In a high-risk wildfire season, here’s how Idaho Power plans to mitigate risks
.jpg "Above normal temperatures and smoky conditions plagued the Boise area last week. Idaho Power detailed its wildfire mitigation plans, including the risk for fires in Ada County, on Monday.")
It’s no secret wildfires have become an increasingly dire problem in many Western states, including Idaho, even though the Gem State has escaped the widespread damage seen in Washington, Oregon and California the past few years.
In response to what has been a severe start to the 2021 season, Idaho Power is attempting to mitigate the chances that the company’s infrastructure could lead to a destructive — and possibly deadly — fire.
Officials from Idaho Power presented their mitigation plan to the Ada County Commission on Monday afternoon — a plan that could include increased outages in some areas and clearing vegetation around company utility sites.
Idaho Power Regional Manager Brent Lulloff told commissioners that it’s not just how dry the land is that matters, it’s also how many people live in a certain place. As a result, the Foothills area in Ada County is particularly vulnerable.
“Density has played a role in that, too, which is why the Foothills are what we define as a ‘red zone,’” Lulloff said.
Ada County’s current red zone extends from north of Eagle down to Lucky Peak State Park, before jutting north toward Idaho City, he said.
Wildfires in the West have brought additional scrutiny to power companies, whose infrastructure started some of the nation’s most destructive blazes. The Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 killed 85 people and cost PG&E, the utility company faulted for the fire’s ignition, billions of dollars in settlements.
In response to increased risk, Idaho Power has created a Fire Potential Index, in which the risk of a fire igniting from extreme weather is measured alongside the area of the potential fire itself.
In a “red/red” scenario, the most severe of either metric, work by Idaho Power employees might stop altogether rather than risk starting a fire. Red/red scenarios are determined by daily weather outlooks and factors such as wind and humidity, Lulloff said.
“We will stop work or maybe reschedule that work,” he said, adding that would include repairs on outages and restorations.
Red/red scenarios also affect how early an outage could occur. Typically, if objects such as trees fall and block a power line, the system will check whether the line is clear three times before shutting down. Under a red/red scenario, it would attempt the process only once before there’s a sustained outage.
In Ada County, fallen trees are especially a risk in starting wildfires, and quicker outages could prevent them from igniting while on a power line, Lulloff said.
Lulloff said this could increase the risk of outages during red/red conditions. Idaho Power had one red/red event in Ada County last Thursday, he said. Wind speeds were expected to increase for multiple hours, which can lead to very dangerous wildfire conditions.
Drought affects wildfire risk and Idaho Power’s output
The U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows that 8% of Idaho is in “exceptional drought,” the most severe category. While Ada County is still in “moderate drought,” the risk of fires in the region is pronounced.
Drought is also affecting how Idaho Power can generate its supply, which relies more heavily on water than other power companies. Company data show that 41% of Idaho Power’s electricity came from hydroelectric plants in 2020, compared with 7% nationally.
Low water supply caused by a deepening drought could change that.
Idaho Power’s senior manager of water resources, Kresta Davis, told commissioners that the utility will rely more on purchasing energy from other areas, as well as natural gas, to make up the difference.
Megan Ronk, the utility’s director of business innovation and development, said protecting the water supply will be important for Idaho Power’s clean-energy future.
“It’s something that we rely heavily on,” Ronk said.
Wildfires have sprung up across Central and North Idaho this year — and have been very bad in neighboring states — with much of Treasure Valley covered in smoke that has drifted in. Gov. Brad Little warned that Idaho could face its worst wildfire season in years and called on residents to take caution.
Lulloff pointed to an article published by the Idaho Statesman in June, in which scientists said Idaho was lucky to avoid the catastrophic fires in states such as California and Oregon recently.
“That luck might be changing,” Commissioner Kendra Kenyon said.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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