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BPA says wildfire season forced PSP activation in Harney County but service restored; agency reports record peak load
Summary
BPA activated a Public Safety Power shutoff in Harney County during a Red Flag warning; service for some co‑op customers was interrupted for several hours and restored sooner than expected. BPA also reported a record summer peak load of 9,365 MW on July 9.
Administrator John Harston said BPA is in the midst of the region's most intense wildfire season and described operational steps the agency took to reduce ignition risk and preserve reliability.
Harston said a National Weather Service Red Flag warning with high winds in Harney County, Oregon, prompted BPA to activate its Public Safety Power shutoff (PSP) protocols to reduce wildfire ignition risk. "This action interrupted service for some of Harney County Electric co‑op's customers for several hours but we were able to restore service sooner than expected," Harston said. He added BPA will continue refining PSP processes and provide as much advance notice as possible while recognizing conditions can change quickly.
Harston also described operations during a heat wave and the region's record peak load: on July 9 BPA recorded a peak summer load of 9,365 megawatts (the prior day was 9,179 MW). The agency said it shifted outages and maintenance, coordinated with Energy Northwest to ensure access to Columbia Generating Station and used upstream reservoir releases to support generation when possible.
BPA emphasized its workforce and procedure improvements are focused on safety and system reliability and encouraged continued coordination with local utilities and firefighting partners as conditions evolve.
