by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Xcel PSPS expands outages as Poudre Valley REA and Platte River Power Authority report impacts and updates
Thousands of Northern Colorado residents are without power on Wednesday as extreme winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation prompted Xcel Energy to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) across parts of Larimer County and surrounding areas.
The PSPS began at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, affecting portions of Larimer, Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, and Weld counties. Xcel Energy officials say wind conditions may improve later this evening, but additional wildfire risk is possible on Friday.
Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) reports fire stations in affected areas remain operational using backup generators. To help preserve emergency response capacity, PFA’s Community Health Program and Roving Alternative Medical Unit (RAM) are responding to preventive medical questions and limited care needs during the outage.
Residents are urged not to call 911 for power outage reports or non-emergency questions. Emergency dispatch lines must remain open for life-threatening situations. Any outages outside designated PSPS zones or visible damage to power lines should be reported directly to the utility provider.
Poudre Valley REA reports multiple outages
Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association (PVREA) reported multiple outages on Wednesday as the wind event unfolded. According to PVREA, enhanced power safety settings are currently in place, which may result in longer, more frequent outages because crews must manually inspect power lines and equipment before restoring service.
In Lyons, an outage affecting approximately 800 members was reported at 11:30 a.m. An update at 12:45 p.m. indicated crews were making progress in identifying and isolating the issue, to restore power to critical services as work continues.
In the Livermore area, a separate outage reported at 12:15 p.m. impacted approximately 450 members, affecting areas along north Highway 287, Cherokee Park, and Granite Canyon.
PVREA says it will continue to post outage updates as conditions evolve. The cooperative thanked members for their patience as crews work to restore service safely. Updates and outage maps are available at https://pvrea.coop/outages-safety/outages/.
Platte River Power Authority does not use PSPS
Meanwhile, Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), which supplies electricity to Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, and Estes Park, emphasized that it does not implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs. PRPA officials say their transmission system carries lower wildfire risk due to line height and design, supported by comprehensive vegetation management and wildfire mitigation strategies.
PRPA also relies on advanced protection systems that continuously monitor transmission operations and automatically isolate sections if faults occur during extreme wind events. Investments by Fort Collins and Loveland in underground distribution systems further reduce the risk of wind-related outages.
PFA continues to encourage residents to prepare for outages and wildfire conditions. Safety guidance is available at https://www.larimer.gov/power-outage-safety.
Residents can check whether their address is included in Xcel Energy’s PSPS by using the outage map at https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/outage-safety/outage-map.
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Sources: Poudre Fire Authority, Poudre Valley REA, Platte River Power Authority
