Basin Electric maintains a comprehensive vegetation management program focused on delivering safe, dependable electricity while reducing environmental impacts. The Transmission Systems Maintenance (TSM) team oversees this effort, managing roughly 2,600 miles of transmission right-of-way across lines operating between 115 and 345 kilovolts.
Part of that program includes understanding the serious risk wildfires present to public safety and electric reliability throughout Basin Electric’s service area. To address that risk, Basin Electric has implemented a Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) that outlines a structured approach to prevention, preparedness, emergency response, and ongoing evaluation and improvement.
“Development of the plan is something we have been discussing internally for some time,” Derik Johnson, manager of TSM, said. “The main driver was the wildfire legislation being developed and passed in multiple states where we own and maintain transmission.”
The project started by reaching out to a consultant for assistance in developing the plan. Teams across Basin Electric also added their input, including Jason Brekke, senior GIS analyst, who helped coordinate between the consultants and internal staff to keep the ball rolling and the project on schedule.
The WMP consolidates existing practices into one clearly documented, wildfire-focused plan. “We have good internal controls for wildfire, and now they are documented clearly,” Johnson said.
The WMP is compliant in all states Basin Electric operates, so an adaptable approach was required during the design phase to account for varying state requirements. “Some requirements differ slightly depending on the state, so we had to be flexible,” Johnson said.
The WMP is a “living” document and will be updated as required. It is available on basinelectric.com under Transmission.
