The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize a letter to Ryan Flynn, president of Pacific Power, requesting utility engagement on electrical resiliency and microgrid feasibility.

Supervisor Howard, who led the item, said consultants working on a previously authorized feasibility study reported Pacific Power “does not have the capacity to address these type of issues.” He asked the utility to assemble staff and technical resources so Site Logic and the county can move from feasibility to implementation planning. Howard noted published feasibility estimates showing a range of potential costs: about $70 million to reconnect to a higher-voltage grid in one scenario and as much as $179 million for a broader interconnection that would serve both Del Norte and Curry counties.

Why it matters: The county has faced outages and infrastructure risks since the Smith River Complex fire; supervisors said microgrid or redundancy options would protect critical facilities—hospital, high school, airport and emergency operations centers—during prolonged outages. The board framed the letter as a request to convene and collaborate, not a demand that PacifiCorp fund projects directly.

Public reaction and board discussion: Members of the public urged parallel investments in forest management and fuel reduction to reduce fire risk and thus lower the likelihood of outages. Supervisor Howard responded that both strategies—better forest management and grid redundancy—are complementary and that federal and state funding mechanisms could help offset large capital costs.

Outcome: The board approved the letter to Pacific Power and directed staff and the microgrid committee to continue pursuing feasibility work and cooperative discussions with utilities and federal partners.