This summer has seen utilities either implement or actively prepare for the use of public safety power shutoffs -- a proactive step aimed at lowering the chances that power equipment could spark wildfires in the face of adverse weather conditions such as extreme winds.
In the Pacific Northwest, Washington State’s Chelan County PUD on July 31 said it was in a PSPS watch phase and in order to help reduce wildfire risk, there was a potential that it could implement a PSPS on August 1. The watch ended on the morning of Aug. 2 without an outage after updated forecasts showed conditions did not warrant a PSPS.
Chelan PUD reviewed customer feedback following its first PSPS Watch and the input will help the PUD make future notifications more useful, it said on Aug. 4.
“This was our first opportunity to use the PSPS alert process, and it gave us valuable experience,” said General Manager Kirk Hudson. “We appreciate customers taking the alert seriously and sharing their feedback. That input will help us make future notifications more useful.”
Chelan PUD noted that it took several proactive measures ahead of the weather event to reduce fire risk:
• The utility increased the sensitivity of powerline operations so that power shuts off immediately when a problem is detected.
• Crews proactively inspected transmission powerlines to ensure they were in good condition.
• The PUD also de-energized a redundant transmission line between Chelan and Manson without impact to customers.
Customers shared a range of perspectives through phone calls, emails and social media. Many customers supported taking proactive steps to reduce wildfire risk. Others raised concerns about how a potential outage could affect private wells, internet, cell service, food refrigeration and home medical equipment.
Chelan PUD will use the feedback to improve how future alerts show the affected area, and steps customers can take to prepare.
Chelan PUD has had a wildfire mitigation plan since 2017. The PUD added one of the state’s first PSPS plans in 2021 to the wildfire mitigation plan with input from fire agencies, emergency managers, community organizations and utilities with established programs.
The program expanded county-wide in 2024 to more than 20 PSPS zones. The zones are designated based on potential wildfire risk.
BPA
The Bonneville Power Administration this summer implemented a PSPS, which was the second of the year, and the 10th since BPA's PSPS program began in 2011, Travis Kavulla, the new Administrator and CEO of BPA, noted in a LinkedIn post.
While the shutoff was a brief event, the event “demonstrates how dynamic these situations can be,” Kavulla wrote.
“PSPS can mean a loss of electricity service to customers. For Bonneville, most of our PSPSes have nevertheless allowed load to be served through re-routes. But that is not always the case for us when we lack redundant facilities. When distribution-voltage utilities engage in PSPS, it is much likelier that it means their customers are losing power because they are served off a single circuit,” he said in the post.
Kavulla pointed out that many parts of the country that ordinarily do not experience them are being impacted by the effects of wildfires. “The awesome nature of these fires is a reminder of how seriously we all need to take them.”
Kavulla in late June was sworn in as the new administrator and CEO of BPA by U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit, becoming the 17th administrator in BPA's 89-year history.
Other Pacific Northwest Public Power Utilities Have PSPS Plans
Other utilities in the region have PSPS plans including Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD.
On Aug. 3, the PUD noted on its Facebook page that state officials had declared a statewide wildfire emergency as firefighters continued responding to multiple active incidents.
“While a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is rare in Snohomish County, it's one of the tools we may use as a last resort to help reduce wildfire risk during extreme weather conditions. A PSPS is a proactive outage designed to prevent electrical equipment from becoming an ignition source and does NOT mean a wildfire has started,” the PUD said in the post.
The PUD noted that customers can sign up for PUD outage alerts and PSPS notifications to receive updates if conditions ever warrant a PSPS.
Aaron Swaney, Manager of Communications and Marketing at Snohomish PUD, detailed the actions that the PUD has taken going into and during this wildfire season and how it is planning for the possibility of PSPS.
He noted in an Aug. 11 email to Public Power Current that the PUD has not called a PSPS.
“The most significant actions we’ve taken in the field regarding infrastructure is to put equipment like reclosers into fire settings once a red flag warning was issued for specific regions in our service territory,” he said.
Swaney noted that Snohomish PUD is taking a comprehensive, year-round approach to wildfire preparedness that includes planning, monitoring, system improvements, vegetation management, employee training and regional coordination.
“We maintain a Wildfire Mitigation Plan, Wildfire Operational Procedures and a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) plan to guide operations during elevated fire conditions -- plans that are reviewed and updated each year before the start of wildfire season,” he said.
The PUD has a dedicated Wildfire Risk Team that meets weekly throughout fire season to review conditions and fire risk.
The team uses an in-house dashboard that combines information such as weather forecasts, active wildfires, drought conditions, wind, temperature, precipitation, air quality, National Weather Service alerts and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels to determine when to switch circuits into wildfire settings. The team also gets feedback from field personnel and operators on real-time conditions, concerns and any events that may occur.
“We work closely with neighboring utilities and emergency management partners to maintain situational awareness and coordinate wildfire preparedness efforts across the region. Emergency Management staff regularly meet and share information with utilities including Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power to discuss wildfire conditions, response strategies, and emerging risks,” he said.
These ongoing discussions help ensure a coordinated approach to wildfire prevention, preparedness, and response, Swaney said.
Snohomish County PUD also operates 18 weather stations across its electric system, along with a weather station at Spada Lake that provides predictive wind alerts. High-risk circuits are inspected and trimmed annually, and drone inspections were conducted on high-risk facilities in 2026 to help identify potential issues.
And through its SnoSMART grid modernization project, the PUD is deploying hundreds of smart-grid devices, including reclosers and voltage regulators, that improve system visibility and allow operators to remotely adjust to wildfire settings when needed.
The remote operation allows the PUD to switch circuits into wildfire settings within seconds instead of manually switching circuits which can take several hours.
Arizona
In late June, investor-owned utility Arizona Public Service fully restored power to customers impacted by a PSPS that began on June 27.
The safety shutoff was implemented in and around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon to help prevent the electric system from starting or contributing to a catastrophic wildfire during exceptionally dry conditions with extreme winds, low humidity and challenging terrain. APS crews inspected equipment and power lines for damage before reconnecting power to ensure safety, it said.
Arizona public power utility Salt River Project’s PSPS program was established in 2024. It has not had to utilize the PSPS program, Elaina Steingard, SRP Senior Media Relations Representative, told Public Power Current.
SRP has a webpage that describes its PSPS program.
California
In California, public power communities have adopted PSPS plans including Redding, California.
“Our mission is to keep the power on when it is safe to do so and to use a PSPS event only when absolutely necessary to protect the lives, property, and well-being of our customers and community,” Redding Electric Utilities notes on its website. “Shutting off power is a last resort, and REU will do everything we can to keep the power on.”
REU said that any combination of the factors below will be carefully evaluated before determining if a PSPS is needed:
• Low humidity levels
• Forecasted high, sustained winds
• High temperatures and dry conditions
• Critically dry material on the ground that could fuel a wildfire
• Vegetation near power lines
• Input from local public safety and health agencies
No single factor, such as high winds, would necessitate a PSPS, it said.
Public power communities in the state note that the PSPS actions of investor-owned utilities can affect them.
For example, the City of Riverside notes on its website that it may be affected by a PSPS event if Southern California Edison must shut off power on the transmission lines from the Vista Substation, which provide the city’s only connection to the regional electricity grid or if power is shut off on other major transmission lines that support Riverside.
In such situations, Riverside will rely on electricity provided by its internal electricity generation at the Riverside Energy Resource Center and from the Springs Power Plant.
APPA Wildfire Resources
The American Public Power Association has curated a collection of resources to assist utilities in crafting their wildfire mitigation plans.
Accessing these tools, expertise, and strategies can help utilities develop a robust wildfire mitigation plan to effectively address wildfire risks and protect their communities from the devastating effects of wildfires.
