Longmont Power & Communications announced it will not cut off power in preparation of the high winds that are hitting the region today. This comes just days after Xcel Energy warned consumers that they should be prepared for another shutoff in response to increased wind and wildfire risks. Boulder and Weld Counties both have a red flag warning implemented until 7pm tonight as winter drought conditions along with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour substantially increases the likelihood of wildfires.
“We know how critical it is for our homes and businesses to have safe, reliable electricity,” said Darrell Hahn, LPC’s director of electric services. “We continually work to support that priority and as always, our crews are ready to respond as needed to maintain or restore power.”
LPC takes other steps to prevent outages rather than pre-emptive shutoffs like Xcel Energy did in December. LPC modifies the system to prevent automatic reconnection when there is a fault so that a fire doesn’t occur if a tree branch or other debris crashes down on a power line. The Longmont Leader reported earlier this month about how downed Xcel powerlines likely caused two wildfires in December, including one that sparked as power was restored while a power line was down…