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• Colorado oil and gas supporters against Longmont's fracking ban

  November 13, 2012 8:54 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Colorado business groups are rallying against a ban approved by Longmont voters banning hydraulic fracturing in their city. Leaders of chambers of commerce from the Denver area were among about 200 hundred people who gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday to show their support for the oil... more »

• Obama may act to stop infrastructure cyberattacks

  August 8, 2012 3:37 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan says the White House may take steps to get U.S. businesses to protect themselves from computer attacks if they are responsible for providing critical services like water or electricity. Brennan told the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday that President Barack... more »

• Local start up aims to harness wave energy

  May 8, 2012 7:54 PM

  A local start-up company is on the cutting edge of renewable energy development by designing and building machines that make electricity by harnessing the power of ocean waves. Atargis Energy Corporation was founded in 2010 by Air Force Academy aeronautics professor Dr. Stefan Siegel, Ph.D. The company is currently... more »

• Pueblo energy customers could see rate hike

  August 30, 2011 12:32 AM

  A proposed rate hike by Black Hills Energy in Pueblo has many asking questions. On Tuesday a hearing will be held with local residents to get their thoughts on the proposed hike of nearly 19% a month. "What it amounts to for our average customer which consumes about 600 kilowatt... more »

• Unsafe wiring forces out tenants

  August 24, 2011 7:51 PM

  About 30 people in Colorado Springs have homeless for the past four days after the electricity at their apartment was shut off over safety concerns. Colorado Springs Fire Department spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino says the wiring in Beverly Apartments at 23 N. Wasatch Avenue hasn't been updated since the building... more »

• Power out on Colorado Springs westside

  July 21, 2011 11:46 AM

  Electricity is out in a westside Colorado Springs neighborhood. Colorado Springs Utilities says it affects about 2,400 customers in the area around Rio Grande and Cimarron. Power is expected to be out for a couple of hours. more »

• High temps drive up electrical use

  July 18, 2011 7:24 PM

  It's shaping up to be the hottest week of the year and utility managers say we are are also using the most energy that we have in 2011. With temperatures in the high 90's and 100's a spokesman for Colorado Springs Utilities says their customers will use over 800 megawatts... more »

• Comanche 2 generating station idled for several weeks

  April 4, 2011 7:06 PM

  One of three coal-fired electrical generating stations southeast of Pueblo is down for repairs. Much of the cooling tower at the Comanche 2 station collapsed last Thursday night. It will be shut down for several weeks. The Comanche complex has three electrical generating stations. The other two continue to... more »

• Utilities rates are going up in Colorado Springs

  March 8, 2011 6:44 PM

  Colorado Springs Utilities customers will see their bills go up, on average, about seven dollars a month. City Council approved the cost adjustments Tuesday afternoon. The increases affect electricity and natural gas. On average, a person's monthly electric bill will go up $1.50. The natural gas bill will go... more »

• Canon City High School closed today

  February 14, 2011 11:29 AM

  Canon City High School students got a Valentine's Day surprise this morning. No electricity in the building meant a day off. No word yet on when the problem may be fixed. more »

• Xcel electricity rates up 21 percent in Colorado

  February 7, 2011 8:35 AM

  DENVER (AP)-Electricity bills for Xcel Energy customers in Colorado have risen about 21 percent in six years and are expected to rise another 20 percent over the next six as the utility adds renewable energy, builds transmission lines and passes fuel costs through to consumers. The average monthly residential... more »

• Colorado asked to reconsider phasing out coal fired power plants

  January 4, 2011 7:45 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Coal interests are asking Colorado regulators to reconsider a plan for Xcel Energy to retire or replace some of its coal-fired power plants. The Public Utilities Commission last month approved a $1.4 billion plan for Xcel to close five coal-fired units in Denver and Boulder, build... more »

• Vestas sells more wind generators

  December 16, 2010 4:46 PM

  Vestas has received an order for 44 wind turbines to be installed near American Falls, Idaho for Ridgeline Energy. "We look forward to working with Ridgeline on its Rockland wind energy project," said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. "Ridgeline is a highly respected and experienced developer of commercial-scale... more »

• Vestas gets another order

  December 9, 2010 2:11 PM

  Vestas has received an order for 24 wind turbines for a project near Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. "Minnesota is one of the leading states for wind power, and we are excited to help create more clean, reliable energy here," said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. This is Vestas'... more »

• Power restored in north Colorado Springs

  November 8, 2010 1:13 PM

  Update: Power has been completely restored. ----------------------------------------------- Colorado Springs Utilities confirms a power outage due to an underground cable which was severed at Copper Center. The outage affects about 700 customers -- potentially thousands of people. Work crews hope to have the power restored by 2 p.m.... more »

• Electricity back on after 50 minute outage

  September 30, 2010 12:08 PM

  Electrical service failed on the southeast side of Pueblo early Thursday morning after an apparent problem at the Comanche power plant. A resident near the plant reported hearing a loud noise, which he called and "explosion" at the power plant around 6 a.m. He said he then saw blue... more »

• Another day of searing heat on tap for California

  September 28, 2010 8:28 AM

  Temperatures will start to edge down in California today but not before another day of scorching heat. Forecasters say it won't be quite as bad as yesterday when a blistering fall heat wave broke records across the state, including an all-time high of 113 degrees in downtown Los Angeles.... more »

• Black Hills begins construction on new Pueblo facility

  July 22, 2010 6:35 PM

  Black Hills Energy was issued an air permit by the Colorado Department of Health Thursday for a new power plant to be built in Pueblo. The company said construction immediately began on two projects that will provide power to more than 90,000 customers by January of 2012. “Receiving... more »

• More than a thousand homes without power in Pueblo

  June 21, 2010 1:34 PM

  More than a thousand homes in Pueblo lost power at around 10:30 a.m. Monday. A Black Hills Energy spokesman confirmed the outage, on Pueblo's south side. Customers along Vinewood, south of Pueblo Boulevard are affected. The number of houses and business without power is listed as 1,159. Crews... more »

• Xcel installing temporary Denver substation

  June 10, 2010 8:16 AM

  Xcel Energy is still asking customers in east Denver to reduce electricity use as it installs a temporary substation to replace one that blew up. Company spokesman Mark Stutz says customers have been conserving energy, avoiding the need for controlled outages. But he says Thursday could be rough because... more »

• Xcel urges conservation following substation fire

  June 8, 2010 3:58 PM

  Power has been restored to Denver residents following a transformer fire, but customers are being urged to conserve electricity over the coming days. Nearly 31,000 customers lost power Monday evening after a substation caught fire. Xcel Energy says power may have to be shut off to some customers... more »

• Xcel Energy working to restore power in Denver

  June 8, 2010 8:05 AM

  Xcel Energy is trying to find the cause an explosion at a power substation in east Denver that left about 31,000 customers without electricity. At least one explosion rocked the substation at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. A fire that sent a black plume of smoke about 60 feet into the... more »

• Local Chipotle to go solar as a test

  June 3, 2010 6:24 PM

  One local Chipotle Restaurant will go solar as part of a national test. The Chipotle at Citadel Crossing will add solar panels to its roof. That location was chosen partly because of Colorado's bright sunshine. It's estimated the power bill will go down 30 to 40 percent. "It's... more »

• Colorado State University looks to add more solar

  May 10, 2010 8:39 AM

  Colorado State University plans to add a 3.3-megawatt solar farm that could be generating power by Christmas, if all goes according to plan. The university already has a 2-megawatt solar facility on its Foothills Campus west of Fort Collins that generates about 10 percent of the power needs on... more »

• Close to the Springs, but far from similar

  April 24, 2010 9:26 PM

  Nice weather for Colorado Springs doesn't always mean the same for the region. "My people are telling me its just we down there and I can't believe it because we have a major snowstorm going on up here." says Joe Wuertz, an El Paso County plow driver Wuertz is... more »

• Car dealer says wind good and bad for business

  April 5, 2010 5:47 PM

  Our recent forceful wind has been good and bad for a local car dealership. This past week, Automax in Pueblo has been getting a lot of use out a wind turbine located by their building. Their neighbors installed it about a year ago to help them generate power. Automax says... more »

• Power providers scramble to keep the lights on

  April 5, 2010 3:24 PM

  With winds gusting to 70 miles an hour, utility companies are busy keeping the power on across southern Colorado. San Isabel Electric reports spotty power problems all day from Beulah to Trinidad. The biggest outage only affected 20 to 30 homes and it was fixed a few hours later.... more »

• There's a positive side to our gusty winds

  April 5, 2010 11:57 AM

  Another windy day in Southern Colorado. Our First Alert team says wind gusts to around 50 mph will be possible across the plains. The wind can be a nuisance, but it can also be useful. Today I'm going to do a story on places in Pueblo that use wind turbines... more »

• Power plant hums on; neighbors still irritated

  March 31, 2010 1:38 PM

  Some Pueblo County residents want county commissioners to make Xcel Energy shut down its new power plant until the utility can stop the noise that has driven some people out of their homes. They asked commissioners for help Tuesday. Minneapolis-based Xcel says it will spend $1.5 million to muffle... more »

• After tough weekend, rain continues in New England

  March 15, 2010 2:46 PM

  Schools are closed today in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, as the storm that brought punishing wind and rain to the region over the weekend continues to dump rain on parts of New England. Utility crews, meanwhile, are making some progress in restoring power. More than half of the... more »

• Xcel customers face tiered electricity rates

  March 4, 2010 12:21 PM

  Colorado's largest power supplier is going to charge more this summer for customers who use the most electricity. XCel Energy won approval from state utility regulators Wednesday to institute tiered electric rates in summertime. That means that residential customers will pay higher rates for each kilowatt hour once they... more »

• Power restored in much of storm-battered Northeast

  March 1, 2010 3:55 PM

  The lights are back on for many of the million-plus customers in the Northeast affected by a storm last week that dealt the region snow, rain and hurricane-force winds. New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch on Monday called restoration efforts "the most rapid" he's ever seen. On Friday, about 360,000... more »

• Hearing planned on power plant noise

  February 18, 2010 2:18 PM

  Xcel Energy plans to hold a public meeting to discuss the odd humming noise coming from its new power plant on the southeast edge of Pueblo. The billion dollar generator is almost complete, but has been emitting a hum during testing that has bothered neighbors from time to time. ... more »

• Regulators expand oversight of smart-grid project

  February 8, 2010 11:38 AM

  State regulators are getting more involved in Xcel Energy's smart-grid project in Boulder as the utility has started charging customers statewide to cover some of the costs. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has decided that Xcel Energy needs to seek more approval of the project, which is modernizing the electric... more »

• One out of four nuclear power plants have radioactive leaks

  February 1, 2010 4:01 PM

  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports potentially dangerous levels of radioactive tritium - which can cause cancer - were found over the weekend in groundwater at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon. The discovery brings to at least 27 the number of nuclear reactors in the U.S. with tritium leaks... more »

• Library offers device to help you reduce bills

  January 19, 2010 6:20 PM

  If you're looking to cut back on your electric bills the Pueblo West Library has a tool that could help. It's called a Kill A Watt. You plug the small device into an electrical outlet and then plug-in an appliance. The Kill A Watt measures how much energy the appliance... more »

• Democrats want to raise renewable energy standard

  January 13, 2010 8:19 AM

  Democratic state lawmakers want to increase the amount of electricity coming from renewable sources. Under current law, investor-owned utilities must get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar energy by 2020. Gov. Bill Ritter announced Tuesday that he is backing planned legislation requiring them to... more »

• Books recalled over risky do-it-yourself advice

  January 9, 2010 11:26 AM

  Oxmoor House on Friday recalled nearly 1 million home improvement books because of errors that could lead do-it-yourselfers to make risky mistakes while installing or repairing their electrical wiring. The errors in technical diagrams and wiring instructions could cause people to be shocked or create a fire hazard. ... more »

• Fire Out - Customers Allowed Back in Chapel Hills Mall

  December 9, 2009 10:15 AM

  Firefighters have put out a fire at Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs. Electricity has now been restored and the entire mall has reopened. The fire broke out in an electrical conduit, catching to some insulation in the roof, over the Clerk and Recorder's office. It was discovered by mall... more »