As Excel Energy continues to monitor wildfire conditions through the Spring and Summer seasons, the company will continue to incorporate their Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) to reduce wildfire.
As elevated risks of wildfire occur, Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) willbecome active across their Texas and New Mexico service territory.
When EPSS is activated, power lines can stop the flow of energy if an issue is detected, like a tree branch or other object touching the line.
EPSS does not mean the company has proactively turned off a customer’s power. If there is an outage while these settings are activated, it is the result of an issue on the power line.
Power will remain off until our crews can visually inspect power lines to make sure it is safe to turn them back on. This may mean that if an outage occurs, it could last longer.
Both EPSS and PSPS are only used when temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and other available fuel sources indicate a high risk for wildfire.
If weather-related outages occur, it’s important for customers to have access to the most recent updates about their power restoration. Customers should make sure their account information and communications preferences are up to date through the Xcel Energy website.
The website hosts an outage map that displays information on the number of customers out and anticipated time for restoration when available. Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and X.
Customers can also visit the PSPS Event website for more information.