| Resource Type | Reference Guide |
| Author / Source | North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) |
| Publication Date | July 2025 |
| Location | United States |
| Initiative Type | Program, Technology |
| Project Complexity | Advanced |
| Recommended For | Board, Staff |
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
Wildfires starting from utility equipment are spreading beyond the West, and this North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) guide gives co-ops in wildfire-prone areas a structured way to build a wildfire mitigation plan (WMP). It lays out the ten planning categories the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requires, from risk mapping and system hardening to vegetation management, and explains the mitigation measures utilities rely on, including the public safety power shutoff (PSPS). The stakes for a co-op are high, since equipment-caused fires can bring heavy liability and the shutoffs used to prevent them leave members without power.
For a co-op, this document works as both a starting framework and an organized toolbox. A co-op can use the ten WMP categories as a checklist to build or benchmark its own plan, and follow the guide's links to other utilities' wildfire mitigation plans, relevant organizations, wildfire tools, publications, and ongoing research. It is framed around bulk power system reliability and western utility experience, so a distribution co-op will need to scale measures to its own size and risk.
Key Takeaways
| › | The guide organizes wildfire mitigation into ten CPUC plan categories, from risk mapping and system hardening to vegetation management and community engagement, usable directly as a WMP checklist. |
| › | PSPS is presented as a last resort. Utilities pair it with hardening, covered conductor, sectionalizers, and enhanced settings to limit its scope, duration, and frequency. |
| › | It gathers a wide range of resources including other utilities' wildfire mitigation plans, relevant organizations, wildfire tools, publications, and ongoing research, that co-ops can draw on rather than start from scratch. |
| › | Equipment causes roughly 10% of California fires and 3% nationally, and the guide stresses fire risk is spreading east, so co-ops outside the West should assess exposure now. |
Implementation Considerations
- Regulatory or Governance Considerations: The framework is built around California's CPUC requirements and bulk power system reliability. Co-ops in other states would adapt the categories to their own regulators rather than treat them as mandates.
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: A full WMP spans risk modeling, sensing, inspections, and vegetation management, which is staff and data intensive. Smaller co-ops can start with the guide's linked tools and resources and scale measures rather than adopting a large utility's entire program.
- Time-Sensitive Information: The linked tools and resources vary in maturity, and some are tied to federal programs and offices undergoing change. Confirm a resource's current status and availability before relying on it.
Notable Examples
- Numerous examples listed in the guide's Reference section.
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
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