Statement by LADWP Regarding the Blue Cut Fire

Since the start of the fire yesterday morning, we have had interruptions to two of our 287 kV transmission lines caused by intense smoke and fire. One of these lines, the Victorville-Century Line 1, has sustained significant damage such that it cannot be used to carry electricity. LADWP crews are mobilizing to make repairs to the line as quickly as possible once conditions on the ground permit.  We are coordinating with CalFire and have a staff member at the Unified Command post, along with other major utilities who are also affected and monitoring the fire closely.

At this time there is no impact to our power customers due to this damaged transmission line. The damaged line is part of our transmission grid that normally provides hydro-electric generated power to Los Angeles. Our local grid operators are currently able to utilize in-basin generation as needed to fulfill energy demand that would normally be supplied via the damaged line.

The Blue Cut fire underscores the threat that wildfires pose to power transmission in Southern California.  A significant portion of the electricity used by customers across southern California is imported into the areas across a vast transmission grid.  While the grid has redundancies, on hot summer days when demand is high, any loss of transmission capacity due to a line being taken out of service or being damaged by fire can pose a threat to power reliability and potentially affect an electric utility’s ability to meet customer demand.

We want to reiterate that at this time, electric service to LADWP customers is not directly impacted by the fire, but grid operators and field crews are monitoring the situation closely.  Updated information will be provided as circumstances warrant.