A view of Xcel Energy’s new Denver headquarters in the RiNo district. (Google Maps)
Executives at Colorado’s largest electric utility were grilled by state lawmakers Friday over their decision to preemptively shut off power to tens of thousands of Front Range customers during a period of extreme wildfire risk last month.
Testifying before a joint meeting of the House Energy and Environment and Senate Transportation and Energy committees, Xcel Energy Colorado president Robert Kenney said the company is “confident that we made the right operational decision for public safety” when it conducted the so-called public safety power shutoffs on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19. But he said Xcel is participating in extensive reviews to “listen and learn” about how it can better handle high-risk events in the future…