Wildfire Mitigation Considerations for Distribution

Amid escalating wildfire threats, electric utilities are intensifying their efforts to minimize risk. Their overarching goal is to protect lives and property, maintain service reliability, and ensure environmental stewardship. This paper examines the multi-pronged wildfire mitigation strategies utilities employ, focusing on PG&E, PacifiCorp, and SDG&E’s grid hardening, vegetation management, and protection coordination efforts. These utilities integrate traditional mitigation measures like asset inspection and vegetation control with advanced technologies, including weather monitoring systems, high-resolution cameras, and LiDAR. A case study on PacifiCorp highlights the challenges and need for flexibility. As the wildfire landscape shifts, utilities must remain agile, emphasizing preventive measures and robust community partnerships to ensure safety and a reliable power supply.