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Failed Xcel Transformer Triggers Metro Denver Outage; Power Restored by Evening

The utility is replacing the damaged unit pending an investigation into cascading failures.

Overview

  • Xcel Energy says a substation transformer failed just before 3 p.m. Sunday, cutting power to more than 195,000 of its customers across the Denver metro area.
  • Roughly 44,000 Core Electric Cooperative customers also lost service because interconnected grids spread the disruption beyond Xcel’s territory.
  • Most impacts were concentrated in the southeast metro, and trains between concourses at Denver International Airport temporarily stopped.
  • Core Electric reported restorations by about 5:15 p.m., and Xcel said remaining customers were back online around 5:45 p.m.
  • Early in the event, Xcel acknowledged the outage even as its online map lagged, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office urged 911 calls only for emergencies.