An increase in power outages has left the public and business owners asking why. A letter sent out to Rocky Mountain Power customers explains that Rocky Mountain Power is de-energizing power lines as a preventative measure during periods of the greatest wildfire risk anywhere across their service area. There are Enhanced Safety Settings used to de-energize lines when a fault is detected, reducing the chance of a potential fire ignition. The decision can also be made to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff based on extreme weather and area conditions, including high wind speeds, low humidity and critically dry fuels. They can also use an Encroachment Strategy. This means that when an active wildfire moves close enough to threaten burning into the area of power lines or equipment, Rocky Mountain Power may complete an emergency de-energization of their power lines. “[The outages are] directly related to public safety concerns with reducing the risk or chance of any fire ignitions,” explains Brandon Anderson, Operations Manager at Rocky Mountain Power. “We do have special settings on our equipment in place designed to be much more sensitive than non-fire risk times.”
