statistics and clarification of how vegetation and meter work is being done; McGarry said she could obtain more precise reliability figures on request. She also offered a follow‑up meeting between county staff and Xcel vegetation teams to explain practices and clearance details.

Local staff and residents will continue dialog with Xcel on advance notifications for vulnerable customers, water/wastewater priorities during outages and the company’s timelines for customer notifications and outage maps.

The presentation did not contain a formal action or vote by the board. County staff noted follow up items including requests for local reliability data and coordination on critical‑customer lists for emergency management.