PRC workshop to explain wildfire power shutoff strategies
As New Mexico electrical companies increasingly consider using proactive power shutoffs as a way to prevent wildfires, the state's utility regulator announced a series of workshops aimed at helping the public better understand why they're necessary and what to expect if they occur.
PNM, the state's biggest electrical provider, did its first-ever 'public safety power shutoff' in Las Vegas on April 17, cutting off power to about 2,300 customers amid high winds and dry conditions. Officials said at the time that they'd do so 'only as a last resort to protect lives and property from the threat of wildfire.'
On May 8, the PRC is hosting a workshop in Santa Fe with PNM and two of the state's other investor-owned utilities, El Paso Electric Company and Southwestern Public Service Company, to 'present an overview of Public Safety Power Shutoff strategies, customer notification processes, and mitigation planning expenditures,' according to a news release.
Also slated to attend are officials from the state energy department, who will provide a breakdown of what state agencies can do to mitigate the threat of wildfire as well as 'lessons learned' in the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in 2022 and the South Fork Fire in 2024.
Attendees will also receive a presentation on legislative actions related to wildfire risk during the most recent session, such as a memorial requesting the creation of a wildfire study group. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a bill creating funds for wildfire suppression.
In June 2022, as the two biggest wildfires in New Mexico history were burning, the PRC opened a formal inquiry to 'evaluate vegetation management plans and other wildfire protection practices for the purpose of reviewing the assumptions, methods, and standards underpinning these plans, to identify best practices, and to obtain recommendations for best practices in wildfire management.' The forthcoming workshops stem from that case, according to a news release.
Also in summer 2022, the McBride Fire in Ruidoso caused the deaths of an elderly couple and destroyed several hundred structures. Investigators later determined the cause to be a tree falling onto an electrical line PNM maintained. Lawyers on behalf of fire victims have sued PNM, alleging it was negligent, though PNM denies any liability.
Earlier this year, the Mogote Hill Fire near Wagon Mound burned 21,000 acres. It was also caused by an electrical utility, according to state officials.
Read more here about the workshop. The other three are scheduled for July 17, Sept. 15 and Oct. 23.
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