Xcel Energy Claims Fix for ‘Frequent Power Outages’ Plaguing Western Louisville

Residents in western Louisville can breathe a tentative sigh of relief.

Xcel Energy announced it has addressed the technical issue responsible for a series of disruptive and frequent power outages that have left many homes and businesses in the dark.

The most recent incident on Friday plunged approximately 2,300 customers into an unplanned blackout, marking the third major outage in just a few weeks.

Previous outages on December 28 and January 5 also hit the city's western flank, primarily impacting residents in Ward 2.

The repeated failures, each lasting several hours, prompted swift action from frustrated city officials.

City Manager Diana Langley reached out directly to Xcel Energy to demand answers, leading the city to issue a public notice about its collaboration with the utility to resolve the frustrating situation.

According to Xcel, the problem was rooted in a delicate balancing act between power delivery and wildfire prevention.

A spokesperson explained that customers in the area, especially along the Marshall Fire rebuild corridor, were affected by an overly sensitive adjustment to the company's enhanced powerline safety settings (EPSS).

These EPSS measures are designed to prevent wildfires by stopping power lines from automatically trying to restore power if a fault, like a tree branch, is detected.

Under this heightened safety protocol, a circuit breaker will trip but not attempt to reclose, preventing potential sparks that could ignite a blaze.

The utility's protective devices are programmed based on anticipated energy needs.

However, the surge in rebuilding and new construction following the devastating Marshall Fire created an unforeseen spike in energy loads.

This rapid, cumulative increase in demand wasn't immediately flagged, causing the safety systems to become too susceptible to 'false trips' and cut power unnecessarily.

“In this area, there was an increase in energy loads that caused our protective device to be more susceptible to false tripping,” an Xcel representative stated.

Xcel confirmed that the issue was identified and that new settings were immediately programmed into the devices to correct the problem.

This fix is welcome news for a community still deeply invested in the recovery and rebuilding process, where a reliable power grid is absolutely essential.

The city encourages residents to stay informed about potential service disruptions by signing up for local alerts and following official social media channels for real-time updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What caused the recent power outages in western Louisville?

Xcel Energy attributed the frequent power outages to sensitive wildfire safety settings that were falsely tripping due to an unexpected increase in energy demand, largely from the Marshall Fire rebuilding efforts.

What are enhanced powerline safety settings (EPSS)?

EPSS is a wildfire prevention measure. When a fault is detected on a power line, the system shuts off power and does not automatically attempt to restore it, preventing sparks that could cause a fire. This can, however, lead to more frequent or longer outages while crews inspect lines.

Has Xcel fixed the issue causing the outages?

Yes, Xcel says it has identified the sensitivity issue with its protective devices and has reprogrammed them with new settings to accommodate the increased energy load in western Louisville, aiming to prevent future false trips.