Rocky Mountain Power says wildfire conditions could bring longer outages, possible shutoffs

Photo: Unsplash // Michael Poitner

Warning comes as Utah enters summer under drought emergency after record-low snowpack

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Rocky Mountain Power says some Utah customers could see longer or more frequent power outages this summer as the utility prepares for an active wildfire season shaped by drought, dry vegetation, and elevated fire risk.

KSL reported Tuesday that Rocky Mountain Power plans to use “enhanced safety settings and protective equipment” during high-risk fire conditions, including temporarily de-energizing power lines during red-flag warnings or other periods of elevated wildfire risk. The utility said those steps are intended to reduce the chance that electrical equipment could spark a wildfire, but they may also lead to more outages in high-risk areas.

The warning comes as Utah enters summer under a statewide drought emergency. Utah News Dispatch reported this week that Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency, with every Utah county in severe or extreme drought after a dry, unusually warm winter depleted the state’s snowpack and left rivers and streams running low.

TownLift reported in April that Utah’s snowpack peaked March 9 at just 8.4 inches of snow water equivalent, the lowest level ever recorded, before melting at the fastest rate ever observed for the month.

Rocky Mountain Power says enhanced safety settings allow equipment to automatically shut off power within fractions of a second if interference is detected on a line, including from debris, wildlife, or high winds. The company says those settings are meant to prevent wildfires, but can increase the risk of outages and require crews to patrol lines before power is restored.

The utility may also use a Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, during periods of extreme wildfire risk. Rocky Mountain Power says it may de-energize lines as a preventive measure and, when possible, notify customers before, during, and after a shutoff by phone, text, or email.

KSL reported that Rocky Mountain Power monitors more than 300 weather stations and uses other tools to help guide operational decisions, including whether to de-energize power lines. The utility serves more than 1 million customers in Utah and parts of Idaho and Wyoming.

The company has used the tool before. In June 2025, Rocky Mountain Power issued a Public Safety Power Shutoff Warning for parts of central and southern Utah, saying it planned to de-energize lines if conditions created an extreme risk of wildfire ignition. The utility said at the time that dry vegetation, low humidity, high winds, and fire weather indices could trigger a shutoff.

In the Park City area, Rocky Mountain Power says it is also working to reduce wildfire risk by replacing aging overhead power lines in higher-risk areas with fire-resistant infrastructure, including covered conductors and undergrounding lines in some locations.

Rocky Mountain Power is urging customers to update their contact information, review backup power options, and prepare emergency kits ahead of wildfire season. KSL reported that the advisory comes as fire danger is already above normal in southwestern Utah and is expected to expand across much of the state in June and July, according to the Great Basin Coordination Center.