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Rocky Mountain Power details wildfire mitigation steps, warns of possible outages in Idaho
Summary
A Rocky Mountain Power representative briefed Bannock County officials on AI-driven wildfire forecasting, expanded weather monitoring and equipment upgrades the utility is installing across Idaho; the company said some measures can reduce reliability, including planned de-energization during fires.
A Rocky Mountain Power representative told Bannock County officials on July 3 that the utility is expanding wildfire mitigation efforts in Idaho, including daily AI-driven forecasting, more weather stations and changes to substation safety settings that can lead to extended outages when conditions require de-energization.
The presentation outlined why county residents could see reduced reliability during wildfire season. "We're basically put that to one shot," the Rocky Mountain Power representative said of the company’s changes to substation breaker settings, meaning a breaker that trips will stay open until crews can patrol the line. The company also described using spotters to decide when to de-energize lines near active fires.
Officials said the measures matter because they may cause longer or more frequent power outages during extreme fire…
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