Hardening Our System
General Manager
On July 2 at approximately 2:30 p.m., Lassen Municipal Utility District (LMUD) experienced a systemwide outage that lasted nearly 24 hours, with power fully restored at 12:30 p.m. on July 3.
The cause of the outage was a sudden and unexpected event affecting the PG&E transmission line that supplies power to our system. We later discovered the outage was caused by the fast-moving Thompson Fire.
On pages 28 and 29 of this issue, we—along with other utilities—discuss how extreme weather can increase the risk of wildfires. These conditions can trigger utilities to de-energize lines on purpose—lessening the risk of fires and making the safety of our communities the top priority.
Deenergizing lines on purpose may seem counterintuitive to our mission to serve our community. However, we must put safety first. Although LMUD does not have a Public Safety Power Shutoff protocol of its own, we could be affected by PG&E’s decision to enact its PSPS policy. We do have safeguards in place to limit the impact of these events.
As described on page 28, LMUD’s wildfire mitigation plan aims to identify and mitigate threats that may contribute to the ignition of a wildfire. The plan is mandated by the state of California and is updated annually. You can view the plan on the LMUD website.
In addition to our wildfire mitigation plan, LMUD’s operations department works year-round to trim hazard trees and vegetation that encroach on our rights-of-way. We are also working to harden our facilities to make them fire-resistant, including replacing poles in our transmission corridor that carry power from our point of interconnection with PG&E in Westwood to Susanville. LMUD was awarded a multimillion-dollar grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help offset the cost of this work.
As most of you are aware, LMUD is building the Skedaddle Substation in Wendel. This substation will give us the ability to interconnect with NV Energy to the east through the Reno to the Alturas transmission line. We expect construction to be completed by the end of 2025. Once built, the line will greatly improve our reliability and lessen our dependence on PG&E’s Caribou transmission line. We plan on staying connected to PG&E. However, the Caribou line will no longer be our primary source of power delivery. It will be used as a backup and for delivering the electricity generated by Honey Lake Power to fulfill its purchase power contract.
In the coming months, we will update you on the Skedaddle project's progress and timelines. You’ll find this information on our website under the “News” tab at the top of the home page. We will also post the link on our Facebook page. As a reminder, updates on Skedaddle are part of our regular monthly board meetings, held at 5:30 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Meetings are in the boardroom at 65 S. Roop Street. You can find the agendas and minutes on our website. All are welcome.
Robby Hamlin
General Manager