Creating Wildfire Resilience Through Preparedness and Situational Awareness Wildfire Impact on Transmission

Creating Wildfire Resilience Through Preparedness and Situational Awareness Wildfire Impact On Transmission

Darrell Moore, Reliability Analyst July 15, 2014 Agenda

• NERC: Promote Information Sharing and Situational Awareness throughout the entire ERO, with the objective of creating more resilience to Wildfire threats across all Interconnections. • WECC: San Diego Fires – Situational Awareness • SDG&E: Identifying Risk, Understanding Risk, Risk Mitigation and Building Resilience to Wildfire Threats. • All: Lessons Learned

2 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY Presenters

• ERO . Darrell Moore, NERC Reliability Analyst o [email protected] . Steven Ashbaker, WECC Director of Operations Performance Analysis o [email protected] • Industry . David Geier, SDG&E Vice President, Electric Transmission & System Engineering o [email protected] . Jonathan Woldemariam, SDG&E Director Electric Transmission & Distribution Engineering o [email protected]

3 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY San Diego Fires - Situational Awareness

Steve Ashbaker Director, Operations Performance Analysis Severe Drought/ Early Fire Season

• California has seen 25-50% of normal rain fall the past year • Third consecutive year of below normal precipitation • Subsequently, early start to California fire season

5 Situation Awareness

• WECC SA received timely and detailed updates on fire status • A total of 9 fires of various degrees of threat to the BES were reported over a 5 day period • Two “restricted maintenance” days were declared by the CISO • One EEA-2 was declared • WECC SA provided 10 updates to NERC

6 Creating Wildfire Resilience through Preparedness Presented to NERC July 2014

Dave Geier San Diego Gas & Electric VP – Electric Transmission & System Engineering [email protected]

SDG&E Owned Palomar 566 MW SONGS no longer in- IPP Owned service (was 2150 MW, 20% Owned by SDG&E)

IV renewables Otay Mesa 900 MW 603 MW

• Service Area – 4,100 square miles • 1,951 Circuit Miles of Transmission • 1.4 million Electric Meters • 24 Transmission Substations • Total Local Generation 3090MW • 109 Transmission/Distribution Substations • Maximum Import Limits 3350MW

8 Identifying Risk: Increased Wildfire Activity

The map below shows portions of San Diego County that have burned since 2000, including the Cedar Fire and all major 2007 fires.

2003 (Cedar Fire) • Acres Burned: 280,278 • Structures Destroyed: 2,820 • Structures Damaged: 63 • Vehicles Destroyed: 148 • Deaths: 14 • Injuries: 104

2007 (All Major Fires) • Acres Burned: 368,566 • Structures Destroyed: 2,665 • Structures Damaged: 117 • Vehicles Destroyed: 239 • Deaths: 7 • Injuries: 127

(For the purposes of this slide/presentation, structures refer to overhead utility structures)

9 Understanding Risk: Drought Enhancing 2014 Wildfire Potential

• Rainfall over the last year has been 25%-50% of normal. • This is our third consecutive year of below normal rainfall. Rainfall Normal Location Percent of Normal CA Drought Monitor (thru Apr 14) (thru Apr 14) Laguna Beach 3.88” 13.81” 28% of Normal • 100% of CA in Severe Drought Oceanside 4.20” 13.58” 31% of Normal • 76% of CA in Extreme Drought (Including much of San Diego County) Lindbergh Field 5.06” 10.31” 49% of Normal Ramona 7.85” 16.00” 49% of Normal Campo 6.95” 15.66” 44% of Normal Early Season Wildfire Activity • May 13-16 Fire Complex • Coastal San Diego County • 8 wildfires were greater than 100 acres • Over 13,000 customers affected • Over 40 homes destroyed • One Fatality • Estimated $60 Million Damage • 26,000 Total acres

10 Risk Mitigation: Establishing Resilience to Wildfire

Wood to Steel (2,220T & 1,750D) Meteorologists and Fire Coordinators Mobile Command Centers

Air Support Contract Contracted Fire Fighters Mobile Fire Trailers

Updated Operational Procedures

11 Risk Mitigation: Proactive Operational and Developmental Measures

• Operational changes to turn-off reclosing • Mobilizing crews to pre-determined locations • De-energize for safety when necessary • Staging of washing rigs and fire crews to pre- determined locations • Prior to and throughout the event, SDG&E provides situational awareness and forecasts to CAISO

• Coordinate with neighboring utilities for potential support • Take operational actions as needed to optimize power flows in coordination with the CAISO. • For major events, the CAISO will declare a system emergency where they may suspend code of conduct and allow out of market sales to stabilize system

12 Building Resilience: Situational Awareness Enhancements through Community Collaborations and Big Data • SDG&E Weather Station Network: largest • State-of-the-Art Forecasting System: Provides superior utility weather network in the world delivering understanding of weather and vegetation moisture unsurpassed real-time decision support supporting proactive emergency operations

• Mountain top camera network allows for real • Collaborations with key stakeholders in the time monitoring of hazardous conditions local fire community increasing data sharing providing updated intelligence

• Click here to play video 13 Building Resilience: Developing Operational Tools Fire Potential Index (FPI)

The Fire Potential Index is a planning and decision support tool designed to reduce the risk of a wildfire while improving efficiency and reliability • Incorporates weather, live fuel moisture, dead fuel moisture, and greenness of the annual grasses. • Calculated for 8 sub-sets of the SDG&E Service Territory • Used to inform operational decisions, work restrictions, resource allocation

14 Building Resilience: Developing Operational Tools Fire Potential Index (FPI)

Border Fire

Pines Fire

Witch Fire Cedar Fire Sierra Fire Angel Fire

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 FPI 6 5 4 3 2 1

Privileged & Confidential, Prepared at the Direction of Counsel Slide 15 15 Building Resilience: Developing Operational Tools Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index (SAWTI) Our Mission: Develop a tool to mitigate risks associated with extreme fire potential during Santa Ana Winds.

Our Vision: To provide a decision support tool to fire agencies and the general public to increase public safety and overall preparedness.

16 Building Resilience: Vegetation Management Program

• SDG&E Vegetation Management maintains a comprehensive database of over 455,000 trees that could impact our system. • Includes tree location, species, growth rates and pruning history • This program has resulted in drastic decreases in tree- related outages on the system.

17 Lessons Learned

Comprehensive Program to Reduce Fire Risk and Improve Mitigation: – Extensive engineering changes (more stringent design criteria, use of fire-resistant materials, use of state-of- the-art equipment) – Expanded QA/QC inspection and repair program – Escalating operational changes coincident with conditions – Weather monitoring and forecasting – Aggressive vegetation management program – Far reaching community outreach and involvement

18 Creating Wildfire Resilience through Preparedness

Thank You Questions?

Dave Geier San Diego Gas & Electric VP – Electric Transmission & System Engineering [email protected]