Active Southern California fires prevent power utilities from inspecting damaged transmission lines

Ongoing fires in Southern California are preventing utility crews from inspecting damaged equipment, while also spurring new power outages, as spot prices remain on an upward trajectory.

Extremely critical fire weather conditions will continue across coastal Southern California through Jan. 15, while the "Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning" is set to expire that afternoon, according to the Jan. 14 forecast from the US National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.

SP15 spot prices continue to rebound closer to year-ago locational marginal price levels.

SP15 on-peak day-ahead traded around $40/MWh for Jan. 15 delivery on the Intercontinental Exchange, a 25.5% increase from the California Independent System Operator's SP15 on-peak day-ahead locational marginal price for Jan. 14. The on-peak next-week package traded in the low $60s/MWh on ICE, while the balance-of-the-month package traded in the low $50s/MWh.

In comparison, SP15 on-peak day-ahead LMP averaged about $62/MWh in January 2024, according to CAISO data.

Despite a second round of Santa Ana wind fueling fires this week, CAISO reported no impact to the electric power grid.

"Throughout the wildfire event, we have maintained regular coordination with utilities and agency partners and the bulk electricity system has remained stable," CAISO spokesperson Anne Gonzales said Jan. 14. "We are continuing to monitor conditions and at this point do not foresee any reliability issues or supply shortages on the bulk electricity system in the coming days."

This is a dynamic situation requiring continuous monitoring and evaluation, she added.

As a "wires-focused utility," Southern California Edison has damage to transmission wires from the wind and fire, spokesperson Jeff Monford said Jan. 14.

"With the fires still going, we're not able to do inspections in those areas," he said.

San Diego Gas and Electric did not provide information on any damage to equipment. The Los Angeles Department of Water did not respond to an inquiry on impacts to facilities.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs

While this week's wind event is less severe than last week's, utilities have still implemented temporary power outages to specific areas to reduce the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure. Public Safety Power Shutoffs are approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions, according to SDG&E.

Across the state, there were over 91,500 customer outages as of about 1 pm PT Jan. 14, according to poweroutage.us. Many were part of a PSPS.

The utility most impacted by the extreme weather event was Southern California Edison, which had 74,000 total customer outages, including 58,000 that were part of a PSPS and about 16,000 from other events such as storm and fire damage, Monford said. The utility had restored power to over 600,000 customers, most in the last few days, he added.

LADWP had nearly 18,000 fire-related outages as of 7 am and warned of additional outages should local fire authorities ask the utility to de-energize power lines, according to a Jan. 14 statement.

SDG&E reported 2,448 customers without power as part of a PSPS as of about 1 pm PT Jan. 14, with an additional 52,489 potential customers at risk of a PSPS, according to a Jan. 14 statement.

Several fires have ignited since Jan. 7 due to extreme winds and prolonged drought conditions across the region. Combined, the fires have burned over 40,600 acres as of about 1 pm Jan. 14, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Palisades Fire, the largest, is 17% contained, while the Eaton Fire is 35% contained.