Black Hills Energy outlines selective ‘public safety power shutoff’ plan for Lawrence County to reduce wildfire risk

Summary

Black Hills Energy told the Lawrence County Commission it plans a targeted public safety power shutoff (PSPS) program using weather monitoring and sectionalized switching to reduce wildfire ignitions; the utility said shutoffs would be a last resort and that it will notify emergency managers and customers as early as 48 hours out.

Black Hills Energy representatives on June 30 told the Lawrence County Commission they are preparing a targeted public safety power shutoff (PSPS) program designed to reduce wildfire risk across the Black Hills.

"This is a last resort scenario," Michael Povany, general manager of operations for Black Hills Energy, said during a presentation to the commission. He said the company’s plan uses a mix of national and company weather monitoring, sectionalized switching, and pre-event staging to limit the geographic scope of any de-energization.

Why it matters: county staff and commissioners were given maps showing Lawrence County’s elevated wildfire risk and asked to weigh the trade-offs between reducing ignition risk and temporarily interrupting power. The company told the commission the county shows roughly an "81% higher potential fire risk" on commonly used risk maps compared…

Black Hills Energy outlines selective ‘public safety power shutoff’ plan for Lawrence County to reduce wildfire risk

Summary

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