Avista eyes storm blackouts

COEUR d'ALENE — Avista is adding the possibility of blackouts to its wildfire mitigation plan. 

The utility said Tuesday that if extreme weather conditions, like low humidity and strong winds, are forecast, it may turn off power in specific locations to help protect public safety.

“Based on learning from other utilities who have implemented, it would only be used in the most extreme weather conditions,” said Heather Rosentrater, Avista, president and COO. “We have other operational changes we can make, and we have been working for years to make our system stronger and more resilient. However, as we encounter more extreme weather events, we want to be prepared for all possibilities, and this is now a best practice in our industry.”

Avista provides energy services and electricity to 418,000 customers and natural gas to 382,000 customers over 30,000 square miles in North Idaho, eastern Washington, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.7 million.  

In Idaho, Avista serves about 140,000 electric and 90,000 natural gas customers.

For more than 20 years, Avista has made temporary changes to power line operations during the summer. 

During normal operations, the lines are set to try several times to clear a fault, reducing outage times. In Fire Safety Mode, to reduce the risk of fire, the line stays out until Avista crews determine it’s safe. Only then will they turn it back on. 

"This can require more time to restore service but decreases the potential fire danger," a press release said.

Avista committed to a comprehensive 10-year wildfire resiliency plan in 2020 and has completed grid-hardening projects in areas of high fire risk. 

Some of these projects include replacing wooden transmission poles with steel, installing a special fire-retardant wire mesh around the bottom of wood poles and replacing wooden cross-arms on poles with stronger fiberglass to better protect the electrical equipment and reduce the likelihood of spark-ignition sources, the release said. 

Avista is urging customers to prepare to get through an outage in hot summer weather safely.

“We applaud Avista’s proactive approach to mitigating fire risk,” said Tom Jenkins, Cheney Fire Chief and Chair of the Inland Empire Fire Chiefs Association. “By prioritizing safety and preparedness, they have demonstrated a commendable commitment to protecting our communities.”