On Oct. 24, 2005, Standard&Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'A-2' short-term corporate credit rating to electric utility Public Service Co. of Colorado and its 'A-2' rating to the company's $500 million commercial paper program. The long-term corporate credit rating on the company is 'BBB'. The outlook is stable. The Denver, Colo.-based company is a subsidiary of utility holding company Xcel Energy Inc. (BBB/Stable/A-2), which is based in Minneapolis, Minn. The 'A-2' short-term rating is strongly linked to the 'BBB' corporate credit rating, which is based on the consolidated credit profile of Xcel and all of its subsidiaries, including Northern States Power Co. (NSP-Minnesota), Northern States Power Wisconsin (NSP-Wisconsin), Public Service of Colorado, and Southwestern Public Service Co. The
