Study Session

Jonathan Cohen explained the 2020 franchise and energy partnership agreement between Boulder and Xcel. He said the agreement centers on emissions reductions, safety and reliability, innovation, and affordability.

Xcel's Nick Cole described three underground feeder projects serving about 9,000 customers, at a cost near $70 million. One feeder, which serves the water treatment facility, is already under construction and due in Q1 2027.

Xcel described a 100-year-old transmission line rebuild split into two phases. Phase one runs mostly through open space and should finish by November 2026. Phase two crosses the city and targets March 2028.

Xcel plans to add 120 megawatts of capacity to Boulder by 2030 to support electrification and EV charging. Xcel and city staff have jointly identified 9 problem feeders out of 35 serving the city.

Robert Kenny said Xcel will be 85% carbon-free by 2030. He said Xcel missed its 2022 and 2024 Boulder Agreement targets but expects to beat the 2027 and 2030 targets.

Nicole Speer asked if Xcel would need rolling brownouts in 2027 given data center growth. Robert Kenny said no, because most new data centers come online after 2028 and the resource shortfall is measured against a planning reserve margin, not typical peak demand.

Aaron Brockett asked about faster power restoration after outages. Xcel described adding more sectionalization devices to shrink outage zones and a self-registration tool, live since February, that gives renters and facility managers real-time outage alerts.

Matt Benjamin asked about two fires within 24 hours, one near People's Crossing and one at an underground vault near Coot Lake Reservoir. Xcel said routine inspection continues alongside wildfire work, and it plans over $7.5 billion in distribution system investment across Colorado over five years.

Ryan Schuchard presented a city-compiled graphic showing Boulder outage minutes rose about 20 times since 2023. Robert Kenny attributed this to expanded use of enhanced power line safety settings and public safety power shutoffs, and expected a downward trend from 2027 but could not commit to a return-to-2018-levels date.

Taishya Adams asked what Xcel has done for disproportionately impacted communities. Xcel described critical facility lists built with county emergency management, a battery rebate for medically sensitive customers, and a red truck outreach program used at least three times in Boulder this year.

Taishya Adams asked if Xcel agreed with a Public Utilities Commission staff estimate of a 50% rate increase by 2029. Robert Kenny said he could not validate that estimate. Xcel noted a $10 million energy assistance commitment from its last rate case, not yet allocated.

Nicole Speer and Tara Winer asked about micro grids and power-hardened resilience hubs. Staff said a $5 million program under Xcel's renewable energy standard plan begins design this fall, separate from the wildfire mitigation plan.

Tara Winer raised reports of billing errors and a Public Utilities Commission investigation into Xcel customer service. Robert Kenny confirmed the commission opened that investigation in late 2024, and said Xcel restaffed and stopped dropping long-wait calls.

In closing remarks, Ryan Schuchard asked for a self-scorecard, Tina Marquis asked for support of local generation and micro grids, and Nicole Speer said Boulder is not seeing the benefits of its pilot franchise status. Matt Benjamin and Taishya Adams asked for clearer communication and an energy dashboard, Rob Kaplan asked for tighter timelines, and Tara Winer raised comparison shopping given the monopoly, which Robert Kenny called a natural monopoly with below-average rates.

Mike Chard described the risk of a wildfire-initiated community conflagration, noting the Marshall fire burned as wildland fire for about 50 minutes before entering the urban area. He said Boulder leads a nine-county regional initiative on this risk involving over 75 agencies.

Jamie Barker described a planned home hardening web hub with budget-based project lists, one-to-five-hour weekend projects, and insurance and neighbor guidance. A soft launch is planned for late September and a public open house at Station 3 in October.

Brian Anker said staff sorted 137 wildfire resilience projects into 25 programs. A survey of 34 wildfire professionals ranked 10 of those programs as tier one priorities, including fuels management, evacuation, and communications.

Paul Dennison presented a wildland-urban interface risk index that divides western Boulder into 12 sections, each ranked as highest, very high, or high risk based on home density, construction age, fuel type, and fire intensity.

Taishya Adams asked for a home hardening policy target like the city's affordable housing and emissions goals. Matt Benjamin later proposed a goal to harden 30% of homes in the highest risk zones by 2030 and raised mandatory retroactive home hardening, which Fire Chief Michael Calderazzo said council had already declined to pursue due to limited enforcement resources.

Rob Kaplan and Matt Benjamin asked the home hardening hub to list vetted contractors, similar to Boulder County's septic contractor list. Staff said the city attorney allows a landscaper list if it avoids the appearance of endorsement, and would consider the same approach for general contractors.

Tara Winer asked which Hill neighborhood streets fall in the highest risk category and asked staff to connect zoning and density decisions to wildfire evacuation capacity in high-risk zones. Rob Kaplan cited a proposed 12-bedroom duplex redevelopment on Grant Place as an example of the concern.

Matt Benjamin asked about the city's maximum fire suppression capacity. Mike Chard said first-response engines can protect about 5 homes in the first 20 to 30 minutes, county mutual aid raises that to about 15, and regional mutual aid can reach 35 to 40 homes within one to two hours.

Taishya Adams asked for clear criteria on when the city would use reserves for wildfire response, and asked about a zero-interest revolving loan fund for home hardening costs. Staff said reserve criteria remain a council-level decision and creative funding options are under study but not yet proposed.