August 13, 2024
NV Energy’s wildfire safety outages may again expose Truckee to extended power outages during wildfire season
Following the Pass Fire in Truckee, as well as Sunday’s wildfire safety power outage caused by the Gold Ranch Fire in Verdi, Truckee Donner Public Utility District urges customers to prepare for the possibility of prolonged power outages during wildfire season. NV Energy—TDPUD’s primary energy transmission supplier—and TDPUD both take actions during wildfire season to help mitigate wildfire risk to the community, but these safety programs can result in electric power outages for up to several days without much notice.
“Wildfire safety power outages have become a utility industry standard and are the new normal for our region,” said Brian Wright, TDPUD general manager. “Though NV Energy’s PSOM program has been in place for a few years already, we expect that this, along with their new emergency de-energization program, will be used more frequently this wildfire season than in the past. It’s important for our customers to familiarize themselves with these programs and be prepared for extended power outages.”
NV Energy PSOM & Emergency De-Energization Programs
Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM):
In a PSOM event, NV Energy will de-energize transmission lines that deliver power to Truckee—and likely the entire Truckee-North Tahoe region—during extreme weather conditions and elevated fire risk levels. As in prior years, TDPUD plans to alert the public with a 48-24 hour notice, followed by a 12-4 hour notice.
Emergency De-Energization:
In an emergency de-energization event, NV Energy will shut off power when an active wildfire gets too close to its equipment, to protect first responders on the ground fighting fires, and to avoid contributing to catastrophic wildfire conditions by lowering the risk of a secondary ignition. Depending on the location of the fire start and rate of expansion, NV Energy may provide little notice of the safety outage. TDPUD will work to notify the public of an upcoming de-energization event as soon as possible, but there is a possibility the outage would pre-empt TDPUD’s notice.
These outages will likely impact TDPUD’s entire customer base for periods ranging from one day to a few days. The timing and duration of the outages will be based on NV Energy’s determination of the length of the extreme wildfire danger period, plus the time required for both NV Energy and TDPUD to visually inspect 100 percent of the electric system to safely restore power.
Details on these programs can be found at nvenergy.com/safety/wildfire, and information on its impacts on TDPUD customers can be found at tdpud.org/psom and tdpud.org/wildfire.
TDPUD Partners with TDRPD to Deploy Outage Center
TDPUD has partnered with Truckee-Donner Recreation and Park District to deploy an outage center at the Community Arts Center (10046 Church St.) during an extended wildfire safety power outage, offering device charging and information updates from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Public utilities are not required to provide services to the community during wildfire outages, however TDPUD wants to help our community in a small way when these extended outages occur. No other services will be offered from TDPUD or TDRPD at this location. Should additional public services be necessary, TDPUD will contact town and/or county agencies for the unmet needs as appropriate. For more information on TDPUD’s outage center, visit tdpud.org/wildfire.
Stay Informed During Wildfire Season
TDPUD’s ability to communicate with customers and visitors during outages is key to making sure the community is well-prepared for these events.
“We need to be able to communicate with our customer base and larger community in the event of a wildfire safety outage; being informed and prepared are critical pieces to keeping our community safe during wildfire season,” said Wright. “We are asking our customers to take a moment to make sure they are enrolled in our outage alert system with their correct contact information. A few minutes now will make all the difference when it’s needed most.”
TDPUD takes several actions to reduce the risk of electric equipment starting a wildfire, like changing operation protocols, maintaining a robust, year-round vegetation management program, and installing new equipment. To learn more, visit tdpud.org/wildfire.
