Why a Panhandle Businessman Wants to Take over the Region’s Electric Utility

Why a Panhandle businessman wants to take over the region’s electric utility

By Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune January 8, 2026 CANADIAN — Salem Abraham may not have memorized every utility pole in the Texas Panhandle, but he knows precisely which ones shouldn’t be there. He’s mapped them across more than 300 miles in this region of treeless grassland, plateaus and canyons. These structures have been marked as defective or dangerous by their owner, Xcel Energy, the Minnesota-based electric utility that powers mu…

Panhandle magnate moves to take over region’s electricity

Salem Abraham claims Minnesota-based Xcel Energy has not lived up to its promise of protecting the region from wildfires. The company vehemently disagrees.