FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2025

Contacts:
Travis Madsen, SWEEP, tmadsen@swenergy.org
Kari Birdseye, NRDC, KBirdseye@nrdc.org
Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, pwheeler@earthjustice.org

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[DENVER, CO] – On Monday December 15, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Xcel Energy’s plan to invest more than $1 billion in electricity grid upgrades to support electric cars, trucks, homes, and appliances through the utility’s distribution system. The approval provides for clear oversight, transparency, and accountability to keep utility consumers’ costs in check. 

Earthjustice represented NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and the Southwest Energy Efficiency (SWEEP) in the proceeding. 

The approved investments will help save people money and enable affordable climate action. A December 2025 report by Sustainability Solutions Group finds that meeting Colorado’s climate goals through efficiency and electrification will lower Coloradans’ energy bills and reduce the number of energy-burdened households. 

The following is a statement from Jordan Brinn, Transportation Advocate at NRDC: 

“This decision will help deliver a more nimble, modern grid to meet the needs of Colorado’s growing population and industries. And it will help keep utility bills in check while ensuring that the lights stay on when we need them most.” 

“By making sure utilities plan smart and spend wisely, Colorado will be able to add more clean energy, get more electric trucks and cars on the road, and get people the power they need while unlocking the savings that electrification can provide to all utility customers.” 

The following is a statement from Travis Madsen, Transportation Program Director at SWEEP: 

“Today, Colorado regulators took a big step toward making life more affordable while protecting our climate. This decision will help businesses deploy more electric vehicles and build more clean and efficient homes closer to where people work and play – by making sure that they can all plug into our increasingly clean electricity grid in a timely fashion.”

“By tying cost recovery for utility companies to improved interconnection performance and efficient load management, Colorado regulators are showing that clean energy progress and consumer protection go hand in hand. Thanks to the Colorado legislature, Governor Polis, and the Public Utility Commission, we’ll be better prepared for the future.”  

The following is a statement from Michael Hiatt, Deputy Managing Attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office: 

“Today’s decision is an important step in modernizing the grid. Proactively investing in the distribution system will reduce costs, minimize delays, and decrease barriers for customers who install heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers, and rooftop solar. The plan will also benefit all customers by making the grid more reliable and resilient.” 

Background: 

The Commission’s decision implements core provisions of Powering Up Colorado (SB 24-218), the 2024 law NRDC and SWEEP supported that requires grid planning in the face of growing electricity demand. In addition to keeping costs low for consumers, the new framework prioritizes positive customer experiences. The decision:  

• Helps the state’s largest utility plan ahead for growing electricity demand from electric vehicles (EVs) and building electrification.
• Facilitates essential capacity upgrades that prepare the grid for clean energy growth. 
• Creates a performance-based framework that will link cost recovery to measurable outcomes such as faster interconnections, improved reliability, better EV load management, and improved customer service. 
• Adopts time-based forecasting to improve when and where upgrades are made, avoiding premature or duplicative investments. 
• Improves cost transparency and oversight to ensure fairness across customer classes and stronger accountability for future spending. 

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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than three million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature.

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. They wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change.