NV Energy program would shut off power in Lake Tahoe area to reduce wildfire risk

In a program similar to PG&E and other electric utilities in California, NV Energy announced last week that it will implement its own plan that would shut off power to reduce wildfire risk in the Lake Tahoe area in the event of weather-related events such as strong, gusty winds.

Noting that a power shutdown would be a "last resort of defense" NV Energy says it is necessary for the safety of customers and communities. The plan, known as Public Safety Outage Management, was established last year after NV Energy concluded changes in the climate and environment are contributing to an increased risk of wildfires and other natural disasters.

During a PSOM event, NV Energy will shut off power in extreme fire-risk areas when certain environmental conditions are met in order to help prevent power lines and other equipment from causing a wildfire. In northern Nevada, this area includes the eastern/Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe basin.

“The safety of our customers and environment is NV Energy’s highest priority. Public Safety Outage Management is an important element of our plan to protect our community from the risk of wildfires, and will only be done as a last resort,” said Shahzad Lateef, Vice President of Electric Delivery for NV Energy. “Over the past year, we have worked closely with local, state and federal fire, forestry and emergency organizations and held public events to refine the criteria for determining if and when power should be shut off for safety.”

In October 2019 PG&E and other California utilities began a series of wind related power shut downs, following the findings and subsequent settlement from the Camp Fire, which happened Nov. 8, 2018 in Paradise, Calif. It was the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in California history. It was ignited by a faulty electric transmission line.

NV Energy noted that its grid hardening efforts are long-term strategies to help reduce the impacts of climate change. It says PSOM is something that can be done immediately in response to environmental conditions to help prevent wildfires and protect communities.

Factors that contribute to a PSOM event include weather conditions, vegetation levels that can be used as fuel for a fire, field observations, guidance from local fire departments and other first responders, as well as our community’s current response to COVID-19.

NV Energy has also implemented other initiatives to protect customers and make our system more resilient to wildfire and other natural disasters. These include inspecting more than 34,000 wooden poles in our high fire risk areas and making any needed repairs, as well as increasing the frequency of our vegetation management cycles.

NV Energy also hired a fire mitigation specialist, installed wildfire alert cameras and weather stations, and conducts weekly fuel sampling during fire season. NV Energy crews have conducted a series of PSOM exercises for circuits at Lake Tahoe to better understand the terrain and timing for restoration after a PSOM event and partnered with local fire agencies for vegetation management clearance in Right of Ways to further reduce fire risks.

NV Energy will contact impacted customers directly at least 48 hours in advance, if possible, of any PSOM event and provide ongoing updates through a variety of channels including news media, social media and nvenergy.com. The company will provide a Customer Resource Center, when possible, during a PSOM event to enhance our ability support our customers and to provide important information.

In February, NV Energy filed its Natural Disaster Protection Plan (NDPP) with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, per Senate Bill 329, that outlines how the company plans to help protect the public from the impacts of natural disasters on its electric infrastructure that have been experienced in other Western states.

For more information on NV Energy’s wildfire risk mitigation efforts, including PSOM, please visit nvenergy.com/wildfiresafety.