An undated photo of an electrical meter in the city of Talent, Ore.
Roman Battaglia / JPR
Residents of Talent, Oregon, have experienced numerous power outages during the current heat wave that’s baking the Rogue Valley with temperatures up to 111 F. While Pacific Power says it’s part of an effort to prevent wildfires, many residents are wondering why Talent has been so affected.
According to the city’s mayor, there have been at least six power outages since the beginning of July. The longest lasted 22 hours.
Those outages, according to Pacific Power, are part of a series of efforts to reduce the risks of wildfires. It includes switching power lines in Talent and across much of Jackson County to “elevated fire risk” settings. That means when there’s a fault from a tree branch that touches two wires or interference from birds, power is immediately disconnected to avoid sparks shooting to the ground.
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According to Pacific Power Spokesperson Simon Gutierrez, the high number of outages reported in Talent is merely a coincidence.
“The only thing that the outages have in common are these sensitive settings that our equipment is on. Which, when those settings are in place, when there’s interference, our lines are programmed to de-energize immediately for safety because we’re trying to prevent the wildfire from igniting from our equipment,” Gutierrez said.
During times of year outside of wildfire season, electricity gets restored almost immediately. But when the risk of fires is high, power lines have to first be manually inspected, which can take hours.
Pacific Power serves large parts of rural Southern Oregon and far Northern California, and other portions of the Pacific Northwest. The utility is owned by PacifiCorp. Together the two have been the target of a series of lawsuits since the 2020 Labor Day wildfires that devastated parts of Oregon and California. PacifiCorp’s payouts to communities and timber companies in late 2023 totaled more than half a billion dollars in damages.
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Talent endured some of the greatest loss of homes and businesses during the Labor Day fires.
While power shutoffs in the midst of a record-breaking heatwave may reduce fire risk, they’re also dangerous for customers who rely on electricity for medical devices or simply to stay cool.
“It’s devastating to lose your power once a day in the midst of triple digit weather,” said Talent Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood, who experienced six outages in six days in early July.
Ayers-Flood said some local businesses in Talent have reached the point where they simply send staff home for the day during the outages. In some cases, it’s taken days to reach Pacific Power to get an explanation, she said, while she has heard of no reports of outages in nearby Ashland or Phoenix. She understands the conflict between preventing fires and shutting off people’s power, but said the lack of communication is unacceptable.
“I don’t envy their choice but, in our community, we really need some answers. Because we know that answers lead to solutions,” Ayers-Flood said.
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Gutierrez said the company held an in-person forum in Medford in early May to explain the wildfire safety settings, and that they’ve sent out email notifications to customers.
He said the utility doesn’t have a date when the heightened power line settings will be restored to normal operation. In Oregon, wildfire season typically ends in October, so the outages may not end soon.