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Glendale utility reviews windstorm response, battery storage safety after regional wildfires
Summary
Glendale Water & Power officials reviewed damage and restoration from a recent windstorm, discussed wildfire preparedness and described design differences meant to reduce battery storage fire risk after the Moss Landing incident.
Glendale Water and Power officials reported on January 22 that crews restored service after a severe windstorm and described steps the utility has taken to reduce fire risk and limit battery-storage hazards following the Moss Landing battery incident.
The report by Interim General Manager Manny Robledo said the utility experienced widespread overhead damage during high winds, with a maximum of about 12,000 customers out at once and more than 700 system incidents. Robledo said crews worked continuously and that “All Glendale Water and Power customers were restored on 14th, which was exactly 1 week later.”
Why it matters: the commission framed the briefing as both an immediate after-action and a prompt to examine whether planned projects and wildfire-prevention measures remain adequate as weather extremes and new energy infrastructure increase risk.
Robledo told the commission the utility de-energized a subtransmission line across the hill to La Crescenta during red-flag warnings and disabled automatic reclosers so crews could patrol circuits before reclosing them. He described vegetation-management spending of “over $4,000,000 a year” on clearing around high‑voltage lines and said drone inspections and a five‑year facility inspection cycle are part of prevention work.
Commissioners and staff also discussed a separate battery-storage fire at Moss Landing as a point of comparison. Scott Mellon, assistant general manager for power management, described differences between the Moss Landing site and Glendale’s planned storage design. He said Moss Landing used NMC (nickel‑manganese‑cobalt) cells in a rack‑mounted building and that the chemistry is more prone to cascade fires in that configuration. By contrast, Mellon said Glendale’s design uses LFP chemistry and includes spacing, individual enclosures for battery sets and deluge systems intended to prevent fire spread: “LFP…is more stable, less likely to catch fire and, have a sustained burn or cause a cascade effect.”
Mellon cautioned that water deluge systems are intended to limit spread rather than immediately extinguish a battery cell’s internal hot core, and he said Glendale’s design decisions were coordinated with the fire department.
Commission direction and follow-up: Commissioners asked staff to compile a targeted follow-up report on utility preparedness, including differences between the Moss Landing incident and Glendale’s designs, the resilience of key pump stations and reservoirs, and any near‑term steps—such as additional patrols or valve checks—before the next fire season. Several commissioners said they would also invite the fire department to brief the commission about operational needs during large wildfire incidents.
Ending: Staff said they will return with details and recommended actions so the commission can evaluate whether changes to timing or scope of maintenance and construction are warranted before high‑risk weather windows.
