NV Energy hopes to 'power down' wildfire risk at Mt. Charleston

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — NV Energy is giving Mt. Charleston residents advance notice that the fire season could come with deliberate power outages.

The power company is implementing what it calls "Public Safety Outage Management" to mitigate the risk of starting a destructive wildfire caused by a fuel source making contact with a charged power line

According to Kevin Geraghty, Senior VP of Operations at NV Energy, if conditions reach a certain threshold for fire risk, electricity to the 400 Mt. Charleston customers will be temporarily shut off.

That determination would be scientific, based on the conditions of the fuel on the ground, as well as the weather.

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"What we know is that when the fuel is in its driest state, when the fire science is in the worst case, anything can get blown up into our lines, or a line would have a failure during high wind events and that would be a likely ignition source," Geraghty said.

Geraghty says NV Energy understands it could result in major inconveniences for Mt. Charleston residents, so as much advance notice will be given as possible.

"We expect to have advance notice that could be as much as 48 hours ahead of time for most customers," Geraghty said. "If we can do it sooner, we certainly will."

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That advance notice will be given to customers based on the profile they currently have on file with NV Energy, which is why Geraghty says it's important that they update their contact information.

"We want customers to go in and update all their information about how they correspond with NV Energy, said Geraghty. "Whatever communication channels those customers provide is how we will reach out to them, so it can be text, phone calls, emails, etc. We'll be going through social media as well, to make sure customers are aware that it's planned."

NV Energy will also host an informational meeting next Tuesday, July 16, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.mm at the Retreat at Charleston Peak, previously known as the Resort on Mt. Charleston.

Company experts will be on hand to answer questions, and explain what will happen when, or if a planned outage becomes necessary.