What is a PSPS?

Public Safety Power Shutoff 

A Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, is a temporary outage to help prevent wildfires during high-risk weather conditions.  Power is shut off to select areas when extreme weather makes utility equipment unsafe to operate. A PSPS is only considered when the risk of a fire is exceptionally high.

If Northern Lights determines, using situational assessment tools and field conditions, that the fire risk factors threaten our ability to safely operate the system, we move to proactively turn off the power in affected areas. Then, when weather conditions improve and fire risk subsides, we again provide power.

This is a preventative measure that will only be used as a last resort to help protect local communities against wildfire and help keep you safe.

Northern Lights may plan a PSPS when severe weather conditions may put you at risk of wildfires.  We evaluate areas such as:

• Forecasted high winds
• Low humidity
• Forecasted higher temperatures
• Dry material on the ground
• Vegetation near power lines

Keep in mind that Northern Lights relies on other transmission providers—mainly Bonneville Power Administration, but also Avista, Northwestern Energy and Kootenai Electric Cooperative—that may also implement a PSPS during extreme weather to prevent wildfires.

If any of these entities implement a PSPS to transmission lines feeding Northern Lights substations, then our distribution lines would also be de-energized.

This type of outage is out of our control, and we are forced to wait until the transmission provider clears its line and we can reenergize safely.

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