[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6150285,"mediaKeyId","5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2","parentId",5508304,"title","Horizon West says SunCrest SVC site is hardened, monitored and isolated from retail customers","audioSeconds",397,"startMs",8195000,"endMs",8592000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2&start=8195&end=8592","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2/thumbnail_8195000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6150285/California/Horizon-West-says-SunCrest-SVC-site-is-hardened-monitored-and-isolated-from-retail-customers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150285-c727eafdb712a3c52aa6c82e7ef33368/orig.mp4?Expires=1770592788&Signature=jBl6ykpYlkW8o8I-bM6twhr3zfaNktUysAFJXF1tVajkCxoj1z8djSXOAMiTNDn1rKNrc6adDRnyzU9unXjMj57uXBaKxfcEpxZPvS1bxlLodvHCTV-Ciw2YjBmY9HSSltGcVTohUd6GRUgzTHir-6ZzUi5PnHQBo7RWSBdGw-opncdz9WRMkcgohN0uuDukqQZYk1-gftz~5vJ6LOgLLTCF56DEq~aVmvJ~qDD6YVXiBBrmmiZvQaVYc63fzf6gkQJqYm3n4FEyCOCPO~mF9CgwAW1TRwzOlpvAVw5T4Fi2Pk-UZH~Tn0znEiZtXHQxXVG9YP96MusWQjDKHpX5dA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety","date","2025-07-30T00:17:30Z","article","SAN DIEGO COUNTY — Horizon West Transmission described operational and facility measures at its SunCrest Static VAR Compensator (SVC) site during a statewide wildfire mitigation workshop, stressing that the facility is transmission‑only, has no retail customers and has had no utility‑caused ignitions. \"The facility has no distribution, no retail loads, no generation, and no retail customers,\" said Lenille Gardner, senior regulatory affairs manager for Horizon West.

Horizon West described site features intended to reduce wildfire risk: a concrete perimeter wall, hardscape fuel‑modification zones around the substation, a 10,000‑gallon water tank, perimeter cameras and real‑time transformer oil‑and‑gas monitoring. The company said it undergrounded about a mile of transmission line after operations began and installed seismic pads for transformers and flame‑suppressing stone in containment pits. The site also maintains a contracted industrial fire brigade that provides a dedicated engine and a class‑B foam trailer.

Operations staff said monthly site inspections include vegetation checks, and that weed abatement in perimeter zones occurs one to four times per year depending on conditions. The operator noted the site is monitored 24/7, with camera access available to engineers on mobile devices. Horizon West said its red‑flag day protocols pause hot work and nonessential maintenance during elevated fire risk and that any PSPS coordination would be driven by the interconnecting utility (SDG&E) and the ISO.

Why it matters: The SunCrest facility is a transmission asset located inside a Tier 3 high fire threat district; the company said it has implemented design, operational and response measures that it says minimize ignition risk and improve response time.

What’s next: Horizon West said it will improve wildfire‑spread modeling and finish integration with wildfire analyst software (Technosilva) in Q3 2025, and will continue to coordinate emergency protocols with SDG&E and local fire authorities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2026-2028 Base WMPs – PacifiCorp, Liberty Utilities, TBC, HWT, and LS Power - 7/29/25","oneSentenceSummary","Horizon West told regulators that its SunCrest Static VAR Compensator site in San Diego County is transmission‑only, hardscaped with perimeter walls and cameras, equipped with transformer oil‑and‑gas monitoring and supported by contracted fire‑brigade resources; it reported no utility‑caused ignitions in site history.","taxTitle","Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, Other State Agencies, Executive, California","taxId",16242,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6150289,"LS Power Grid California describes conservative, data‑limited wildfire approach for newly energized substations",216,7390000,7606000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2&start=7390&end=7606","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2/thumbnail_7390000.jpg","/articles/6150289/California/LS-Power-Grid-California-describes-conservative-datalimited-wildfire-approach-for-newly-energized-substations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150289-1bf8a333b77a88b123923a93d19d0cf1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770592788&Signature=WAdO~8Z3tYiDs857rHqd2~L0YKqgnpfXqyu2MA1W8TJb5tdzfYptltzA5D5Z9p6IwN~ogMs4UBzwbHbf3dEIxeKpaA6GWX4D1T1S7rqKwaydTSJK9xk7P7rJ7N6cWrfJDoubISBLaVc-Iw5Y6kKpggO84UZhU3GjREbX7MEglV~HzXwKbgkJyW5UzLRpR2T15-WEMm8BMuSSh6x3aJL35eh65CcWiYTiNck-4fIBVEV53JoQu2v6lU96sz3nPAnL~LbAFSYqt-68coGLstVp1PzBJby62WwHXUNsszGu86EyF~9QbJyZPL5wbrbTjRgIT6vuN1ozhdMp4G03oDT-Ww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","SACRAMENTO AREA — LS Power Grid California told regulators on July 31 that because it operates new transmission substations with limited operational experience in California it is using a conservative, consequence‑focused approach to wildfire risk for the 2026–2028 base WMP cycle. The company said its first California substation (Orchard) was energized in March 2025, its second (Fern) is scheduled for Q1 2026 and the remaining assets are expected online in mid‑2028. \"We assume that an ignition can happen at any site,\" said Ritteraj, associate manager for wildfire mitigation at LSPGC. \"Given we don't have ignition history, we took a conservative data‑limited risk approach.\"

LS Power Grid California said its facilities are being built to advanced fire‑safe engineering standards and will include continuous supervised transformer monitoring, hardscaping and perimeter monitoring cameras. At the Orchard site the company said it has installed 29 high‑definition cameras, hardwired fire alarms and transformer monitoring; it also maintains a fire brigade contract with an engine and a class‑B foam trailer. The company said Fern — its highest modeled utility risk location — will be a focus for additional AI‑based smoke and flame detection pilots.

The company described plans to create a vegetation data hub and risk dashboards that incorporate automated weather feeds, and said it has adopted a standard risk framework that links hazard identification to mitigation priorities. LS Power characterized its WMP posture for 2026–2028 as consequence‑focused because of limited internal ignition and operations data but said it aims to build a data foundation to refine risk quantification as operations mature.

Why it matters: New transmission owners entering California must manage wildfire risk as they bring assets into service; LS Power’s conservative modeling assumptions (treating a modeled ignition as potentially converting to wildfire) reflect the company’s limited historical operating data in the state and shape how it is prioritizing near‑term mitigation.

What’s next: LS Power said it will continue to mature its situational awareness and monitoring systems as assets are energized and to coordinate with interconnecting utilities and the ISO on operational protocols.","LS Power Grid California told Energy Safety it is taking a conservative, consequence‑focused approach to wildfire risk for newly energized substations, will deploy advanced substation monitoring and is planning a data hub and AI smoke detection pilots as it brings multiple assets online through 2028.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6150295,"Pacificorp pilots drones, infrared and satellite data; outlines enhanced safety settings and incident tracking",0,4367000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2&start=4367&end=4367","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2/thumbnail_4367000.jpg","/articles/6150295/California/Pacificorp-pilots-drones-infrared-and-satellite-data-outlines-enhanced-safety-settings-and-incident-tracking","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150295-f349dd43bd816c77e65a17e44e9fcecc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770592788&Signature=D6Z~paFN9~IjOREq8qmjuHNrRyseNEQTycqUMhi7ski5OwC3Ggx5Q1Rn~BDxnWD3mb8LaRqeuuPmpNe09D7OJV40FBJsR4Pc2PcS1Z83saZqQM~eBYa31Buq~r6E4ck7XlQrEsfB6BTJi3tdx9UTB7HKvTkhyPCAqbRRMRvvGnxw5~ymdXvF~2fWHj2MAb8G17R1vvxWoWnCqJIFYsDGOBSkauRzCgROVD2xxmuV2lMypjlgX1UkGGBod5Xooep4UW~FurNcOUZGg~1-eXLznw9EOLYkXlRRS6WNZpm3qq2tdddybcaKxtmCihYcuJmpUWnsAoXJMpUxHNLYm5wKvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","SISKIYOU/MODOC/SHASTA COUNTIES — Pacificorp told a July 2025 Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety workshop that it is expanding inspection technologies and data systems to support its 2026–2028 base wildfire mitigation plan. The utility said current inspection work relies on patrol, detailed and intrusive inspections and that it is layering drone and infrared detection where appropriate. \"Our line patrolmen are licensed drone pilots and have that on them,\" said Michael Timbs, who described both vehicle‑based ground infrared for distribution and helicopter infrared for transmission.

Pacificorp said it is piloting satellite remote sensing and a vegetation‑management pilot in Oregon and Utah to assess how span‑level satellite chlorophyll detection and other remote data could be transferred to service areas in northern California. ‘‘We are currently in the data collection phase of the pilot project and are working with our vendor to review GIS data of our assets within the project area,’’ said Brian King, director of vegetation management support. Deliverables for the pilot were expected in September 2025.

The company described an Enhanced Safety Settings (ESS) program (previously called Elevated Fire Risk settings) that modifies protections and reclosing behavior by circuit during high‑risk days. Jonathan Connolly, director of real‑time engineering, said Pacificorp ranks circuits by outages, customer‑minutes lost and the number of meteorology wildfire risk days to identify worst performers. The company reported recent steps to add asset‑condition data (high‑impedance fault indicators and other conditions) into inspection feeds, and is developing dashboards to automate ranking updates. \"When possible we do try to coordinate these projects with existing circuit hardening projects such as expulsion fuse replacement or covered conductor installation programs,\" Connolly said.

On incident documentation, Pacificorp described a revised wildfire incident response form rolled out in Q3 2024 and automated ingestion of incident attributes into Foundry (Palantir) for a staged \"landing zone\" used to validate incidents and support future trend analysis. \"We rolled this out in Q3 2024 and this significantly improved the fire incident data collection process,\" said Chase Talbot, director of asset performance. Pacificorp also maintains a materials‑failure database and a process for follow up investigations and manufacturer engagement, which company engineers said was not initially designed to produce automatic failure‑rate statistics but has informed corrective actions.

Pacificorp said it has not yet committed to microgrid or DER programs specifically for PSPS or ESS mitigation in California WMPs, although the company evaluated pilots previously and said it would consider microgrid concepts going forward. The utility also said it is evaluating distribution infrared inspection pilots and considering planned drone inspection cycles, beyond the current on‑demand and patrol uses, subject to FAA approvals for beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight flights.

Why it matters: Pacificorp operates about 47,000 customers across more than 11,000 square miles in northern California counties where 63 percent of territory lies in Tier 2 or Tier 3 high fire threat districts; improvements to inspection, incident tracking and ESS targeting may change how the company prioritizes mitigation spending and outage impacts.

What’s next: Pacificorp indicated pilot results will be published (pilot deliverables were expected in September 2025) and that stakeholders can file WMP comments per the docket schedule.","Pacificorp told regulators it is piloting drone and infrared inspections, testing satellite data for vegetation management, and is advancing an enhanced safety settings program that ranks circuits for mitigation; it also reported improvements to wildfire incident reporting and a materials failure process.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6150298,"Liberty Utilities says fast‑trip relays and pole replacements are core of 2026–28 wildfire plan",1023,647000,1670000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2&start=647&end=1670","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5508304-5b6d99e8f6c1d428fcfabe76ee126bd2/thumbnail_647000.jpg","/articles/6150298/California/Liberty-Utilities-says-fasttrip-relays-and-pole-replacements-are-core-of-202628-wildfire-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150298-76d557651c65744bdc16f03bca6c5e1d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770592788&Signature=X3l0peQpyGo897yXc6E58P9P2~raA8qIEeYj~oIbcLIIopiceUuciUeuhD4nMgsSWqliy1pRETthGIfUr1hvfcIe23Sk5hX1pZDVWroy5pTO5aEww3MdpKb~LZXmtNLrrs-nwlyfypekjAiwfWSBAl9s73EtxXroc~mcsiaj-mbsGZZoTJ1vgIx92lQWD36quXFyt0Hc2YvBi9oxxlBXvlwfo7djKTlOJUsdGVpKnnY7zdR3zXoPrT353qTaj~aN05RGjgMxYBvuSzaY54~dDB1EJL2j6RygWiFvv-ju6dI3jNnr2P~XA3qu1tr8sKpqg1guDZP4u9wdmdGSH7PfOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Liberty Utilities told the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety during a July 2025 public workshop that its top wildfire‑mitigation priorities for 2026–2028 are systemwide ‘‘sensitive relay profiles’’ (fast‑trip) and extensive pole replacements, alongside continued lidar vegetation inspections and a smart‑meter rollout to improve situational awareness. \"We treat our entire system as though it's a high fire threat district,\" said Eric Schwarzrock, president of Liberty Utilities. \"That is what we focus on.\"

The company said it plans to implement sensitive relay profile (SRP) settings on all capable devices across its distribution system by August 2025 and that recent risk modeling indicated the SRP deployment would cut modeled wildfire risk by 74 percent compared with not having SRP in place. \"The risk reduction of having this SRP program implemented across our system versus not having it all at all, it reduced our risk by 74%,\" said Matt Wetzel, manager of engineering.

Liberty presented a 2026 budget of roughly $36 million for wildfire mitigation work, with about $23 million identified as capital spending and roughly $12 million earmarked for vegetation management. The utility said much of the capital will go to pole replacements (about 400 poles in 2026), covered conductor miles and other overhead hardening. \"Our modeling is revealing that pole replacements was gonna be an area where we get the most bang for our buck,\" Schwarzrock said.

Vegetation management relies on annual lidar flights covering roughly 700 miles of overhead lines, the company said. Eric Oiler, Liberty's vegetation‑management manager, described lidar point‑cloud deliveries and a software pipeline that produces GIS deliverables and work orders for crews. Liberty said it uses action thresholds that exceed minimum clearance requirements so it can trim proactively. Oiler said Liberty began testing satellite imagery and span‑level chlorophyll change detection in 2024 to help pilot tree‑health monitoring, but that satellite methods are still being refined to reduce false positives in dense stands.

Company leaders discussed operations that disable reclosing and progressively prioritize safety over reliability as fire risk increases, moving feeders into \"fire season mode,\" \"extreme fire season mode\" with fast trips, and, when necessary, public safety power shutoffs (PSPS). They also said a full smart‑meter deployment will be complete by 2026 and will be used for faster outage detection and targeted communications.

In response to public questions, Liberty said the roughly $36 million annual wildfire budget is similar to prior years and is already reflected in current rates, and therefore is not expected to create new upward pressure on customer bills. The company also detailed pre‑PSPS outreach and supports for medical‑baseline and access‑and‑functional‑needs customers, including targeted communications, hotel assistance and temporary generator deployment in some cases.

Liberty said it is evaluating battery and other distributed energy resource (DER) approaches through multi‑utility working groups but has not yet deployed a DER program tied specifically to SRP or PSPS mitigation. Officials also described efforts to increase SCADA coverage of devices, refine relay automation, add more sectionalizing devices to limit the number of customers affected by any single trip, and expand customer education on why fast‑trip settings are used.

Why it matters: Liberty serves a territory in which the utility says 94 percent is in a high fire threat district and told regulators it is using a mix of vegetation work, infrastructure hardening and protective‑device settings to reduce ignition likelihood and consequence. The SRP deployment in particular is presented internally as the single largest modeled near‑term reduction in wildfire risk.

What’s next: Liberty’s presentations and slides are part of the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety’s 2026–2028 base WMP docket. Written opening comments on the Liberty WMP were listed as due Aug. 8, 2025.","Liberty Utilities told a state workshop it will deploy systemwide sensitive relay profiles (fast‑trip) and replace about 400 poles as central elements of its 2026–2028 wildfire mitigation plan, while continuing lidar‑based vegetation inspections and a smart‑meter rollout intended to improve situational awareness.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Horizon West says SunCrest SVC site is hardened, monitored and isolated from retail customers

LS Power Grid California describes conservative, data‑limited wildfire approach for newly energized substations

Pacificorp pilots drones, infrared and satellite data; outlines enhanced safety settings and incident tracking

Liberty Utilities says fast‑trip relays and pole replacements are core of 2026–28 wildfire plan