Oklahoma energy companies monitoring power grid amid wildfire risks

Downed or arcing power lines are a risk in Oklahoma, especially when the state experiences periods of high wind speeds. 

Wildfire activity in much of the state increases the concern as a threat to power grid infrastructure, something Governor Stitt mentioned in a press briefing on Saturday. 

“Let’s do some of the controlled burns earlier and get rid of some of the brush, if the timing is right, to make sure we don’t have the transmission lines starting things up,” Stitt told reporters. “We can also think about de-energizing at certain levels of wind speeds.” 

Stitt’s suggestions have previously been in effect in varying dosages across the state. 

OG&E, for example, has its own internal wildfire response team. 

“Taking operational actions that mitigate the risk of ignition and enhance safety precautions when company electric infrastructure is threatened by wildfire could include, but is not limited to, stopping work on energized lines, stopping high work in bucket trucks, and de-energizing powerlines, if necessary, to correct a condition that poses a health or safety hazard,” a spokesperson for the company said, in part. 

The company did not say which areas may have had power lines de-energized in recent days. 

These mitigation measures are a small example of the evolving techniques available to energy companies, according to Hamid Nazaripouya, an assistant professor and energy researcher at Oklahoma State University. 

“Actions like burying the power lines in high-risk areas to eliminate exposure to dry vegetation, which sometimes is very costly,” Nazaripouya said, discussing other options for protecting energy infrastructure. “Also using the insulated conductors or covered power lines and the fire-resistant poles to reduce ignition risk. It's also upgrading equipment and installing the spark resistance hardware such as fast-acting fuses and isolated switches.” 

A spokesperson for Edmond Electric said it has safety measures that will de-energize a circuit if a short circuit occurs elsewhere on the line. Additional fuse protection devices are also in place further down the line that are meant to minimize disruptions to service, the spokesperson added. 

Nazaripouya said artificial intelligence and cameras are also often used by energy companies to monitor for downed lines or areas where vegetation needs to be cleared. 

“We should invest more on power grid resilience because, as you see, we are experiencing more and more of such events, and extreme weather events, and they are rare, but they are high impact,” he said. “One of the things that the policymakers can help with is allocating the budget for enhancing grid resilience, and that that includes helping with power system hardening, but also, equipping, the system with more advanced smart grid technologies.”