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Redding Electric Utility updates wildfire mitigation plan; council approves and staff prepares public safety power‑outage planning
Summary
Redding Electric Utility on Tuesday presented its updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan — required under state law — and outlined vegetation management, system hardening and emergency operations work; council approved the plan.
Redding Electric Utility (REU) briefed the City Council Tuesday on its updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan and asked council to approve the annual submission required under California law. Assistant Director Nathan Aronson outlined accomplishments in 2024 and the utility’s near‑term priorities.
Why it matters: Senate Bill 901 requires utilities to prepare wildfire mitigation plans that document system hardening, vegetation management, emergency operations and technology investments intended to reduce utility‑caused ignition risk and improve emergency response.
2024 accomplishments listed by REU included: clearing 803 acres of power‑line right‑of‑way; using goats to clear 167 acres in difficult access locations; continuing pole wrapping and non‑arcing arrestor installation; and regular coordination with Redding Fire Department and other city departments. REU also activated its Emergency Operations Center five times last year for red‑flag warnings and refined internal procedures.
Aronson said REU has added hotline/recloser mode changes and other prudent utility practices to reduce energy release during faults, and that crews will finish planned system hardening work this year. The utility is also upgrading GIS and other situational‑awareness tools to support faster decisions during weather events.
Public safety power shutoffs (PSPS): Staff said REU has not previously used wide PSPS but is preparing for circumstances in which a controlled de‑energization could reduce wildfire risk. The utility is studying historical weather and fire data to identify the types of extreme events that might trigger a shutoff and will develop customer notification and outreach plans for vulnerable customers.
Council questions focused on PSPS impacts and customer outreach; Aronson said REU is developing a public‑notification plan and will identify critical customers who would be contacted early if a shutoff were likely.
Action: Council approved the updated wildfire mitigation plan and authorized REU to submit the plan to the Wildfire Safety Advisory Board. The vote was unanimous.
Next steps: REU will continue system hardening, finish non‑arcing arrestor installation, upgrade GIS, finalize wildfire‑response procedures and develop a PSPS notification plan that identifies at‑risk customers and communications steps.
Attribution: Presentation and technical details were provided by Nathan Aronson, assistant director of transmission and distribution for Redding Electric Utility.
