Avista prepares for wildfire season
08 May 2024 - 4:15AM
Avista is adding a new strategy to its wildfire mitigation plan.
The utility announced today at a press conference with regional
partners that if extreme weather conditions are forecast, like low
humidity and strong winds, Avista may turn off power in specific
locations to help protect public safety. This is called a Public
Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS.
“Based on learning from other utilities who have implemented
PSPS, it would only be used in the most extreme weather
conditions,” said Heather Rosentrater, Avista President and COO.
“We have other operational changes we can make, and we have been
working for years to make our system stronger and more resilient.
However, as we encounter more extreme weather events, we want to be
prepared for all possibilities, and this is now a best practice in
our industry.”
For more than 20 years, Avista has made temporary changes to
power line operations during the summer. This is called Fire Safety
Mode. During normal operations, the lines are set to try several
times to clear a fault, reducing outage times. In Fire Safety Mode,
to reduce the risk of fire, the line stays out until Avista crews
determine it’s safe. Only then will they turn it back on. This can
require more time to restore service but decreases the potential
fire danger.
In 2022, Avista enhanced Fire Safety Mode by pairing it with a
fire-weather monitoring system. This allows system operators and
field managers to make more informed decisions to reduce fire risk.
They can change the sensitivity further on a line if high winds or
other high wildfire risk conditions are predicted.
“Our enhanced protection settings are the right safety measure
for most of the forecasted weather conditions we see in our
region,” added Rosentrater. “Preparing our company and our
customers for the possibility of a PSPS event is protection for the
future. We need to be ready for anything, and safety is guiding our
plans.”
Building on existing prevention and response strategies, Avista
committed to a comprehensive 10-year Wildfire Resiliency Plan in
2020. Avista has completed grid hardening projects in areas of high
fire risk. Some of these projects include replacing wooden
transmission poles with steel, installing a special fire-retardant
wire mesh around the bottom of wood poles and replacing wooden
crossarms on poles with a stronger fiberglass to better protect the
electrical equipment and reduce the likelihood of spark-ignition
sources. The company has also increased vegetation management to
reduce contact between trees and power lines.
“We applaud Avista’s proactive approach to mitigating fire
risk,” said Tom Jenkins, Cheney Fire Chief and Chair of the Inland
Empire Fire Chiefs Association. “By prioritizing safety and
preparedness, they have demonstrated a commendable commitment to
protecting our communities.”
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown was also in attendance to support the
new strategy adding, “As we have seen an increased threat to our
safety from wildfire, we all need to come together as a community
on prevention efforts.”
Ara Andrea, Idaho Statewide Shared Stewardship Coordinator from
Idaho Department of Lands spoke about the department’s wildfire
prevention, risk mitigation and suppression programs. “The Idaho
Department of Lands works collaboratively with partners to carry
out fire risk-mitigation projects, convey fire-prevention messaging
and plan effective fire-suppression strategies. Our agency supports
Avista’s fire-resiliency program, which proactively reduces
wildfire threats through grid-hardening and fuels-reduction project
funding.”
Avista is urging customers to prepare to get through an outage
in hot summer weather safely. Customers are encouraged to make sure
their contact information is up to date with Avista so they can be
notified when the utility is considering a PSPS.
Learn more about Avista’s plans and how you can be prepared at
www.myavista.com/PSPS.
About Avista UtilitiesAvista Utilities is
involved in the production, transmission and distribution of
energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 418,000
customers and natural gas to 382,000 customers in a service
territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington,
northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a
population of 1.7 million. Avista Utilities is an operating
division of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please
visit www.myavista.com.
Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista
Corporation.
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Contact:Media: David Vowels,
david.vowels@avistacorp.comAvista 24/7 Media Access (509)
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