Public Safety Power Shutoff

At Black Hills Energy, your safety—and the safety of our employees and communities — is our highest priority. Being prepared and protecting against wildfires is a year-round effort. As part of this effort, we’re developing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program. This is a last resort safety measure to protect public safety by selectively and proactively turning off power to high-risk fire areas when weather conditions create an elevated risk of wildfire.

The primary factors used within the industry include a combination of:

• Wind gust speeds
• Low relative humidity

We plan to use similar criteria as other electric utilities in the industry. We do not intend to trigger a PSPS based on a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service. 

We recognize that shutting off power, even to reduce wildfire risks, has broad impacts. We’re focused on creating processes that help keep customers and communities informed, so they can be prepared. Our goal is to have a PSPS program in place by mid-summer, ready to implement if necessary. We’ll continue to provide updates and more information, as available here on our website. 

How you’ll hear from us

We intend to communicate to customers in impacted areas in advance of a potential power shutoff, but if weather conditions change quickly, power may need to be shut off with little or no notice.

PSPS event notifications will occur through:

• Phone calls
• Emails
• Text messages
• Social media
• Media outlets
• Our website

Preplanning for any weather-related power disruption is important. Make sure your contact information is up to date so you can receive outage alerts by text, email or phone.

Restoration

Once weather conditions have improved, our crews will begin the restoration process. If a power line is proactively de-energized during a Public Safety Power Shutoff, Black Hills Energy will not turn the power back on until conditions improve, and crews have inspected power lines. This process may result in outages lasting several hours or a few days.

Medical needs

For medical emergencies, call 911.

Have a backup plan for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place to go during an outage or having a backup generator.