AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Xcel Energy announced plans to temporarily cut power to approximately 17,000 customers in Texas and New Mexico on Friday morning as a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk.
The decision comes in response to forecasts predicting extremely high winds and low humidity, alongside wildfire modeling of ground fuels.
The Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) will affect parts of eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and the South Plains region.
The company anticipates the outages will commence Friday morning. The extreme weather conditions may also lead to additional power outages unrelated to the PSPS, as strong winds could damage power lines.
“Our meteorologists have been closely watching this weather system and understand the critical fire weather risk to our communities,” said Adrian Rodriguez, president of Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “We agree with our weather service partners about the historic nature of this event. We’re taking the precaution of turning off power in the highest-risk areas to keep everyone safe. We know this might be inconvenient, but our top priority is protecting lives and homes during this critical time.”
Xcel Energy is directly contacting affected customers, including those reliant on medical equipment, to prepare for the PSPS and other potential outages. Customers can check their addresses online to determine if they will be impacted and monitor the outage status via the Xcel Energy outage map.
Restoration efforts will begin once high winds subside and conditions are deemed safe. The process may take several hours to days, as crews must inspect power lines before re-energizing them. Additional crew members from Colorado have been brought in to assist with the restoration.
Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings are active across the service area, making power lines more sensitive to issues such as tree branches touching lines. This measure, intended to improve public safety, may result in longer outages.
Xcel Energy advises customers to stay informed through their website and social media channels and to prepare an emergency kit with essentials like battery-powered radios, flashlights, and non-perishable food. Customers with medical equipment should ensure they have a backup power supply.
For outage reporting, customers can use the Xcel Energy mobile app, website, text service, or call the automated phone system.
