DSO Electric (DSO) has received just over $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and $618,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance wildfire protection and resilience in the communities it serves by making critical upgrades to its electric system.
For the DOE grant, DSO is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project, or “WARN.” Led by Holy Cross Energy in coordination with NRECA Research, WARN will provide more than $145 million in wildfire mitigation funding to co-ops across 16 states in the central and western United States to drive energy resilience in high-risk rural areas.
The FEMA grant was awarded through the Kansas Department of Emergency Management (KDEM).
Dry conditions and high winds are common in central Kansas. At times, winds can blow hard enough to bring down trees and power lines. When a power line goes down but is still energized, there is a danger of fire, especially in dry conditions. Once started, high winds can cause the fire to rapidly spread to homes, businesses, and farms.
With these grants, DSO will be adding automatic reclosers to many of its power lines. These reclosers can be remotely set to a “one shot” state, which means power to the line will be stopped as soon as a fault (e.g., a tree branch hitting a line) is detected. Normally, a recloser doesn’t stop power until multiple faults are detected over a short period (one to three seconds), but with high wind conditions, it is best to have power stopped immediately before the line can hit the ground and start a fire. Preventing fires from starting will save lives, livestock, crops, and buildings.
DSO plans to start installing the reclosers in late 2024 and expects to be completed by the end of 2026.
For more information on the project, please contact contactus@dsoelectric.com or call 800-376-3533.
Note: WARN funding comes from DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.