Planned power shut off possible for Rocky Mountain Power customers in Cedar City

CEDAR CITY, Utah (KUTV) — Rocky Mountain Power has been considering a step they’ve never taken in Utah before — planned power shut offs to prevent potentially inflating a wildfire.

The company let customers know on Thursday that planned outages could be possible in Cedar City north to Richfield.

RMP spokesperson Tiffany Erickson told 2News around 4 p.m. on Friday that there would be no planned outages that day. But the company is still monitoring Saturday.

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Company officials said people throughout Utah should be prepared for unplanned outages as well, with winds clocked at the Salt Lake City Airport well into the 50s Friday afternoon.

Alexis Cooley was experiencing the wild weather in Cedar City firsthand on Friday.

“I think it’s crazy. I hate the wind," she said.

Combine the sustained winds with dry conditions, and Rocky Mountain Power warned customers proactive power shut offs could be coming.

“I think it’s kind of crazy,” Cooley said. “Kind of sucks, but it also sounds pretty smart, the fire danger with that. I’m kind of glad that they’re thinking ahead about it.”

This is the first time Rocky Mountain Power has ever considered taking this kind of step in Utah. 2News spoke with Tiffany Erickson with RMP to find out why now.

“It’s the weather. I mean weather is the biggest impact to our system,” she said.

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Erickson said with conditions the way they have been, they’re anticipating this won’t be the last time this summer they’ll have to consider planned service interruptions. It’s all in an effort to try and prevent their power lines from potentially being an ignition source.

On top of the potential for planned outages to prevent wildfires, Rocky Mountain Power has implemented what they’re calling "wildfire settings" on certain power lines in Central and Southern Utah. That means if anything like a tree branch hits the line, Erickson said, they'll be ready.

“Our system will shut off within a tenth of a second, because what that does is it makes sure there is no arcing or sparking, and it reduces the risk of a wildfire," she said.

However, restoring those lines will take time.

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“It will also make for a prolonged outage because we make sure that we’re inspecting those lines before we reenergize," Erickson said.

She said additional crews have been sent to Southern and Central Utah ahead of recent windy weather. They also have a team of meteorologists monitoring.

In situations where a planned shutoff needs to happen, customers will be notified. How much notice they’ll have all depends on the weather, which can change quickly.

“Obviously we want to notify customers as quickly as possible, but we have to prioritize public safety," Erickson said.

Customers will be notified if there is a planned outage Saturday, and Erickson said a cooling center will be opened in Cedar City if that happens.