System Protection Engineering Intern- CO

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a leading energy provider and Fortune 500 company, dedicated to serving millions of electricity and natural gas customers across eight states: Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. We make energy work better for our customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar - delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy.

Xcel Energy is a place where you’ll have opportunities to grow, expand your skills, and help lead the clean energy transition. We offer meaningful rewards, recognition, and support to help you build your career and make an impact - both on the job and beyond. Most importantly, it means you’ll be joining a company that knows employees are the driving force behind its success and is committed to helping you be your best.

Xcel Energy supports a hybrid work model to enable collaboration and flexibility. Many roles are expected to work onsite three days per week (Tuesday–Thursday); however, work location expectations vary based on role, team, and business needs.

At Xcel Energy, our employees are the driving force behind our success. So we make sure that, here, you can be your best. Doing work that makes a difference for neighbors and communities. Working with a team you can count on to push you. Expanding skills, staying ready for change, and capturing opportunities to grow. All with the support, rewards and recognition you need to thrive – during your internship and beyond.

System Protection Engineering Intern position: This is a year-round internship, minimum 2 years requested. System Protection Engineering service supports distribution and transmission relays. SPE is responsible for the short circuit and power system database, special studies, and PRC NERC compliance tasks, including investigation of system disturbances.

Typical intern responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for lightning analysis in support of transmission operation investigations
• Responsible for short circuit modeling updates, including replacement of relays, transmission line and transformer modeling.
• Work with mentor on special assignments, such as SQL queries, feeder settings, and lab testing of relay settings

This position is for a May 31, 2027 start date. This position may have the possibility to extend beyond the internship’s initial term based on the candidate’s successful performance and Xcel Energy’s business needs.

Minimum Requirements:

• Current student, Sophomore or higher (as of Fall 2027)
• Enrolled in an ABET accredited college or university and pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering
• Must be able to commit to the internship for at least a calendar year
• Able to work full-time during the summer (up to 40 hours a week)/ part time during the school year (up to 20 hours a week) and commuting to the designated work location in-person, per our hybrid work policy.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Basic circuits class completion
• Our culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.
• Our Values
• Connected, Committed, Trustworthy, Safe
• Our Employee Commitments
• Work that makes a difference
• A team you can count of Opportunities to grow
• Rewards that help you thrive
• Xcel Energy provides job applicants reasonable accommodations for disabilities throughout the application process. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the  Applicant Accommodation Request Form .
• Non-Bargaining
• The anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $21.20 to $23.10 per hour
• This position is eligible for the following benefits: Pension, 401(k) plan, Paid time off (PTO), Holidays
• Benefit plans are subject to change and Xcel Energy has the right to end, suspend, or amend any of its plans, at any time, in whole or in part.
• In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information including but not limited to dates of school attendance and graduation.   You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
• Deadline to Apply: 10/21/26
• EEO is the Law (PDF) | Equal Opportunity Statement (PDF) | Employee Rights (PDF)
• All Xcel Energy employees and contractors share responsibility for protecting the company's information and systems by adhering to cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices, recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.
• Accessibility Statement
• Xcel Energy endeavors to make https://www.xcelenergy.com and https://jobs.xcelenergy.com accessible to any and all users. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the Applicant Accommodation Request Form . For any other application related questions, including application follow-ups or technical issues, please use our Recruiting Assistance, Electra, for assistance. Electra can be found in the lower right-hand corner of our Xcel Energy Careers site.