UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person Cynthia L. Lesher 800 Nicollet Mall MN, Minneapolis 55402 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 4. Statement for Month/Year 1/17/2003 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) ( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) Vice President, Xcel Energy Services Inc. 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common | | | | | | |25816.698 1 |D | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common | | | | | | |3667.282 2 |I |ESOP | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Phantom Stock | |1/17/|A | |4.098 |A | | |Common |4.098 |12.20 |4.098 |D | | | | 2003| | | | | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: 1. Includes 352.05 shares of stock acquired pursuant to reinvestment of dividends. 2. Balance as of October 1, 2002.