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APS briefs supervisors on targeted public-safety power shutoffs and mitigation work
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Summary
APS described vegetation management, hazard-tree removal, AI camera detection and an expanded set of PSPS feeders; the company said PSPS is a last-resort tool and launched an online map and outreach to notify customers of at-risk lines.
An APS fire mitigation specialist told Coconino County supervisors the utility has expanded its public-safety power shutoff (PSPS) planning and tools while continuing vegetation management and asset-hardening work.
Jay Nielsen said APS has a multi-part program that includes forestry-led vegetation management, hazard-tree mitigation, asset hardening (pole replacement, pole wrapping), annual inspections and drone patrols. "We have 6,000 transmission miles, 32,000 distribution line milesand 19% of our power line system is in high fire risk areas," he said.
On PSPS, Nielsen described it as "a tool that we have at APS" and "kind of the last resort" for extreme wind, low humidity and high-fire-spread conditions. He said APS has identified high-risk feeders, installed isolation points to limit outages to the smallest practical area, and published an online map (active as of April 9) where customers can enter addresses to see if they are on a PSPS feeder.
Nielsen said communications plans include targeted mailers, text and email alerts, media outreach and coordination with county emergency management and other partners. He told the board APS has not yet executed a PSPS event in the region and is working to learn from early operations so that communications and restoration timelines are as clear as possible.
Board members thanked APS for outreach and recommended continued coordination with other utilities and remote-area providers when PSPS decisions may affect customers who get power via overhead-to-underground transitions.
APS emphasized PSPS is one part of a broader mitigation program aimed at reducing the need for shutoffs by reducing ignitions and hardening infrastructure.
