Current Practices in Distribution Utility Resilience Planning for Wildfires

Summary

This August 2024 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy details current practices in wildfire resilience planning among six U.S. distribution utilities. It identifies advanced planning in this area compared to other hazards, with utilities like Southern California Edison proposing $5.2 billion for wildfire mitigation from 2025-2028, and Portland General Electric forecasting capital investments of $43-$75 million annually through 2026. Avista projects total wildfire resiliency spending of $410 million for 2020-2029. The report highlights opportunities to improve metrics by focusing on societal impacts and cause-agnostic wildfires, as well as integrating investment prioritization into broader utility planning processes, noting the devastating August 2023 Lahaina Fire caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damages and 99 deaths.

Key Facts

Source Document

https://example-government.gov/policy-document-link