Earlier this year, you may have noticed Morgan County REA activated Risk Mitigation Protocols several times for our system, which is made up of nearly 3,000 miles of power line stretched across six counties. We weren’t alone in doing so, as electric companies throughout our region — both cooperatives and investor owned utilities — put similar procedures in place. It raises the questions: What are RMPs? Why are they being used? I’d like to take some time to answer these questions and explain MCREA’s efforts towards protecting the areas we serve.
Under normal conditions, our system uses automated technologies to keep power flowing to our members. If a temporary interference causes a fault — perhaps lightning or a gust of wind that slaps the lines together — devices on the line will momentarily trip open to clear the fault, then close to restore power. These are called reclosers, and they help reduce outages to keep our system operating efficiently.
WHAT ARE RMPS?
During windy conditions or Red Flag Warnings, MCREA activates Risk Mitigation Protocols for our system. Under RMPs, we disable those automatic functions and operate in “non-reclose” mode. Now, if a recloser trips it will remain open and power will be off until MCREA has been able to visually inspect the affected section of line. These outages may be longer than usual since crews need to make those inspections. If no issues are found, the line will be re-energized.
WHY ARE THESE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE?
This past winter was much drier than usual, and we saw days with wind gusts well over 60 miles per hour. Unfortunately, this creates the conditions for wildfires to ignite and spread rapidly. While it’s impossible to eliminate all risk, our RMPs help reduce the likelihood of damaged lines sparking and causing a fire. In addition to enhancing our system’s safety settings, MCREA’s team closely monitors local first responder activity. In some emergencies, power needs to be shut off for first responders to work safely — and staying in the loop helps us dispatch linemen as fast as possible to those locations.
WILL MCREA TURN OFF POWER AHEAD OF TIME?
Recently, other utilities have conducted Public Safety Power Shutoffs, where they preemptively de energize power to targeted areas during extreme wildfire risk conditions. At this time, MCREA has not utilized this type of anticipatory outage. Does that mean our co op will never have to implement preemptive shutoffs to combat fire risk?
After more than 35 years in this industry, I’m hesitant to never say never. However, should planned, proactive outages be part of our wildfire mitigation strategy, we will give as much notice as possible to our members and clearly communicate with you through those events.
At MCREA, safety is our top priority; for our members, our employees, and the areas we serve. Our RMPs are another way we remain committed to safety every day. Wildfire mitigation has become the primary focus for many electric co ops, especially here in Colorado. While efforts to reduce risk can lead to other frustrations — like longer, more frequent outages — we genuinely appreciate your patience as we work to deliver reliable power, while protecting the communities we serve.
Dave Frick is the general manager of Morgan County Rural Electric Association, a rural electric distribution cooperative based in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
