Oregon PUC approves this year’s wildfire mitigation plans for three largest electric utilities
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Public Utility Commission recently approved the wildfire mitigation plans for the state's three largest investor-owned electric utilities, including Idaho Power, PacifiCorp (Pacific Power) and Portland General Electric.
The 2023 WMPs reflect the continued changes in the wildfire mitigation landscape and are the second to be filed since Senate Bill 762 passed during the 2021 legislative session.
Senate Bill 762 and Oregon administrative rules established formal standards for electric utility wildfire mitigation plans, including the information utilities are required to include in their plans. Plans must include identification of high-risk areas within the utility’s service territory and actions to minimize those risks, as well as protocols for implementing public safety power shutoffs (PSPS). Utilities also need to describe how they determined which risk reduction strategies to pursue.
“Although some of Oregon’s regulated utilities have been developing wildfire mitigation plans for years and reporting to the PUC informally, this is only the second formal filing to the Oregon PUC,” said Megan Decker, PUC Chair. “We recognize the progress Oregon utilities have made from the first plans filed last year and look forward to the continued evolution of these plans.”
Idaho Power, PacifiCorp, and PGE all filed their 2023 WMPs prior to Dec. 30, 2022, as required by the bill and regulations. PUC staff and an independent evaluator reviewed each plan to ensure they met the statutory requirements and to make recommendations to continue evolving the plans to further address future risk.
A series of meetings were held to evaluate key topics, including asset health, risk mitigation, vegetation management, system hardening, situational awareness, community engagement, and public safety protocols, among others.
From these discussions and numerous requests to the utilities for additional information, PUC staff developed a list of additional recommendations to be considered for the 2024 WMPs.
“As the PUC staff noted, the 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Plans show how the utilities are continuing to reduce the risk of ignitions,” added Letha Tawney, PUC Commissioner. “The in-depth review of the plans also demonstrates how utilities in Oregon – like utilities across the West – must continue adapting to the changing landscape to keep communities safe.
Idaho Power, PacifiCorp, and PGE’s plans met the requirements, leading to an approval by all three Commissioners of their WMPs and instruction to work with the PUC to address the recommendations made by the PUC in their 2024 plans. Each utility was instructed to provide a report describing their efforts to address each PUC recommendation in their 2024 WMP filing.
The 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Plans for Idaho Power, PacifiCorp, and PGE are available online for review. WMPs for all other Oregon electric utilities are currently available online; for those plans there is no specific timeline required for updates, but as they are updated, they are required to be filed with the PUC within 30 days of their governing boards’ approval for the PUC to post online.
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The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) regulates customer rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities, including Portland General Electric, Idaho Power, Pacific Power, Avista, Cascade Natural, and NW Natural. The PUC also regulates landline telephone providers and select water companies. The PUC’s mission is to ensure Oregonians have access to safe, reliable, and fairly priced utility services that advance state policy and promote the public interest. We use an inclusive process to evaluate differing viewpoints and visions of the public interest and arrive at balanced, well-reasoned, independent decisions supported by fact and law. For more information about the PUC, visit oregon.gov/puc.
