Markets · · 1 min read

Xcel Defends Wildfire Plans as Policymakers Push Back

After settling a $650 million claim tied to the Marshall Fire, the utility says that its power shutoff strategy is painful but necessary.

Xcel Defends Wildfire Plans as Policymakers Push Back
Photo by Malachi Brooks / Unsplash

Xcel Energy is leaning into wildfire mitigation as both an operational necessity and a financial risk-control strategy, even as Colorado lawmakers and local officials question whether its preemptive power shutoffs are becoming too blunt an instrument.

On its fourth-quarter earnings call this week, executives framed wildfire spending and public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) in terms of system resiliency and long-term liability containment.