Co-op activates wildfire mitigation plan amid critical conditions

Great River Energy implemented its operational wildfire plan for approximately 24 hours after fire conditions reached a critical level in parts of Minnesota. As part of the plan, Great River Energy turned off reclosing on transmission circuits in this area to minimize the chance of igniting a fire. As conditions improved, reclosing was turned back on.

Great River Energy Director of System Operations Mark Peterson said the cooperative’s transmission facilities were not impacted by the large fires in Crow Wing County or the North Shore.

In recent years, Great River Energy has taken proactive steps to protect its transmission system from the growing risks of wildfires. As part of its comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan, a multidisciplinary team developed a wildfire dashboard designed to give system operators real-time situational awareness and actionable insights.

The dashboard visually highlights transmission assets under wildfire threat in Great River Energy’s service territory, displaying risk zones in the control center and providing detailed tables of affected circuits. By integrating data from weather services and geographic information system mapping, operators can quickly see where conditions — such as high wind, low humidity and dry vegetation — raise the risk of wildfire near Great River Energy’s transmission lines. The dashboard also flags active fires within six miles of transmission lines and substations.

Great River Energy Transmission Technology Resilience Lead Josh Lantto said one key feature is the ability to quickly disable and re-enable automatic reclosing on circuits in high-risk zones. With a single action, operators can adjust settings to turn off reclosing where needed with safeguards in place to avoid interfering with maintenance work.

Under normal conditions, if a tree or other issue causes a fault, protection relays trip the breakers, typically at both ends of the line, to isolate it. After a short delay, the system automatically attempts to reclose and re-energize the line since most faults are temporary.

If the line is damaged or a conductor is on the ground, that re-energization can create sparks and increase the risk of ignition. By disabling reclosing in high-risk conditions, the line remains de-energized after a fault and is patrolled before being restored, ensuring any damage is identified and cleared before the line is re-energized.

“That’s the kind of thing that can start fires during drought and heavy wind conditions. We’re building in logic and safety checks so operators can respond quickly and safely, minimizing manual steps and reducing the risk of igniting a fire.”

— Josh Lantto, Great River Energy transmission technology resilience lead

This dashboard is just one piece of Great River Energy’s larger wildfire mitigation plan, which also includes vegetation management, maintenance practices and ongoing process improvements.