As I am writing, the Anvil Fire is burning a few miles inland, northeast of Humbug Mountain. In the wake of the extended power outage for our neighbors in Del Norte County, California, caused by the Smith River Complex Fire, Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative is watching the Anvil Fire closely.

For those unfamiliar with what happened in Del Norte County, I’ll give an overview. The Smith River Complex Fire burned through the Pacific Power transmission line right-of-way that serves Del Norte. The two transmission lines in that right-of-way were deenergized on August 18 and damaged by the fire, putting Crescent City and Del Norte County in the dark. Due to the active fire, the lines could not be accessed to make repairs. With no other option to restore power, Pacific Power trucked in many large portable diesel generators to restore electric service to nearly all of its affected customers, ending a weeklong outage. Transmission line repairs were completed more than three weeks later on September 10, restoring normal service.

Curry County has a similar power system configuration in that it is served by two transmission lines in a single right-of-way. However, there are significant differences between the two systems. Pacific Power serves Del Norte County with two redundant 115 kilovolt wood pole transmission lines. The Bonneville Power Administration serves from Fairview to Gold Beach with one wood pole 115 kV line and one steel structure 230 kV line in a single right-of-way. From Gold Beach to Brookings, CCEC has two 115 kV lines on steel poles designed to 230 kV standards, also in a single right-of-way.

The Pacific Power transmission lines serving Del Norte County, BPA and CCEC transmission lines serving Curry County are redundant. They are redundant because both counties are served by two transmission lines, each capable of carrying the full county load. However, the transmission lines serving the two counties differ in their resilience to wildfire.

The 115 kV wood pole lines are subject to damage by wildfire. The 230 kV lines on steel structures are much more robust and much less prone to fire damage. The transmission lines serving Curry County are much more resilient to the threat of wildfire.

Many other factors contribute to power system redundance and resilience. Both characteristics add to the overall reliability of a power system. Next month, I’ll explain more about what CCEC does to build redundance and resilience into our power system to ensure you have a reliable energy source to power your life.