LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — NV Energy is increasing its response to wildfires with a plan to cut power when an active wildfire threatens equipment, according to a Tuesday news release.
An “emergency de-energization of the power lines” will occur as a safeguard, avoiding additional fire risks and protecting first responders.
Customers could lose their power without warning in such an emergency, NV Energy said. Outages will vary based on the size, direction and location of a wildfire, the company said. “Due to the rapid response for an emergency de-energization, it may not be possible to send an advance notification to customers,” the news release said.
In cases like that, customers can monitor the outage on their smart phone using NV Energy’s outage map.
“When an emergency de-energization occurs, NV Energy’s online outage maps will be updated, and customers will receive outage notifications based on their communication preferences. NV Energy will provide updates on the emergency de-energization and potential restoration times,” the company said.
NV Energy will use a multi-point checklist to determine whether it is safe to restore power or determine the need to delay restoration to allow first responders to respond to wildfire conditions safely.
Power will be restored to all customers as quickly as possible, but this may need to be done in phases, NV Energy said.
The new safeguards are in addition to pre-emptive public safety outages that NV Energy sometimes implements during high fire danger, such as in past summers when lightning storms were expected on Mt. Charleston.
Electric providers nationwide have reacted to fires that involved power lines and equipment in Northern California. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) was blamed for 2021’s Dixie Fire, which burned 1,300 homes and other buildings.
NV Energy cited the new step as industry best practices.
NV Energy encourages customers to prepare for outages by updating their contact information and signing up for alerts on MyAccount. An emergency kit along with a plan to meet their family’s needs during outages is also recommended. Tips for preparing for an outage are available at https://www.nvenergy.com/outages-and-emergencies/outage-preparation-tips.
More information is available at https://www.nvenergy.com/safety/wildfire.
