Xcel Energy

AMARILLO, Texas (May 6, 2026) — May is Wildfire Awareness Month, a reminder that extreme weather and drier conditions mean that wildfires are a near year-round, growing threat. Xcel Energy is encouraging customers to get Wildfire Aware, Wildfire Prepared.

Some areas of Texas are experiencing about 35 more fire weather days per year than they did in the 1970s. This year, unseasonably warm and dry weather and very dry vegetation are expected to increase wildfire risks beyond the “normal” wildfire season.

AMARILLO—Xcel Energy crews have restored power to nearly all customers impacted by Tuesday’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in the Texas Panhandle and weather-related outages across the area. As of 3:45 p.m. CT on Wednesday, 526 customers were still affected by outages amid ongoing restoration efforts. All Amarillo customers have been restored except those near the ongoing Lavender fire. Crews also continue to repair damage caused by severe weather.

AMARILLO, Texas (Feb. 15, 2026) — Xcel Energy is preparing for critical wildfire risks early this week in the northern Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico and is notifying customers that a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) may be necessary on Tuesday, Feb. 17, beginning around 9 a.m. CT. 

CANADIAN, TX – Today, 11 Texas Panhandle cities announced the formation of the “Lonestar Eleven” coalition following years of negligent operations by Minnesota-based Xcel Energy, and the growing threat of preventable utility-caused wildfires in one of the most fire-prone regions of the country. 

Xcel Energy announces portfolio of new power projects
to meet growing demand in Texas and New Mexico

Resource portfolio supports electric reliability, grid resilience and economic growth

AMARILLO, Texas (Mar. 16, 2025) – Xcel Energy has successfully restored power to nearly all 68,000 customers affected by the historic windstorm on Friday, March 14. The storm caused significant damage to power infrastructure, prompting crews to replace nearly 20,000 feet of wire, 140 power poles, about 340 pole cross arms and nearly 50 transformers since Friday.

AMARILLO, Texas (Mar. 13, 2025) – Xcel Energy is preparing to temporarily shut power off to approximately 17,000 customers in our Texas and New Mexico service area tomorrow morning to reduce wildfire risk. This decision is based on weather forecasts indicating extremely high wind speeds and low relative humidity, in addition to wildfire modeling of fuels on the ground.

AMARILLO—Xcel Energy is preparing for critical wildfire risks early this week across our New Mexico and Texas service areas and notifying customers in specific areas that temporary Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) will likely be implemented to enhance public safety. Weather forecasts predict high wind speeds and low humidity in parts of New Mexico on Monday, March 3, and in Texas on Tuesday, March 4. These conditions, combined with excessively dry conditions and an abundance of dead or dry brush and grass, are expected to increase wildfire risk.

AMARILLO – Xcel Energy is increasing its wildfire detection and mitigation efforts in the Texas Panhandle by introducing artificial intelligence to spot fires early. We are partnering with Pano AI to install more than 50 camera stations across the region. Carson, Gray, Roberts, Hutchinson, Wheeler, Hemphill, Garza, Cochran, Moore, Potter and Yoakum counties are currently being considered. First responders and firefighters will have immediate access to this data, shortening response times.

AMARILLO--The Xcel Energy Foundation announced today it is awarding $143,100 to 11 nonprofits in Texas and New Mexico to recognize their contributions in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Career Pathways, Environmental Sustainability and Community Vitality.