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Rocky Mountain Power to replace Casper Mountain distribution lines in multi-year wildfire-mitigation project
Summary
Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) told the Natrona County commissioners it will replace large sections of overhead distribution infrastructure on Casper Mountain over multiple years to reduce wildfire risk, creating planned outages and transportation impacts during construction.
Rocky Mountain Power plans to replace most of the distribution infrastructure on Casper Mountain in a multi-year wildfire-mitigation project, company officials told the Natrona County Board of Commissioners. The work will include replacing wood poles with steel poles or wrapped wood, installing covered conductor in place of bare wire, and placing some lines underground through switchbacks.
The work matters to mountain residents because the company expects outages during “cutovers” when lines are transferred to new infrastructure. “Those cutovers wouldn’t be any longer than what you would see in our normal day operations now,” said Jason Zamora, operations manager for Rocky Mountain Power in Casper, adding typical planned outages could last about three to six hours and customers will receive roughly 48-hour notices. The company also said it will coordinate directly with Casper Mountain Fire and Casper Mountain Fire Department on outage and safety planning.
RMP director of power delivery Ryan Robbins said the effort is intended primarily for wildfire mitigation. “The main thrust of the project…is wildfire mitigation,” Robbins said, describing phased construction and limited access windows on the mountain. Robbins told commissioners the first phase will go to bid within days and that the company expects civil and electrical contractors to mobilize in coming months.
Commissioners and county staff pressed the company to coordinate traffic and public communications. Robbins said RMP is meeting with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (YDOT) about boring locations and timing through switchbacks to reduce traffic impacts on Highway 251 and will involve county road and bridge staff in planning. “Our intent is to work hand in hand with YDOT,” Robbins said. The company said it will use corporate communications, radio, automated meter contact lists, door hangers and town-hall meetings to notify affected residents.
RMP officials told the board that both three-phase and single-phase distribution exist on the mountain; three-phase lines primarily form the backbone that heads up the mountain and will be a focus for undergrounding where feasible. The company also described internal wildfire operating protocols and said it filed a wildfire mitigation plan with the state public utilities commission. Portions of the plan allow the company to stop work entirely if weather or fuel moisture conditions make construction unsafe.
Commissioners asked whether ratepayers would be charged. Robbins said he did not have the company’s financing breakdown; as an operations manager he said he was not “in the wheelhouse” for that detail but that the project has been communicated through company channels and to the public utilities commission.
The company said some private-property access will be required where distribution ties to customer meters and that notifications will be sent to customers tied to meter contact information; customers also can sign up for text alerts. Rocky Mountain Power invited the county to suggest communication methods and offered to return to brief commissioners further as detailed plans and schedules develop.
The board did not take formal action; this presentation was for information and coordination.
