SEDALIA, Colo. — The major California electric utility PG&E may be responsible for several wildfires in the state this year. Their equipment is currently being investigated.
The company has recently been shutting down power to some areas prior to wind events to help prevent more fires from starting.
Now other states are checking their electric networks, including Colorado.
“We’re paying attention to it, I don’t think it is something that we would consider doing," said Josh Liss, the spokesman for Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), which covers parts of 11 counties in Colorado. "We haven’t changed our thinking on it as a result of what’s happening in California.”
Liss said it’s because they have great confidence in the condition of their 5,000-square-mile network.
“We like to think that our grid is reliable, and safe, and well-built," Liss said. "We’re constantly working to improve it."
IREA has an ongoing power pole and overhead line inspection. Liss said they inspect more than 12,000 poles every year.
They have also been doing a vegetation removal program since 2014 to keep trees and limbs away from the power lines. Liss said they just added five $5 million into next year's mitigation.
“We couldn’t possibly do our whole service territory in one year, so we have it broken down into six individual sections,” Liss said.
He said that rotation is the key to not having to take drastic measures like proactively blacking out power to prevent wildfires.
Liss said that the most potential for trouble in the powerlines, like limbs or downed trees, is in the distribution system. This means the smaller power lines that connect residences to the main lines.
If IREA costumers spot a limb or tree close to a power line, they are asked to call the hotline at 1-800-332-9540. Liss said they will send a crew out to cut branches back, which is a free service.
"We would much rather spend a little money to stop a problem before it becomes really expensive," Liss said.
Another large Colorado electric utility Xcel Energy sent a statement to 9NEWS Wednesday also saying that proactively shutting down power lines to prevent wildfires is not something they are considering.
They also concentrate on a mitigation program to keep vegetation away from power lines, and are testing a fire-resistant coating for wood poles to increase their ability to resist fire.
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