Remarks from Holy Cross Energy
Vice President of Operations, Cody O’Neil
Holy Cross Energy (HCE) is committed to safely providing reliable electric power services to our more than 46,500 cooperative members throughout the Eagle, Roaring Fork, and Colorado River valleys. This commitment extends to taking all the steps we can to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition from the operation of our electric infrastructure used to deliver electricity to you. Given the persistent drought in our area, it is no surprise that we are already experiencing a summer with hotter and drier conditions conducive to wildfire.
Our Wildfire Mitigation Plan outlines the many steps we are taking to protect our members and their communities from the potential risk of wildfire started by our electric system operations. We track the important variables defining wildfire risk, such as temperature, humidity, wind, and portions of the National Fire Danger Rating System, to inform each day’s operational procedures, which are designed to reduce the risk of a spark from our activities.
We use drone flights, visual and thermal inspections to determine when it is time to replace aging equipment that might fail and start a fire, and we use satellite data and field surveys to trim or eliminate vegetation that may fall into an HCE line, starting a fire. We have partnered with first responders and other local authorities to deploy a network of fire cameras that allow rapid response to any fire, regardless of cause, in a way that increases the likelihood it can be controlled before it becomes big enough to cause damage to life or property. We have also taken steps to harden our own system against fire by installing fire-retardant pole wraps, using covered conductors, and undergrounding lines in high-risk wildfire zones.
Most importantly, on days when elevated fire risk is indicated, we use our “fire safety settings” to more quickly de-energize power lines that come into contact with a tree, an animal, or another piece of equipment, shutting off the flow of power to avoid ignition and fire. These fire settings are effective in reducing fire risk, but they can result in more frequent service disruptions in the form of short momentary “blinks” and possibly longer outages.
The use of fire safety settings may mean that power will be out for some time until our crews can come out and visually inspect the line to make sure it is clear and can be returned to service safely. We appreciate your understanding should you be affected by outages more this summer than in previous years — it’s most likely our fire settings working to protect you!
Only when all these wildfire mitigation measures have been exhausted and it remains — in our opinion — simply unsafe to continue operating the electric system in our area, we may need to call a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). If we should have to do so, we promise to provide you with as much information and advance notice as possible, along with suggestions on steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones in the absence of our electric service should you be affected.
Our team at HCE has been working diligently with local governments and emergency management agencies to develop a plan for potential PSPS outages should we ever need to use them to protect our communities against wildfire risk. Please be assured that calling a PSPS event is the absolute last thing we want to do — we pride ourselves on reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric service, but the safety of that service must be the basis of everything that we do. We thank you for your continued support of HCE and for granting us the opportunity to serve you and help keep you safe.